India willing to host 2026 World Circular Economy Forum: Bhupender Yadav

New Delhi, Mar 4 (PTI) India is willing to host the 2026 edition of the World Circular Economy Forum and is seeking stronger collaboration with Asia-Pacific countries on the circular economy, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said on Tuesday.

Addressing the 12th Regional 3R and Circular Economy Forum in Asia and the Pacific in Jaipur, he also said the circular economy could drive one of the biggest business transformations since the Industrial Revolution 250 years ago.

“Every year, the World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF) is organised and, in this year, 2025, it is being organised in Sao Paulo, Brazil. India has expressed a willingness to host the World Circular Economy Forum – 2026. Looking ahead to 2030 and beyond, this forum should drive real change,” the minister said.

Held since 2017, the WCEF is a global initiative by Finland and Sitra, the Finnish Innovation Fund. The forum brings together business leaders, policymakers and experts from around the world to discuss key circular economy solutions.

Yadav said India, with its strong recycling industry, was ready to collaborate with Asia-Pacific countries on the circular economy.

India currently has more than 3,500 recycling units capable of processing around 45 million metric tonnes of waste per year, he said.

The minister also said circular economies were crucial for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and climate neutrality, balancing low-carbon growth with equitable development.

“The ‘circular economy’ may be about to drive one of the biggest transformations in business since the Industrial Revolution 250 years ago. Through a radical departure from the traditional ‘take, make, waste’ production and consumption models, the circular economy could provide a potential USD 4.5 trillion in additional economic output by 2030 world over,” he said.

Yadav added that by 2050, India’s circular economy could be worth more than USD 2 trillion and create nearly 10 million jobs.

However, he cautioned against viewing the circular economy only as a business model, particularly for the manufacturing sector.

“Circular economy recognises the importance of the economy to work effectively at all scales — for big and small businesses, for organisations and individuals, globally and locally. We in India, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have emphasised the need to make climate action a participative process,” he said.

Circularity, for India, is thus not just a business model. It is a life model. Prime Minister Modi’s clarion call for Environmentally Sustainable Lifestyles, or Mission LiFE, drives from this thought, the minister said.