66 and transparency. At the same time, the traditional linear economic model, based on continuous resource extraction, production, and disposal, has become increasingly unsustainable in the face of expanding industrial activity, pressure on finite natural resources, and growing environmental and social constraints. In mining, this model is reflected in the ongoing generation of large volumes of tailings, often treated as permanent liabilities, resulting in substantial long-term environmental impacts, complex operational risks, and escalating lifecycle costs. In response, the concept of a circular economy has emerged as a strategic framework for the mining sector, aiming to reduce reliance on virgin raw materials, enhance resource efficiency, and reintegrate materials into productive cycles. Applied to tailings management, circular economy approaches include reducing tailings generation at the source, reprocessing legacy tailings, valorizing tailings as secondary materials, and adopting alternative disposal methods. Beyond their contribution to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such approaches offer institutional benefits, including improved ESG performance, increased operational resilience, and stronger alignment with regulatory and investor expectations. Despite these potential benefits, practical knowledge and implementation maturity within mining companies remain limited when it comes to applying circular economy principles to tailings management. In many cases, circular initiatives are addressed in a conceptual or fragmented manner, lacking systematic integration with engineering criteria, risk assessments, regulatory requirements, and formal governance structures. This limitation is often exacerbated by the absence of mechanisms capable of consolidating and institutionalizing technical knowledge across the tailings facility lifecycle. These challenges become particularly evident when examined considering international sustainability programs such as Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM). While TSM establishes clear expectations related to tailings governance, risk management, transparency, and continuous improvement, many organizations struggle to operationalize these requirements consistently. A key constraint is the lack of an integrated knowledge base capable of linking multidisciplinary data, design decisions, risk assumptions, and organizational accountability. However, the adoption of circular strategies in tailings management requires the integration of multidisciplinary data and the evaluation of complex risk scenarios. This paper explores how digitalization and integrated tailings management platforms can enable circular economy approaches by supporting technical rigor, strengthening governance, and promoting informed, traceable decision-making across the entire lifecycle of tailings facilities. 2. CIRCULAR ECONOMY APPLIED TO TAILINGS MANAGEMENT The traditional approach to tailings management has historically followed a linear economic model based on ore extraction, mineral processing, and final disposal. Under this
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTM0Mzk2