9-20 November 2026 · Antalya, Türkiye

Elevating zero waste as core climate action at COP31.

Driven heavily by host nation Türkiye's Zero Waste Foundation, COP31 places explicit emphasis on resource efficiency, waste prevention, and circular economic frameworks as core drivers of climate mitigation.

Zero waste and circular economy are part of one of four key priorities for the conference.

Waste is not a downstream problem.

Historically, waste has been treated as a downstream, local utility issue - an end-of-life challenge responsible for roughly 3% to 5% of direct greenhouse gas emissions. But, in reality, approximately 45% of global GHG emissions are linked directly to material extraction, product manufacturing, and resource consumption.

The COP31 process provides an extraordinary opportunity to mainstream zero waste from a municipal afterthought into a cornerstone of international climate policy.

Key opportunities for strategic advancement

01

Define zero waste as the elimination of waste, not a waste management strategy

  • Zero waste must mean what it says. It means designing waste out of the system, setting clear rules, and giving governments, municipalities, producers, communities and businesses a fair route map to follow.
02

Reframe zero waste as core climate action and formally integrate it into NDCs

  • Zero waste policies must move from being treated as local waste management programmes to core climate mitigation and adaptation strategies.
  • National commitments need to integrate formal waste and consumption reduction targets into Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). By prioritising virgin material substitution, product longevity, and localised reuse systems, nations can address the embedded emissions that standard energy policy leaves untouched.
03

Mobilise targeted finance for methane reduction and upstream circular infrastructure

  • International climate finance mechanisms, whether existing or in development, need dedicated funding windows for zero waste interventions.
  • High priority must be given to financing organic waste diversion, to rapidly curb short-lived climate pollutants like methane, and scalable upstream circular infrastructure.
04

Implement policy frameworks to scale the circular economy

  • Policy design must address the entire lifecycle of materials, prioritising upstream prevention, repairability, and resource recovery over end-of-pipe disposal.
  • Levers such as public procurement, innovation support and international trade should be realigned to create the market pull for circular business models to not just emerge but to scale and become the norm.
05

Elevate municipal leadership and strengthen subnational action

  • Since implementation happens locally, municipal and city-level leaders require direct access to climate finance, legal toolkits, and technical capacity-building.
  • COP31 should establish formal mechanisms for subnational governments to share scalable zero waste models and coordinate directly with national policymakers.
06

Ensure an inclusive, just transition for all

  • COP31 policy discussions must centre on human rights and social justice, creating a formal platform for informal waste sector workers and waste pickers.
  • Transition plans must guarantee social protections, safe working conditions, fair compensation, and formal integration into emerging circular ecosystems.

An indispensable pillar, not a peripheral topic.

The ambition for COP31 is not merely to discuss waste reduction as an isolated environmental good, but to embed resource efficiency into global decarbonisation strategies.

By establishing a unified Global Zero-Waste Pledge aligned with net-zero targets by 2035 and 2050, COP31 can transition zero waste from a peripheral topic to an indispensable pillar of international climate action.

Zero waste must mean what it says.

Read the definition COP31 needs to work from - and the case for protecting it.

Read the definition