The purpose of this study is to examine the informal reasoning processes of seventh-grade secondary school students regarding a socio-scientific issue. The study employed the case study method, a qualitative research approach. Participants consisted of 19 students who voluntarily participated in the study. In the study, students' informal reasoning about the socio-scientific issue concerning mining activities in a forest-rich region, addressed within the “Conscious Consumption” topic, was examined within the framework of a socio-scientific program developed by the researcher, based on a controversial scenario involving a dilemma. During the four-week implementation period, the researcher assumed the role of participant observer. The analysis of the data revealed that students' informal reasoning was shaped around economic, ecological, social, and political dimensions. It has been observed that the applied socio-scientific program supports students in approaching socio-scientific issues with a multifaceted and critical perspective. Small group discussions, conducted as an integral part of the socio-scientific program, have supported students in freely expressing their ideas, developing alternative perspectives, and presenting arguments aimed at persuading peers with opposing views. In contrast, whole-class discussions have enabled students to present more comprehensive evidence and justify their decisions before the community. Furthermore, it was observed that some students changed their minds during the discussion process based on economic considerations, which pushed universal evaluations based on compassion and empathy into the background.