More value from material use

RESEARCH BRIEF · 9 NOVEMBER 2026

The evidence

UNEP and the International Resource Panel describe continued growth in resource use and examine pathways to improve the relationship between resources and human needs. Their 2024 outlook projects that extraction could rise about 60% from 2020 to 2060 without concerted change.

What it means for a brief

That is a conditional global scenario. It is not a forecast for every material family. Consider the service being provided, product lifetime and opportunities for repair and reuse before focusing only on substitution.

A practical next step

A practical starting point is a clear mass balance: useful output, purchased input and process losses. The Material Flow tool makes those assumptions visible without claiming a full environmental assessment.

Source: UNEP — Global Resources Outlook 2024. 1 March 2024. Accessed 9 November 2026.

Interpretation is editorial. Sources are dated snapshots, not a live market feed.