Foreword This report is released at a moment of profound global reordering. Geostrategic realignment, rapid technological change and environmental pressures are placing growing strain on the materials systems that underpin societal transformations such as the deployment of clean energy and digital technologies. While the resilience, productivity and sustainability of materials systems can be modified by many levers – including domestic policy reform, corporate innovation and technological change – international cooperation is an important enabler, given the deeply interconnected nature of global supply chains. Over 90% of global business leaders surveyed for this report identify stronger international cooperation on materials as critical to their organizations’ long-term success. At the same time, established multilateral mechanisms face mounting constraints, strengthening the need for more adaptive, interest-based and results- orientated approaches to cooperation.Against this backdrop, the report is structured around three core elements for progress. First, it highlights the need to adapt international collaboration approaches to a multipolar context, combining agile, interest-based coalitions with stronger intergovernmental coordination to ensure coherence and scale. Second, it reinforces the importance of considering complete material lifecycles, often discussed as the circular economy. Third, it argues for prioritizing three cross-cutting areas where further cooperation can deliver tangible outcomes: data transparency and traceability, international standards, and modernized trade and market cooperation. The insights in this white paper were derived through a series of expert consultations, interviews, workshops and a survey of 150 global business leaders across six regions, 12 countries and 15 different industries. In sharing these insights, we hope this report provides leaders with a clear and pragmatic guide for strengthening materials systems and ensuring that international cooperation remains a vital driver of resilience, sustainability and shared prosperity.Fernando Gomez Head, Future of Materials, Centre for Energy and Materials, World Economic Forum The Future of Materials Systems: Cooperation Opportunities in a Multipolar WorldMarch 2026 Sho Nakamura Director for Promotion of Circular Society, Environmental Regeneration and Material Cycles Bureau, Ministry of the Environment, Japan The Future of Materials Systems: Cooperation Opportunities in a Multipolar World 3

The Future of Materials Systems 2026