The Zero Waste Forum 2026: a key date for the future of the circular economy

The global waste management challenge has reached a critical turning point. According to the World Bank's What a Waste 3.0 report, world municipal solid waste generation stood at 2.56 billion tonnes a year and, on current trends, is projected to rise by 50%, reaching 3.86 billion tonnes by 2050. Faced with that reality, transforming our relationship with resources and moving towards a circular economy is no longer an optional commitment; it is an urgent macroeconomic and climate necessity.

Against that backdrop of transformation, Istanbul will become the centre of the environmental debate from 5 to 7 June 2026, hosting the Zero Waste Forum 2026 under the banner "Road to Antalya: Zero Waste as Climate Action".

From a local initiative to global impact

What began in 2017 as a national project in Türkiye, led by First Lady Emine Erdoğan, is today an international benchmark acting as a global hub for environmental diplomacy. That effort drove the creation of the Zero Waste Foundation in 2023 and achieved a historic milestone: the United Nations General Assembly adopting a resolution to declare 30 March the International Day of Zero Waste.

This forum shows how a local strategy can become an indispensable global platform for meeting sustainability targets and easing the pressure on our shared ecosystems.

What is the forum's strategic purpose?

The Zero Waste Forum 2026 is designed as a high-level convening space to promote the exchange of good practice and strengthen international cooperation. Its main objectives centre on:

• Fostering multi-stakeholder cooperation: Bringing policy decision-makers, UN bodies, private sector companies, academia and civil society organisations together in one place.
• Knowledge transfer: Sharing and implementing best practice, research and technical solutions on the ground.
• Standardising global principles: Promoting the transition towards a model in which the traditional concept of "waste" becomes obsolete, through education, innovation and public policy advocacy.

Institutional presence: Global Zero Waste will be there

As an organisation leading the innovation and implementation of the circular economy through the Zero Waste model, we follow closely the gatherings that set the direction of our sector.

We are therefore pleased to let our community, allies and strategic partners know that our CEO, Sandra Pinzón, will attend the Zero Waste Forum 2026. Her presence at this international gathering in Istanbul reflects our aim of strengthening institutional relationships, assessing new global regulations and bringing the perspectives of the climate vanguard into the solutions we develop at Global Zero Waste.

Key event details

If you would like more detail on the agenda, the panels and the forum's participants, we invite you to consult the event's official channels:

• 📅 Dates: 5, 6 and 7 June 2026
• 📍 Venue: Atatürk Airport – Istanbul, Türkiye

If you would like to know more about our specialised services, leave us your details and one of our professionals will get in touch to offer guidance tailored to your needs.