European Commission and United Nations Environment Programme Project on Plastic Pollution in Aquatic Environments: Identifying and Quantifying Plastic Contaminant Sources and Leakages into the Aquatic Environment

This project document presents a short executive summary of a collaborative initiative between the European Commission and the United Nations Environment Programme to address plastic pollution in aquatic environments by developing a practical methodology to identify and quantify plastic sources and leakages. It responds to the absence of a standardised tool for building reliable inventories of plastics entering water systems. The document outlines the development of a science-based toolkit, its pilot application in Kenya, and the use of results to refine the approach. It describes expected outcomes, outputs, activities, governance arrangements, and a multi-year workplan linking technical development, application, and communication.