(Yes, you're right: human waste.

Once that shock's over, let's get to the project.)

P2GreeN is a four-year Horizon Europe project. It fosters a circular material flow system that connects urban and rural areas through the application of the 3R principle: "Reduce, Reuse, Recover."

The project is developing innovative solutions for the circular economy, targeting the mitigation and elimination of nitrogen and phosphorus pollution. This involves establishing connections between blue urban and green rural infrastructure, with a primary focus on the circular nutrient flows of these two elements. The issue is that while they are crucial plant nutrients, they're also potential water pollutants.

P2GreeN aims to achieve its objective by recovering nitrogen and phosphorus from human  waste in urban settlements and converting it into bio-based fertilizers for agricultural production. This process will be implemented and explored in three pilot regions:

• Gotland (Sweden),
• the Metropolitan Region of Hamburg-Hannover (Germany), and
• the Axarquìa region in Màlaga (Spain)

The 32-partner consortium behind P2GreeN will rigorously test this solution, offering tangible benefits and positive outcomes for these diverse regions. The ultimate goal is to redefine the relationship between cities and the countryside, providing viable solutions that can be replicated both within and outside the EU. This approach supports the agricultural circular transition, guaranteeing environmental protection, waste minimisation, and clean air and soil.

In line with the Circular Cities and Region Initiative (CCRI) guidelines, P2GreeN contributes to the circular economy, alleviating pressure on natural resources while addressing water, soil and air pollution.