Towards a Harmonised Evidence Base for Microplastic Monitoring
A European 'Monitoring-to-Action' Framework
Europe needs comparable microplastic observations across space and time.
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Comparable observations are needed to identify spatial patterns, detect change over time and assess the effectiveness of measures.
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Yet a comparable picture across European waters is still missing. |
Despite more than two decades of research and policy attention, microplastic monitoring remains fragmented, with differences in methods, sampling strategies and reporting limiting comparability across freshwater and marine environments.
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The Erasmus Maris Approach
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A complementary screening layer for microplastics in surface waters.
Trained teachers work with scientists, expert labs and public authorities to generate more comparable observations across locations and over time. The objective is to complement expert monitoring and extend geographically distributed screening capacity. |
Scientific evidence supporting wider deployment
The 2026 report by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre marks a milestone for scalable microplastic screening in surface waters.
The JRC assessed the Erasmus Maris SOP through comparison exercises with trained teachers, expert laboratories and Member State laboratories. Common reference materials and QA/QC enabled comparison across the different levels. The results show that a simplified, quality-assured screening approach implemented by trained teachers can complement expert monitoring and extend geographical coverage The report has also been presented in the context of the MSFD Technical Group on Marine Litter, opening discussion at EU level on how this approach could create a complementary screening layer to increase monitoring coverage |
A scalable monitoring approach designed for wider deployment
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More Accessible
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Quality Assured
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Sustainable
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Erasmus Maris connects secondary schools, scientific partners, expert laboratories, public authorities and local stakeholders through a harmonised method for microplastic screening in marine and fresh waters.
The framework combines a harmonised SOP with teacher training, reference materials, interlaboratory comparison and structured reporting to support consistent implementation across participating locations.
The framework combines a harmonised SOP with teacher training, reference materials, interlaboratory comparison and structured reporting to support consistent implementation across participating locations.
The approach was developed and validated through a strategic partnership between
The initiative combines training, QA/QC, reference materials, interlaboratory comparison and structured data reporting to improve the comparability of screening data across sites, countries and water systems.
Regional deployment pathways explore how this evidence can support early warning, hotspot interpretation and follow-up action across the river–sea continuum.
Regional deployment pathways explore how this evidence can support early warning, hotspot interpretation and follow-up action across the river–sea continuum.
Regional implementation
Following the pilot and validation phases, Erasmus Maris is now being implemented through regional networks that connect schools, scientific partners, teacher-training organisations and public authorities.
The first implementation areas provide two complementary contexts:
The first implementation areas provide two complementary contexts:
- freshwater and river-basin screening in Flanders
- coastal marine screening in the Comunidad Valenciana.
Comunidad Valenciana — coastal marine screening. Secondary schools and scientific partners apply the Erasmus Maris workflow in coastal monitoring contexts, with universities and regional actors supporting training, QA/QC, validation and interpretation. |
Flanders — river-basin screening
Secondary schools act as monitoring nodes for river microplastics screening, with scientific and public partners supporting QA/QC, interpretation and links to water-management needs. |
The learning and monitoring pathway for secondary schools
