Decarbonising for competitive advantage in Poland

This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics explores how decarbonisation can provide a competitive advantage for Polish businesses by reducing energy costs, improving productivity, and appealing to climate-conscious consumers. It highlights the financial risks associated with Poland's high-carbon energy mix, specifically the costs of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), and suggests that transitioning to renewables and energy efficiency can enhance national GDP and corporate profitability.

• Poland's high-carbon, energy-intensive economy results in higher energy costs for businesses compared to other EU countries. By the end of 2024, Poland had the fourth-highest power prices in the EU for non-household consumers at EUR 0.26 per kilowatt-hour, and the fourth-highest gas prices at the end of 2023 at around EUR 0.073/kWh.
• The EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) imposes significant costs on Polish businesses due to the country's carbon-intensive energy supply. The 'ETS gap' cost Polish businesses an estimated USD 8 billion in 2022, and the World Bank projects this could rise to nearly USD 40 billion by 2030 under current policies.
• Achieving net-zero emissions is estimated by the World Bank to add approximately 0.2% to Poland's GDP annually between now and 2050, resulting in a cumulative GDP increase of 4% by 2050 compared to current policy trajectories.
• Improving energy efficiency offers substantial cost-saving opportunities for Polish industry. The IEA estimates that heavy industry can save 5% to 11% in annual costs at the start of an energy management programme, while light industry can save 10% to 18%, with long-term cumulative savings reaching 40-60%.
• Renewable energy sources provide a route to lower and more stable electricity prices. Recent government auctions for onshore wind (PLN 100/MWh to PLN 320/MWh) and solar PV (PLN 217/MWh to PLN 329/MWh) offered prices well below the recent wholesale price of around PLN 425/MWh.
• Poland has demonstrated strong potential in manufacturing low-carbon technologies, ranking 7th globally in both the Green Complexity Index and the Green Complexity Potential Index. The country produces electric vehicles, wind turbine components, solar technologies, heat pumps, and zero-carbon buses.
• Corporate transparency regarding emissions can serve as a tool for product differentiation and competitive advantage, as 80% of the Polish public considers climate change a serious problem and 74% support the EU's 2050 climate neutrality goal.

APA

Woodman, B. (2025). Decarbonising for competitive advantage in Poland. Zero Carbon Analytics. https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/energy/decarbonising-for-competitive-advantage-in-poland/

Chicago

Woodman, Bridget. Decarbonising for competitive advantage in Poland. Zero Carbon Analytics, 2025. https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/energy/decarbonising-for-competitive-advantage-in-poland/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Woodman |first1=Bridget |title=Decarbonising for competitive advantage in Poland |publisher=Zero Carbon Analytics |date=12 November 2025 |url=https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/energy/decarbonising-for-competitive-advantage-in-poland/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{woodman2025decarbonising, author = {Woodman, Bridget}, title = {{Decarbonising for competitive advantage in Poland}}, institution = {Zero Carbon Analytics}, year = {2025}, month = nov, url = {https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/energy/decarbonising-for-competitive-advantage-in-poland/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }