The three-day 12th Regional 3R and Circular Economy Forum in Asia and the Pacific is being held at the Rajasthan International Center, Jaipur, from 3-5 March 2025.
It is the second time that India is hosting the prestigious meeting. Indore, Madhya Pradesh, hosted the 8th edition of the Regional 3R and Circular Economy Forum in Asia and the Pacific.
Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar inaugurated the 12th Regional 3R and Circular Economy Forum in Asia and the Pacific.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, and other distinguished dignateries were present on the occasion..
The theme of the 12th Regional 3R and Circular Economy Forum in Asia and the Pacific was “Realizing Circular Societies Towards Achieving SDGs and Carbon Neutrality in Asia-Pacific”.
The 12th Forum meeting was jointly organised by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD), and the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, Japan.
The 2025 Forum meeting was also supported by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), Japan’s Ministry of Environment, and various other international and regional organisations.
The Regional 3R Forum in Asia was established in 2009 on the initiative of Japan to provide a platform for the countries of the region to promote cooperation in 3Rs – reduce, reuse, and recycle.
The inaugural Forum meeting was held in Tokyo, Japan, in 2009.
At the fourth Forum meeting held in Vietnam in 2013, the name was changed to Regional 3R Forum in Asia and the Pacific.
At the 10th Forum meeting held virtually in 2020, the term Circular economy was added, and it became the Regional 3R and Circular Economy Forum in Asia and the Pacific
Aim of the Forum
The circular economic model is in contrast to the linear model of economic production and consumption.
The linear model of production and consumption is based on production, consumption, and throw away. This model is based on the mass production of cheap goods. This model uses a large resource base and energy consumption.
It creates the problem of waste, overexploitation of resources and indirectly contributes to global warming.
The circular economy aims to avoid the problems of the linear model of economy.
The circular economy calls for redesigning products to be more durable, reusable, repairable, and recyclable, and therefore kept in circulation for as long as possible.
This will minimise the problem of waste.
3R- reuse, reduce, and recycle
3R- reuse, reduce and recycle- is central to the concept of circular economy.
It stands for Reducing waste, Reusing resources, and Recycling resources and products.
Reduce means to make smaller/less in amount to reduce waste.