Analysis · November 2026
Copper in the Polish economyvalue, circularity and security of supply
Poland produces twice as much refined copper as it consumes, and more than a quarter of KGHM’s cathodes are made from scrap. With its suppliers, the copper value chain generates EUR 4.4 billion of value added, 53,000 jobs and EUR 2.3 billion for public finances.
At a glance
4,401EUR m
gross value added – copper chain with domestic suppliers
52,975jobs
in the copper chain and at its Polish suppliers
2,347EUR m
a year for public finances (PLN 10,108 m, VAT excluded)
3,865PLN m
of mineral extraction tax charged to KGHM in 2024 (EUR 898 m); PLN 4,693 m in 2025
302kt CO₂e
of emissions potentially avoided a year by recycling scrap collected in Poland
56%
of the apparent consumption of refined copper corresponds to copper recovered from scrap in Poland (167 kt)
Central values for 2024. The line under each figure shows the 90% uncertainty band (P5–P95) on a scale from zero. Gross contribution, not net effects; the mineral extraction tax is an observed figure.
Seven findings
EUR 4.4 billion of value added
The five segments of the chain generate EUR 3,085 million of gross value added directly, EUR 4,401 million with domestic suppliers and EUR 5,158 million with employees’ spending. Primary copper at KGHM accounts for 78% of direct value added, the recycling chain for EUR 250 million and copper in wires and cables for EUR 379 million.
53,000 jobs and EUR 2.3 billion for public finances
About 27,900 people work directly in the chain and about 53,000 including suppliers. Taxes and contributions total an estimated EUR 2,347 million a year. The largest item is the mineral extraction tax: PLN 3,865 million in 2024 and PLN 4,693 million in 2025.
More than a quarter of KGHM’s cathodes from scrap
Polish smelters recovered about 167 kt of copper from scrap in 2024 – KGHM alone produced 158.6 kt of electrolytic copper from scrap, 27% of its output. This corresponds to 56% of the country’s apparent consumption of refined copper.
Poland processes more scrap than it collects
Poland imported 152 kt of copper scrap and exported 95 kt. The CU-PL mass balance gives about 126 kt of scrap collected in the country – the gap between processing and collection is covered by net imports, mainly from EU countries.
302 kt CO₂e and 10.7 Mt of tailings avoided
Recycling the copper collected in Poland potentially avoids about 302 kt CO₂e a year, and each tonne of recycled copper about 94 t of flotation tailings and 31 kg of SO₂ at primary producers, mostly outside Poland.
Security of supply for Europe
Refined copper output – 589 kt – equals 198% of apparent consumption, and the surplus in cathode and wire-rod trade is EUR 3.5 billion. The Retków-Grodziszcze deposit and the Integrated Recycling Smelter in Legnica have been CRMA Strategic Projects since October 2026.
Recycling grows, mining sets the scale
In the circular-copper scenario (2035), value added with suppliers rises by about EUR 131 million. Lower mine output and weaker demand (2030) would cut it by about EUR 567 million – mostly in primary copper.
From ore and scrap to cables – five links
The CU-PL model covers scrap collection and trading, secondary copper, primary copper at KGHM – from mine to wire rod – and semis, alloys and copper in wires and cables.
Collection & trade
Copper scrap purchasing and trading
- EUR m GVA
- 152
- jobs
- 1,756
Secondary copper
Smelting and refining of scrap, mainly at KGHM smelters
- EUR m GVA
- 99
- jobs
- 835
Primary copper
Mining, concentration, smelting, refining and wire rod (KGHM)
- EUR m GVA
- 2,408
- jobs
- 18,092
Semis and alloys
Rods, tubes, strip and castings outside KGHM
- EUR m GVA
- 48
- jobs
- 1,208
Wires and cables
Copper share of cable production
- EUR m GVA
- 379
- jobs
- 5,994
Cathodes and wire rod
grids · energy · industry · exports
+EUR 3.5 bnsurplus in refined copper and wire trade, 2024
Economy
Value added, jobs, taxes
Environment
Avoided emissions and flotation tailings
Strategy
Coverage of consumption, trade, import concentration
EUR 4.4 billion of value added and 53,000 jobs
Purchases from Polish suppliers – energy, materials, services, repairs and transport – add EUR 1,316 million of value added and about 25,100 jobs, and employees’ spending EUR 757 million and about 16,600 jobs.
- Direct
- Supply chain
- Employees’ spending
Gross value added, EUR m
Persons employed
Gross contribution at fixed input–output coefficients, not net jobs. KGHM is modelled from its 2024 accounts – a year of moderate metal prices.
EUR 2.3 billion for public finances
Taxes and contributions linked to the chain, its suppliers and household spending are estimated at EUR 2,347 million a year. The largest single item is the mineral extraction tax – the only observed figure in this breakdown.
Taxes and contributions by type, EUR m, 2024
Mineral extraction tax charged to KGHM, PLN m
SourceTaxes and contributions excluding VAT; mineral extraction tax from KGHM’s reports, other items from the CU-PL model. The mineral extraction tax is not part of value added at basic prices and is not deductible for corporate income tax.
Poland processes more scrap than it collects
Copper scrap moves both ways across the EU market. Polish smelters process about 184 kt of scrap – more than the roughly 126 kt collected in the country – and net imports cover the difference.
kt, 2024
× metal yield 0.91
Secondary copper: 73% lower emissions
A tonne of primary copper cathode produced worldwide carries about 3.64 t CO₂e, a tonne of copper refined from scrap about 1.00 t. Recycling also avoids the flotation tailings and sulphur dioxide of the primary route.
Carbon footprint per tonne of cathode, t CO₂e
−73%
Potentially avoided emissions in variants, kt CO₂e
What copper recycling avoids
- About 94 t of flotation tailings and 31 kg of SO₂ for every tonne of recycled copper – about 10.7 Mt of tailings a year for the scrap collected in Poland.
- 3.6 PJ of primary energy a year: secondary copper requires about 28 GJ per tonne against 59 GJ for primary.
- On the remelting basis – including imported scrap – potentially avoided emissions total 441 kt CO₂e.
Most of the avoided emissions and burdens would occur at primary producers outside Poland – they are not reductions of the national inventory. At home, KGHM’s primary production involves about 29 Mt of flotation tailings a year and 1.4 Mt CO₂e of direct emissions.
Exporter of cathodes and wire rod, importer of scrap and concentrate
Poland sells refined copper and wire rod abroad – mainly to Germany, China and Italy – and buys concentrate, scrap and semis. More than 90% of its copper scrap comes from EU countries.
Copper trade balance by stage of processing, EUR m
- Refined copper and wire
- Semis
- Copper scrap
- Concentrate
Largest partners, 2025 · 283 kt
- DE95.7
- CN53.6
- IT49.7
- FR20.6
- SE14.5
- US13.8
- TR13.5
- TH7.0
Largest partners, 2025 · 166 kt
- DE72.4
- US16.9
- FR11.7
- CZ11.3
- NL7.9
- IT6.7
- DK4.6
- HU4.3
Where the copper industry operates
The core of the chain lies in the Legnica-Głogów Copper District: three mines, concentrators, smelters in Głogów and Legnica and the rod mill in Orsk. Semis are made in Gliwice and Czechowice-Dziedzice, and cables in Myślenice, Warszowice, Parczew and Wierzbice, among others.
- Mining and concentration
- Smelters and refineries
- Scrap collection and trading
- Wire rod, semis and alloys
- Wires and cables
List of plants
- KGHM – ZG LubinLubin · Mining and concentrationUnderground copper and silver ore mineScale: 70.9 kt Cu in ore
- KGHM – ZG Polkowice-SieroszowicePolkowice · Mining and concentrationUnderground copper and silver ore mineScale: 200.2 kt Cu in ore
- KGHM – ZG RudnaPolkowice · Mining and concentrationUnderground copper and silver ore mineScale: 180.4 kt Cu in ore
- KGHM – Zakłady Wzbogacania RudPolkowice · Mining and concentrationOre flotation (Lubin, Polkowice, Rudna)Scale: 1,776 kt concentrate; 400 kt Cu
- KGHM – OUOW Żelazny MostRudna · Mining and concentrationFlotation tailings storageScale: ~29 Mt tailings a year
- KGHM – HM Głogów I i IIŻukowice · Smelters and refineriesSmelting and refining; scrap processingScale: 466.1 kt cathode
- KGHM – HM LegnicaLegnica · Smelters and refineriesSmelting and refining with high scrap share; CRMA strategic project (recycling smelter)Scale: 122.6 kt cathode
- KGHM MetracoLegnica · Scrap collection and tradingCopper scrap purchasing and trade for KGHMScale: revenue PLN 5,601 m
- Centrozłom WrocławWrocław · Scrap collection and tradingFerrous and non-ferrous scrapScale: revenue PLN 666 m
- KGHM – HM CedyniaOrsk · Wire rod, semis and alloysWire rod (Contirod) and OFE rodScale: 271.0 kt wire rod; 16.2 kt OFE
- WMN Łabędy (Grupa KGHM)Gliwice · Wire rod, semis and alloysCopper and copper-alloy strip, sheet and plateScale: >180 staff
- WM DziedziceCzechowice-Dziedzice · Wire rod, semis and alloysBrass rods and tubes from scrap and cathodeScale: 20.2 kt; PLN 456 m
- Tele-Fonika KableMyślenice · Wires and cablesPower, telecom and mining cables; cable-waste recycling (Bukowno)Scale: 50.6 kt Cu bought; 2,063 staff
- NKTWarszowice · Wires and cablesLow-voltage and installation cablesScale: n/a
- Fabryka Kabli ElparParczew · Wires and cablesCopper and aluminium power and control cablesScale: 623 staff (2023)
- LEONI Kabel PolskaWierzbice · Wires and cablesAutomotive and charging cablesScale: n/a
Milestones 2025–2030
The copper chain is shaped at the same time by the national mineral extraction tax, EU raw-materials and trade policy, the ETS and rules on waste and products.
Customs surveillance of copper scrap
The Commission monitors copper scrap imports and exports; no measure targeting scrap alone has been adopted.
Mineral extraction tax: coefficient 0.74
Down from 0.85 in the rate formulas for copper and silver – a temporary provision.
Ban on Russian refined copper imports
EU sanctions apply in full; extended to copper ores from July 2026.
National critical raw materials exploration programme
Multiannual programme for 2026–2033 with priority for copper.
CRMA Strategic Projects
The Retków-Grodziszcze deposit and the Integrated Recycling Smelter in Legnica.
Coefficient 0.68
Applies in 2027–2028; 0.85 again from 2029.
New waste export rules
Regulation (EU) 2024/1157: exports of non-hazardous waste outside the OECD.
ELV Regulation (EU) 2026/1738
Removal of parts before shredding eases copper recovery from vehicles.
Investment relief in the mineral extraction tax
Deduction of 40% of eligible capital outlays incurred from 2026.
CRMA benchmarks and the Legnica smelter
EU: 10% extraction, 40% processing, 25% recycling; smelter – about 135 kt of copper a year from scrap (company plan).
Mining sets the scale, recycling the growth
Three what-if calculations at constant 2024 prices with rising labour productivity. KGHM cathode output is capped at about 601 kt from 2030, and the additional scrap is of lower grade.
Value added with the supply chain · EUR m
Jobs with the supply chain · persons
Avoided emissions – collection basis · kt CO₂e
What would strengthen the chain
The report points to five directions for public action.
- Keep the fiscal and energy framework predictable – apply the mineral extraction tax amendment with clear rules for the investment relief and extend national compensation of indirect emission costs to mining of non-ferrous metal ores.
- Build recycling capacity for complex scrap – support the recycling smelter in Legnica and pre-treatment of cable, electronic and mixed scrap.
- Implement the CRMA efficiently – adopt the national act and use the strategic-project status to shorten permitting while keeping environmental standards.
- Make permitting predictable – shorter, digital procedures for permits for smelting, recycling and sorting plants and for waste shipments.
- Treat the chain as one system – consider mining, smelting, recycling, semis and cables together, including the demand for copper from grid investment.
Method in brief
CU-PL uses the Chamber’s architecture of integrated models and adapts it to copper – including primary production – from the metal mass balance to the effects on the economy and public finances.
Scope and allocation
Five segments C1–C5; KGHM from its financial statements, copper shares of NACE 46.77, 38.3, 24.54 and 27.32.
Copper mass balance
Scrap: A = C + X − M; apparent consumption of refined copper from output and CN 7403 trade.
Economy and taxes
Leontief input–output model, Type I and II, on the FIGARO 2024 table; KGHM taxes observed.
Environment
Avoided-burden method: primary cathode 3.64, secondary 1.00 t CO₂e/t; flotation tailings and SO₂.
Strategy
Coverage ratios, trade balances, import concentration, processing margin.
Uncertainty
Monte Carlo 10,000 draws with a Gaussian copula; sensitivity analysis, structural variants and scenarios.
Limitations
- Results are gross contributions at fixed coefficients, not net policy effects.
- Value added and the mineral extraction tax depend strongly on copper and silver prices; results reflect 2024 prices and volumes.
- Scrap collected in Poland is derived from the mass balance – stocks, re-exports and toll processing are not observed.
- Potentially avoided emissions are conditional on 1:1 substitution of the global average cathode and occur mostly outside Poland.
The report was prepared using artificial intelligence tools for data processing, modelling and editing.
Download and cite
The full report contains the regulatory context, methodology, all parameters with ranges and sources, control tests, the list of installations and the bibliography.
IGMNiR (2026), Copper in the Polish economy: value, circularity and security of supply. An integrated assessment of the copper industry in Poland (CU-PL model), Economic Chamber of Non-Ferrous Metals and Recycling, November 2026.
Model run identifier: CUPL-1.2-6389701a82