| July 2nd, 2025 | News

The Source to Seas – Zero Pollution 2030 (SOS-ZEROPOL2030) project has successfully completed two rounds of Living Labs (LLs)—held in 2024 and 2025—as part of its ambitious effort to co-develop a stakeholder-led Zero Pollution Framework for European Seas. The project places multi-stakeholder engagement at its core, bringing together diverse actors to collaboratively shape feasible, science-based approaches to tackling marine pollution.

A total of six SOS-ZEROPOL2030 Living Lab events were organized, actively engaging 157 stakeholders from 18 countries: Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Malta, The Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey.

Each Living Lab served as a space for joint knowledge production, helping participants identify challenges and opportunities in current marine pollution management. The discussions focused on how a desired zero-pollution future might look, and what short- and long-term measures are needed to achieve it. Focusing on two case study pollutants—Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) and Tyre Wear Particles (TWPs)—the Living Labs were hosted across three regional seas:

PFAS
• Utrecht, North East Atlantic (April 2024 & March 2025)
• Varna, Black Sea (May 2024 & April 2025)

Tyre Wear Particles
• Athens, Mediterranean (November 2024, May 2025)

The SOS-ZEROPOL2030 Guided Approach to Collective Action

The SOS-ZEROPOL2030 Living Labs deployed the CO-ACT methodology, a structured co-production approach for transformative change in sustainability. CO-ACT guides participants through a sequenced process: identifying Challenges, clarifying Objectives, exploring Alternatives, assessing Consequences, and recognizing Trade-Offs.

In the first Living Labs round (2024), participants focused on identifying challenges and objectives. During this phase, the key drivers, uncertainties, and systemic challenges related to preventing and mitigating emissions for the two case study pollutants were identified. Building on the outcomes of the first round of Living Labs, the SOS-ZEROPOL2030 interdisciplinary research team then developed a set of scenarios that illustrate concrete and plausible alternative pathways to reduce emissions of the two case study pollutants. During the second Living Labs round (May 2025), the participants used their expertise to evaluate the consequences (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) of each of these scenarios. The group discussions lay out the primary trade-offs between what is desirable and what is possible, with this step also functioning as a validation of the scenarios.

From Stakeholder Insights to EU Action: How the SOS-ZEROPOL2030 Living Labs Are Informing Policy

The Living Labs brought together a diverse group of policy and decision-makers, industry representatives, researchers and academics, civil society actors, and service providers. These events facilitated cross-sector dialogue and fostered a shared understanding of how to advance effective and sustainable solutions to marine pollution caused by TWPs and PFAS. The conclusions and all other results drawn from these two rounds of Living Labs (2024 and 2025) will directly feed into the SOS-ZEROPOL2030 guidelines on how to close the tap for TWPs and PFAS, detailing potential and existing regulatory and policy measures, specific strategies and actions to address TWPs and PFAS emissions and reduce environmental risk.

In addition, the results from the Living Labs will also feed into an elaboration of scenarios for the four priority issue pollutants of the project (nutrient inputs, chemical contaminants, plastic litter, and underwater noise), which will then be presented and discussed at the Zero Pollution Parliament Living Lab in Brussels this year, engaging EU policymakers and other stakeholders.

Access the reports of all LLs here

• Northeast Atlantic Living Lab on PFAS – 1st Round | Summary Report
• Northeast Atlantic Living Lab on PFAS – 2nd Round | Summary Report
• Black Sea Living Lab on PFAS – 1st Round | Summary Report
• Black Sea Living Lab on PFAS – 2nd Round | Summary Report
• Mediterranean Living Lab on TWPs – 1st Round | Summary Report
• Mediterranean Living Lab on TWPs – 2nd Round | Summary Report