From 20 to 22 May 2026, the island of Procida, near Naples, will host the ninth edition of SUM 2026 – The International Multidisciplinary Symposium on Circular Economy and Urban Mining. The official programme of the event has now been released, confirming the symposium as one of Europe’s leading scientific gatherings dedicated to circular economy strategies, secondary raw materials and sustainable waste management.

More than 150 scientific presentations selected through an international review process will shape the three-day conference, bringing together universities, research centres, institutions and industrial stakeholders from across Europe and beyond. The event will feature four parallel international sessions alongside a dedicated Italian-language track, reflecting the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of circular economy research.

The symposium arrives at a crucial moment for Europe’s sustainability transition. According to the European Commission, global demand for critical raw materials used in renewable energy technologies, batteries and digital devices could increase by up to 500% by 2050. At the same time, global waste generation is projected to rise by nearly 70% by 2050, intensifying concerns over resource scarcity, pollution and environmental degradation.

From academic debate to industrial solutions

One of the defining elements of SUM 2026 is the growing integration between scientific research and real-world applications. Alongside traditional conference sessions, the programme includes workshops, interactive debates and exchanges with policymakers and companies working directly on circular economy implementation.

The scientific committee highlighted that the event reflects “a growing sense of urgency” linked to the dependence of modern economies on scarce and geopolitically sensitive materials. The conference will therefore address critical topics such as electronic waste, PFAS contamination, microplastics, planned obsolescence and the recovery of secondary raw materials.

Researchers and industry leaders will discuss how urban mining — the process of recovering valuable materials from waste streams — could reduce Europe’s dependence on imported critical resources. This debate is becoming increasingly strategic as the European Union accelerates policies linked to the Critical Raw Materials Act and the Green Deal Industrial Plan.

The event is organised by IRACE – International Research Association on Circular Economy and aims to foster collaboration across disciplines including engineering, economics, chemistry, biology, medicine, sociology and environmental law.

Sustainability meets tourism and biodiversity

Beyond its scientific relevance, SUM 2026 also highlights the role of Procida as a symbolic location for sustainability-focused events. The small Mediterranean island, known internationally after becoming Italy’s Capital of Culture in 2022, offers a setting where environmental innovation intersects with tourism, coastal resilience and local development.

The opening keynote will be delivered by Andrew A. Cunningham from the Institute of Zoology at the Zoological Society of London. His lecture, titled “One Health and Sustainability: two sides of the same coin”, will explore the connections between biodiversity loss, climate change and global public health, including lessons learned from Covid-19 and the spread of H5N1 avian influenza.

The symposium has received official patronage from the Italian Ministry for the Environment and Energy Security, ISPRA and ENEA, confirming its growing institutional relevance within European environmental policy discussions.

Among the international speakers announced are Prof. Raffaello Cossu, Prof. Andreas Bartl, Prof. Maria Pettersson, Prof. Stefan Salhofer and economist Prof. Marco Frey. Their contributions will focus on how circular economy models can support industrial competitiveness while reducing environmental pressures linked to waste generation and raw material extraction.

Cover: Procida, photo by Envato