In times of increasing material scarcity, companies and economies could strengthen their resilience and protect their future by accepting circular approaches. The ninth non -profit World Circular Economy Forum (Wcef2025), which takes place on May 13th to 16th in São Paulo, Brazil, gathered reformers of economies to share the best round solutions in the world.
São Paulo / Helsinki – The growing worldwide demand for access to critical raw materials is one of the challenges that this year's World Circular Economy Forum wants to answer.
The forum will show the potential of innovative circular solutions to cover our resource needs and to promote sustainable growth and the green transition from society. Thousands of experts and decision -makers on a high level will gather to explore state -of -the -art approaches and best practice that can help to improve economic growth and sustainability.
“Due to the widespread use of solutions to the circular economy, companies and governments can advance the systemic shift towards sustainable and resilient economies. It is crucial that circulatoryity reduces the dependency on inpatient raw materials and contribute to it Kari HerleviDirector of the Circular Economy program at Sitra, the Finnish innovation fund, initiator of the World Circular Economy Forum.
Improving resource productivity to increase competitiveness is widespread in the forum. From 1970 to 2024, global labor productivity grew by almost 3.5 times, but resource productivity rose by less than 1.5 times. Shooting the potential of circularity offers a number of options for new and existing companies, including the business model for resource recovery.
“The transition opens up new opportunities for the financial sector,” says Josué Gomes da SilvaPresident of the Federation of the state of the state of São Paulo (Fiesp), co-moderator of WCEF2025. “For example, Brazil has enormous potential to examine this economic model that can generate new companies, investments and income.”
Since the world is preparing for the next COP30 climate negotiations in autumn, the Wcef2025 will also mark an important milestone in Brazil. The Circular Economy Expert Community encourages the conference participants to focus on the development of circularity in order to achieve a climate -friendly, natural, sustainable consumer -based world.
Dialogues with presidents, managers and scientists
The event will contain numerous dialogues between leading experts for the round economy, including:
- André Aranha Corrêa do LagoCOP30 President
- Susana MuhamadFormer CBD COP16 President, Environment Minister and Sustainable Development of Colombia
- Tarja HalonenPresident of the Republic of Finland (2000-2012)
- Ambroise FayollollVice President, the European Investment Bank
- Luiz Gabriel Todt de AzevedoManaging Director of the International Development Bank Invest
- Izabella TeixeiraCo-chairman, un International Resource Panel (IRP)
- Anis Nassar, Resource circuit Lead, global economic forum
- Eduardo Möller FerlautoExecutive Director of the Renner Institute Stores, Renner Sa Stores
- Tarcisio risesInternational & Strategy Manager, Airbus
- Mari Granström, CEO, Origin from Ocean
- Severino LimaPresident, International Alliance of Waste Pickers
Thousands of participants, 120+ sessions
The WCEF, an initiative of Finland and the Finnish innovation fund Sitra, is a really global platform that accelerates the circular economy. This year's edition of the WCEF is expected to be gathered around 10,000 participants, including the company manager, political decision -makers and scientists from all over the world who take part in person and online. The event is organized jointly by Sitra and Fiesp (Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo), CNI (Brazilian National Confederation of Industry), Senai and Senai-SP (Brazilian National Industrial Learning Service and his office by São Paulo) in close cooperation with over 150 international partner organizations.
The comprehensive program of the event comprises 4 plenary sessions that deal with overarching topics of the circular economy and 12 parallel sessions that are divided into four traces: nature, materials, people and business, all of which are guided by the recent scientific evidence. In addition, 2 additional sessions start this year's circular funeral report and examine a documentary about waste pickers. In the weeks around the forum, seven studios will also take place on various continents, an Expo area and secondary events.
According to the main forum, bridge 102 accelerator meetings organized by WCEF employees, the topics of the forum with the daily work that are required for a circular transition. These sessions offer the possibility for a deeper commitment of the audience and enable deep dives in certain topics. Some examples of sessions titles are:
- Circular resilience: Community co -cohesion for a regenerative future
- Maximizing the contribution of the mining sector to energy transition
- Practical instructions for access to district financing
- Extended producer responsibility (EPR) – challenges and opportunities in the LAC region and beyond
- Corporate responsibility: How do the largest companies in the world manage the plastic transfer?
- EU-LAC Global Gateway structure of value chains for circular economy