The future of how we make
PwC x Economist Impact
Human moments of problem‑solving, powered by technology, are triggering industry reconfiguration. Discover how cleaner, smarter extraction is reinventing the way we make—from critical minerals to finished products.
The Economist: Make
Watch PwC’s UK Industrials and Services leader, Cara Haffey, explain how innovations like direct lithium extraction and digital manufacturing are driving new growth and competitive advantage. Explore the full human story in Economist Impact’s Lives in Motion series, Make.
How on-the-ground innovation is powering smarter, cleaner ways to make
It starts with people solving real problems. An engineer watching water levels at dawn in the Atacama, Indigenous communities tracking flows across fragile salt flats. In northern Chile, direct lithium extraction (DLE) is turning “white gold” into a test case for cleaner, faster, and more precise production.
Today, those below‑the‑ground innovations—from cleaner lithium extraction to AI‑enabled production lines—are scaling and reshaping how we source the materials that are vital inputs to products. Plant‑level experiments in automation, advanced analytics, and circular design are consolidating into an integrated “Make” domain, where manufacturers, miners, tech providers, and recyclers co‑create modular, data‑rich industrial systems that are more efficient, resilient, and sustainable.
For executives, the implications are clear: manufacturing is no longer a siloed sector. It’s a cross‑industry ecosystem organised around the fundamental human need to make and build—and to do so more intelligently and sustainably.
Five actions to seize the $34.17tn Make opportunity
Reimagine your 2035 business model
Envision how you’ll shift from selling products or units to outcome-based offerings (for example, “energy as a service” or “materials as a service”).
Build intelligent, usage-based platforms
Create data- and AI-driven platforms that dynamically match supply and demand—whether for talent, energy, or materials—and monetise ongoing usage instead of one-time transactions.
Extend your value chain toward end users
Move closer to customers by offering turnkey, integrated solutions (such as onsite energy systems or closed-loop materials services) rather than standalone components.
Forge cross-sector partnerships
Collaborate with tech platforms, logistics providers, financial institutions, and governments to access critical data, infrastructure, and customer networks.
Invest early in enabling capabilities
Develop emerging capabilities—AI, blockchain, digital contract management, and gamified consumer engagement—that support circular, low-carbon, and highly flexible business models.
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PwC x Economist Impact
Lives in Motion: Where human stories meet industry shifts. PwC and Economist Impact present a six-part series that reveals how large-scale change—enabled by technology—is reshaping how we move, make, build, feed, power and fuel, and care, through the eyes of those living it.
