Organisations Awarded
Circular Economy In Action Forum Ceremony
After a successful 1st cycle in 2025, the 2nd Global Circular Economy Forum & Awards Ceremony 2026 marked another milestone that brought together circular economy leaders, pioneers, practitioners, explorers, and researchers from across industries and supply chains to celebrate circularity in action.
The event featured H.E. Eng. Alya Abdelrahim Al Harmoodi, Assistant Undersecretary at the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE), gracing us as our Chief Guest and giving us an inspiring speech along with keynote addresses, thought-provoking speeches, and networking opportunities.
We proudly recognised outstanding organisations in the Circular Economy Award across two of our three categories, with selected applicants presenting their best circular practices, projects, and products who demonstrated that circularity is no longer just a concept, but a measurable reality across industries.
What is Circular Economy?
Circular economy is an economic system that uses a systemic approach to maintain a circular flow of resources, by recovering, retaining or adding to their value, while contributing to sustainable development.
More InfoThis Forum is the last stage of the awards. If you would like to participate in the next award cycle, please fill this form and we shall get in touch with you
InterestedFORUM Speakers
Global thought leaders to regional changemakers, pioneering zero-waste solutions to advancing digital innovations and policy frameworks, these industry experts are shaping the future of sustainability provided actionable insights and real-world case studies to accelerate the transition towards a circular economy.
Janez Potočnik
Keynote Speaker
Kavita Sachwani
Circular Economy – key enabler for Responsible Banking
Andrea Trolese
Maximizing ROI in Circular Economy: Waste Management as a Strategic Investment Opportunity in the UAE
Douglas Woodring
Caught in the Wrap - Plastic Solutions Unfolded
Chrysostomos Adamides
Circular Hospitality in practice: Lessons for 20 CY hotels transitioning journey
Dr. Darren Perrin
The real role of AI in enabling a Circular Economy “a circular economy has always been possible, AI is removing our excuses to not adopt it”
Kirankumar Nagare
Impact of Design on Circularity
Marion Rouzeaud
From Data to Action: Applying the DiPPa Framework to Activate Circular Economy with Digital Product Passports
Sunil Thawani
Embedding Circular Economy in Business Operations
Organisations Awarded – 2nd cycle 2025-26
Agera, Brazil
Category: Pioneering Practice
Transforming Mining Tailings into High‑Value Circular Sand
Agera is a company dedicated to offering industries that consume aggregates responsible alternatives and their commitment is reflected through innovative and environmentally friendly solutions. Their products include Sustainable Sand A1 which is fine sand, predominantly composed of silica with a small iron content, positioned between industrial and natural sand in terms of grain morphology, Sustainable Sand A2 which is silty sand with a very fine grain size, composed mainly of silica and Sustainable Material M1 which is composed of silica, iron, and alumina, exhibiting clay-like properties giving it an ultrafine particle size and reddish color.
Apparel Group, UAE
Category: Organization
Textile products in GCC countries
Apparel Group is a global fashion and lifestyle retail conglomerate residing at the crossroads of the modern economy – Dubai, United Arab Emirates. By setting ambitious sustainability goals, embracing sustainable business practices, and continuously enhancing their operations, they aim to create long-lasting positive change.
Ehfaaz, UAE
Category: Pioneering Practice
Digital and systemic innovations in waste governance
2nd-time winner, Ehfaaz transforms waste into valuable resources ensuring a closed-loop system that reduces waste. Their innovative solutions include deconstructing discarded products into high-performance cleaning agents, converting food waste into animal feed, and upcycling materials into new products. Their work aligns with UN SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), setting a benchmark for innovative waste management solutions.
Olam Agri - Wood Business, Republic of Congo
Category: Pioneering Practice
Regenerative forestry and zero-waste innovation
Olam Agri unlocks value for customers, enable farming communities to prosper sustainably and strive for a food-secure future. They’re a market leading and differentiated agri-business, focused on high-growth markets with a global origination footprint, processing capabilities and deep understanding of market needs built over 35 years. They're dedicated to cultivating a sustainable future where food and agriculture positively contribute to conserving the environment, strengthening communities, and increasing global food security.
Having participated in a handful of regional and international awards over the years, what stood out to us about the GCC Circular Economy Awards was the depth, structure, and seriousness of the process. The assessment framework was clear and well thought through, the criteria were applied rigorously, and the overall process felt both demanding and fair.
The award participation and assessment process was conducted with a high level of integrity and transparency. Clear eligibility criteria, objective evaluation parameters, and timely communication were made. The involvement of independent assessors and confidentiality of submissions further strengthen the credibility of the process. Overall, the process was considered fair and well-organized, adding value to the award initiative. The feedback provided by the assessors has added significant value by supporting the continuous improvement and growth.
I wish to thank you Sunil and Marina for the wonderful Circular economy awards! You managed to make this event top notch despite the challenges associated with it being the first edition. We at SP Jain are very proud to have associated with you! Looking forward to making it bigger next year.
Forums like these play an essential role in raising awareness around emerging topics, and your efforts have certainly brought much-needed attention to the importance of circular economy practices.
The discussions and exchanges were nothing short of transformational, offering a wealth of knowledge and key takeaways.
Thank you for putting together such an incredible event. Your careful attention to detail created an atmosphere that perfectly matched our vision. The event's success is a testament to your planning abilities and dedication. We're truly grateful for all your hard work in making this occasion so special.
Thank you for sharing the Speakers’ Certificate from the 1st GCC Circular Economy Forum and Awards Ceremony. It was an honor to contribute to such a meaningful forum. I truly appreciate your kind words and am grateful for the opportunity to engage with like-minded leaders dedicated to sustainability. Thanks once again for all your efforts in organizing this impactful event.
Sunil Thawani
Founder Circular Economy Awards & CEO, Quality Indeed Consulting Ltd., UAE
Marina Pugacheva
Circular Economy Awards Manager
Meet Our Team
Meet the passionate champions committed to inspire organizations to transition to Circular Economy locally and globally.
We design and deliver programs, projects, and articles on Circular Economy. We are optimistic that circularity is the way forward to environmental, economic, and social sustainability.
Our Contribution to Circular Economy
We are committed to leading the transformation towards a Circular Economy across industries in the GCC region and beyond.
We help organizations implement Circular Economy models, provide trainings, workshops, awareness sessions and publications.
Developed Circular House Guidelines to design, construct, maintain and deconstruct buildings according to the principles of Circular Economy. The project was released during COP28, UAE, December 2023.
Delivered speech on “Transitioning from Linear to Circular Economy - Challenges & Opportunities” at the 2nd Edition of The EFQM Middle East Summit, Abu Dhabi, UAE, October 2023.
Delivered interactive webinar “Linear to Circular Economy” for Saudi Quality Council, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, June 2023.
Delivered webinar for Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, “Linear to Circular Economy”, Dubai, UAE, July 2023.
Addressing “Post COP28 Management and Sustainability Hackathon” on “Circularity in Supply Chain”, S P Jain School of Global Management, January 2024
Delivered speech titled “Quality Professionals’ Contribution to Circular Economy” at ASQ EMEA 2024 Conference” UAE, February 2024.