To halt and reverse biodiversity loss, 196 states have adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), calling for urgent action in how economies interact with nature.
But implementation of the GBF cannot succeed without reshaping the systems that drive biodiversity loss. The circular economy can accelerate that transformation by offering countries a practical route to tackling biodiversity loss at its source and meeting biodiversity goals.
The Conference of Parties (COP) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) takes place every two years.
Commonly known as the Biodiversity COP, this year’s event — COP17 — will take place in Yerevan, Armenia, from 19 to 30 October 2026.
Top of the agenda will be the first Global Review of GBF implementation, based on national reports in which countries have assessed their progress across the 23 GBF targets.
The majority of countries that have submitted their report reference the circular economycircular economyA systems solution framework that tackles global challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution. It is based on three principles, driven by design: eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials (at their highest value), and regenerate nature., and more than half explicitly connect circular approaches to the delivery of one or more GBF targets. This shows countries are using circular economy approaches as a concrete policy tool to make progress on nature.
The evidence is there. The question is what the Global Review — and COP17, when assessing progress based on the review — will do with it.
The challenge is not a lack of nature-positive, circular solutions, but a lack of mechanisms to connect, replicate, and scale them across sectors and value chains. What is missing to achieve necessary scale are clear and predictable policy frameworks and regulatory environments which favour innovation and circular models, availability and easier access to finance, both public and private, as well as collaboration between actors connecting innovators, businesses, policymakers, and civil society around shared implementation objectives.
Read our COP17 call to action, in collaboration with the IUCN, here.
The Foundation at COP17
We are collaborating with partners from our Network and beyond at COP17, including IUCN, CBD Secretariat, UNEP-FI, Business for Nature, Global Compact, Clean Rivers, Rabobank, and more.
Together, we will co-host, speak at, and support the following events in the Blue Zone. Further event details, with event website links where available, will be added as they are confirmed.
21 October | 14:30 | Food and Agriculture Pavilion | Trade for resilience: New agri-food systems standards | Further details
22 October | 13:00 | Business and Finance Hub, CBD COP17 Action Zone | Planning and procurement for biodiversity-inclusive cities | Further details
22 October | 16:45 | Netherlands Pavilion | From commitments to action: circular economy as a nature-positive finance opportunity | Further details
23 October | 12:00 | UN Pavilion | Roundtable: Circular economy for nature: Scaling up action on sustainable consumption in Armenia and other economies in transition
23 October | 13:15 | Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets (FPWC) Armenia Pavilion | Country perspectives in scaling circular economy to accelerate the delivery of the Global Biodiversity Framework | Further details
23 October | 15:00 | Nature Positive Initiative Pavilion | Scaling action for nature: using circular economy to accelerate GBF delivery | Further details
24 October | 10:30 | China Pavilion | Strategies and actions for multi-stakeholder engagement in supporting biodiversity conservation
24 October | 13:00 | Nordic Pavilion | Circular for nature: how scaling up circular business models accelerates the delivery of biodiversity outcomes | Further details
25 October | All day | COP17 Business and Biodiversity Forum | From evidence to action: accelerating business leadership for the Implementation of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework | Further details
25 October | 13:00 | Nordic Pavilion | Are circular business solutions bridging the gap between nature and climate? | Further details
25 October | 15:00 | Nordic Pavilion | Aligning green finance with circular portfolios | Further details
26 October | All day | COP17 Finance Day | Further details
26 October | 12:00 | IUCN Pavilion | Circular economy’s role in GBF progress and urban river protection | Further details
26 October | 16:00 | Nordic Pavilion | Circular business models: using less to deliver more | Further details
26 October | 18:15 | UN CBD Pavilion | Subnational governments and civil society organizations living in peace with nature: a global pathway to prosperity | Further details
27 October | 16:00 | Nordic Pavilion | From consumption to action: strengthening biodiversity ambition through GBF Target 16 | Further details
28 October | 18:15 | UN CBD Pavilion | Trade, biodiversity, and climate in a changing world order: unlocking competitiveness, regional integration, and market access for biobased products and services | Further details
In addition, the COP17 Green Zone is hosting several events highlighting the role of the circular economy in delivering biodiversity targets, including initiatives from the host country Armenia.
