Mapping the potential intended and unintended consequences of Circular Economy policy measures: the common charger initiative

The Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP) is a critical policy framework to facilitate the CE and sustainability transition in the European Union. However, unintended consequences can hinder the success of such policies. This research explores the potential intended and unintended consequences of a policy initiative within the CEAP (the common charger for mobile phones) by employing qualitative System Dynamics (SD), i.e. Causal Loop Diagrams (CLD). The results of the analysis draw on four interconnected CLDs that show relevant intended and unintended consequences of the measures within that initiative. Furthermore, the CLDs put several paradoxes of sustainability-oriented innovation into perspective, such as rebound effects (RE), unintended consequences, lock-ins, and ripple effects. Mitigation recommendations are drawn from the analysis. Finally, the study highlights the potential of using CLDs for evaluating policy measures and preventing unintended consequences