The Future of Materials Systems 2026

As these pressures intensify and prove difficult to address unilaterally, business leaders are viewing international cooperation as a core strategic tool. Nine out of 10 surveyed leaders identified stronger international cooperation as critical to their long- term success, while eight out of 10 reported being “very willing” or “considerably willing” to deepen engagement in international partnerships, signalling a broad-based consensus across regions and sectors (see Figure 5). Together, this points to a core challenge in today’s materials systems: while corporate appetite for cooperation is high, the institutional structures needed to convert that intent into coordinated, scalable action remain underdeveloped. Importance of stronger international cooperation on long-term business success FIGURE 5 Source: World Economic Forum global leaders survey, 2025.87% 8% 6%Very willing + Considerably willingSlightly Not at all 92% 8% 1%Very important + ImportantSlightly Not at allSurvey question: For the long-term success of your company , strengthened inter national cooperation on materials is (i) very important, (ii) important, (iii) slightly important, (iv) not important at all Survey question: How willing would your organization be to engage further in international partnerships or initiatives that aim to address these barriers? 92% 87%of business leaders view inter national cooperation on materials as (very) important for company long-term successof business leaders ar e very or considerably willing to str engthen inter national partnerships The Future of Materials Systems: Cooperation Opportunities in a Multipolar World 11