Advancing a Circular Economy for Climate Action
9:00 a.m. CET / 7:00 a.m. UTC; SDSN Australia also lists it as 3:00 p.m. AWST, 5:00 p.m. AEST and 7:00 p.m. NZST.
September 9, 2026, 9:00 AM CET (7:00 AM UTC) |
This session will examine how circular economy strategies — including waste reduction, sustainable supply chains, and systemic resource management reforms — can drive scalable climate action while decoupling economic growth from environmental degradation.
Additional Details
What You'll Learn
Participants will learn how circular economy strategies—including waste reduction, sustainable supply chains, resource efficiency and systemic resource-management reforms—can become practical tools for climate action. The session will explore how economies can reduce resource consumption and environmental damage while maintaining economic and social development. Participants should also gain a better understanding of how scientific knowledge, policy, business practices and cross-sector partnerships can work together to move circular-economy concepts toward implementation ahead of COP31. The broader SDSN series is explicitly designed to translate knowledge into actionable insights and strengthen implementation-oriented climate partnerships.
Why This Matters
Climate action cannot depend only on replacing fossil fuels with cleaner energy. The way societies extract resources, manufacture products, manage supply chains, consume materials and deal with waste also determines emissions and ecological impact. Circular approaches offer an opportunity to redesign these systems so materials remain in productive use longer, waste is reduced and economic activity becomes less dependent on continually extracting new resources. With COP31 approaching in November 2026, the session connects these approaches directly to international climate policy and implementation.
Action Level - LEARN
What You'll Leave With
A clearer framework for understanding: How circularity connects to climate mitigation. Where waste reduction and sustainable supply chains can produce climate benefits. How systemic resource-management reforms can support climate goals. How science, policy, business and implementation need to work together. Potential ideas and approaches that organizations and communities can carry into their own climate and circularity work. Participants may also identify new organizations, experts and potential collaborators working at the intersection of circularity, climate policy and sustainable development.
Best For - Community Leaders, Social Entrepreneurs, Systems Designers, Researchers, Educators, Students, Journalists / Media, Businesses, Investors / Funders, Local Governments
Systems It Connects To - Circularity & Whole-System Design, Personal & Digital Democracy, Clean & Renewable Energy, Food Production & Distribution, ICT & Cybersecurity, Public & Planetary Health, Smarter Cities & Communities, Mobility & Transportation, Ethical Finance, Media & Storytelling
Languages - English
Practical Next Step - Identify one resource-intensive system in your organization, community or sector—such as materials, packaging, food, construction, manufacturing or waste—and examine where a circular approach could eliminate waste, extend product or material life, recover resources or reduce dependence on virgin materials. Then identify the partners, policy changes or financing needed to move that opportunity toward implementation.