Vienna: scientific experts from 65 countries at the launch of the NUTEC Plastics Global Marine Monitoring Platform. © EMODnet Chemistry
An EMODnet Chemistry representative was in Vienna from 14 to 17 July 2026, attending the interregional meeting on the NUTEC plastics marine monitoring network: a common platform for global knowledge.
Nuclear Technology for Controlling Plastic Pollution (NUTEC Plastics) is the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) flagship initiative to address the global challenge of plastic pollution. This has been done by bringing together partners worldwide to tackle plastic pollution by monitoring plastics in the ocean and introducing new technologies to recycle them. Currently, 99 countries are participating in marine monitoring of microplastics, and 52 are developing innovative recycling technologies.
During the meeting, the IAEA launched the new NUTEC Plastics Global Marine Monitoring Platform, designed to strengthen international collaboration and knowledge sharing on the quantity and trends of microplastics in marine and coastal zones.
The IAEA invited OGS to the event as scientific coordinator of EMODnet Chemistry, which began collaborating with the Agency in 2024 to support the creation of a database to collect micro-litter data from NUTEC Member States. The database aims to enable straightforward, harmonised and interoperable reporting across countries worldwide.
Maria Eugenia, the data steward at OGS who represented EMODnet Chemistry in Vienna, states, “EMODnet, in close collaboration with ICES, provided several recommendations, which the IAEA received positively and implemented, drawing on EMODnet technical support and experience. For example, the NUTEC partnership decided to adopt the European Directory of Marine Organisations (EDMO) catalogue to identify partners in the database, and we have been acting as intermediaries for the inclusion of new institutions in the catalogue.” She concludes that, “NUTEC Plastics is an excellent initiative for many reasons. First, it has built a global network that applies the same microlitter monitoring system. Over the years, evidence has demonstrated that this is crucial for obtaining comparable data. We are pleased that the IAEA has valued our experience and hope the comparable data obtained by NUTEC Plastics can feed into regional and global data infrastructures.”
To learn more about the EMODnet Chemistry project and its expertise in marine litter data management, view the presentations given at the NUTEC meetings in 2024 and 2026.