Cleaner waters in Europe: New laws, new challenges, new solutions

Forever chemicals have increasingly been identified as a major target in efforts to clean up our environment, including in our water. Alongside new laws and regulations, new challenges will be necessary to tackle this ubiquitous pollution.

Recent reforms to European water legislation mark an important step in addressing persistent and emerging pollutants including the so-called “forever chemicals” such as PFAS, (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), a group of man-made chemicals used in numerous consumer and industrial products.

These substances resist degradation, accumulate in the environment and living organisms, and pose long-term risks to ecosystems and human health. A key shift in the new reforms is the recognition that pollution does not occur in isolation and organisms are exposed to complex mixtures of chemicals. Yet regulation has traditionally focused on single substances.

The updated framework begins to address this gap by moving towards group-based standards for PFAS and the application of effect-based monitoring approaches. These methods assess water quality by measuring the biological responses of organisms or cells exposed to water samples, capturing the combined and cumulative effects of chemical mixtures.

Not just monitoring

Crucially, regulatory change is not limited to monitoring. The revised Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive now requires an additional “quaternary” treatment stage to remove micropollutants such as pharmaceuticals, PFAS and microplastics from wastewater. This creates a clear technological inflection point, requiring water treatment systems not only be effective, but also sustainable, scalable, and compatible with net zero ambitions.

In this context, research at the University of Birmingham is directly aligned with emerging policy needs. Work within the Centre for Environmental Research and Justice has advanced approaches that integrate environmental chemistry, biodiversity science, and data-driven methods to understand how pollutant mixtures affect natural biota. This research has consistently emphasised the importance of system-level, mixture-aware solutions, an approach now reflected in European policy.

Nature-based solutions

This research endeavour has led to the formation of Daphne Water Solutions (DWS), which exemplifies how this research is being translated into practice. The innovation builds on fundamental discoveries in evolutionary biology and ecotoxicology. By reviving Daphnia (water fleas) from pre-industrial sediments, researchers found that these organisms can cope remarkably well with modern chemical mixtures. Unlike conventional treatment systems that rely on energy-intensive processes or chemical inputs, DWS harnesses these organisms as living biofilters.

The nature-based technology uses Daphnia to capture and concentrate micropollutants, including pharmaceuticals, PFAS, and microplastics, removing them from wastewater while using no-energy, and minimal infrastructure. The system can be integrated into existing infrastructure, making it an appealing option for utilities facing new regulatory requirements. 

This approach offers several advantages.

It avoids the generation of harmful by-products often associated with advanced chemical treatments, operates with no energy, and supports a circular model by concentrating pollutants into manageable spent biomass that can be upcycled.

As such, it aligns closely with broader policy goals, including the EU Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability and the transition to low-carbon, resource-efficient water systems.

The technology scale up is embedded within a wider international effort. Through the Horizon Europe UPSTREAM project, the University of Birmingham and DWS are collaborating with academic, industry, and policy partners to develop integrated solutions for pollution monitoring, prevention, and remediation. Within this framework, DWS and the University of Birmingham complement upstream interventions by addressing residual contamination at the wastewater stage, contributing to a more holistic response to chemical pollution.

As European water policy evolves to reflect the complexity of real-world pollution, the link between research, regulation, and innovation becomes increasingly important. The shift towards mixture-based assessment and advanced treatment requirements creates both a challenge and an opportunity. Solutions such as DWS demonstrate how research-led innovation can move beyond the laboratory to deliver practical, scalable solutions that support regulatory compliance while enhancing environmental resilience.