ABSTRACT
Social License to Operate (LSO) is a concept used both as a strategic mechanism for companies to obtain acceptance of their undertakings and as an element of claim by social movements that confront them. This work analyzes public positions made about the Guaíba Mine project, in Rio Grande Sul. Positions in the licensing process and in public hearings were identified, and 36 texts from internet portals and 8 academic works were analyzed. The positions were analyzed according to elements found in the literature, drawing parallels with the exposed positions and the facts described about the Guaíba Mine. It was possible to conclude that there are important relationships between public positions on the Guaíba Mine project and the issues analyzed in empirical studies on obtaining the LSO. Problems such as rhetorical economicism in favour of corporations, manipulation of hearings, omissions regarding the real environmental impacts of projects and the crisis of confidence experienced by the mining sector are constant in both cases. The article contributes to the debate on LSO by pointing out the relevance of actions organized by social movements and environmental organizations in the sense of social awareness.
Keywords:
Mina Guaíba; Social License to Operate; Mining; Environmental Impact; Participation