Finland will host the world’s leading circular economy event, World Circular Economy Forum 2023 (WCEF2023) from 30 May to 2 June, co-organised by Nordic Innovation and Sitra, with partners from around the world.
Hosted in Messukeskus, Helsinki, the World Circular Economy Forum 2023 will provide a unique opportunity to create momentum for a nature-positive future. The Forum will present a focused agenda and harness our collective energies on accelerating the needed transition over the coming years, showcasing global change makers and building the capacity to collaborate. WCEF2023 will mark the seventh iteration of the annual Forum and occurs at a pivotal moment for economies, societies and our planet.
We already know why the circular economy is a must, but the world needs examples. WCEF2023 will focus on the how, inviting especially businesses, financiers and youth to pinpoint the potential and bottlenecks of advancing circular solutions. The Forum will facilitate conversations and create a wider understanding on how the circular economy allows us to tackle some of the complex root causes of resource overconsumption, pollution, climate change and biodiversity loss all at once.
To enable participation from around the world, WCEF2023 will be live-streamed online, open to all and free of charge. Attendance in person is by invitation only.
Programme – Circular solutions for nature and the economy
The main programme on 30–31 May will consist of 4 Plenary Sessions and 16 Parallel Sessions. The plenaries will explore cross-cutting themes for a diverse, global audience. They explain circularity’s role for the well-being of nature and the economy, youth’s role in the transition, circularity in financial markets, and future trends for a regenerative and resilient economy.
The Parallel Sessions will bring the themes to life by sharing inspiring and scalable examples of the circular economy. These sessions will cover a variety of topics, such as: finance, accounting and metrics, everyday life and health, future skills, regenerative agriculture and forestry, finite materials and energy, mining, trade, strategies and road maps, fashion and textiles, food, construction and the built environment, plastics and packaging, electronics, and hydrogen.
In addition, the participants will have access to networking and expo areas as well as a mobile app throughout the Forum. The expo is a curated space for Forum attendees to engage with innovative and inspiring circular economy solutions demonstrated by leading organisations and businesses from around the world.
Accelerator Sessions organised by WCEF2023 Partners will occur on 1-2 June. These sessions bridge the Forum’s themes with the daily work needed for a circular transition by focusing on the implementation of existing action agendas. They will be outcome-oriented and pose an opportunity for deeper audience engagement.
Side Events
WCEF2023 is supported by Side Events which can be organised by anyone, online or in person. These independent events can be held anytime throughout the year, but their timing cannot overlap with the main Forum on 30–31 May or the Accelerator Sessions on 1–2 June. Sitra approves Side Event applications on a rolling basis, and the organisers are responsible for all practicalities and expenses.
Partners
WCEF2023 is co-hosted by Nordic Innovation and Sitra, the Finnish Innovation Fund, with international partners.
Partners (in alphabetical order, funding partners in bold) include Aalto University, Circle Economy, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, European Forest Institute, European Environment Agency, European Investment Bank, Geological Survey of Finland, Green Building Council Finland, Government of the Netherlands, Government of Finland, Hydrogen Cluster Finland, Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy (PACE), the Global Alliance on Circular Economy and Resource Efficiency (GACERE), World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the World Economic Forum.
Contact
If you have questions about the WCEF2023, please email contactus.wcef@sitra.fi.
