PRIORITY is a science and technology research network focused on developing, implementing, and consolidating strategies to tackle the global challenges of micro- and nanoplastics in the environment.
Welcome to the Final Conference of the COST Action PRIORITY
PRIORITY stands for ‘Plastics monitoRIng detectiOn RemedIaTion recoverY’. PRIORITY is a science and technology research network focused on developing, implementing, and consolidating strategies to tackle the global challenges of micro- and nanoplastics in the environment.
This COST Action combines expertise in chemistry, physics, life science, engineering, standards, economy, and law. The network creates a robust infrastructure for scientific communication, exchange, and collaboration to foster new research activities and citizen science.
PRIORITY aims to enhance the technical standards for sampling and analysis of micro- and nanoplastics in the environment, to develop a more reliable assessment of exposure and biological effects, and to advance activities in terms of environmental remediation and recovery.
The Action will support the harmonization of European regulation associated with microplastics. It will assist the European Commission in critical aspects of environmental and ecosystems protection, food safety, and life science.
The overarching aim of PRIORITY is to create and coordinate a transnational and multidisciplinary team of scientists and experts to address the challenges in the field of environmental nano- and microplastic pollution. This aim will be achieved through collaboration, sharing of know-how, discussions and training activities.
The Action has a total of 17 specific objectives divided into 10 objectives on research coordination and 7 objectives on capacity building. The objectives are described in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
The production, demand and disposal of plastics has grown exponentially during the last century, leading to rise in production from 1.7 million tons in 1950 to 359 million tons in 2018. At present, only a small percentage is recycled and the rest ends up as waste. Plastic waste, accidentally or deliberately discarded in the environment, is subjected to degradation due to the effect of heat, UV radiation, atmospheric oxidation and mechanical degradation leading to its fragmentation into small particles called microplastics and further to nanoplastics.
In 2011 the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) declared plastic a worldwide pollutant. The ubiquitous distribution of plastics and MPs in the environment, combined with their resistance to biological and chemical decay, is adversely affecting the environment, especially marine life. Human exposure is also a major cause for concern.
Over the last few decades, an impressive number of research papers and reviews have been published regarding nano- and microplastic pollution. Nonetheless, several gaps and uncertainties exist which affects the relevance and the reliability of the resulting data.
To understand the real impacts of nano- and microplastics (N/MPs) environmental pollution the scientific community has the responsibility to provide homogenous and comparable data, based on harmonized standards and protocols. The only way to achieve this result is through extensive networking among researchers with the involvement of industrial experts.
The Action has a total of 17 specific objectives divided into 10 objectives on research coordination and 7 objectives on capacity building. The objectives are described in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) available for download.
The State of the Art on micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) within COST Action CA20101 – PRIORITY is defined in a community-driven way. For each Working Group (WG1–WG7), participants have identified the scientific publications they consider most relevant to describe current knowledge, methodological advances, and open challenges in their respective domains.
These curated references, listed in the “State of the art – WG participants” sections of each WG webpage, represent the Action’s shared and continuously updated knowledge base, covering impacts and risks, monitoring and sampling, analytical methods, nanoplastics, remediation and sustainable alternatives, metrology and standardization, and synergies with society and education.
By bringing together these complementary perspectives, PRIORITY provides a comprehensive, multidisciplinary view of M/NP pollution that reflects the expertise and priorities of more than 560 researchers from over 50 countries.
Deliverable 1: Launching call for the submission of proposals for STSMs, 2 per year.
A structured framework for issuing two calls per year for Short-Term Scientific Missions (STSMs), enabling researchers’ mobility and collaboration across the network.
Deliverable 2: Report of individual Working Groups (WGs) Activities on a yearly basis.
Summary of activities, outputs, collaborations, and progress achieved within each Working Group.
Deliverable 3: Definition of research infrastructure accessibility and eventually proposal for new specific facilities.
Assessment of available research infrastructures across the network and identification of potential needs for new or upgraded facilities.
Deliverable 4: Establishment of cross-sectional subgroups to build multi-disciplinary and flexible Working Group activities.
Creation and coordination of multidisciplinary subgroups operating within and across WGs to support flexible, integrated activities.
Deliverable 5: State of the Art definition about nano- and microplastics (NMPs) environmental pollution.
Comprehensive community-based synthesis of scientific knowledge, challenges, and emerging research directions on NMP environmental pollution.
Deliverable 6: Report of connections with liasoning bodies, such as standardization entities (ISO, CEN, and corresponding National standardization bodies), regulation entities (European Commission), pre-normative research networks (VAMAS), metrology institutes and stakeholders.
Documentation of interactions with ISO, CEN, national standardization bodies, VAMAS, metrology institutes, and regulatory agencies to support harmonization and pre-normative research.
Deliverable 7: Report on impacts and risks analysis with corrective actions and mitigation strategies proposed.
Evaluation of environmental and human health risks associated with MNPs, including mitigation strategies and corrective actions.
Deliverable 8: Draft of approaches to MPs remediation and recovery strategies.
Draft overview of current and emerging strategies for MPs remediation, recovery, and sustainable alternatives.
Deliverable 9: Draft preparation of standard documents (inputs to standardization) in collaboration with expert participants in all the WGs, on a yearly basis starting from the second year.
Input supporting international standardization efforts, developed with expert contributions from all WGs.
Deliverable 10: Report on the development of datasets and benchmarking data.
Review and consolidation of datasets generated within PRIORITY and identification of benchmarking opportunities for analytical and monitoring activities.
Deliverable 11: Report on the Involvement of stakeholders, including private and public laboratories, equipment manufacturers, environmental protection agencies, NGOs, food producers and consumers associations, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries, national and international standardization bodies and metrological institutes, European RTDs, the overall scientific community and decision-makers.
Analysis of engagement with laboratories, industry, agencies, NGOs, standardization bodies, metrology institutes, research infrastructures, and policy-makers.
Deliverable 12: Layman’s report of WG activities and the know-how shared among the experts at conclusion of the Action.
A clear, accessible summary of WG activities and knowledge shared within PRIORITY, prepared for non-expert audiences at the end of the Action.