India will host the World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF) 2026 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, from 15 to 18 September 2026 — marking the first time the global forum has been held anywhere in South Asia, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change announced on Sunday. The event signals India's growing ambition to position itself as a leader in sustainable and circular economic policy on the world stage.

Inaugural Session and Key Dignitaries

The forum will be jointly inaugurated on 15 September by Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel. Also attending the inaugural session are Gujarat Forest, Environment and Climate Change Minister Arjunbhai Modhwadia, Ambassador of Finland to India Mikko Kivikoski, and Marieke Spijkerboer from the Netherlands' Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate, alongside senior officials from the Centre and the Gujarat government.

Theme, Organisers and Scale

The forum will be held under the theme 'Circular Economy: Transition for People and Prosperity' and is being jointly organised by the Central Pollution Control Board, the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra, the Government of Finland, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the Government of Gujarat, and the Gujarat Pollution Control Board. The event is expected to bring together more than 2,000 stakeholders from over 65 countries, including business leaders, entrepreneurs, researchers, policymakers, and academics.

What the Forum Will Cover

On 15 and 16 September, the programme will feature four plenary sessions and 16 parallel thematic sessions spanning topics such as artificial intelligence, employment, energy, finance, governance, sustainable products, industrial solutions, start-up ecosystems, and youth leadership. An exhibition featuring more than 125 national and international exhibitors will showcase circular solutions developed by start-ups and investment-ready innovations.

The forum will also focus on mobilising circular finance and private-sector investment, advancing policy dialogue, and promoting cross-sector partnerships. On the sidelines, the Board of the 10 Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns (10 YFP) will hold an in-person meeting in Gandhinagar on 15 September.

India's Circular Economy Push

The ministry noted that circularity — centred on reusing, refurbishing, and recycling materials and returning them as valuable resources — is a core pillar of India's environmental agenda under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The forum provides a platform to showcase India's own circularity initiatives and deepen international cooperation, particularly with the Global South. This is notably the first time a South Asian nation has hosted a summit of this scale dedicated exclusively to the circular economy transition.

With the forum opening in two days, all eyes will be on whether Gandhinagar can catalyse concrete Global South commitments on circular finance and policy alignment.