The European project LIFE PRISTINE has launched a comprehensive awareness-raising campaign entitled #PristineWaterResilientFuture in social media and through in-person communication actions.

This initiative aims to highlight the growing presence of Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) in water bodies, encouraging citizens to adopt more mindful habits in their use and discard of products and resources to help reducing the CECs discharges into the environment. Likewise, the campaign will promote solutions that mitigate their impact on humans and environment.

The campaign, which will run across multiple media channels, aims to inform the society about the presence of CECs in water sources, their potential risks to human health and ecosystems, and the efforts being made by the water sector to eliminate them.

CECs include compounds of different nature and origin such as pharmaceuticals, personal care products, pesticides, and industrial chemicals that enter water bodies and could not only pose a significant threat to both aquatic and terrestrial life, but also reach and pollute drinking water. Despite their small concentrations, these pollutants bioaccumulate over time, making their removal a pressing challenge for the water sector.

“The presence of CECs in water is an issue that affects us all. Through this campaign, we want to inform and empower citizens to take simple, meaningful actions that will help reduce the presence of these pollutants protecting water bodies,” said Mireia Marcé, project coordinator from ACCIONA.

To tackle this problem, LIFE PRISTINE is demonstrating a versatile solution to remove a wide range of CECs from water streams, integrating technologies such as encapsulated adsorbents, hollow-fibre nanofiltration, advanced oxidation processes and AI-based soft sensors. All of them are supported and optimized by a Decision Suport System (DSS).

The campaign will engage the public through communication initiatives such as educational blog posts, expert interviews to be shared in social media, videos, mailing campaigns with key aspects of the problematic and the project, among others.

Call to action

LIFE PRISTINE invites citizens, industries, public administrations and policy makers to become part of the solution to water pollution by promoting and adopting simple daily habits that help reduce the release of Contaminants of Emerging Concern into the environment. Every citizen can make a difference by:

  • Returning unused or expired medications to pharmacies (in Spain SIGRE collecting points) instead of flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash.
  • Choosing eco-labelled personal care and cleaning products, which contain fewer harmful chemicals.
  • Avoiding the overuse of antibiotics and pharmaceuticals, and only using them when prescribed by a health professional.
  • Reducing the use of pesticides and herbicides in home gardening and opting for natural alternatives.
  • Using household chemicals responsibly, following usage instructions and disposal guidelines.

For more information on how to make a difference, visit the LIFE PRISTINE website or follow the campaign #PristineWaterResilientFuture on social media.