CL:AIRE was delighted to host the first meeting of the International Soil Reuse Forum (ISRF) at its Reading office on 20 November 2024, joined by colleagues from Grondbank in Belgium, BRGM in France, and representatives from CL:AIRE’s Earthbanks project. The ISRF aims to: foster discussions around mutual challenges, opportunities, and innovations in soil management; share good practices; explore policy developments; encourage joint problem-solving; and establish an authoritative, global voice on soil management issues to enhance recognition and advocacy.
At the inaugural meeting, the forum discussed numerous pressing topics. Chief amongst them was the role and application of digital technologies in improving standards, monitoring, and operational efficiency. Governments and regulators are mandating digital tracking, and the market is rapidly expanding with software options to assist organisations in the transition. The forum debated data management approaches, considered recommendations for industrial uptake and adjustments, and compared regulatory and technological differences between countries and regions.
Concerns around the emergence of PFAS and other forever chemicals was a further topic of discussion. A lack of comprehensive historical background monitoring data on contaminants of concern creates challenges in quantifying acceptable regulatory and monitoring levels, alongside limited knowledge on the toxicology of many variants. In turn, this creates confusion and difficulties for industry and public bodies to adjust expectations and costs for remediation and potential reuse activities. Simultaneously, defining which contaminants of concern to include in restrictive regulations and generating new tests for a large list of contaminants presents its own challenges. Thus, PFAS remains a topic for consideration and monitoring.
Final topics of discussion included formalising terminology used by the forum, preparing outlines for the next meeting, and considering opportunities to enhance sustainability and contribute to circular economy policies and procedures.
The ISRF hopes to publish a joint communiqué summarising the event in due course. Grondbank will host the next meeting in Brussels!