The Future Value of Disruptive Materials
Feb 22, 2024

By  Graphics/Design: Alejandra Dander

The Briefing

  • By 2030, the collective market for disruptive materials is expected to reach over $800 billion
  • Copper is the largest market while lithium is the fastest growing

The Future Value of Disruptive Materials


A select number of materials have a critical role to play in the expansion of next generation technologies. This could lead to a surge in demand and a potential soaring of market values for each material as a result.


This graphic from Global X ETFs takes a closer look at the forecasted market value for 12 disruptive materials, which are seeing increasingly large climate investment.


Soaring Market Values


The materials highlighted are each a billion dollar market in their own right. But which has the largest projected future market value?



Copper is one of the largest and most mature markets from this group. And as a result sees a lower projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR).


Disruptive Material Projected Market Value ($B) CAGR (over forecast period)
Copper $394.0B by 2029 4.2% (2021-2029P)
Lithium $191.0B by 2028 23.3% (2021-2028P)
Nickel $59.0B by 2028 7.3% (2021-2028P)
Zinc $49.6B by 2027 4.0% (2021-2027P)
Manganese $42.0B by 2027 7.4% (2019-2027P)
Cobalt $17.3B by 2029 12.5% (2021-2029P)
Rare Earth Metals $15.4B by 2030 9.1% (2021-2030P)
Platinum $9.6B by 2027 5.0% (2020-2027P)
Carbon Fiber $9.0B by 2030 9.2% (2022-2030P)
Carbon Materials $8.7B by 2027 6.8% (2020-2027P)
Palladium $5.6B by 2028 4.6% (2022-2028P)
Graphene $1.3B by 2028 16.2% (2022-2028P)

However, when it comes to the fastest growing market, lithium reigns supreme with a CAGR of over 23% between the forecast period of 2021 and 2028. Lithium is a vital ingredient for lithium-ion batteries, used in EVs and elsewhere.


Altogether, the collective market value for these top materials is expected to be worth over $800 billion by the end of the decade. And in the subsequent years, as efforts to tackle climate change accelerate, the collective value of these materials may well hit $1 trillion.


Introducing the Global X Disruptive Materials ETF


The Global X Disruptive Materials ETF (Ticker: DMAT) seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Solactive Disruptive Materials Index.


The Global X Disruptive Materials ETF is a passively managed solution that can be used to gain exposure to the rising demand for disruptive materials. Click the link to learn more.


Copyright © 2023 Visual Capitalist

07 May, 2024
The production of lithium (Li) and nickel (Ni), two key raw materials for batteries, can produce vastly different emissions profiles. This graphic from Wood Mackenzie shows how nickel and lithium mining can significantly impact the environment, depending on the processes used for extraction.
03 May, 2024
As part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) today announced up to $500 million available for projects that will help expand carbon dioxide (CO2) transportation infrastructure to help reduce CO2 emissions across the United States. Meeting the Biden-Harris Administration’s goal of a net-zero emissions economy by mid-century will require accelerating the responsible development and deployment of technology to capture CO2 emissions from industrial operations and power generation and to remove CO2 directly from the atmosphere. These efforts must be supported by a safe and reliable system that can transport the captured CO2, either for permanent geologic storage or for conversion to useful, durable products.
Show More >
Share by: