Summary report and results from WCEF2026

The World Circular Economy Forum 2026 (WCEF2026) took place in Gandhinagar, India from 15-18 September. The tenth annual forum was attended by 3,614 people from 63 countries and gathered more than 19,800 views online. Thousands more participated in partner-led accelerator sessions, studios and official side events. There were 161 speakers at the main forum, 135 exhibitors at the expo, 75 accelerator sessions and 5 studios held around the globe.

Results

Several reports and initiatives were launched at the forum. Here are some highlights:

• Finland announced a EUR 120 million investment commitment towards a new Finland-IFC Blended Finance Programme under preparation. Intended to start in 2027, with India among its focus countries, the programme is estimated to mobilise around USD 600 million in additional financing for projects it finances, of which at least USD 120 million is expected to come from the private sector.
• Two publications were launched by CPCB and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC): Best environmental practices for reuse of treated sewage and Driving sustainability: A guide to India’s circular economy and EPR initiatives.
• India’s new Ecomark logo was launched by MoEFCC, in collaboration with UN PAGE. The logo will allow consumers to identify products that meet established environmental criteria and encourage companies to show their green credentials.
• The EU Circular Economy Resource Centre (EU CERC) Circular Awards were won by:
  • Kijani Testing of Kenya, which tests and repairs off-grid energy products
  • Indústria Fox of Brazil, which refurbishes and re-manufactures electrical equipment
  • the State of Rio de Janeiro for their industrial symbiosis programme.
• EU CERC also published Circular finance stories, a set of well-documented case studies that trace how financiers, from foundations and fund managers to commercial banks, have stepped in to make circular business models bankable.
• UNIDO launched their new guide Addressing the source: A policy guide for upstream circular action.
• UNIDO published Circular economy perspectives in solar value chains: Circular business models for photovoltaic and solar water heating systems.
• The Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) launched two publications on financing zero waste: Practical guidance for immediate action by local and national governments and a high-level synthesis report.
• GAIA also announced 6 new cases with community-led zero waste systems for just methane mitigation.
• The International Council on Circular Economy (IC-CE) launched a Circular Campus framework for higher education institutions.
• IC-CE, Circulearth and Active-Sites Consulting presented Bharat SUTRA, a platform for advancing circularity in India’s textile sector.
• Shalini Goyal Bhalla, IC-CE’s founder and CEO, launched the book Designing for Dhara: An Indian framework for circular and regenerative futures.
• Finland-based climate technology company Cero Hero, Finnish cleantech company Biovoima and Indian company Chakravuyha announced they will establish a biogas plant in India.
• Two education partnerships between Finland and India were announced as Cero Hero and the Kallinga Group of Institutions said they will partner to introduce a climate identity programme for students, enabling them to build a verified record of climate-positive actions. Cero Hero also partnered with Lok Jagruti Kendra University to deliver the climate identity programme.
• Sari Multala, Finland’s minister of climate and environment, presented Finland’s Climate Honours diploma to Ankit Todi of Mahindra Group. Finland’s diplomatic missions grant the diploma to organisations and individuals who lead the combat against climate change.
• Chase Advisers and the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) published a report on Critical minerals at scale.
• TERI also published the highlights on circular public procurement and ecolabels.
• One of last year’s co-hosts, Brazil’s National Confederation of Industries (CNI) launched their CNI Circular Economy Survey.
• Green Phoenix published a showcase From silicon to system, modules for unboxing a chipset’s lifecycle and learning how to close the loop.
• Finland launched a knowledge hub for Latin America, Finlandia Circular, providing materials, contacts and content for skills and education. Finland also announced 4 more dialogues to be hosted in Latin America, including the cities of Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Bogotá and Lima.
• With support from the Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE), India’s Ministry of Textiles released three complementary documents to help guide technology and investment decisions:
  • A baseline assessment identifying the sector’s challenges.
  • The India textile technology and innovation roadmap 2047.
  • A technology and innovation compendium.
• Circular Innovation Lab released The AI linearity paradox, a report which examines the linearity of AI infrastructure and how to make it more circular.
• Common Seas published their insights into unlocking circularity in Small Island States.
• EMC India and Ethica Finland published their insights on building the circular fashion ecosystem.
• Habitat for Humanity International published a report From Rubble to Resilience.
• The Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) highlighted that agricultural biomass residue shouldn’t be treated as a waste when India’s ~206 million tonnes of surplus biomass are a finite resource that shapes air quality, farmer incomes and the country’s Viksit Bharat and Net Zero 2070 ambitions.

You can download the full report on Sitra’s website.