The European Green Deal aims at “transforming the EU’s economy for a sustainable future”. A resource-saving “clean and circular economy” capable of avoiding risk cycles of (legacy) substances of concern is a key component of this transformation. The Green Deal and subsequent strategies and policies comprise various mechanisms and instruments tackling, inter alia, product design and information in the supply chain (e.g. the Sustainable Product Initiative), legal requirements on chemicals in products (e.g. the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability), consumer empowerment towards informed choices based on trustworthy information on the environmental performance of products (e.g. measures to prevent “green washing”, or the “right to repair” in the Circular Economy Action Plan), and finance (e.g. the EU Taxonomy Regulation) to facilitate this transformation.

Nevertheless, the complexity of the Green Deal currently hampers a clear understanding of how its policies create impact – from short-term to long-term – and which actors along the multiple supply chains need to provide which behavioural (change) contributions in this respect.

Comprehending the Green Deal starts with a proper mapping of its relevant elements and the interlinks thereof. This is the aim of the interactive map below, developed by the research group sofia, with a clear focus on the vision of a resource saving, climate neutral, clean and circular economy.