Objective
Plastic pollution has become a global environmental and societal concern in recent years. Numerous protocols have been developed to monitor plastic debris, but these are rarely comparable. This has hindered gathering of knowledge regarding pollution sources, development of monitoring programmes and risk assessments and implementation of mitigation measures. To develop long-term solutions to reduce plastic pollution, it is essential to establish harmonised methodologies. EUROqCHARM will address this by critically reviewing state-of-the-art analytical methods and, taking harmonisation one step further, validating them through an interlaboratory comparison (ILC) study. This will bring together prominent laboratories in environmental plastics analysis and will produce certified reference materials to be marketed for at least three of the four target matrices (water, soil/sediment, biota, air), during and after project completion.
EUROqCHARM recognises that harmonisation for large scale monitoring requires flexibility, comparability and reliability. We will identify Reproducible Analytical Pipelines (RAP), resulting in a catalogue of RAP procedures for nano-, micro- and macro-plastics for the four target matrices. Each RAP will be validated in terms of Technology Readiness Level to decide if further validation is needed (by ILC).
Blueprints for standards, recommendations for policy and legislation and support for the establishment of acceptable reference levels and environmental targets will be given. This will include a roadmap for harmonised data collection and management, where policy analysis and coherence will be integral parts. To maximise impact, EUROqCHARM will also establish and consolidate an operational network for plastic monitoring, stimulating Transnational Joint Actions built on existing and future European and international initiatives.
The multi-stakeholder composition of EUROqCHARM puts the group in a unique position to achieve these ambitious goals.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
CSA - Coordination and support action
Coordinator
0579 Oslo
Norway
See on map
Participants (14)
00185 Roma
See on map
1081 HV Amsterdam
See on map
29280 Plouzane
See on map
900581 Constanta
See on map
8301 Svolvær
See on map
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
28006 Madrid
See on map
2027 Kjeller
See on map
9820 Merelbeke
See on map
27570 Bremerhaven
See on map
8000 Aarhus C
See on map
7041 Trondheim
See on map
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
8600 Dubendorf
See on map
34010 Sgonico-trieste
See on map
93571 Saint Denis La Plaine
See on map