In an intelligent materials pool, multiple companies share access to a supply of a high-quality material such as nylon 6 or copper. In effect, partners draw materials from the pool to create products and replenish it with materials they have recovered after a defined period of use. Sharing resources and knowledge, information and purchasing power, partners in a materials pool ideally develop a shared commitment to generating a healthy system of material flows and to using the safest, highest-quality technical ingredients in all their products.