Lignite is a commodity of major importance for the Greek economy, being almost the only available domestic fossil fuel. In fact, Greece ranks as the third largest lignite producer in Europe and fourth worldwide. There are three major areas of production in Greece; in the north, north-west, and south-west of the country (Figure 1a). The area of north-western Greece is chosen, in particular for this research, as it is the centre of lignite production in the country. Geographically, the main field mine is located in Ptolemaida, with current reserves reaching 1,800 Mt. The most important deposits are located primarily in the prefecture of Kozani, and secondarily in Florina (Figure 1b). Despite the significance of its use, mining for lignite comes with consequences for both the inhabitants living in the nearby villages as well as for the surrounding ecosystems. CITATION:Rodolaki, C and Triantafyllou, A G, 2019. Reconnecting raw materials with society: a case study for the Lignite mines in north-western Greece, in Proceedings 9th International Conference on Sustainable Development in the Minerals Industry, pp 2022 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).