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Glossary of summaries

Zero pollution

The objective of zero pollution is to reduce air, water and soil pollution to levels that are no longer considered harmful to health and natural ecosystems and that respect the boundaries with which the earth can cope, thus creating a toxic-free environment. Pollution causes one in eight deaths in Europe each year and is a factor in a variety of medical conditions. It is one of the five main drivers of biodiversity loss and is threatening the survival of more than 1 million of the planet’s estimated 8 million plant and animal species.

A 2021 European Commission communication, ‘ Pathway to a healthy planet for all — EU Action Plan: "Towards zero pollution for air, water and soil" ’, sets out an integrated vision for 2050, includes a list of actions that seek to reduce pollution at source and sets a series of targets to be achieved, in the first instance, by 2030. These targets include:

  • improving air quality to reduce the number of premature deaths caused by air pollution by at least 55%;
  • reducing the share of people chronically disturbed by transport noise by 30%;
  • reducing by 25% the European Union (EU) ecosystems where air pollution threatens biodiversity;
  • reducing by 50% nutrient losses, the use and risk of chemical pesticides, the use of the more hazardous ones, and the sale of antimicrobials for farmed animals and in aquaculture;
  • reducing by 50% plastic litter at sea and by 30% microplastics released into the environment;
  • significantly reducing total waste generation and reducing residual municipal waste by 50%.

Some examples of initiatives and actions that will be taken under the plan:

  • aligning EU air quality standards more closely to the latest World Health Organization recommendations;
  • reviewing the standards for the quality of water, including in EU rivers and seas;
  • reducing soil pollution and enhancing soil restoration;
  • reviewing EU waste laws to reduce pollution and adapt to circular economy principles;
  • fostering zero pollution from production and consumption;
  • reducing health inequalities caused by the disproportionate share of harmful health impacts now borne by the most vulnerable;
  • reducing the EU’s external pollution footprint by restricting the export of products and wastes that have harmful or toxic impacts in non-EU countries.

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