From rubble to resilience: Scaling circular value chains in the built environment

11 Aug 2026

From rubble to resilience: Scaling circular value chains in the built environment

18 Sep 2026 at 14:00–15:30 (UTC+5:30)

Bandhej, The Leela Gandhinagar, Gandhinagar, India

Session type: In person only in Gandhinagar

Focus: Built environment, Governance, Materials, Resilience, System change, Africa, Asia

Related Sustainable Development Goals

Organiser(s): GlobalABC Circular Built Environment group, Ministry of the Environment of Finland, Habitat for Humanity, 10YFP/One Planet Network (UNEP), RMIT University

How can construction and demolition material move from waste to a valuable resource? Through examples from India and beyond, this accelerator session explores how policy, procurement, digital marketplaces and material innovation can unlock circular value chains and strengthen material resilience.

Building circular business ecosystems: Lessons from Viet Nam and Global South

11 Aug 2026

Building circular business ecosystems: Lessons from Viet Nam and Global South

17 Sep 2026 at 13:00–15:30 (UTC+5:30)

The Mahatma Mandir Convention&Exhibition Centre, Seminar Hall 3, Gandhinagar, India

Session type: In person in Gandhinagar and online

Focus: Bioeconomy, Business, Finance, Governance, Industry, Africa, Asia

Related Sustainable Development Goals

Organiser(s): United Development Programme in Viet Nam & International Water Management Institute

This session shares examples, tools and financing approaches from Viet Nam, Africa and other low- and middle-income countries. It also explores how partnerships, enabling policies, innovation ecosystems, tools and financing mechanisms can unlock scalable circular investment opportunities.

A gender lens on circularity

11 Aug 2026

A gender lens on circularity

18 Sep 2026 at 12:00–13:30 (UTC+5:30)

To be confirmed with other GIZ sessions, Gandhinagar, India

Session type: In person only in Gandhinagar

Focus: Business, Finance, Governance, People, System change, Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia / Australasia / Oceania, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, North America

Related Sustainable Development Goals

Organiser(s): Ministry of Finance of Brazil, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH,
Instituto Elas na Economia Circular

What does it take for women to lead the circular transition? In this South-South panel, women leaders from Brazil and India share their experiences and exchange lessons across two of the world’s largest emerging economies. Be ready for an open, practical conversation on gender, leadership and more.

A Circular Blue Economy: Bangladesh as a South Asian Pioneer

11 Aug 2026

A Circular Blue Economy: Bangladesh as a South Asian Pioneer

17 Sep 2026 at 14:00–15:30 (UTC+5:30)

Gift City Club, Moneta Conference Hall, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India, Gandhinagar, India

Session type: In person in Gandhinagar and online

Focus: Bioeconomy, Governance, Industry, Materials, System change, Asia, Europe

Related Sustainable Development Goals

Organiser(s): United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Bangladesh

Dive into how Bangladesh is leading South Asia’s shift to a systemic circular blue economy. Expect direct access to strategic frameworks and localized business models. This session is essential for policymakers, developers, and practitioners to strengthen their portfolios.

From material dependency to material security: Circular strategies for critical raw materials

03 Aug 2026

From material dependency to material security: Circular strategies for critical raw materials

16 Sep 2026 at 10:00–11:00 (UTC+5:30)

Session type: Plenary

Focus: Critical minerals, Governance, Industry, Resilience, Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia / Australasia / Oceania, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, North America

Related UN Sustainable Development Goals

This session explores how circular economy approaches can strengthen material security by reducing dependency on virgin resources and unlocking new sources of critical raw materials.

Critical raw materials are essential for clean energy technologies, digital infrastructure, advanced manufacturing and many other sectors that underpin the global transition to a sustainable economy. As demand continues to grow for these materials, ensuring secure, resilient and sustainable access has become a strategic priority for governments, businesses and investors worldwide.

Organiser(s): Sitra the Finnish Innovation Fund, Central Pollution Control Board of India (CPCB)

Governance framework for the circular economy

03 Aug 2026

Governance framework for the circular economy

15 Sep 2026 at 16:30–17:30 (UTC+5:30)

Session type: Plenary

Focus: Business, Design, Governance, System change, Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia / Australasia / Oceania, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, North America

Related UN Sustainable Development Goals

This session explores the governance frameworks, policy instruments and regulatory approaches that enable the transition to a circular economy.

Effective governance is essential for creating the conditions that drive circular business models, sustainable product design, secondary material markets and investment, while ensuring implementation across national, state and local levels.

The session will showcase how policy frameworks such as circular economy road maps, extended producer responsibility, ecodesign regulations, fiscal incentives and digital compliance mechanisms can accelerate the transition from ambition to action.

Organiser(s): Sitra the Finnish Innovation Fund, Central Pollution Control Board of India (CPCB)

India’s circular economy vision

03 Aug 2026

India’s circular economy vision

15 Sep 2026 at 10:30–11:30 (UTC+5:30)

Session type: Plenary

Focus: Governance, Industry, Resilience, System change, Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia / Australasia / Oceania, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, North America

Related UN Sustainable Development Goals

This session highlights India’s leadership in developing scalable circular economy solutions for a resource-constrained world, while positioning the Global South as a key driver, rather than a follower of the global circular transition.

Drawing on India’s long-standing traditions of resource efficiency alongside modern industrial innovation, the session explores the country’s steady shift from a ‘take-make-dispose’ linear economy model to a resource-efficient, circular design, and extended producer responsibility.

The session will provide a science-based global perspective on the state of the circular economy while examining how national and state-level circular economy initiatives are transforming India’s growth model and reducing its global material footprint.

Organiser(s): Central Pollution Control Board of India (CPCB), Sitra the Finnish Innovation Fund

Ecodesign for sustainable products and a circular economy

03 Aug 2026

Ecodesign for sustainable products and a circular economy

16 Sep 2026 at 11:30–12:30 (UTC+5:30)

Session type: Parallel

Track: Governance

Focus: Business, Design, Governance, System change, Asia, Europe, North America

Related UN Sustainable Development Goals

This session explores how policy frameworks and regulatory approaches can advance circular and sustainable products while remaining practical and inclusive across global value chains.

Bringing together perspectives from India, the European Union and other regions, the discussion will examine how ecodesign policies can shape markets, drive innovation and improve product sustainability while responding to emerging requirements on durability, repairability, resource efficiency and recyclability and addressing the challenges related to compliance costs, testing and certification infrastructure, access to technology, finance and technical skills.

The session highlights how proportionate requirements, transition finance, capacity-building, shared infrastructure and international cooperation can help organisations participate competitively in circular markets.

Organiser(s): Chatham House, Sitra the Finnish Innovation Fund, UNEP PAGE India – Partnership for Action on Green Economy

Waste as resource: Industrial symbiosis as an engine of circular growth

03 Aug 2026

Waste as resource: Industrial symbiosis as an engine of circular growth

16 Sep 2026 at 11:30–12:30 (UTC+5:30)

Session type: Parallel

Track: Growth

Focus: Governance, Industry, Materials, System change, Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia / Australasia / Oceania, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, North America

Related UN Sustainable Development Goals

The session will explore practical pathways for advancing industrial symbiosis at scale by addressing the market, system and governance barriers that constrain resource exchange and collaboration among industries.

It will examine how waste-to-resource exchange platforms, digital platforms for circular resource management, managed industrial cooperation networks, cluster-based circular economy models and eco-industrial parks can unlock circular resource flows.

Join us to gain practical insights from international experience and Indian initiatives to guide strategies for advancing industrial symbiosis.

Organiser(s): Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy Industry Coalition (RECEIC), Sitra the Finnish Innovation Fund

Circularity in urban governance: Transforming resource systems

03 Aug 2026

Circularity in urban governance: Transforming resource systems

15 Sep 2026 at 12:00–13:00 (UTC+5:30)

Session type: Parallel

Track: Governance

Focus: Built environment, Finance, Governance, System change, Waste, Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia / Australasia / Oceania, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, North America

Related UN Sustainable Development Goals

This session explores how cities worldwide are institutionalising circularity through municipal governance capacity, integrated planning and cross-sector collaboration.

Drawing on India’s experience alongside global practices, the session will highlight transferable models for resource-efficient and circular urban systems.

It will also examine how urban governance can transform waste, materials and resource systems through stronger institutions, partnerships and system-level planning.

Organiser(s): National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Global call for Studio applications is open—Apply by 28 August!