WCEF 2026 Closes in Gandhinagar; Columbia University to Host 2027 Edition

The World Circular Economy Forum 2026 concluded in Gandhinagar on Wednesday after two days of deliberations covering the breadth of the circular economy, with organisers announcing that Columbia University in the United States will host the 2027 edition.

Around 2,700 delegates and 260 speakers from more than 60 countries took part, representing governments, international organisations, industry, start-ups, academia and civil society.

The closing session was addressed by Gujarat's Minister of State for Forest and Environment, Climate Change and Transport, Pravinbhai Mali, and Finland's Cabinet Minister of Climate and the Environment, Sari Multala. Also present were Sitra president Atte Jääskeläinen and senior officials from the central and Gujarat governments. The session included a highlight film and the launch of the Ecomark logo.

Mali said the forum's real value would lie in collaborations on the ground, and urged participants to move from commitment to action. He described the circular economy as more than an environmental agenda, calling it an economic opportunity, a societal responsibility and a daily lifestyle choice.

Multala congratulated India on hosting the forum and said the country had not only hosted it but inspired it. She said the circular economy is an economic and developmental opportunity that is already visible globally rather than a future prospect. The forum, she noted, gave particular attention to inclusion and the people's dimension of the transition, alongside practical partnerships, business collaborations, innovations and investments. Ideas must translate into investments and successful innovations must scale quickly, she added.

Setting the context for the closing session, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and CPCB chairman Amandeep Garg said the two days featured four plenary sessions and 16 parallel sessions spanning financial, technical, social and economic aspects of the circular economy. Discussions also covered employment, inclusivity, gender equity, future challenges and the need for adequate financing. He called on all stakeholders to carry the deliberations into collective implementation.

Garg said the plenary sessions reflected India's vision and leadership in advancing the circular economy through national and state-level initiatives, business innovation and industrial strategy, with emphasis on enabling policies, material security, innovation, entrepreneurship and skill development. Parallel sessions translated these principles into sector-specific insights across waste streams, underscoring the role of reskilling, digital technologies, finance, value-chain partnerships and citizen participation.

An exhibition held alongside the forum featured 135 national and international exhibitors, offering a view of circular solutions being implemented on the ground and the practical challenges involved. Eighty accelerator sessions are to be held on 17 and 18 September 2026 by various collaborators to turn ideas from the forum into practical pathways.

The forum called for accelerating inclusive and scalable circular economy solutions through institutional coordination, capacity development and the integration of circular principles into decision-making at all levels. The closing ceremony ended with Sitra's director of international programmes, Kristo Lehtonen, handing over the baton for WCEF 2027 to Columbia University.