Our world is becoming more energy and less matter, according to a recent study. This has become a megatrend where human progress increasingly depends on energy-intensive processes to create lighter, stronger, and more efficient materials. This shift, known as dematerialization, means societies use less raw mass per unit of output or utility, even as overall material consumption rises with global population and economic growth.

Recent 2025 reports, including the Orca Sciences analysis and the S&P Global Materials Transition Quest, confirm that energy-driven materials are central to the clean energy transition. Wind and solar infrastructure, for instance, require two to three times more metals than fossil plants but deliver superior durability and efficiency.

How Has This Trend Evolved in Materials?

The story of materials is also a story of embodied energy—the total energy required to extract, refine, and process them. Higher energy use often translates into better performance, such as higher strength-to-weight ratios and greater durability.

• In the 1960s, glass bottles were heavy and fragile; today, aluminum cans are 40 times lighter yet far stronger, even though producing aluminum requires far more energy.
• Since 2000, energy intensity in basic metals and chemicals has fallen 22–34% due to efficiency gains. Yet, cutting-edge materials like titanium and carbon fiber require higher energy inputs to achieve superior properties.

A 2025 OECD report highlights substitution trends, such as polypropylene replacing steel in electric vehicles, which reduces operating energy while relying on energy-intensive production. However, a study in Resources, Conservation and Recycling (2025) shows dematerialization slows when GDP growth surpasses 2%, linking economic cycles to material efficiency.

Embodied Energy and Performance of Key Materials (2025 Data)

This data highlights how investing more energy yields superior materials from abundant resources, illustrating why our world is becoming more energy and less matter.

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What Are Some Real-World Examples Across Sectors?

The trend appears across food, energy, transport, and technology:

• Agriculture: Energy use per calorie has risen 100-fold since 1900. Synthetic fertilizers derived from air and energy reduced land use sixfold. Precision fermentation may push this further by producing food directly from energy and air.
• Energy: Renewables rely on energy-intensive processing of abundant elements like silicon, yielding far greater efficiency per unit mass than fossil fuels. Nuclear energy magnifies this with uranium’s immense energy density.
• Transportation: From horse-drawn carts to EVs and aviation, transportation reflects lighter yet energy-intensive systems. EVs increasingly depend on polymers and composites for efficiency.
• Technology: Semiconductors keep shrinking while handling more energy throughput. Emerging materials like gallium nitride enhance performance with minimal mass.

Deloitte’s 2025 Renewable Energy Outlook notes polymers for EV lightweighting are set to triple in demand by 2050, reinforcing the principle that our world is becoming more energy and less matter.

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Why Do Some Experts Disagree?

Not all analysts see more energy use as sustainable. Vaclav Smil and others argue that after industrialization, material demand stabilizes. Countries build steel and cement infrastructure once, then focus on optimizing what already exists.

• Efficiency improvements since the 1950s have halved the embodied energy of iron and steel.
• The 2025 World Economic Forum’s Energy Transition Index records modest global sustainability gains (1.2%) due to such efficiencies.
• Critics highlight risks in depending on cheap, abundant energy during a turbulent shift from fossil fuels to renewables.

This debate questions whether our world is becoming more energy and less matter, and whether this trend is universally sustainable or dependent on economic conditions.

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How Does This Connect to Sustainability and the Energy Transition?

Energy-intensive materials often deliver sustainability gains:

• Intensive farming powered by fertilizers has enabled reforestation.
• Pollution control through catalytic converters reduces emissions using energy-intensive processes.
• Renewables require high upfront material inputs but cut emissions long-term.

The 2025 McKinsey report stresses that while renewable energy requires vast material investments, it also drives innovation in lighter alloys, ceramics, and composites. Firms like Orca Sciences are advancing these frontiers, betting that abundant clean energy will support a lighter, more efficient economy.

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FAQ

1. Is dematerialization reducing overall material use?

No. Absolute consumption is rising with population and economic growth, but the intensity of material use per unit of output continues to decline.

2. How does the energy transition accelerate this trend?

This can be achieved by boosting demand for energy-intensive but efficient materials, such as carbon fibers, in wind turbines and EVs. Despite higher production energy, these reduce lifecycle emissions, with projections of fivefold growth by 2050.

3. What risks come with relying too much on efficiency?

Societies may over-invest in legacy materials like steel, slowing the adoption of advanced composites and alloys needed for true sustainability.

4. How does the idea that our world is becoming more energy and less matter shape global innovation?

It encourages investment in high-performance, low-mass materials that support net-zero goals, helping industries stay competitive while reducing environmental impact.

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