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Nearly half say that the majority of raw materials come from high-risk countries
June 23, 2026 While the availability of raw materials from abroad is coming under increasing pressure, the issue remains off the radar of top management at many Belgian organizations. Only 11 percent of organizations indicate that raw material scarcity is a priority at the board level. This is according to a survey conducted by waste and raw materials manager Milgro among 200 Belgian decision-makers and influencers in the fields of procurement, facilities management, general management, the environment, and sustainability.
This limited attention at the board level contrasts with the organizations’ dependence on raw materials from abroad. Nearly half of the decision-makers (47%) state that the majority of the raw materials their organization uses come from high-risk countries.
The impact is already being felt
The effects of raw material shortages are already being felt in most organizations. For example, 41 percent of decision-makers are already seeing higher purchase prices in their budgets, while 30 percent are facing longer delivery times. Pressure on margins (22%) and a more limited choice of suppliers (21%) are also frequently cited.
Furthermore, this pressure is expected to increase further. More than a third of decision-makers (35%) expect raw material shortages to become one of the most significant cost factors for their organization in the coming years.
Awareness is growing, but action is lagging
Strikingly, this concern does not always translate into concrete actions within their own organizations. Although seven in ten Belgian decision-makers (70%) find it concerning that Belgium and Europe are heavily dependent on other countries for the supply of raw materials, one-quarter (26%) do not (yet) consider raw material scarcity to be a concrete risk for their own organization. Even among organizations that are already taking steps, these often remain isolated initiatives. For example, 22% have taken concrete measures, primarily to gain more insight through reporting. Another 25% are currently exploring possible next steps, while 17% acknowledge the risk but have not yet determined any concrete actions.
Pascale Hendrickx, Managing Director at Milgro Belgium: “For a challenge that has a direct impact on business continuity, supply security, and competitiveness, raw material scarcity still receives remarkably little attention at the executive level. Of course, dependence on raw materials varies from sector to sector, but every organization would do well to gain insight into its vulnerabilities. The pressure on raw materials will only increase in the coming years. Anyone who wants to future-proof their business operations cannot afford to ignore this issue. The first step is to put the topic on the strategic agenda.”
About the Survey
The survey was conducted by iVOX on behalf of Milgro between March 30 and April 7, 2026, among 200 Belgian decision-makers and influencers in the fields of procurement, facilities management, the environment, or sustainability. The maximum margin of error is 6.9%.
About Milgro
Milgro is an independent all-in service provider for waste management in the business market. The company has over 110 employees and drives improvements in the process of transferring deployed natural capital—or “used raw materials”—to a new user or processor. In doing so, it focuses on reducing the ecological impact of waste and ensuring transparency about what happens to the waste. Milgro aims to make the world waste-free by 2040. Together with our clients and partners, we ensure that raw materials no longer become waste. We do this by connecting those disposing of used raw materials with those who reuse them (recipients). Together, we are working toward a circular economy in which we use raw materials over and over again—preferably indefinitely. In 2024, Milgro prevented a net climate impact of 11 kton of CO2 emissions.
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