Union minister for environment, forest and climate change, Bhupender Yadav, and Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel, inaugurate an exhibition at the 10th WCEF in Gandhinagar on Tuesday
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel , who inaugurated WCEF-2026 in the presence of Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav , said the forum would give Gujarat an opportunity to showcase its best practices to the world and learn from global models. State forest and environment minister Arjun Modhwadia said India’s circular economy market was projected to cross $2 trillion by 2050 and could generate around one crore jobs. Gujarat, he said, had the country’s largest hazardous-waste resource recovery system and a strong circular-economy ecosystem, with 1,242 recycling facilities and 19 core processing units. About 63% of waste in the state was recycled last year, he said. Gujarat also has 41 e-waste recyclers and 12 refurbishers.
We need greenery alongside growth and ecology alongside industry,” Patel said. Yadav said India had also put mechanisms such as extended producer responsibility in place under Environment Protection Act for managing plastic, e-waste, batteries, scrap metal and construction and demolition waste. “Development and the environment are not contradictory to each other. He added that the ‘waste to wealth’ approach was not merely a waste-management model but could give a new momentum to the rural economy. The forum is being jointly organised by the Union environment ministry, CPCB, Gujarat govt, GPCB, Finland’s Innovation Fund Sitra and the govt of Finland. Speakers from Netherlands and Finland also stressed the importance of circularity amid climate change, geopolitical tensions and supply-chain uncertainties. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Ahmedabad | Silver Rate in Ahmedabad | Bank Holidays in Ahmedabad | Public Holidays in Ahmedabad | Ahmedabad AQI | Weather in Ahmedabad | Petrol Price in Ahmedabad | Diesel Price in Ahmedabad | CNG Price in Ahmedabad | LPG Price in Ahmedabad
More than 2,000 stakeholders, scientists and entrepreneurs from around 66 countries are participating in the four-day forum, being held in South Asia for the first time. The event, which continues till Sept 18, will focus on reducing global emissions, circular business models and sustainable economic growth. An international expo featuring more than 125 stalls showcasing green innovations, waste-to-wealth models and recycling technologies was also inaugurated.