IEEP analyses the impacts and costs of marine litter and the policies that can help to reduce it, including initiatives that can promote circular resource flows in the economy (e.g. the EU Single Use Plastics Directive and the EU Strategy for Plastics in the Circular Economy).

IEEP has recently started a study to support the European Commission in the development of implementing acts and guidance under the Single-Use Plastics Directive. More precisely, IEEP is coordinating the work to support the development of guidelines on litter clean-up costs which, under the new Directive, are to be included in the costs covered by extended producer responsibility schemes.

IEEP has engaged also in Horizon2020 projects in relation to marine litter. For instance, IEEP is involved in the project CLAIM – “Cleaning Litter by developing and Applying Innovative Methods”. IEEP is supporting this project by providing an institutional and political analysis of the drivers and barriers to the development of marine litter-related technologies.