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Countries across the Global South possess a still hardly recognised opportunity to capture trillions of dollars in untapped value, strengthen economic resilience and create local jobs. This is possible by moving beyond raw material exports and scaling circular economy industries. This opportunity will be at the heart of activities at the World Circular Economy Forum 2026 (WCEF2026), taking place in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India, from 15 to 18 September.
Senior Lead, Communications
Article type
Picks
Published
2.9.2026
According to recent global estimates by WCEF’s partner, Dutch think-tank Circle Economy, more than USD 25 trillion of value is lost globally every year across product lifecycles and value chains, including more than USD 5 trillion during material extraction, refining and initial processing alone. At the same time, the global economy remains only around 7 percent circular. Furthermore, a recent report by WCEF’s scientific partner, the UN’s International Resource Panel, reveals that each person uses more than 13 tonnes of virgin materials annually. This means that most materials are still used inefficiently and their value is lost after a single use.
WCEF2026 will bring together business leaders, investors, policymakers and innovators from around the world to explore how the circular economy can help countries and companies prosper in a resource-constrained world while strengthening resilience, competitiveness and sustainable growth. The theme of the tenth edition of the forum is “Circular economy: Transition for people and prosperity.”
Want to learn more? The organisers of the forum will share their thoughts and answer questions in an online press briefing a week ahead of the forum, on 8 September 09:00 (UTC-3) / 12:00 (UTC) / 15:00 (EEST/UTC+3) / 17:30 (ITC/UTC+5:30). The briefing is limited to representatives of the media and will take place on Teams.
Read the full article on WCEF2026 website.