Abstract:

The concept of sustainable development emerged at the end of the 20th century in a situation of an ecological crisis, serious environmental protection problems, an energy trap and social problems [1]. The definition of the concept is based on two basic concepts: "needs" and "limitations" - as the ability of the environment to meet the needs of present and future generations through the state of technology and social organization [2]. Sustainability issues are especially important in the analysis of the hard coal sector and market. Entities operating on this market are currently experiencing many changes in the supply and demand for this raw material. The supply is determined by domestic deposits and omnipresent import. On the other hand, demand is affected by actions taken as part of the decarbonisation policy, implementation of the principles of the Green Deal or energy transformation. Furthermore, the increasing awareness of product quality and individualisation of consumer demands lead to greater competition on the market. The problem appears to be important because we are dealing with a market in the declining phase of the market life cycle. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to explore the sphere of ​​marketing and logistics management in the coal sector. The research applied the methods of quantitative and qualitative analysis. The hypotheses were verified by non-parametric tests. The obtained results will be used for an in-depth analysis and explanation of the content presented in the article.