Carrier-mediated transport through supported liquid membranes is currently recognized as a potentially valuable technology for selective separation and concentration of toxic and valuable metal ions. In this paper, a review of the fundamental aspects concerning metal ion transport and the influencing factors are surveyed in terms of data modeling, membrane efficiency (permeability, selectivity, stability), and data acquisition and evaluation. An account of the information reviewed demonstrates the need for critical reflection on system performances in order to accomplish scaling up operations. On the same basis, an attempt to outline some future trends in the field is presented.