ZeroPM's Way Forward workshop: preventing persistent chemical pollution

The final workshop has a broad remit

ZeroPM: Zero Pollution of Persistent and Mobile Substances will hold its final workshop, The Way Forward, in Brussels from 8 to 10 September 2026. The event is scheduled at the Thon Hotel EU, with registration capped at 200 people and single-day attendance available according to the project page.

The project says the workshop will bring together researchers, regulators, industry, water utilities, NGOs, communicators, and other stakeholders. Its programme is expected to include presentations, panels, short courses, and posters. The organisers describe the agenda as tentative, so readers should use the project page for the current version.

Why persistent and mobile substances are hard to manage

A chemical can be dangerous because it persists for a long time, moves easily through water or soil, or both. Once a persistent and mobile substance reaches a water cycle, waiting for it to break down may not be a realistic protection strategy. The problem can also cross product categories and national borders, which makes isolated controls less effective.

ZeroPM links three approaches. Prevention asks how to avoid creating or using problematic substances. Prioritisation asks which substances and uses need attention first. Removal asks which treatment methods can reduce contamination that is already present. Keeping the three together helps avoid replacing one problematic chemical with another that has not been checked properly.

The water-treatment question

The project page points to approaches for water and sewage-sludge treatment. Treatment is important, but it can move a pollutant from water into sludge, concentrate it, or create transformation products. A credible solution therefore needs more than a removal percentage. It needs a material balance, a safety assessment, energy and cost information, and a plan for the residuals.

That detail is where the workshop can be useful for municipalities and utilities. A technology is ready for wider use only when an operator knows what enters the process, what leaves it, how performance changes over time, and who is responsible for the waste stream afterward.

What to take away from the project

• A shortlist of substances or substance groups that need action, with the reason for their priority.
• Evidence that a proposed alternative is safer across its full life cycle, not only in one use.
• Treatment results that report residues, transformation products, energy, cost, and operating limits.
• A clear path from research output to regulation, procurement, industry practice, or public communication.
• Public data or methods that allow another team to test the claim rather than accept a marketing summary.

The project end date is not the end of the problem

CORDIS lists ZeroPM's formal end date as 30 September 2026. Its value after that date will depend on whether the methods, databases, publications, and lessons reach people who make decisions about chemicals, water, products, and waste.

A local record can help keep that trail visible. Link a water-quality concern to the responsible utility or authority, name the substance if it is known, record the evidence and uncertainty, and preserve the original source. Pollution prevention is stronger when the place and the chemistry stay connected.