In this article, the conditions and determinants of the introduction and development of the circular economy (CE) in Poland were presented against the background of the widely discussed essence of circular economy, with particular emphasis on the Polish mining sector. In addition, the European Green Deal—an action plan for a sustainable economy for the entire European Union, was discussed. Particular attention was paid to the role of human resources in the area of supporting research and stimulating innovation, and in the area of activating education and training. These issues are further discussed in the next chapter by presenting the forms, ways and scope of education for sustainable development in the international context. Another chapter describes the EIT Raw Materials KAVA 5 RIS competition in Poland (in Kraków) at AGH-UST from 2019 to 2022, an international project in a consortium of four universities whose main objective is to strengthen entrepreneurship in the V4 countries in line with the recommendations of the “Green action plan for SMEs” in a way to meet the requirements of circular economy. The initiatives and trainings carried out within the framework of this project were discussed, and the results of the student survey on the level of knowledge achieved regarding entrepreneurship in the area of the raw materials industry were analysed. The validity and necessity of continuous education in eco-responsible citizenship has thus been confirmed.

This article presents an approach to the diagnosis of the business area for new entities on the raw material market in Poland. In the face of the need for changes as a result of the assumptions of the Green Deal and the global transformation of production processes toward a sustainable approach and circular economy, a diagnosis was made of the area that can be explored by new entities in the raw material industry. After the diagnosis of this area, a PESTEL analysis was carried out, which may contribute to a better definition of business goals and the scope of activities for new entities on the market or those who want or need to change industries. PESTEL is an analysis aimed at assessing the macroeconomic environment of a company. It helps in making strategic decisions for the enterprise. The research results presented in this article are part of a project implemented as part of an international cooperation within the V4 countries. In each of them, there is a defined market of mineral resources that can be used by local or foreign entities. The business gap diagnosed in the mineral resource market in Poland, i.e., broadly understood activity in the IT area, may be an indication for potential investors to start new business activities. Additionally, the PESTEL analysis carried out allows the definition of the requirements for the determinants of the business under consideration.

The raw materials sector plays a key role in the Polish economy. The mineral raw material industry encompasses many different, sometimes highly specialized activities, such as exploration, mining, hauling, mineral processing, metallurgy and metal refining, as well as risk assessment, management (environmental, financial, legal) and marketing. The purpose of the article is to identify the market gap for business for entities or individuals in the mineral resources sector in Poland. Taking into account the European Union regulations which enforce the closure of hard coal mines in Poland by 2050, it is reasonable to identify such a gap in the raw materials area, especially since the current situation may turn out to be a new revival of the raw materials market after the pandemic period. Based on the NACE classification, a key area was identified, which is dedicated to potential entrepreneurs in the mineral resources area. Based on an internal analysis, the sectors directly related to the RM field in Poland were distinguished. Narrowing down the analyzed sections, leading areas were indicated that offer significant employment opportunities for hundreds of thousands of people who will be made redundant (often in groups) as a result of the phasing out of hard coal mining in Poland. As part of the article, the identification and analysis of key trends that have a significant impact on the functioning of companies, the industry, the region or the country, as well as threats, challenges and opportunities that may arise in the near future, was carried out. What is more, a number of scientific, research or development projects implemented in the area of mineral raw materials in the years 2010–2019 were analyzed. The authors present an innovative approach to defining the gap in the mineral raw materials sector in Poland in what regards conducting business activity, as well as an in-depth analysis of the sector in terms of enterprise development opportunities (creation of new start-up companies) and its directions. It should be mentioned that the presented research is the first attempt to analyze this issue in Poland.

This paper is a continuation of the paper published in issue 2 of the 2019 journal. It includes a further analysis of the impact of selected factors shaping the OHS culture in Polish mining companies. The first half of 2020 sees the world combating the coronavirus. In the case of operations carried out by mining companies, the virus threat must necessarily be considered. What is more, this threat becomes even more significant when the energy security of Poland is taken into account. The paper presents the results of the strategic analysis carried out for a selected group of factors that shape the OHS culture in companies.

Method of the influence of assessment of longwall effective working time onto obtained mining output, has been discussed in the present study. Mean flow rate of the winning stream being also considered as directional factor of linear function describing relation between daily output and effective mining in the longwall face, has been determined. Such relation – presented also graphically in form of the diagram – determines significance and influence of the effective working time onto obtained mining output. This relation should be considered as motivation in particular for supervisory personnel, as it shows advantages resulting from elongation of this time, as well as it shows possible loses of the daily output in a case, when the effective working time in given longwall face was shortened.

The article presents the results of a survey study on the level of organizational culture in the area of occupational health and safety. Culture defined in the area of occupational health and safety is one of the components of an organizational culture; consequently, it must be appraised and responded to in order to improve the quality of the culture. The results of the study enabled the authors to draw the occupational health and safety culture net that assists in direct management of this problem and contributes to raising of the OHS level in companies.