Venice Lagoon Plastic Free Among the Key Players in the Initiative and in the River Cleaning Project
On the 14th of May 2025 – The Venice Lagoon Plastic Free (VLPF) association welcomes with great satisfaction the decision of the Veneto Region to formally join the European Mission Charter “Restore our Ocean and Waters”, promoted by the European Commission with the goal of improving the quality of water and aquatic ecosystems by 2030.
The initiative, proposed by Environmental Councillor Gianpaolo Bottacin and approved on Tuesday, 13th May by the Regional Council, stems from a formal request made by VLPF to President Luca Zaia to support the goals of the Ocean Mission, which aims to protect and restore the health of our oceans and inland waters through research and innovation, citizen engagement, and investments in the blue economy, with clear goals set for 2030.
To strengthen this commitment, the Region has allocated funding for the River Cleaning Project, which will be carried out in 2025 by Venice Lagoon Plastic Free in close collaboration with MOLD, the creator of the passive and sustainable system for retaining river pollution. The project involves the installation of floating devices on a selected river in Veneto, identified based on a mapping of areas most exposed to waste accumulation. The aim is to intercept floating plastic and facilitate its collection before it reaches the sea. This action will specifically contribute to achieving the strategic goal of the Mission to reduce marine litter by 50% and microplastics in the environment by 30%.
“We are grateful to the Veneto Region for their trust and concrete support,” said Marina Doria, President of VLPF. “This project marks an important first step towards a systemic approach to protecting the waters of our territory.”
The charter is expected to be signed by President Luca Zaia or his delegate, officially marking the Region’s entry among the European entities committed to the Mission. As of today, 1,017 support actions for the Ocean Mission have been registered in Europe by public and private organizations and territorial entities, including marine protected areas. The Veneto Region, along with Emilia Romagna, is among the first regional signatories of the Mission.
Venice Lagoon Plastic Free – one of the first non-governmental organizations specializing in monitoring, preventing, and reducing plastic pollution in nature – will continue to use the World Heritage site of Venice and its Lagoon as a living laboratory to test new technical, technological, digital, and social solutions. It will do so in cooperation with local, national, European, and international partners and institutions, both public and private. VLPF’s work aims to promote effective and measurable solutions, models, and interventions against plastic pollution that can be replicated and scaled in other locations and contexts, thereby actively contributing to the achievement of the Mission’s objectives.