The Future of Materials Systems: Cooperation Opportunities in a Multipolar World

The report argues that as traditional multilateralism declines, the global materials systems required for the energy transition are under strain from geopolitical volatility and supply concentration. It proposes a shift toward agile, interest-based coalitions and a systemic circular economy approach, prioritizing cooperation in data transparency, international standards, and trade policy.

• Global materials systems are facing severe strain due to geopolitical volatility, environmental pressures, and a high concentration of supply in a few countries. In 2025, there were 226 import and export restrictions on critical minerals, a significant increase from 82 in 2024.
• There is a critical gap between business desire for cooperation and existing institutional frameworks. While 92% of surveyed business leaders view stronger international cooperation on materials as important or very important for long-term success, they cite fragmented initiatives and a lack of intergovernmental coordination as major barriers.
• Traditional multilateral cooperation has declined by 20% since 2019, leading to a rise in 'coalitions of the doing'. Approximately 80% of materials-related initiatives launched since 2015 have been plurilateral, regional, or multi-stakeholder arrangements rather than universal multilateral frameworks.
• The circular economy is identified as a systemic tool to reduce primary extraction and improve resilience. It is estimated that circular practices could meet between 30% and 58% of global demand for critical energy transition minerals—including lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, rare earth elements, platinum, and copper—by 2050.
• Data transparency and traceability are the most immediate priorities for cooperation. The report highlights the risk of fragmentation in digital product passports (DPPs) and suggests the UN Transparency Protocol (UNTP) as a reference framework to ensure interoperability across different jurisdictions.
• International standards for mining and circularity are currently fragmented, increasing compliance costs. The report suggests benchmarking existing responsible mining standards against shared baseline performance dimensions rather than attempting full harmonization.
• Trade and market systems for strategic minerals are increasingly volatile due to resource-nationalistic measures like export controls and strategic stockpiling. There is a noted lack of coordination for by-product minerals (e.g., cobalt, indium, germanium), which are particularly exposed to policy shocks.
• Current trade rules often hinder the circular economy because materials classified as secondary raw materials in one country may be treated as waste in another, leading to shipment rejections and higher administrative costs.

APA

World Economic Forum (2026). The Future of Materials Systems: Cooperation Opportunities in a Multipolar World. https://reports.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_Future_of_Materials_Systems_2026.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. The Future of Materials Systems: Cooperation Opportunities in a Multipolar World. 2026. https://reports.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_Future_of_Materials_Systems_2026.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=The Future of Materials Systems: Cooperation Opportunities in a Multipolar World |date=March 2026 |url=https://reports.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_Future_of_Materials_Systems_2026.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2026future, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{The Future of Materials Systems: Cooperation Opportunities in a Multipolar World}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2026}, month = mar, url = {https://reports.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_Future_of_Materials_Systems_2026.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }