Embassy of Finland Welcomes India’s First World Circular Economy Forum to Gandhinagar
Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra and India's Central Pollution Control Board jointly organise WCEF2026, 15–18 September 2026 in Gujarat; Finland's Minister of Climate and the Environment Sari Multala to take part in the event.
New Delhi, 12 September 2026: The Embassy of Finland in New Delhi welcomes the tenth edition of the World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF2026), to be held for the first time in South Asia from 15 to 18 September in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. WCEF2026 is jointly organised by the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra and India's Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), with the support of India's Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), in coordination with the Government of Gujarat and the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB), and in collaboration with global and Indian partners including the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
WCEF2026 will convene business leaders, investors, policymakers and innovators from around the world under the theme "Circular economy: Transition for people and prosperity." The main forum on 15–16 September comprises four plenaries and sixteen parallel sessions, followed by more than sixty accelerator sessions organised by WCEF collaborators on 17–18 September, alongside an expo showcasing circular economy solutions from India and beyond.
Sari Multala, Finland’s Minister of Climate and the Environment, will deliver an address at the official WCEF2026 closing ceremony on September 16.
Finland Day: 17 September
As part of the WCEF2026 accelerator programme, Finland Day will bring Finnish and Indian companies, investors and policymakers together for a dedicated national showcase on Thursday 17 September at The Leela Gandhinagar. This year's Finland Day moves past introductions into system-level partnership opportunities across four themes: circular maritime systems and sustainable ports, energy and the built environment, circular sport infrastructure, and emerging technologies enabling circularity.
Finland's Minister of Climate and the Environment, Sari Multala, will attend Finland Day, underlining the Finnish Government's engagement with the WCEF2026 accelerator programme and its ambitions for continued circular economy cooperation with India.
The day opens with high-level keynotes framing Finland and India as partners in circular transformation, followed by four 45-minute sector deep dives, each paired with themed B2B networking. The afternoon accelerator session organized in partnership with ADB Ventures and the World Bank Group focuses on international development financing for circular economy business, connecting companies with financing and funding organisations. The day concludes with an evening networking reception.
WCEF2026 comes as resource security has become a shared concern across both industrialised and developing economies. According to WCEF partner Circle Economy, more than USD 25 trillion of value is lost globally every year across product lifecycles and value chains, including over USD 5 trillion during material extraction, refining and initial processing alone. The global economy remains only around 7 percent circular, while a recent UN International Resource Panel report finds that each person uses more than 13 tonnes of virgin materials annually.
Finland's Role
Sitra, the Finnish Innovation Fund, is the initiator of WCEF and has organised the forum annually since 2017, building on Finland’s circular economy road map which was published in 2016, the first one of its kind globally. The Embassy of Finland in New Delhi has supported outreach to Indian industry ahead of WCEF2026, including through the India Circular Economy Forum (ICEF2026) held in New Delhi in August, where Finland-India cooperation was the focus of a dedicated day under the theme "Harmonising Value Chains: The new India-EU Trade Era."
Dr Antti Herlevi, Counsellor for Trade and Investments (Water, Forest and Circular Economy) at the Embassy of Finland in New Delhi, said: “Circular economy is not just an environmental agenda; it is an economic and industrial one. Finland has a long history of developing circular solutions, and more than 100 Finnish companies are already active in India across sectors including clean energy, waste management, recycling, digital solutions and sustainable design. As the Indian market continues to grow rapidly, there is a significant opportunity for Finnish businesses to work alongside local partners in India across a range of fields, combining expertise and innovation to support resource-efficient and sustainable growth. In a world of rising material demand and increasing pressure on resources, our shared experience and technologies can help advance circular solutions that retain value, reduce resource use and contribute to a more sustainable future.”
India's participation in WCEF2026 builds on its Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) initiative and complementary programmes such as the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, which together position the country as an increasingly influential voice in the global circular economy transition.
Attendance
For more information, visit the WCEF2026 media page: https://wcef2026.com/
Online participation is open to all, free of charge.
The World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF) is the world's leading event on the circular economy. It provides a platform for sharing knowledge and expertise, building networks and partnerships, and advancing the transition to a circular economy. WCEF is an annual event organised by Sitra, the Finnish Innovation Fund, with international partners. The forum brings together leaders from business, government, academia and civil society to explore global issues related to the circular economy and to find solutions to the challenges facing the world.
The Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra is an active fund for the future addressing societal challenges that shape our world. Together with its partners, Sitra develops solutions, enhances well-being and boosts economic growth within Earth's carrying capacity. Founded in 1967, Sitra is an independent public fund operating directly under the supervision of the Finnish Parliament. It has received global recognition for accelerating the world's transition to a circular economy and is the founder of the World Circular Economy Forum.
Media Contacts
Snehal Tripathi
Special Adviser on Communications, Embassy of Finland in New Delhi
[email protected]
Samuli Laita
Media liaison of the WCEF, the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra
[email protected]
Ann Mary Thomas
Seraphim Communications
[email protected]
