182 Dr Jack Barrie: how ‘coalitions of the doing’ can help us manage global materials

We’re all seeing how geoeconomic tensions are affecting the supply of key resources, including mined minerals and fuels together with food and other biological resources.

My guest, Dr Jack Barrie, is the lead author of a recent World Economic Forum white paper, The Future of Materials Systems: cooperation opportunities in a Multipolar World. In the context of today’s world of competing regions and powers – where the multilateral system is really struggling to make progress – Jack and his contributors set out to answer an important question:  how do we keep progress going?

Dr Jack Barrie is an independent global advisor and researcher specialising in the circular economy, with more than 15 years’ experience working at the intersection of policy, international trade, and material value chains.

Most recently, Jack led the Global Materials Collaboration at the World Economic Forum, developing scenarios for international cooperation on materials and circularity to support economic resilience, climate action, and nature-positive outcomes. He has held several global advisory roles, including as a member of the UK Government Circular Economy Task Force and as a specialist advisor to UNECE on ESG traceability of sustainable value chains in the circular economy.

Jack is also a member of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development’s Global Circularity Protocol. He holds a PhD in circular economy innovation policy from the University of Strathclyde, alongside further degrees from the University of Cambridge, the University of Edinburgh, and Aalborg University.

We’ll discuss the findings of the World Economic Forum white paper, including its key recommendations and how we make those tangible. Jack also shares some surprising insights about how governments are using the circular economy, and why he sees some of those strategies as deeply problematic.