If you run a manufacturing or supply chain operation in India, or you trade with Indian suppliers, a leadership change at this week’s global sustainability summit could shape the standards you operate under. India didn’t just host the World Circular Economy Forum this year — it also took a seat on the board that helps set global sustainable-production frameworks.

The World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF) 2026 was held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, from September 15 to 18, drawing more than 3,600 stakeholders from 62 countries, according to Indian government officials and event organizers. The forum was jointly organized by India’s Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Finland’s Sitra, the Government of Finland, and India’s Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), with support from Gujarat state authorities. On the sidelines of the forum, India officially assumed the Co-Chair role of the board overseeing the 10 Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production, known as the 10 YFP.

For Indian manufacturing executives and international supply chain auditors, domestic circular economy rules are about to align rapidly with strict global frameworks. You should prepare for new mandates on sustainable product design and extended producer responsibility, as India uses this leadership position to shape regional manufacturing standards.

Taking the 10 YFP Co-Chair seat while hosting WCEF gives India a formal governance role on the board that helps coordinate global sustainable-production policy, alongside Sitra and other member representatives, rather than unilateral rule-setting power. This builds directly on prior Indian EPR recycling rules coverage, which tracked domestic policy before this international leadership shift, and connects to broader circular economy manufacturing standards that Indian exporters will now need to track closely. This builds on India’s existing circular economy shift toward material value over waste volume — and similar producer-responsibility mandates already reshaping product design in other markets, such as the EU’s replaceable smartphone battery rules.

The World Circular Economy Forum 2026 was hosted in Gandhinagar, India, gathering more than 3,600 global stakeholders from 62 countries. Jointly organized by India’s CPCB, Finland’s Sitra, the Government of Finland, and India’s MoEFCC, the event focused on integrating circular finance, digitalisation, and sustainable resource management into global supply chains.

India’s new Co-Chair role gives it a seat at the table shaping sustainable-production policy discussions relevant to the Global South. Whether new extended producer responsibility mandates follow will depend on future policy announcements from India’s government.