Sydney has won the right to host the Asia Pacific Circular Hotspot next year in a winning bid focusing on strong Pacific inclusion and circular economy action for climate and nature. A global jury selected the Sydney bid by Circular Australia, University of New South Wales (UNSW) and Business Events Sydney (BESydney) for its strong inclusion of Pacific nations, ambition to strengthen the connection between circular economy and climate action, while addressing pressing waste challenges along the way.
Sydney will follow in the footsteps of Taiwan which organised the first Circular Hotspot event in the Asia Pacific region, 21-23 October 2025, with 500 participants from 47 countries sharing latest circular insights.
“We are deeply honoured to have the ears and eyes of the Asia Pacific regions on us in 2026, and we will strive to build new connections and create lasting circular impact,” said Circular Australia CEO Lisa McLean.
The premier of New South Wales the Hon Chris Minns said: “Hosting the Asia Pacific Circular Economy Hotspot 2026 in Sydney is a testament to NSW’s leadership in building a resilient, innovative and sustainable economy. Our state’s ambitious Circular Economy Policy and strong partnerships across government, industry, and research are accelerating our transition to a low-waste, high-value future. Through Choose Circular, we’re using government procurement as a lever to stimulate innovation and demand for recycled materials.”
Amanda Lampe CEO BESydney added: “We are proud to have collaborated with Circular Australia to win the opportunity to bring the Asia Pacific Circular Hotspot to Sydney in 2026 and look forward to the conversations it ignites and innovative solutions promoted that will position Sydney and Oceania at the forefront of a movement.”
Since 2016, when the first Circular Hotspot event took place in the Netherlands, Circular Hotspot events have been organised annually under the wings of Holland Circular Hotspot. These events have been successful in stimulating businesses to adopt circular principles and have inspired circular action and policies in new countries.
The Hotspot events have a long European tradition with the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Scotland, Belgium, Catalonia, Nord Rhine Westphalia, Dublin, Wales, and recently, Slovenia as proud hosts. In Africa, the event took place in Lagos (Nigeria), Cape Town (South Africa) and Addis Ababa (Ethiopia). The event has furthermore seen editions in the Americas: Santiago de Chile (Chile), Guelph (Canada) and will be in November 2025 hosted in Guadalajara (Mexico).
This October the jury came together in Taipei, Taiwan to elect a winner of the Circular Hotspot event in 2026 in the Asia Pacific region.
In 2026, Circular Economy Hotspot events will be hosted not only in Sydney, NSW/Australia (Asia Pacific edition), but also in Budapest, Hungary (European edition), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (Middle East edition), and Gaborone, Botswana (African edition).
