From 3 to 5 November 2026, the Czarny Potok Hotel in Krynica-Zdrój hosted the 35th conference “Current Issues and Prospects of Mineral Raw Materials Management” (Aktualia i perspektywy gospodarki surowcami mineralnymi), organised by the Mineral and Energy Economy Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IGSMiE PAN). Wastes Service Group and Green Recovery Organizacja Odzysku were sponsors of the event.

Poland's raw materials policy and the CRMA in focus

The opening sessions were dominated by two topics: Poland's new State Raw Materials Policy, presented by Chief National Geologist Prof. Krzysztof Galos (Ministry of Climate and Environment), and the challenges of implementing the EU Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA). We would like to thank the organisers from IGSMiE PAN, led by Alicja Kot-Niewiadomska, for creating a space for substantive dialogue between science, public administration and industry.

Panel: critical raw materials from secondary sources

For us, the highlight of the programme was the discussion on recovering critical raw materials from waste, moderated by Deputy Minister Krzysztof Galos. The panellists were:

• Barbara Juszczyk, Łukasiewicz Research Network - Institute of Non-Ferrous Metals,
• Arkadiusz Mańka, Huta Cynku "Miasteczko Śląskie" zinc smelter,
• Radosław Pomykała, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Resource Management, AGH University of Krakow,
• Jakub Urbanowski, KGHM Polska Miedź S.A.,
• Robert Makieła, CEO of Wastes Service Group.

Key takeaways

• Europe lacks black mass processing capacity. There are not enough plants able to process black mass from lithium-ion batteries at industrial scale. Recycling waste equipment and batteries remains a challenge as well.
• High operating costs. Recycling plants must efficiently recover copper, aluminium and graphite, among others, which requires costly technology.
• Environmental permits of over 160 pages. Inconsistent approaches across authorities increase the risk of delays and expiring permits. Panellists called for automated procedures (e.g. through the DIWASS system), electronic standardised application forms and solutions modelled on Germany, where a permit is limited to key parameters such as quantities and waste codes.
• Rapid changes in battery technology. Recyclers have to keep adapting their processes, while Europe risks losing production plants and valuable raw materials to other regions.

565 million reasons to see waste as a resource

On the first day of the conference, Filip Gabryelewicz, Chief Business Development Officer at Wastes Service Group, gave a presentation based on a survey conducted by SW Research for OLX (April 2025):

• the average adult in Poland keeps more than 18 unused electronic devices at home,
• most of them are old phones, more than 2 per person on average,
• 92% of respondents have at least one unused phone,
• in total, this amounts to around 565 million devices with an estimated value of around PLN 112 billion.

For comparison, according to Eurostat, around 606,000 tonnes of waste electrical and electronic equipment were collected in Poland in 2024. A huge share of potential raw materials never reaches e-waste recycling and instead sits in drawers, basements and garages. Yet every phone, laptop and charger contains copper, aluminium, precious metals and critical raw materials that Europe increasingly needs. New deposits are not always underground, but first they have to be taken out of the drawer.

Why it matters for the industry

The discussions in Krynica showed that raw material recovery from secondary sources is one of the pillars of raw materials security for Poland and Europe. This requires efficient administration, predictable law and investment in domestic processing capacity. We are glad that, as sponsors, we could take an active part in this conversation. If you would like to discuss battery or e-waste recycling for your company, get in touch with us.