Materials have always played a most important and crucial role in the development of human civilizations, throughout the Ages. So much so that they were named after them such as the stone, the bronze and the iron ages. Sustainable development is a comprehensive and complex system of systems requiring multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary science and technology inputs with economic, environmental, and social objectives and goals. In broad terms, sustainable development is achieved when the present needs and challenges are met without placing in jeopardy the ability of future generations to meet their own needs and challenges. The trade space is very wide, and the multitude of trade-offs generate considerable challenges and make it often difficult to achieve an effective balance, most beneficial to all concerned. During the last sixty years the planet’s population has grown exponentially, from 2 to almost 8 billion people, and the technological progress achieved has been tremendous, especially in the industrialized countries. These trends are expected to continue, even at faster rates. However, all these associated technological activities in the pursuit of better living standards have created a considerable depletion of resources and pollution of land, water, air, and natural resources, for the global population. During this period considerable achievements have been obtained in the development and deployment of transformative materials such as light weight metallic alloys, metal matrix composites, intermetallic and carbon fiber composites, and hybrid materials. Nano, nano-structured and nano-hybrid materials systems and nanotechnologies are now being deployed with considerable impact on energy, environment, health and sustainable development. This presentation presents perspectives on the evolution and global impact of transformative materials with a focus on Nanomaterials and Nanotechnologies, and with examples from several domains of sustainable development.