The EU project ZeroPM will be completed in September 2026. In recent years, the consortium has made significant progress in preventing, prioritizing and treating persistent and mobile substances (PM substances) present in the environment. The approaches and pilot applications developed within the project make an important contribution to improving environmental and drinking water protection management.
Chemicals that do not degrade in the environment, “persistent”, also coined “forever chemicals”, are increasingly recognised as a global threat. Many of these chemicals can travel long distances with water, making them “mobile”, and once in the environment, they are very difficult to remove. Over the last 5 years, ZeroPM has developed Prevention, Prioritization and Removal strategies to protect the environment and human health from persistent and mobile substances.
ZeroPM’s Success
The success of ZeroPM stems from its framework that links stakeholders involved at the production, use, emissions, water treatment and environment and health protection stages of the lifecycle of persistent and mobile substances. This allows project results to be disseminated and communicated with relevant groups, supported by the ambitious and innovative dissemination and communication approach taken. Through a series of webinars, popular and scientific publications, conference presentations, short informative films, technology demonstrations, a strong social media presence, the legacy of ZeroPM is ensured.
ZeroPM has developed a series of prevention tools for industry including an “Alternative Assessment Database” to find safer and more sustainable chemicals to persistent and mobile substances and a “PFAS guide” to find out if PFAS is in a product or supply chain.
Prevention tools for policy makers and enforcers are centred around the ZeroPM Regulatory Watch which scans for policy developments, as well as the identification of gaps and opportunities for current and forthcoming policies.
Prioritization tools for the water and chemical sectors include substance grouping strategies that can facilitate early identification of lesser-known or new substances that are potentially harmful. Tools include the Global Chemical Inventory, presenting FAIR data of chemicals on the global market.
Prioritization tools for policy makers encompass a risk prioritization matrix used to rank persistent and mobile substances based on their hazard and exposure potential, supporting regulatory decision-making for environmental safety.
Removal tools for the water sector cover the development and pilot testing of methods to remediate drinking water and sludge. These innovative methods have been investigated to understand their limits and the sustainability of the solutions.
Final project phase
In the final project months, ZeroPM will be hosting a summer school in Lesvos, Greece focusing on PFAS and including topics such as monitoring, remediation, policy and analysis.
The final workshop “Zero pollution of persistent and mobile substances: The way forward” will be held in Brussels on the 8th to 10th of September 2026. ZeroPM will present the tools, insights and innovations that can make the goals of the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability a reality for a toxic free future.
September 2026 will see ZeroPM formally come to an end – yet the projects’ results and tools will continue to have an impact well beyond this. Many of the approaches developed within ZeroPM are already being integrated into ongoing research activities, regulatory discussions, and being used at larger scale through technical developments. The consortium is also exploring opportunities for follow up initiatives to further advance the strategies for preventing, prioritizing, and removing persistent and mobile substances.
Further information
Website: https://zeropm.eu/
YouTube-Channel: ZeroPM - H2020 - YouTube
LinkedIn:(26) ZeroPM: Overview | LinkedIn
Zenodo: https://zenodo.org/communities/zeropm-h2020/records?q=&l=list&p=1&s=10
