| August 28th, 2025 | News

Dear reader,

Welcome to the third year of the SOS-ZEROPOL2030 project, and the third newsletter! Over the past year, SOS-ZEROPOL2030 has made significant strides in its mission to develop a holistic pathway toward zero pollution in Europe’s seas. Our multidisciplinary consortium from across Europe has been actively engaging stakeholders through a unique Living Lab approach.

Since our last newsletter, we have completed our regional Living Labs workshops, which started off with the third living lab of round one in Athens, focusing on tyre wear particles (TWPs) in the Mediterranean. Since then, we’ve implemented a second round of Living Labs this spring, in the Netherlands, Bulgaria, and Greece, delving into future scenarios for pollution governance. These sessions brought together policymakers, industry, academia, and civil society to explore practical, regional solutions for pollution challenges around PFAS and TWPs. Read all about our reflections on the Living Labs workshops and how they contribute to the zero pollution ambition here.

Complementing these stakeholder engagements, our team has advanced the scientific foundation of the project. Key deliverables have been developed—ranging from integrated assessments of pollutant sources and risks to governance analyses and an online hub offering multi-language educational resources on pollution topics.

We also represented the project at international conferences and in webinars and shared factsheets on PFAS prepared by Wageningen University students, helping broaden outreach and awareness.

Looking ahead to the final year of the project, we are preparing for a major milestone: the European-level Living Lab, the Zero Pollution Parliament, set to take place in Brussels this November. This event will bring together insights from the regional living labs and will, along with our work on zero pollution governance and integrated pollutant assessments, be feeding into the Zero Pollution Framework and Roadmap, to help guide the EU’s pathway to cleaner seas by 2030.

Stay tuned by following our social media channels!

Kathrin Kopke
SOS-ZEROPOL2030 Project Coordinator