Scaling Circular Business: From Innovation to Investment and Partnerships

WHEN:  17 September 2026     I    TIME:  14:00 - 16:00 IST (UTC+5:30)   I  REGISTER HERE to join   I   wcef2026.com   

Background

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 organised 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.

The accelerator session aims to help move circular economy (CE) solutions from promising practice towards scale by connecting innovative Asian SMEs with the markets, business partners, technology, expertise and finance needed for expansion. It will position EU-Asia collaboration as an important pathway for accelerating circular business models, strengthening circular value chains and opening new market opportunities.

Session focus

The session will showcase innovative SMEs, followed by a discussion on what is needed to scale their CE solutions through market expansion, investment, technology and strategic partnerships in Asia’s fast-growing circular economy markets.

Asian companies developing circular solutions in agri-food, aquaculture and fisheries, construction, furniture and wood products, plastics and packaging, tourism and hospitality, waste management and recycling will have the opportunity to:

• Connect with peer SMEs and potential partners across Asian markets
• Explore business, technology and market-expansion partnerships
• Engage with EU organisations and companies seeking circular value-chain and supply-chain partnerships
• Connect with investors and organisations that can support their pathway towards scale.

For large EU companies, the session will provide insights into circular innovation ecosystems in key resource-intensive sectors and opportunities to identify potential suppliers, technology partners and business collaborations in Asia.

For investors and financial institutions, it will provide visibility into emerging circular businesses and financing opportunities linked to market expansion within Asia and between the EU and Asia.

The session will ultimately seek to translate the exchange into concrete connections and follow-up opportunities for business, investment, technology and capacity partnerships.

Speakers

Zinaida FADEEVA, Team Leader, SWITCH-Asia Policy Support Component

Zinaida Fadeeva is the Team Leader of the Policy Support Component of the SWITCH-Asia Programme. Zinaida has over 25 years leading international professional experience in policy for and practice of sustainable consumption and production (SCP) and Education for Sustainable Development, amongst others working with the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Studies of Sustainability (UNU-IAS). Her work has focused on diverse topics such as tourism, plastics, construction, small and medium enterprises, procurement and lifestyle. Zinaida has worked extensively with governments, private sector, international organisations and academia in East, South East, South and Central Asia.

Rijit SENGUPTA, Chief Executive Officer at Centre for Responsible Business (CRB)

Rijit Sengupta is Chief Executive Officer at the Centre for Responsible Business (www.c4rb.org). He holds a postgraduate degree in Agriculture from University of Calcutta, and a postgraduate diploma in Public Systems Management (specialising in Environment Management) from the Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management (IISW&BM), Calcutta. He is an alumnus of the United Nations University (Tokyo) programme on International Co-operation and Development. He has experience of over nineteen years in various areas of sustainable development policy and practice.

Sonia PRASHAR, Secretary General, Federation of European Business in India (FEBI) 

Kunal MAKKAR, Country Director, DEG India

Kunal Makkar has been Country Director of DEG in India since July 2015 and is responsible for business strategy for India and Sri Lanka, new business origination and client relationship management. Prior to this, his role in DEG as Vice President was focussed on investments and investment management in diversified sectors i.e. Manufacturing & Services, Infrastructure and Financial Services. Prior to joining DEG in 2007, he worked with an Indo-Dutch commercial bank ING Vysya Bank in India and worked in equity research, private banking and wholesale banking.

Mukesh GULATI, Executive Director, Foundation for MSME Clusters

Mr. Gulati initiated and contributed substantially to the institutionalization of cluster-based Micro, Small & Medium Enterprise (MSME) policy and implementation framework in India. He also supported similar initiatives in several other developing countries. He coordinated a number of development projects on behalf of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) for 12 years (1996-2008) for MSME development. He represented UNIDO on several international forums and also successfully organized more than 25 international training programmes on cluster development over his career. Mr. Gulati has authored several books and publications in the area of MSME development. He also steered the setting up of the Foundation for MSME Clusters in the year 2005 and nurtured it to become a resilient institution that works with a number of multilateral & bilateral donor institutions besides national ministries and development institutions.

Arnab CHAKRABORTTY, National Director, Empretec India Foundation

Arnab Chakrabortty is a social entrepreneur working at the intersection of sustainable enterprise, behavioural transformation, and systemic scale. As Founder of the Empretec India Foundation, he developed HiEERA — High-impact Entrepreneurs from Emerging Regions for Action — a mindset-driven platform that advances the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals through ethical enterprise, inner clarity, and ecosystem collaboration.

Rushit PANDYA, Chief of Staff, Canvaloop Fibre Pvt. Ltd.

Rushit Pandya is Chief of Staff at Canvaloop Fibre, working directly with the CEO across the business. His remit spans commercial operations, investor relations, business reporting and external representation. He brings over nine years of experience building and scaling commercial organisations, most recently at Refrens, a SaaS company, and before that at CorporateConnections® India.

Sumeet POPLI, Founder & CEO, Biome Sustainability Ventures

Sumeet Popli is the Founder of Biome Sustainability Ventures, a materials innovation company focused on transforming agricultural residue into high performance, climate responsible building materials. Biome works at the intersection of circular economy, rural value chains, and sustainable manufacturing by converting farm waste into engineered boards and furniture applications that offer alternatives to timber based and plastic materials. The company addresses interconnected challenges such as stubble burning, deforestation, and material sustainability while creating economic value for agricultural communities.

Reksa NIL, Country Director, HUSK Ventures (Cambodia) Co., ltd

Reksa Nil is the Country Director of HUSK Ventures in Cambodia, leading the company’s operations, strategic partnerships, market development, and climate-smart agriculture initiatives. His work focuses on advancing biochar, biochar-based fertilizers, regenerative agriculture, circular economy solutions, and carbon sequestration to improve soil health and farmer livelihoods. He has experience working across the private sector, development programs, government institutions, and agricultural value chains in Cambodia. Reksa is passionate about building partnerships that turn climate and sustainability solutions into commercially viable models that can scale and create lasting impact for farming communities.

Agenda

Thursday, 17 September 2026  | 14:00 - 16:00 IST (UTC+5:30)