A toolbox for public authorities to address marine plastics and litter from river-to-ocean

Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• Public authorities and relevant stakeholders have access to a toolbox to address marine plastic litter from land-to-river-to-ocean;
• Reduced plastic litter pollution in European rivers and seas according to a land-to-river-to-sea approach at basin level;
• Accelerated uptake of innovative solutions to prevent and remove litter, including plastic pollution reaching the sea in the Mission basins;
• Enhanced knowledge on marine litter, including plastics in line with the new guidelines for a common approach to tackle marine litter of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) Technical Group on Marine Litter;
• Measurable contributions to achieve the Mission ocean and waters and the EU Zero Pollution targets to reduce by at least 50% plastic in the sea;
• Contribution to the Mission’s Digital ocean and water Knowledge system through marine observations and open data and knowledge sharing.

Understanding and tackling the inland sources, pathways, distribution and cumulative impacts of marine litter and plastic pollution into the ocean is fundamental to reduce the overall anthropogenic impact on our ecosystems and to guide the process towards the Mission’s 50% plastic litter reduction target in European water systems.

The overall aim of the activities under this topic is to co-design with relevant public authorities and public service providers, as well as other interested parties the most appropriate tools and solutions to address marine litter and plastic pollution according to a land-to-river-to-sea approach at basin level.

The main deliverable of funded projects under this topic will be a toolbox providing evidence-based data and information on sources, pathways, distribution and cumulative impacts of marine litter on ecosystems and water quality, including plastics and information on related hotspots and areas of accumulation, together with a set of demonstrated, sustainable and environmentally sound removal solutions, as well as measures to prevent litter and plastics reaching the sea.

Work should focus on inland waters (including deltas and coastal areas), where, in the absence of systematic monitoring of plastic litter, data and standardised methodological tools and techniques for collection, identification, classification and quantification of plastic pollution are most urgently needed. Activities are also expected to enhance cross-border cooperation and coordination at different levels, national, regional, local.

All following components are expected to be embedded in the toolbox:

- Marine litter monitoring and data collection to detect, identify and characterise major sources and pathways, hotspots and areas of accumulation of riverine litter, as well as cost-effective quantification of litter presence and fluxes, both above and below water. Relevant data collected through these actions should follow the New guidelines for a common approach to tackle marine litter of the MSFD Technical Group on Marine Litter and be made openly available through the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet);

- A set of suitable and cost-effective innovative solutions for the sustainable and environmentally sound removal of plastics litter in rivers and inland waters, leading to reduction of litter in sea basins, without harming living organisms;

- Measures to engage with society and relevant industrial sectors, including the fishing industry, to prevent plastic litter reaching the sea (e.g.: good practices; awareness raising campaigns, community-led actions, education schemes, audio-visual campaigns, proper waste management) and to support the uptake of innovative solutions, thus driving environmental improvements and transformative changes.

Each proposal should identify explicitly the basin being addressed, i.e.: 1. Atlantic and Arctic sea basin or 2. Mediterranean Sea basin or 3. Baltic and North Sea basin or 4. Danube River basin, including Black Sea. Only one basin per proposal should be addressed. Activities should be tailored to address regional/sea basin specificities.

The effectiveness and efficiency of the toolbox should be demonstrated through at least 3 use-cases in three different countries per basin, in the most relevant identified sites, such as river deltas, important source-sites of litter or other strategic points for litter removal and with the involvement of different users (e.g.: regional authorities, municipalities, entities managing waterbodies) .

To address the impact-driven approach of the Mission and the nature of Innovation Actions, projects are expected to work with and engage at least 3 ‘associated regions’ to showcase the effectiveness of the toolbox and develop a replication plan for its uptake in the associated regions. For this reason, beneficiaries may provide Financial Support to Third Parties (see the Specific Conditions table for this topic) to implement the 'Associated regions' scheme. An ‘Associated region is represented by local/regional authorities/public bodies. The aim of the Associated Region scheme is to support the replication of innovative solutions and/or to build capacity at local level in order to address plastic litter according to a land-to-river-to-sea approach. The projects should ensure that the 'Associated regions' are not already involved in the use cases covered by the projects. The partners should proactively reach out to the 'associated regions' to enable them to follow closely the project and its activities. The projects should continuously share their outcomes and knowledge with those ‘associated regions’ and provide them with technical assistance to build capacity and to implement in their territory the approach they developed. Proposals must outline the selection process of the third parties to which financial support would be granted in accordance with the specific conditions of this topic, the requirements of the Financial Support to Third Parties application template and part B of the General Annexes to this work programme. The involvement of 'Associated regions' through the Financial Support to Third Parties, as described above, is a key element of the proposed action.

Should the actions include the development of digital tools, to support the monitoring, data collection, forecasting and decision-making regarding marine litter at local level, interoperability with the work done in the EU Digital Twin of the Ocean and storage in the digital platform are required, as a means of continuity, creating synergies and exchanges and ensuring legacy.

The projects selected under this topic are expected to cooperate and exchange among themselves as well as with relevant projects arising from previous topics implemented under Mission ocean and waters (e.g.: HORIZON-MISS-2022-OCEAN-01-04), the Plastic Pirates project, with the WATER4ALL partnership, relevant Interreg projects as well as projects that will be funded under the topic HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-ZEROPOLLUTION-05: Towards a comprehensive European strategy to assess and monitor aquatic litter including plastic and microplastic pollution and HORIZON-CL4-SPACE-2025-01-46: Innovative Earth observation services in support of maritime litter detection and ship source pollution policies. Proposals are encouraged to consider, where relevant, the services offered by European research infrastructures^[1].

Cooperation with the EU Outermost Regions^[2] is encouraged, given these regions’ natural assets.

[1] The catalogue of European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) research infrastructures portfolio can be browsed from ESFRI website - https://ri-portfolio.esfri.eu

[2] https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/policy/themes/outermost-regions_en