Plastic Monitoring Data Space

When we measure well, we protect better: this is how Universal Plastic’s Plastic Monitoring Data Space works.

At Universal Plastic, we have launched a pioneering system to monitor plastic pollution in Spanish waters.
We’ve done this in collaboration with Spain’s Secretariat for Digital Transformation and Artificial Intelligence.
More than a data space, it’s a tool designed to understand how plastic fragments in the ocean, how it affects marine life, and what we can do—across society, science and business—to act with precision. Because only by understanding the scale of the problem can we solve it together.

Plastics that reach the sea don’t disappear—they transform. First into fragments, then into microplastics, and later into soluble polymers that enter the marine food web. We’ve known for years that this process occurs, but we lacked tools that were sufficiently connected, reliable and operational to track it with rigour. With the launch of this data space, we’re beginning to change that reality.

It is a data space led by Universal Plastic and supported by Spain’s Secretariat of State for Digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence (SEDIA) under the Ministry for Digital Transformation’s grant programme for the digitalisation of strategic sectors. It is aligned with the data spaces promoted at the European level and has a clear mission: to turn invisible waste into actionable information.

The impact of plastic on the marine food web and human health

Cadena trófica y datos sobre plásticos marinos

What marine plastic data we measure and why it matters

The project brings together technology, science, and multi-stakeholder collaboration to answer four key questions:

How does plastic occur in the ocean? We analyse how environmental conditions influence the distribution of plastic.
How much enters the marine food web? We study its presence in tissues.
Where is the plastic right now? We monitor key areas by connecting real-time data.
How do we translate all of that into useful decisions? We put data to work for management, quality control, and public- and private-sector decision-making.

Our water-analysis process allows us to identify up to 30 types of polymers. This is the workflow:

Infografía del proceso de análisis de aguas: recogida de muestras, análisis de polímeros y resultados de concentración.

Gráfico de la concentración de plásticos en la ZEE española Universal Plastic

Impact of plastic on the marine food web

Verify, trace, share

Para dar respuesta a todo esto, hemos desarrollado una aplicación que permite verificar las recogidas de residuos utilizando inteligencia artificial y tecnología blockchain. Gracias a este sistema, cada dato generado está trazado desde el momento de su obtención hasta su análisis final.

We’re not only talking about measuring how many kilograms of plastic are collected, but also about knowing where, when, how, and under what conditions they were collected. Above all, we aim to ensure that this information is secure and useful for all stakeholders: public authorities, the scientific community, and businesses.

”When we measure the problem precisely, we can design more effective public policies and business solutions.

Mapa de España con concentración de microplásticos en diferentes zonas costeras.

Buoys in key areas to measure and filter microplastics

A collective project with the ocean as our horizon

This project is an initiative aligned with the principles of the blue economy: a model that drives economic development from marine resources, ensuring their regeneration, traceability, and long-term protection. From this perspective, sustainability is not a label but an essential condition for the future of the planet and all who inhabit it.

And, like the sea, this project is alive, because the data space counts on the active collaboration of public and social actors such as the Gijón City Council, the Blanes City Council, and Innoceana, a non-profit organisation with whom we have already worked on plastic-collection actions. Their participation strengthens our conviction that technology alone does not transform—what does are alliances that endure over time and are activated on the ground.

Data as the starting point

For years, the lack of reliable data has been a barrier to curbing the impact of plastic in the sea. With this data space, we take a firm step towards a model that turns every piece of collected waste into scientific, economic, and social information.

We know that collecting plastic is not enough. We need to understand its journey, anticipate its impact, and build systems that prevent it from reaching the sea in the first place. And for all of that, information is essential. Data that connect, that are shared… and that transform.