CO2 has a large effect on global warming by greenhouse gases, and development of an effective technique for the reduction of CO2 is a crucial and urgent issue. From the chemical viewpoint, CO2 is regarded as a stable, safe and abundant C1 resource, and the transformation of CO2 to valuable chemicals is promising not only for reduction of CO2 but also for production of useful chemicals. This mini-review focuses on the direct conversion of CO2 with diols, aminoalcohols and diamines to cyclic compounds such as cyclic carbonates, cyclic carbamates and cyclic ureas, and in particular discusses the mechanisms for these reactions over heterogeneous catalysts. (c) 2013 Society of Chemical Industry