From WCEF2025 to COP30: Circular economy must be at the heart of climate action

São Paulo, 16 May 2025 – At the World Circular Economy Forum 2025 (WCEF2025), more than 10,000 frontrunners of circularity stressed how the circular economy can help achieve climate targets as well as deliver new jobs and business opportunities. This message was raised by participants from businesses, the public sector, academia and NGOs. 

This year’s edition of the forum reflected Brazil’s role in driving change to solve the triple planetary crisis of pollution, declining biodiversity and climate change. This comes ahead of the UN Climate Conference (COP30) which will take place in the Amazonian town of Belém, Brazil, in November. 

“The circular economy is certainly one of the instruments we need to make sure that we fight climate change as quickly as possible, in line with what science tells us. We have a few years – very few years – to do the right thing. We need the circular economy,” stated André Corrêa do Lago, the President of COP30, at WCEF2025. 

The 9th edition of the World Circular Economy Forum took place in São Paulo, Brazil, from 13 to 16 May 2025. Following the main event, 102 accelerator sessions bridged the forum’s themes with the daily work needed for a circular transition. The forum also acted as a platform for several international meetings. For instance, the UN’s International Resource Panel (IRP), a science partner of WCEF, held a meeting during the forum. 

A new report reveals a decline in circularity 

The vast majority of materials entering the economy are still virgin. In fact, the global circularity rate has continued to fall, shows The Circularity Gap Report 2025 (CGR 2025) by Circle Economy in collaboration with Deloitte Global, launched at the WCEF2025. Only 6.9% of the 106 billion tonnes of materials used annually by the global economy come from recycled sources – a 2.2% drop since 2015. 

“To make the change from the current linear economy to a circular one, we need smart regulation,” underlined Kristo Lehtonen, Director of the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra, the initiator of the World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF). 

“Linear systems are losing their licence to operate,” he said, pointing out that an inevitable change is needed to tackle the triple planetary crisis by addressing the root cause: overconsumption of virgin raw materials. 

As a host country of WCEF2025 and COP30, Brazil is paving the way: the country published its National Circular Economy Plan prior to the forum. The plan prioritises business models that eliminate waste and pollution, keep products and materials in use and regenerate natural systems. 

“The plan is the result of a collective effort that recognises the strategic role of industry in the transition to a more sustainable economic model,” highlights Davi Bomtempo, Environment and Sustainability Superintendent of the Brazilian National Confederation of Industry (CNI), a co-host of WCEF2025. 
 
“By providing a road map with five pillars toward circularity (regulatory environment, innovation and education, waste reduction, financial instruments and inter-federative coordination), the plan creates a solid framework, but the real actor in carrying out the transition is the private sector,” emphasises Kalil Cury Filho. He acts as Deputy Director of the Sustainable Development Department of FIESP, the Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo, also a co-host of WCEF2025. 

New Circular Awards announced – Business Award LAC 2025 went to Energy Source in Brazil 

In several sessions and discussions of WCEF2025 it was underlined that new partnerships and collaboration is needed to speed up the transition to circularity. 

The freshly established EU Circular Economy Resource Centre (EU CERC), operated by Sitra and the Belgian agency for international cooperation Enabel, aims to promote circular economy cooperation between the EU and partner countries in the Global South and to increase the uptake of circular economy policies and business models globally. 

At the closing plenary of WCEF2025, the centre announced new Circular Awards to recognise and celebrate best practices in the circular economy taken forward by governments and businesses. A special award Business Award LAC 2025 in recognition of outstanding leadership and innovation in advancing the circular economy in Latin America was awarded jointly by EU CERC, CNI and FIESP to Energy Source, a Brazilian company leading sustainable lithium-ion battery management. 

The winner will receive a prize worth up to €10,000 including tailored mentoring, networking, training or coaching from the EU CERC, as well as visibility through meetings with high-level stakeholders at the WCEF, on forum’s website and social media. The EU CERC is co-funded by the European Commission and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland. 

WCEF2026 will be held in India 

The World Circular Economy Forum 2026 will be held in India in autumn 2026. The exact dates and location will be announced later. WCEF2026 will be hosted jointly by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) which operates under India’s Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra.  

Press photos and media kit 

Check the media kit on WCEF2025’s media page for the press photos as well as background information on the circular economy and the World Circular Economy Forum. The WCEF2025 logo is available at WCEF’s material bank.  

To stay up-to-date with the latest circular economy news, subscribe to the WCEF newsletter on the WCEF2025 website.