Environment and industry leaders gather to advance decarbonization and circular economy

The Global Green Growth Institute and the World Economic Forum are co-hosting a two-day high-level workshop in Seoul from Monday through Tuesday on the theme of "Decarbonization and Circularity for Industrial Growth and Competitiveness."

The event brings together senior officials from the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment and the Presidential Commission on Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth, National Assembly lawmakers, and top executives from global industry leaders including Hyundai Motor Group, SK Innovation E&S and Doosan Enerbility to discuss practical solutions.

The high-level workshop is designed to serve as a key platform linking South Korea's strategic industrial transition to the broader agenda of the Asia-Pacific region.

Participants will focus on fostering close cooperation among leaders in manufacturing, energy, steel and finance to tackle the twin challenges of industrial decarbonization and the circular economy.

Key topics on the agenda include industrial competitiveness in a low-carbon economy; demand creation and corporate procurement commitments for low-carbon industrial products; circular economy systems, waste management and extended producer responsibility regimes; clean materials, medium- and long-distance heavy transport, shipping and industrial clusters; financing mechanisms for industrial decarbonization and circular transition; and regional cooperation across Asia-Pacific value chains.

The workshop is the first event GGGI has co-hosted in Seoul with the WEF. The two organizations plan to present a blueprint for sustainable development ahead of the 31st UN Climate Change Conference, COP31.