Zero Waste Foundation brings COP31 push to Geneva

The Zero Waste Foundation used a two-day Geneva diplomacy push on July 6-7 to line up support for COP31 implementation work on circular economy, clean energy, climate finance and health. The effort aimed to turn commitments into measurable projects ahead of COP31 in Antalya.

Why it matters: - The Zero Waste Foundation is trying to move climate talks from promises to delivery ahead of COP31 in Antalya. - The Geneva meetings focused on practical areas that shape real-world emissions cuts: circularity, clean energy, finance, food systems and health. - The agenda also ties Türkiye’s Zero Waste Movement to a broader international climate platform.

What happened: - Samed Ağırbaş, President of the Zero Waste Foundation and COP31 High-Level Climate Champion, completed a two-day climate diplomacy programme in Geneva on 6-7 July. - The meetings took place within the World Economic Forum programme. - The programme brought together international organisations, private sector leaders and civil society. - Ağırbaş also presented outcomes from the Global Zero Waste Forum in İstanbul, which drew more than 5,000 participants from 183 countries.

The details: - Ağırbaş met Sebastian Buckup, Managing Director of the World Economic Forum’s Centre for Nature and Climate. - The two discussed ecosystem protection and restoration, food system transformation and ways to turn climate commitments into on-the-ground implementation. - A World Economic Forum deep-dive session examined circularity and decarbonisation. - That session focused on industrial emissions, resource efficiency, circular business models, private capital for hard-to-abate sectors and carbon removal. - Another Forum session covered energy, power systems and electrification. - That discussion centered on faster clean energy deployment, grid modernization and blended public-private investment in regions with limited energy access. - Ağırbaş opened the Leadership Dialogue “From Commitment to Competitive Edge.” - He said climate leadership is now a strategic driver of economic competitiveness, not only an environmental responsibility. - He called for partnerships in low-emission transport, green corridors, clean energy and sustainable industrialisation to produce tangible outcomes. - Ağırbaş said the main challenge is aligning policy, finance and implementation because the enabling technologies are largely mature. - Ağırbaş said the Global Climate Action Agenda will keep strengthening implementation-focused cooperation among governments, the private sector and international organisations. - He said, “The real value of commitments emerges in implementation on the ground.” - He added, “We must arrive in Antalya not only with promises, but with projects delivered and results that can be measured.” - At Türkiye’s Consulate General in Geneva, Consul General Salih Boğaç Güldere described the Zero Waste Movement as an exemplary UN-recognized initiative built into a global success story under the leadership of H.E. Emine Erdoğan. - Ağırbaş said the Zero Waste Movement has grown from Türkiye to the global stage. - Ağırbaş warned that the waste crisis has become as urgent as the climate crisis. - Ağırbaş highlighted microplastic pollution’s impact on human health. - Ağırbaş said the UN General Assembly’s designation of March 30 as the International Day of Zero Waste marked a turning point in global environmental diplomacy. - Ağırbaş met Anne Hammill and Natalie Jones of the International Institute for Sustainable Development, along with Member of Parliament Rümeysa Kadak. - Those talks covered climate finance, adaptation investment and a just energy transition. - Ağırbaş also met María Mendiluce, CEO of the We Mean Business Coalition. - That discussion centered on private sector climate action and the circular economy ahead of COP31. - The programme concluded at the World Health Organization with a discussion on climate-change health impacts and implementation of the Belém Health Action Plan. - The Zero Waste Foundation said the Switzerland engagements strengthened international cooperation on the road to COP31 in Antalya.

Between the lines: - The Geneva push shows COP31 organizers are using major convening platforms to build a coalition around implementation, not just target-setting. - The focus on private capital, grids, climate finance and health suggests the Zero Waste Foundation is trying to connect climate policy to business, infrastructure and public health outcomes. - Framing climate leadership as competitiveness is meant to broaden support beyond traditional environmental circles.

What's next: - The Zero Waste Foundation will continue building implementation-focused cooperation ahead of COP31. - Antalya is the next key milestone, where Ağırbaş said partners should arrive with measurable projects, not only commitments. - The COP31 process is expected to keep emphasizing circular economy, clean energy transition, climate finance and climate-health linkages.

The bottom line: - Geneva was used as a staging point for COP31 coalition-building, with the Zero Waste Foundation pressing for concrete climate projects that can be measured and delivered.