1708 resilience. Incorporating SDGs into business strategy can also improve access to responsible financing and alignment with investor expectations (Nilashi et al., 2024; Perdeli Demirkan et al., 2021a). Localization further reinforces the social license to operate. Aligning sustainability initiatives with local priorities, including employment, skills development, water access, and community infrastructure, fosters trust and legitimacy while reducing the potential for conflict (Pedro et al., 2017; Perdeli Demirkan et al., 2021a). Early, transparent stakeholder engagement helps resolve grievances before they escalate. At the operational level, localization enables targeted mitigation and more effective management of site-specific impacts. Customized approaches enhance water management, land rehabilitation, and mine closure planning, thereby reducing long-term liabilities (Perdeli Demirkan et al., 2021a; Simpson et al., 2025). Evidence from contaminated mining sites indicates that locally adapted remediation strategies can decrease environmental risk and facilitate post-mining land reuse (Mazumder et al., 2021). Localization also helps companies identify weaknesses in their sustainability reporting, thereby enhancing credibility. Despite these advantages, the localization of SDGs remains challenging in practice. Numerous mining companies struggle to integrate the SDGs into project-level decision-making, resulting in a persistent gap between corporate commitments and site-level implementation. SDG initiatives are frequently criticized as instances of “SDG-washing,” in which positive contributions are emphasized while negative impacts are disregarded (Perdeli Demirkan et al., 2021a). This practice undermines both accountability and stakeholder trust. A significant challenge is the fragmented application of sustainability tools within the mining sector. Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) reporting, indicator frameworks, life-cycle assessment (LCA), governance studies, and social impact assessments are frequently employed independently. Although each tool offers valuable insights, they are seldom integrated into comprehensive frameworks that facilitate project appraisal or operational trade-offs. Furthermore, many of these tools are primarily designed to meet investor requirements rather than to inform on-site decision-making (Agusdinata et al., 2023a; Haywood et al., 2026). Additionally, SDG assessments frequently depend on national-level data or aggregated indicators that fail to capture local conditions (Fonseca et al., 2020). This reliance can lead to misalignment between corporate initiatives and the specific needs of local communities (Mutale et al., 2019a; Negrete et al., 2024). Insufficient consideration of local governance structures and community knowledge may further marginalize vulnerable populations. Consequently, SDG alignment often remains a reporting activity rather than serving as an effective decision-support tool. This paper provides an industry-focused synthesis of SDG localization in mining projects. It examines how SDGs are applied in practice, where localization creates value, and where gaps remain. Existing studies suggest that mining projects often prioritize SDGs related to employment and climate (SDG 8 and SDG 13), while health and ecosystem goals (SDG 3 and SDG 15) receive less attention (Deveci et al., 2022; Haywood et al., 2026). Accordingly, this study conducts a systematic literature review to address the following research questions: • RQ1: How are SDGs currently applied in mining projects, and for what purposes (e.g., reporting, planning, risk management, closure)? • RQ2: What practical benefits and outcomes are reported when SDGs are localized to mining project contexts? • RQ3: Which SDGs are most frequently prioritized in mining projects, which remain underintegrated, and what factors explain these gaps? 2. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 2.1. Literature search strategy Since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda, research on the SDGs has expanded rapidly across multiple disciplines. However, approaches to localizing the SDGs, particularly in mining and extractive project contexts, remain fragmented and methodologically diverse. Accordingly, this study employs a systematic literature review to consolidate peer-reviewed evidence on the application and localization of SDGs in
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