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LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) is a useful tool in decision-making for most businesses that opt for sustainability and offers the possibility to compare different products, processes, and value chain scenarios, both real and hypothetical. Coupled with S-ROI (Sustainable Return on Investment), the LCA has a great potential in using available data for existing mining sites in the North-East Region of Romania to assess the economic, social and environmental benefits of certain sustainability measures on a local and regional level. The article will explore this approach of combining the two methodologies: LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) and S-ROI (Sustainable Return on Investment), with necessary adjustments according to the characteristics of the local mining activities, to show key investment areas that can improve the value chain of copper exploitation and preparation in the mining perimeter Mănăila. The case of the copper mine in Mănăila offers a great opportunity to apply the current LICYMIN (Life Cycle of Mining) research and to use available Ecoinvent data for the copper ore by comparing the current value chain scenario with a proposed scenario that includes a different location for a mining ore preparation unit, closer to the quarry. The results will give an insight into the potential social and economic impact (the measure can translate into a higher local employment rate, better social stability, lower transportation costs, etc.) as well as the environmental impact (reduction of GHG emission, pollution, and energy efficiency) of the suggested changes.

The communist mining industry has been one of the main pillars of Romania’s state economy. The problems resulted from what was at the time a highly unsustainable state program constitutes the main motivation to investigate the possible consequences of Romania’s economic past. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that without serious measures, pollution continues to persist in abandoned mining areas. In order to achieve this, the quality of the environment around two mining sites with similar characteristics has been evaluated. The difference between the two sites consists of a mine water treatment plant at the Mestecaniș unit, as opposed to the mine water being directly discharged into the main stem watercourse in Isipoaia—the Isipoaia Creek. In evaluating the impact, data from the Environmental Protection Agency, SC CARTEL BAU SA Cluj Napoca, S.C. CONVERSMIN SA, was used. Two impact evaluation methods were used: a quantitative method by calculating the global pollution index (GPI) and a qualitative method with the help of the Leopold matrix, adapted to the specificities of the mining activity. This comparative impact assessment is the first of its kind for the mining area and emphasizes the urgent need for a re-evaluation of the other 39 similar mining perimeters by prioritizing and speeding up the ecological rehabilitation measures. This raises the question of what solutions are best fitted to capitalize on and to further utilize the slurry resulted from the treatment of mine waters performed for the closing of the life cycle of the mining product.