India Hosts First South Asian Edition of World Circular Economy Forum in Gandhinagar

The World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF) 2026 was inaugurated at Gandhinagar on Tuesday by Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel. The four-day forum, running from 15 to 18 September, is organised under the theme "Circular Economy: Transition for People and Prosperity".

Among those present at the inaugural session were Gujarat's Minister for Forest, Environment and Climate Change Arjunbhai Modhwadia; Minister of State for Forests, Environment and Climate Change Pravinbhai Mali; Finland's Ambassador to India Mikko Kivikoski; Marieke Spijkerboer, Deputy Director General (Circular Economy) at the Netherlands' Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate; and Sitra President Atte Jääskeläinen, along with senior officials from the central and state governments.

Addressing the gathering, Chief Minister Patel said the forum's first-ever hosting in South Asia reflects India's growing global leadership under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He described Mission LiFE as an emerging foundation for the global circular economy and expressed confidence that the forum would present practical circular practices to the world. Recalling Gujarat's record of balancing development with environmental conservation, he cited the example of offerings at the Somnath Temple being recycled into reusable resources while generating livelihoods for local communities. He called on the forum to embody the spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam by developing practical circular solutions for the world.

In his keynote address, Yadav said that for India the circular economy is "not a new destination; it is a new way of looking at an old wisdom". He said reuse, repair and respect for resources have long been embedded in Indian social and cultural life, describing circularity in policy language as once being common sense in everyday life — repair before replace, reuse before discard and recover before waste. The choice, he said, is not between growth and the environment but an opportunity to make growth more resource-efficient, resilient and sustainable. "The true measure of a circular economy will not be how much waste we recycle, but how little value we allow to be wasted," he said.

Yadav said India has moved towards a circular economy through regulatory reforms and digital compliance systems, including strengthened sector-specific waste management rules and the introduction of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). The aim, he said, is that waste should no longer be seen as the end of a product's journey but as the beginning of another resource cycle. As of August 2026, more than 83,000 producers and 4,802 recyclers were registered under various EPR frameworks, with nearly 482.24 lakh metric tonnes of waste processed across regulated waste streams.

The Minister stressed that regulation alone cannot create a circular economy and that circularity must begin with how people consume. Referring to Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE), he said a circular economy cannot be built only at the recycling plant — it must begin in the marketplace, continue in homes and become a daily habit. Calling circularity inherently collaborative, he said no country, company or community can close the loop alone, and that knowledge, technology, finance and responsibility need to move across borders and sectors. He cited the Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy Industry Coalition (RECEIC), launched during India's G20 Presidency, and said India's BRICS Chairship has placed the circular economy alongside sustainable lifestyles, ecosystem restoration and adaptation as interconnected priorities.

Modhwadia invoked Mahatma Gandhi's observation that the Earth has enough for everyone's needs but not for everyone's greed. He said Prime Minister Modi laid the foundation for a circular economy in Gujarat, which is now being advanced under Chief Minister Patel, positioning the State as a global hub for circular transition, and called for turning waste into resources and resources into value.

Kivikoski said circularity is not a separate environmental agenda but a fundamental way of thinking about growth, and has become an integral part of Finland's national policy. He highlighted Finland's ambition to keep resource consumption below 2015 levels by 2035 and noted that more than 100 Finnish companies operating in India work with sustainable technologies and circular principles. Emphasising the need to move circularity upstream, he said "the best waste is that which is never created", and mentioned the elevation of the India-Finland relationship to a strategic partnership focused on digitalisation and sustainability.

Spijkerboer said the circular transition is an integral part of Dutch industrial policy, with the Netherlands aspiring to become fully circular by 2050. She noted progress in reducing material consumption and efforts to strengthen the circular economy law and EPR systems, and stressed that international cooperation is imperative to build circular value chains. She welcomed the participation of more than 20 Dutch companies and organisations at the forum and lauded India's ambition in advancing circularity across large companies and start-ups.

The dignitaries inaugurated and reviewed an exhibition featuring 135 national and international exhibitors showcasing practical circular solutions. The forum has drawn over 3,600 cross-sectoral stakeholders from 62 countries, including business leaders, entrepreneurs, innovators, researchers, policymakers, academicians and changemakers. Two publications were released during the inaugural session: "Best Practices for Reuse of Treated Sewage" and "Driving Sustainability — A Guide to India's Circular Economy and EPR Initiatives".

The event is being jointly organised by the Central Pollution Control Board and the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra, among other partners.