India to Host World Circular Economy Forum 2026 at Gandhinagar

India will host the World Circular Economy Forum 2026 at Gandhinagar in Gujarat. The forum runs from 15 to 18 September 2026. It is the first edition held in South Asia. The short form used for the forum is WCEF. The theme is Circular Economy: Transition for People and Prosperity.

Who opens it

Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shri Bhupender Yadav and Gujarat Chief Minister Shri Bhupendrabhai Patel will jointly inaugurate the forum on the 15th. The Gujarat Forest and Environment Minister Shri Arjunbhai Modhwadia will also attend. So will the Ambassador of Finland to India, Mr Mikko Kivikoski, and Ms Marieke Spijkerboer of the Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate.

Who organises it

Six bodies organise the forum together. They are the Central Pollution Control Board, the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra, the Government of Finland, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the Government of Gujarat and the Gujarat Pollution Control Board.

The forum in numbers

What circularity means

Circularity is about reusing, repairing and recycling material and products. The aim is to loop them back into the economy as useful resources. The thematic sessions cover the use of artificial intelligence, jobs, energy production, finance, governance, sustainable products, industrial solutions, startups and youth leadership.

The 10 YFP meeting

The Board of the 10 Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns will meet in person at Gandhinagar on 15 September. India has recently become a Co-Chair of that Board. The closing ceremony ends with a formal handover to the next host by the Director of International Programmes at Sitra.