Our impact on the immediate environment

The Group has very strong links to the region in which it operates. The hard coal mining industry has built and continues to build the culture of Upper Silesia. Involvement of the Group companies in the activity of the social and industry organizations and associations is an important element of strengthening the sustainable and responsible business. Rebuilding and nurturing relations with local communities, including local governments, based on trust and openness is an equally important aspect. The Group focuses on cooperation and joint undertakings, taking account of the impact of its business decisions on local communities and works with the local governments on investment projects and education. Bearing in mind the specificity of the Group’s operations, eliminating and/or mitigating their negative impact is a very important element in building long-term relations with the local community.

Within their business activity, individual Group companies monitor the nature and scale of their impact on their surroundings on an ongoing basis, seeking the technology, process and other solutions that would allow them to eliminate or limit their negative impact, which varies across companies and plants.

The operation of other units (e.g. coal preparation or coking plants) entails a certain degree of nuisance for local communities, such as noise, emissions into the atmosphere or water. The Group is investing in solutions to reduce them.

One of the most significant risks related to the Group’s operations is the threat of lack of social acceptance for the current and future operations. As the decarbonisation policy gains momentum, all carbon-based processing technologies are increasingly perceived as a highly environmentally harmful activity both for the natural and human environment. This is why the Group places a special emphasis on sustainable development and circular economy (zero-waste production) in its common CSR policy.

The Group carries out both long-term proprietary social programs and charitable activities, and is also a patron of sports. Social activities, especially charitable activities, are concentrated in the areas where the Group's units operate and the areas where the Group may have an impact. Over the years, the Group has paid special attention to supporting children and young people. It undertakes projects oriented to a specific community’s needs and expectations, pro-environmental measures, social campaigns and employee programs to promote an active lifestyle or volunteering, among others

The mining industry is also the key employer and the main payer of taxes and other fees related to concessions and the extraction of deposits. These funds supply local government budgets, supporting their development and investment projects. In 2022, the Parent Company made payments to the local budget of more than PLN 89.6 million(the payments include property tax, agricultural tax and transportation tax, as well as mining fees due to municipalities).