Social license to operate in mining: present views and future trendsSocial license to operate in mining: present views and future trends Peer-Reviewed Journal Publication Δημοσίευση σε Περιοδικό με Κριτές 2022-03-242020enThe author acknowledges funding of the project “INVALOR: Research Infrastructure for Waste Valorization and Sustainable Management” (MIS 5002495), which is implemented under the Action “Reinforcement of the Research and Innovation Infrastructure”, by the Operational Programme “Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation” (NSRF 2014–2020) and co-financed by Greece and the European Union (European Regional Development Fund)”.The social license to operate (SLO) is an informal social contract that aims to bridge the gap among the views of the most important stakeholders involved in mining activities. The novelty of this paper lies in the fact that it discusses the current situation and the future prospects of granting a SLO, mainly at the European Union (EU) level, by considering the mine of the future, in terms of deep sea and landfill mining, and the criticality of raw materials that are required by high tech products as well as by emerging and green technologies. Also, it highlights the factors that may affect the views of all involved stakeholders, focusing on the joint efforts that are required by the industry and the society as well as on the main technological, social, political and legal issues which are relevant to the process. It is believed that if trust is developed between the involved stakeholders the SLO may prove an important tool in future mining in order to safeguard the supply of raw materials, minimize the environmental footprint and improve the quality of life in the affected regions. Finally, a conceptual flowsheet involving the main steps that may be followed for granting a SLO is proposed. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Resources96Komnitsas_Resources_9(6)_2020.pdfChania [Greece]Library of TUC2022-03-24application/pdf2.0 MBfree Komnitsas Konstantinos Κομνιτσας Κωνσταντινος MDPI Mine of the future Landfill mining Supply of critical metals Waste management