Hidden Trade-offs in Circular Transitions

WCEF2026 Accelerator Session

Session Title: Hidden Trade-offs in Circular Transitions

Date: 17 September 2026

Time: 4 PM to 6 PM (IST)

Venue: IIT Palakkad + Online

Session Description: Circular transitions can cut emissions and waste, but what happens when they also lock in assets, shift jobs across borders, or disrupt the informal workers who already keep materials in circulation? Drawing on several cases, this session will highlight how seemingly positive interventions can create unexpected consequences elsewhere. Participants will leave looking beyond “how circular is it?” to ask who benefits, who bears the costs, and where do the impacts really go?

This event is an accelerator session at the World Circular Economy Forum 2026 (wcef2026.com). WCEF2026 will gather forward-looking thinkers and doers and present the game-changers in the circular economy. The forum will be held from 15 to 18 September 2026 in Gandhinagar, the capitol of Gujarat, India. WCEF2026 is organized jointly by the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra, and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), operating under the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Climate Change of India, together with global and local partners. Free of charge, open to all online.

For more details: Dr. Ram V G, IIT Palakkad - ramvg@iitpkd.ac.in

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