Networking
Networking with other LIFE and non-LIFE projects dealing with microplastic related issues it will allow us to exchange experiences on the topic of microplastics, in particular on strategies to reduce their impact on lakes and on monitoring methods, which will be crucial for the correct implementation of the project.
Surfrider Foundation Europe
Founded in 1990, the NGO Surfrider Foundation Europe works to protect the oceans, coasts, waves and their beneficiaries. For 30 years, the association has been working with stakeholders (citizens, private and public sector) and with a team of experts and 49 volunteer branches in 12 European countries on several important issues: Water waste, coastal development, climate change, water quality and user health.
The European NGO has developed many projects, such as the Oceans Initiative, a litter collection programme that enables it to raise awareness and sort and count marine litter. In order to find a solution to shed light on the problem of plastic and microplastic transported through the river in a scientific way, they created the Plastic Origins project. With the help of artificial intelligence and an app, an overview can be created of how high the current litter load is in rivers and lakes.
Discover the association at https://surfrider.eu/en
TextileMission was a multidisciplinary project that aimed at reducing the environmental impact of fibrous micro-plastics released by textiles made from synthetic fibers such as polyester. TextileMission ran over a period of three and a half years and was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) as part of the funding priority “Plastics in the environment – sources, sinks, solutions” with around 1.7 million euros. As project partners, the following nine organizations from research, the sporting goods industry, the household ap-pliance and detergent industries and environmental protection contributed their respective expertise to the pro-ject: As consortium partners: Bundesverband der Deutschen Sportartikel-Industrie e.V., Hochschule Niederrhein – Research Institute for Textiles and Clothing, TU Dresden – Institute for Water Chemistry, VAUDE Sport GmbH & Co. KG and WWF Germany. As associated partners: adidas AG, Henkel AG & Co. KG aA, Miele & Cie. KG and Polartec LLC. Further information can be found here: www.textilemission.bsi-sport.de
The European TRWP Platform is a cross-sectorial platform initiated by ETRMA, the European Tyre & Rubber Manufacturers Association, and facilitated by CSR Europe to bring together relevant stakeholders, EU and national public authorities and research institutes to share scientific knowledge and co-create mitigation actions to tackle the generation and transportation of tyre and road wear particles (TRWP) into the environment.
Tyre and Road Wear Particles (TRWP) are tiny debris which are formed during normal driving conditions from the friction between the tyre and the road necessary to ensure sufficient grip and safety. Because of their size and composition, these particles are commonly associated with microplastics.
The generation of TRWP is influenced by a variety of external factors including, but not limited to tyre design. These include vehicle characteristics, road surface, weather, road topology and driving behaviour. To consider all these factors, the European TRWP Platform aims to build a multistakeholder and holistic dialogue to address this complex sustainability challenge.
ConCirMy
Im Rahmen des ConCirMy-Projektes wird untersucht, ob und wie der Reifen hinsichtlich der Ziele einer Circular Economy ohne Qualitätseinbußen optimiert werden kann. Es wird ein Tool entwickelt, das verschiedenen Akteuren der Wertschöpfungskette Informationen zur Umweltverträglichkeit bereitstellt. Diese können dann in (Kauf-)Entscheidungen berücksichtigt werden.
Erfahren Sie mehr auf der Projekt-Webseite: www.concirmy.org
The LIFE IMAGINE project is an integrated LIFE project of 7 years duration (2020-2027) that was created with the aim of supporting the development of an integrated, unified, coordinated and participatory strategy for the management of the Natura 2000 network in the Umbria region. The activities carried out within the project will play an important role for the conservation and maintenance of wetlands and agricultural and forest habitats in the region, and will allow the implementation of a wide range of concrete actions to increase the connectivity of aquatic and terrestrial environments, creating ecological corridors that the different terrestrial and aquatic target species can use. The project also includes concrete conservation actions for many species: large carnivores, birds, amphibians, reptiles, bats, fish, invertebrates. The actions will concern all the 102 Natura 2000 Network sites in the Umbrian regional territory, but many of the project actions will also have positive effects outside the network. The IMAGINE project derives from the experience gained in the context of a previous LIFE project that ended in 2018 (SUNLIFE, LIFE13 NAT/IT/371, 2014-2018), which made it possible to highlight the critical elements in the management of the Natura 2000 network and to identify the priority actions to be undertaken, integrating them with the various regional policies.
CLEANDANUBE
In the summer of 2021, Andreas Fath, Professor of Chemistry, will swim the entire Danube from the Black Forest to the Black Sea as part of the “cleandanube” project. The association for wildlife protection (AWP) is planning the 2,857km long tour, supporting Andreas Fath organisationally and designing the accompanying project parts on his journey. A mobile knowledge workshop makes the pollution of the Danube by macro- and microplastics visible and tangible at various hands-on stations. Modularised educational units, which are offered in workshop format along the project route, also increase the competence of young people between 14 and 25 years of age to act in an environmentally conscious way. In the research part of the project, water samples are taken daily, which after their analysis provide a comprehensive overview of the pollution level of the entire Danube. A film following Andreas Fath on his journey allows the results to have an impact beyond the end of the project and provides additional reach.
Learn more on the project website https://www.cleandanube.org/
eCircular: Plastic waste prevention through digital innovation
eCircular is a programme of the EIT Climate-KIC (European Institute of Technology Climate Knowledge and Innovation Community) with the aim to promote the circularity of plastics and waste prevention innovations with a focus on digital technologies and regional approaches.
eCircular promotes intelligent recycling solutions, advanced eco-design approaches, new business models and alternative consumption patterns.
By supporting ideas and tools for the prevention of plastic waste, eCircular accelerates the circular economy for plastic-based materials and pursues the vision of contributing to the decarbonisation of the material system.
Learn more on the project website (www.ecircular.climate-kic.org)
PELAGOS PLASTIC FREE
The Pelagos Plastic Free project aims to reduce marine pollution from plastic to protect the cetaceans of the Pelagos Sanctuary. A treasure of biodiversity, threatened by the plastic waste present in the sea of the Tuscan Archipelago. Eight different species of whales and dolphins live in the Sanctuary. In the Mediterranean Sea there are 250 billion plastic fragments floating on the surface, with peaks of maximum density of 10 kg/kmq, one of the highest in the world. Plastic can persist in the marine environment for hundreds of years and can fragment into thousands of fragments, invisible to the naked eye, but no less harmful.
pelagosplasticfree.eu
LIMNOPLAST – MICROPLASTICS IN EUROPE’S FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS: FROM SOURCES TO SOLUTIONS
Microplastics pose a major global threat, but are generally poorly understood. Mostly, plastic enters fresh water sources inland, but almost nothing is known about how and where this occurs. This prevents authorities from managing or mitigating the problem at its source. The EU-funded LimnoPlast project is addressing this issue with a four-pronged approach: data assessment, training, technological solutions and behaviour change. The project will analyse the sources and impacts of freshwater microplastics, and train scientists at the coal-face of the microplastics issue. The goal is to develop innovative solutions to remove microplastics from the environment, and find environmentally-friendly polymers. Finally, the project will promote communication and policy interventions to address the problem of microplastics at the system level.
H2020 / Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions – Duration 01-NOV-2019 to 31- OCT -2023
https://www.limnoplast-itn.eu/https://www.uni-bayreuth.de/en/university/press/press-releases/2019/151-LimnoPlast/index.htmlhttps://www.umsicht.fraunhofer.de/en/press-media/press-releases/2019/limnoplast.html
VISPO – VOLUNTEER INITIATIVE FOR A SUSTAINABLE PO (Italy)
The LIFE VisPO project will focus on the environmental problems in the area of the river Po in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. The consortium aims to implement a set of activities to clean up the river banks and river bed, with well-structured, awareness-raising activities to foster a more positive perception of the Po river area among local citizens and tourists. Activities carried out on the Po river will be twinned with similar actions, on a smaller scale, in the Hungarian Danube region.
LIFE17 ESC/IT/000002 Duration 01-JAN-2018 to 31-DEC -2020
http://www.bevispo.eu/?lang=eneu/
LIFE – MERMAIDS (Italia) – The mitigation of microplastics’ impact caused by textile washing processes
The Life + Mermaids project dealt with the reduction of the impact of microplastics caused by fabric washing processes. The fibers released from synthetic clothing in washing contribute strongly to plastic pollution in marine environments. Microplastics represent persistent organic pollutants that can be ingested by marine species, thus entering the food chain. The multidisciplinary consortium of the Mermaids project had the main objective of helping to mitigate the impact of micro and / or nano plastic particles, coming from washing waste water, on European marine ecosystems by demonstrating and implementing innovative technologies and additives for washing processes and textile finishing treatments.
LIFE13 ENV / IT / 001069 Duration 01-JUL-2014 to 31-DEC -2016
LIWE LIFE (Sweden) – Lidköping Innovation Wastewater Eco-Hub
The water supply of the municipality of Lidköping in Sweden comes from the Lidan River and Lake Vänern, a natural habitat for 38 species of fish. A large number of these are at risk of extinction due to anthropogenic polluting activities. The local water supply body has identified the Lidköping wastewater treatment plant and neighboring industries as the main sources of pollution, including microplastics released in Lake Vänern. The main results of the project are the improvement of the effluent water quality in the municipality of Lidköping; the reduction of the concentration of polluting drugs, hormones and antibiotics in local effluents; the reduction of the concentration of microplastics and polluting substances; the recycling of phosphorus contaminants in local effluents transforming them into high quality fertiliser; reducing the amount of chemicals needed to recycle phosphorus by moving to a biological process for extracting phosphorus from wastewater; the energy savings due to the extraction of nitrogen from the effluents for a more energy efficient process than that used in the previous wastewater treatment by the Lidköping plant.
LIFE17 ENV / SE / 000384 Duration 01-JUL-2018 to 30-JUN -2023
https://angensarv.se/
LIFE SMILE (Italia) – Strategies for Marine Litter and Environmental prevention of sea pollution in coastal areas
The LIFE SMILE project aims to reduce marine litter in coastal areas. The actions of the project have developed on several levels: the identification of effective recovery and recycling actions; the construction of locally shared waste management strategies; raising awareness of citizens and tourists to encourage correct behavior. Smile promotes an integrated approach with the collaboration of all the municipalities of the Ligurian coast and the hinterland, whose administrations have been equipped with the most effective tools for waste management, to optimise resources by adopting the most efficient solutions for the protection of the environment.
LIFE12 ENV/IT/000289 Duration 01-JUL-2013 to 30-SEP -2016
Clean Sea LIFE (Italia) – Clean Sea Life
The project aims to increase public attention of the amount of waste present in the sea and on the beaches, to demonstrate how we are responsible for it and to promote and active and constant commitment to the environment. Among the project’s activities, in addition to awareness raising, there is the creation of a map which highlights the areas where the accumulation of waste poses a risk for biodiversity; the identification of good practices for the prevention and management of marine waste that will have to be applied locally and disseminated nationally and internationally.
LIFE15 GIE / IT / 000999 Duration 30-SEP-2016 to 31-OCT -2020
IWPM (Deutschland) – Integrated Wastewater Purification Management
The general objective of the IWPM project was to demonstrate how wastewater management and treatment technologies can be improved through the use of an innovative integrated purification management system (IWPM). The project had the specific objective of integrating waste water purification through a new combination of electronic connection (remote control) and physical connection (biologically activated pipe) of selected purification plants (STP), in order to integrate their technical capabilities and improve wastewater treatment. The new system proved to be economically advantageous compared to a conventional solution and the energy balance and biological activity were better than expected. This earned the project the award Best of the Best Life Environment Project in 2012.
LIFE06 ENV / D / 000478 Duration 01-OCT-2006 to 31-OCT -2011
EU-LIFE Project “Living Lakes: Sustainable Management of Wetlands and Shallow Lakes”
Global Nature Fund has carried out a three-year project in the framework of the EU Life III Programme. The project areas were the lagoons La Nava and Boada in Spain, and the Nestos Lakes in north-eastern Greece. The main goal of the project was to develop and implement a management plan with the local communities focusing on the development of the wetlands while benefiting the social and economic needs of the local population. The plan included the installation of buffer zones around the lakes to reduce nutrients influx, guidelines for the treatment of sewage effluent and visitor management. A plan for agricultural extensification and the production of Good Practice Guidelines so that other wetlands can benefit from the experience gained during the project were further parts of the project. Work camps for youth, as well as training courses for wetland managers helped to spread the expertise and experience gained.
Read more on GNF website
and this article
LIFE00 ENV / D / 000351 Duration 01-JUL-2001 to 31-OCT -2004