A new international project, ESTRADI – Enhanced Stakeholder Roles for Addressing Inputs to the Baltic Sea from Industrial Products – has been launched. The project is implemented by the HELCOM Secretariat in cooperation with partners from Latvia and Estonia, and will run until February 2029.

Despite significant progress in chemicals management and the ban of several hazardous substances, the ongoing release of a wide range of pollutants into the environment remains a serious threat to the Baltic Sea. Since substances are difficult to remove once they have entered the environment, preventing their release at the source is of key importance.

The project focuses on industrial products as one of the most significant sectors where chemicals are used. Its aim is to achieve, at local level, actual reductions in environmental inputs of specific regionally prioritized pollutants, while also setting the scene for more effective action at regional level in the future.

The project envisages:

• Implementing pilot actions to reduce environmental inputs of hazardous substances such as bisphenols, alkylphenols and their ethoxylates, phthalates, organotins, acrylates and diuron, with particular attention to the paints, varnishes, adhesives and sealants product groups;
• Gathering information on the use, amounts and releases of these substances, as well as past and ongoing experiences in their substitution or reduction;
• Developing proposals for fit-for-purpose, resource-efficient regional actions that national authorities can also draw on in the future. The project’s results will directly support the implementation of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP 2021) with regard to reducing priority hazardous substances.

More information: about the ESTRADI project.

The project is led by the HELCOM Secretariat, in cooperation with the Baltic Environmental Forum (BEF) in Latvia and Estonia, the Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Centre (LVGMC), and the Association of the Latvian Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industry (LAKIFA).

ESTRADI is an INTERREG Central Baltic Programme 2021–2027 project, co-funded by the European Union.