ANZIO R.I.S.E. for the OCEAN - Impact Assessment

ANZIO R.I.S.E. for the OCEAN - Impact Assessment evaluates the environmental, social, cultural, governance, economic, scientific and dissemination impacts of a six-month participatory action-research accelerator implemented in the Port of Anzio, Italy, in 2026. The project investigated how participatory art, citizen science, civic mobilisation and practical reuse experiments could support a phased transition from single-use expanded-polystyrene (EPS) fish crates towards reusable systems. The assessment consolidates final project monitoring, qualitative research, stakeholder engagement, environmental observations, campaign records, activity documentation and communication analytics. Rather than attributing every observed change directly to the intervention, the assessment applies a contribution-based approach, distinguishing demonstrated outputs and short-term outcomes from longer-term impacts that remain to be verified. The project generated approximately 100 active/direct participants, approximately 400 cumulative non-unique participatory engagements, approximately 750-800 cumulative in-person engagement and audience instances, at least 30 unpaid contributors, approximately 40-45 stakeholder interlocutors, and a recurring multi-sector network. It also mobilised and distributed or allocated 250 reusable fish crates, while the Adopt a Fish Crate campaign generated €1,098, corresponding to approximately 220 campaign-funded crates. The assessment identifies the project's principal contribution as the creation of social, cultural, material and governance conditions for a longer-term Zero Leakage Harbour transition. A central finding is that replacing a disposable crate with a reusable one is not sufficient in itself: a functioning reuse system requires washing, storage, return logistics, pooling, traceability, hygiene, incentives and shared governance. The document forms part of the Open Access outputs of ANZIO R.I.S.E. for the OCEAN, developed within PartArt4OW, and accompanies the Final Report, Policy Recommendations, Replication Toolkit and Digital Archive. Project website: https://anzio-rise.rawdrivers.org