Islamabad, 13th November 2025 – The Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS), in collaboration with its Centre of Excellence in Jordan, the Royal Scientific Society (RSS), and the Circular Economy Club (CEC) Jordan, organized an international webinar entitled, ‘From Theory to Action: Making Circular Economy Work.’ The event held on 13th November 2025, in observance of Circular Economy Week 2025, which aims to promote the concept of a closed-loop economy, support sustainable business models, and foster collaboration among stakeholders. The webinar brought together experts, policymakers, and practitioners to translate circular economy principles into actionable strategies, aimed at creating common language, and enhance cross-border open discussion and cooperation among local and international participants on advancing Circular solutions through policy, industry, entrepreneurship and academia.

The webinar demonstrated a strong global appeal, by attracting more than 130 participants across the globe. The event showcased a remarkable diversity of perspectives, with representation from 22 countries across four continents, including Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Jordan, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the United Kingdom, and the United States, among others. The event also stood out for its commitment to gender inclusivity, with 51% female participants, fostering a balanced and representative dialogue on sustainable development.

The opening remarks were given by Vice President of Royal Scientific Society (RSS), Eng. Rafat Assi; Executive Director of COMSATS, Amb. Dr. M. Nafees Zakaria; and the Vice President of the Circular Economy Institute (CEI), Dr. David Greenfield at the inauguration.

In his remarks, Eng. Rafat Assi highlighted the partnership as part of Circular Cities Week 2025, a global initiative to advance sustainable societies. He emphasized RSS’s pride in hosting CEC Jordan as a national and regional hub for circular economy knowledge and innovation, stating that circularity is both an environmental necessity and an economic opportunity. He also announced a significant milestone: the approval of Jordan’s first-ever National Circular Economy Roadmap by the Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Trade, setting a clear direction for a future-proof economy.

The Executive Director COMSATS, in his address, emphasized the critical need to move away from the unsustainable linear model of ‘take, make, and dispose’ towards a regenerative circular framework. He highlighted that this transition is vital for decoupling economic growth from resource depletion, mitigating climate change, and creating new green economic opportunities. He also outlined COMSATS’ commitment through initiatives like the AGECO project for retrofitting vehicles to electric, which aligns with circular principles by conserving resources and reducing emissions.

Dr. David Greenfield presented the Circular Economy Institute as a global network for professionals, praising CEC Jordan as its first country member. He provided a global perspective, illustrating the rapid growth of circular economy roadmaps from just four in 2016 to a global momentum today. He stressed that systems thinking is imperative, as circular economy applicability varies by region based on material flows and existing systems. He highlighted that most roadmaps focus on construction, plastics, food, and electronics, and emphasized the need for policy levers and champions to drive the movement forward.

A keynote talk was delivered by Eng. Omar AlSaleh, Senior Circular Economy & Sustainability Expert at RSS and Founder of CEC Jordan, who set the stage for the technical discussions by explaining Circular Economy Facts, Its Interventions and Circular Economy Potential as a Future.

This was followed by an expert panel discussion on the theme “A Roadmap to Circular Economy,” moderated by Eng. AlSaleh. The panel featured a multidisciplinary group of distinguished international experts who provided diverse, actionable insights:

• Dr. Ashraf Bany Mohammad (Board Member, ISSF; University of Jordan) addressed the critical gap between green/circular concepts and viable business models. Highlighting that less than 5% of startups in the MENA region are environmentally focused, he stressed the need for circular startups to develop strong, revenue-generating business models to attract investment. He proposed two key solutions: creating cross-border green financial instruments and tax incentives to de-risk and support circular ventures, and establishing specialized international clusters to demonstrate the value and scale of the circular industry.
• Dr. Zainab Naeem (Associate Research Fellow, SDPI, Pakistan) provided a perspective from the Global South, asserting that industries in developing countries are willing to transition to circular, low-carbon development, often driven by multinational corporations’ ESG commitments. She illustrated this with examples of local SMEs being supported by MNCs to upcycle waste into valuable products. A major part of her discussion focused on bridging the gap between academia and industry. She called for a shift from academia working for industry to working with industry, through co-creation, joint innovation labs, and research anchored in local, affordable solutions. She strongly advocated for enhanced South-South cooperation, proposing “circularity corridors” for exchanging recycled goods and technology, enabling the Global South to unite and lead in setting the rules for the circular economy.

The discussions pinpointed several key priorities for moving beyond the theoretical framework and truly operationalizing the circular economy including the evolution from the classic 3R framework to a more comprehensive 6R model Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Redesign, Remanufacture, and Recover. The integration of digital technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, IoT, and Blockchain was identified as a key enabler for creating transparent supply chains and intelligent resource management systems. The compelling economic and environmental evidence was also presented, showcasing the model’s potential to significantly reduce emissions, conserve water and energy, and generate millions of jobs globally.

The webinar successfully provided a platform for knowledge-sharing and fostered a common language to enhance cross-border cooperation. It reinforced COMSATS’ dedication to leveraging science, technology, and innovation for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG-9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), SDG-11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG-12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and SDG-13 (Climate Action).