The Social License to Operate
‘You don’t get your social license by going to a government ministry and making an application or simply paying a fee… It requires far more than money to truly become part of the communities in which you operate.’
The resource sector is generally accepted by the public at large because of the role it plays: There can be no doubt as to the historic role the natural resource industry has played in the advancement of societies needs and well-being, and the economic growth and industrialization of specific countries. However, at the level of individual projects, this acceptance is neither automatic nor unconditional. Today, there is the need to gain and maintain the support of the people that live and work in the area of impact and influence of any given project – to have the Social License to Operate. There is ample evidence that a failure to gain and maintain this Social License can lead to conflict, delays or cost for the proponents of a project.