Proponents present the circular economy as an alternative to traditional, linear systems that use natural resources indiscriminately. The puzzle guiding this perspective piece is that the circular economy model needs further investigation in more diverse, unstructured contexts. With economic growth at the top of the agenda for Global South countries, testing the relevance of the circular economy in these contexts is important. There remain questions about whether the adoption and upscaling of circular principles and practices can contribute to economic development in contexts where social factors, such as high inequality, collide with environmental factors, such as high natural biodiversity. Another blind spot concerns how the structural conditions in Global South countries, such as vast informal economies, hinder this transition, and what new forms of organisation can facilitate the implementation of innovative circular practices. This perspective calls for greater attention from the academic community to help fill in some of the missing pieces in the puzzle of the informal economy and the circular economy.

支持者将循环经济视为不分青红皂白地使用自然资源的传统线性系统的替代方案。指导这一观点的难题是循环经济模型需要在更多样化、非结构化的环境中进一步研究。随着经济增长成为全球南方国家的首要议程，在这些背景下测试循环经济的相关性非常重要。在高度不平等等社会因素与高度自然生物多样性等环境因素发生冲突的情况下，循环原则和做法的采用和升级是否有助于经济发展仍然存在疑问。另一个盲点涉及全球南方国家的结构条件，例如庞大的非正规经济，如何阻碍这种转变，以及哪些新的组织形式可以促进创新循环实践的实施。这种观点需要学术界更多关注，以帮助填补非正规经济和循环经济之谜中的一些缺失部分。