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Exploring a Source to Sea approach for plastic pollution policy integration in the European Union: the case of tyre wear particles
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Applying a Source to Sea policy framework to tyre wear particles — a major unintentionally released microplastic — reveals fragmented EU governance across land, freshwater, and marine domains, with conflicting objectives among responsible actors. Integrating tyre wear particle regulation under the European Green Deal's zero-pollution ambition requires coordinated cross-sectoral policy that tracks contamination from road surfaces to ocean endpoints.
The European Green Deal marks a shift in policy-making, aiming to transform the European economy and society to achieve sustainability and climate neutrality. Its zero-pollution ambition, outlined in the Zero Pollution Action Plan, provides an opportunity to address marine pollution in the European Union in a more integrated manner, setting the ground for new governance requirements to address existing challenges, and drive the integration of previously separate policy domains. In this context, the Source to Sea concept is explored to assess plastic pollution policy integration with regard to tyre wear particles, a form of unintentionally released microplastics. In this vein, the article considers the life cycle stages and pathways of tyre wear particle pollution across land, freshwater, and the marine environment to identify key actors, including responsible authorities, and policies that govern them. In applying a Source to Sea approach to the tyre wear particles case, the assessment highlights cooperation and conflicts among actors, conflicting policy objectives and how tyre wear particles are covered under the European Green Deal. This assessment offers a perspective to explore opportunities for policy integration regarding marine pollution and for future research avenues into policy integration, including through the application of empirical studies.
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