TREASURE, 2023-2026

The TREASURE project, whose full name is "Targeting the reduction of plastic outflow into the North Sea", is funded by the European Interreg North Sea Region programme. It brings together 15 partners from 5 countries: Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany and the Netherlands.

This project aims to reduce the outflow of plastic waste into the North Sea through five "Living Labs" in different countries. As part of these Living Labs, work will be carried out on four interrelated thematic pillars:

1. Governance & policy
2. Data collection & analysis
3. Prevention & behaviour change
4. Removal of plastic waste

This 3-year project comes under priority 3 of the Interreg North Sea programme, “Sustainable North Sea Region”, and more specifically objective 3.2 "Enhancing protection and preservation of nature, biodiversity and green infrastructure, including in urban areas, and reducing all forms of pollution".

The expected outputs of this project are:

• The development of a strategy to reduce plastic pollution in the North Sea, applicable to the different Living Labs, encompassing the four thematic pillars.
• The development of a TREASURE toolbox to support plastic pollution governance. It will include a multi-criteria decision-support tool and open data knowledge platform that provides practical information on the most suitable data collection and analysis methods, removal tools, and prevention measures, in order to assist practitioners, such as water managers, decision makers, and other stakeholders, in reducing plastic pollution.
• Set-up of a transnational consortium, comprising expertise and political scope throughout the North Sea Region. Each Living Lab entails cooperation with various local and regional stakeholders, whose capacities will ensure that the results achieved have a lasting impact beyond the project’s lifetime.
• The implementation of effective solutions to reduce plastic pollution in the Living Labs of the 5 participating countries..

Cedre is involved in TREASURE by coordinating the following thematic pillar at transnational level: Removal of plastic waste.

Furthermore, as part of the French Living Lab that covers France’s Channel and North Sea coastline, Cedre will be working on litter reduction in ports and waterways by carrying out a pollution assessment, identifying best practices and existing response equipment, developing resources (training, operational guides, awareness-raising tools, etc.) for the various stakeholders and contributing to communication and capitalisation on the project's outputs among the French authorities and international working groups.

Project website: https://www.interregnorthsea.eu/treasure