Chapter 13: Recycling as a Manifestation of the Circular Economy in Developing Countries

The circular economy in developing countries is important for the modern science and practice due to two following reasons. The first reason is that the number of developing countries is high and they have a complex structure, with a number of sub-categories by the criterion of geographical position and production specialization, as well as the level and rate of socioeconomic development. Heterogeneity of developing countries makes determination of the regularities of their circular economy’s development difficult and is a challenge for economics, as the global goals of sustainable development are oriented at these countries.

The second reason consists in increased contradiction of the circular economy in developed countries. On the one hand, developing countries set the goals of quick socioeconomic for improving their positions in international rankings, which requires the improvement of ecological indicators of their economic activities. On the other hand, unpreparedness of the social and business environment hinders implementation of progressive ideas into the practice. Popularization of “green” economic practices in developing countries is also restrained by their natural resources and specialization in their extraction and export.