Imagine a giant digital map that shows exactly where plastic trash is leaking from cities into the ocean. It uses a mix of high-tech sensors and regular people reporting sightings to find the worst pollution hotspots. Once the leaks are found, the project installs physical traps and barriers to catch the plastic before it hits the water.
Companies and cities struggle to identify exactly where plastic enters the ocean, making cleanup efforts inefficient. There is a lack of integrated tools that combine real-time monitoring with physical interception technology.
A digital toolbox for monitoring plastic pathways and physical interception hardware like barriers and settlement ponds.
If you are a waste collection service dealing with uncontrolled plastic runoff in urban areas — this project developed a digital toolbox that identifies pollution hotspots and transport pathways to optimize where to place collection barriers.
If you are an infrastructure firm dealing with contaminated waterways — this project developed settlement ponds and barrier technologies that intercept plastics before they reach the ocean.
If you are a data provider dealing with fragmented marine litter records — this project developed an interoperable system compatible with the Digital Twin Ocean to provide scalable monitoring data.
Based on available project data, specific pricing or cost structures for the toolbox are not provided.
The project aims to deploy scalable, cost-effective monitoring systems and will test them across 3 use cases and 3 associated regions to evaluate practical usage.
Based on available project data, the project emphasizes open data and interoperability with EU systems, but specific licensing terms are not listed.
The toolbox supports sustainable management and policy goals regarding the reduction of plastic influx in marine environments.
The project runs from 2026-09-01 to 2030-08-31, meaning full results are expected by August 2030.
The components are designed to be modular and interoperable with EU systems like EMODnet and the Digital Twin Ocean.
The consortium is well-balanced for technology transfer, featuring 15 partners across 6 countries. With an industry ratio of 27% (including 4 industry partners and 5 SMEs), there is a strong commercial presence to ensure the digital tools and physical barriers are market-viable, while 6 research institutions provide the technical depth.
Contact NORSK INSTITUTT FOR VANNFORSKNING STI in Norway
Contact us to match with the Tools4Ocean consortium for pilot opportunities.
