Trust, mistrust and distrust as blind spots of Social Licence to Operate: illustration via three forerunner countries in nuclear waste management

The notion of social licence to operate (SLO) has become a widely applied concept for companies in mining and resource extraction industries manage their community relations, the face local criticism opposition. SLO literature practice have highlighted earning trust as key requirement an SLO. This article addresses three weaknesses how current trust. arguments are illustrated via examples from nuclear waste management Finland, France Sweden – forerunners implementing high-level repository projects. Nuclear constitutes relevant case analysis, industry that faces significant risk-related challenges acceptance, ethics, economics, democratic debate. Focussing on oft-used framework Boutilier Thomson, with its emphasis interactional institutionalised between company community, we address gaps literature: 1) insufficient conceptualisation trust, particular dynamics different dimensions mistrust distrust; 2) lack attention potential Virtues 3) downsides taking institutionalisation ultimate criterion strong SLO, especially contexts entailing asymmetries power. concludes by suggesting ways alleviating identified weaknesses, greater recognition multidimensionality distrust, mistrustful civic vigilance, lie beyond community-company relations.