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CURBING PLASTIC POLLUTION | 91

TARGETED WORKSHOPS
To what extent are public decision makers addres-
sing the microplastic issue at international and Medi-
terranean levels? The regulatory measures required WATER TREATMENT PLANS:
to stem these invisible pollutants, which are univer- IS THERE A STANDARDISED METHOD FOR
sally widespread but particularly concentrated in the COLLECTING AND MEASURING MICROPLASTICS?
Mediterranean basin, fuelled the various workshops
held on this day of Monaco Ocean Week, which ex- The point of view of Marie-Pierre Denieul (above),
plored a range of solutions: specific water treatment, Project Manager at Veolia:
microplastics, innovations, the role of scientific coo- The ISO drinking water standard is due to be published
peration, regulations, new ways of raising awareness, in 2024 for the European Union. To date, only California
especially among young people, etc. in the United States has legislation on microplastics in
drinking water. Discussions are underway at the Euro-
The emphasis is on discussions with sectors that use
plastic in the environment (agriculture, fishing, etc.) and pean Union level, but there are difficulties in finding a
sectors that "consume" plastic (hotels, restaurants, su- standardised method.
permarkets, etc.). The network is focusing on defining
responsibilities, the consequences of the emergence The point of view of Marc Metian (below), researcher
of bio-sourced and recycled products and the intro- at the International Atomic Energy Agency:
duction of incentive mechanisms such as a system of The more we move towards small-calibre plastics, the
labels (e.g. "low plastic zone") and financial incentives more problematic standardised methods become.
for good practice. Measurement methods are increasingly complex and
costly, requiring specific equipment and the capacity
to collect these microplastics. We, therefore, need to
IN CONCLUSION develop the financial and practical resources to be
able to set up this cooperation.
The members of the BeMed network agree on the
need to disseminate the many existing initiatives
more widely, from raising awareness to popularising
science, from sharing sustainable practices to advo-
cacy, and point to many societal challenges:
• assigning responsibility to the right stakeholders
(public players and companies),
• the establishment of a robust regulatory
framework,
• sharing methodologies and scientific research,
• obtaining funding to complete the work.