Estonia implements the target mainly via legally binding standards (for water, waste/packaging, plant protection, chemicals) and operational plans and programmes (river basin management plans; marine strategy programme of measures; pesticide action plan, European Union common agriculture policy interventions). 

Main national legislation:

• Water Act: establishes nitrate-vulnerable area concept and water pollution controls. 
• Plant Protection Act:  implements rules on pesticide and polluter pays requirements. 
• Chemicals Act: controls on chemicals handling/restrictions to protect environment/health. 
• Waste Act and Packaging Act: waste prevention, collection, recycling, producer responsibility. 

Main policy measures: 

A. Excess nutrients: reduce losses to the environment

Core national instruments

• River Basin Management Plans (2022–2027) and their programmes of measures (the main planning vehicle for achieving/maintaining good water status, including nutrient pressures). 
• Water Act framework, incl. nitrate-vulnerable areas (nitrate >50 mg/L risk and eutrophication risk triggers) and related agricultural constraints. 
• Detailed water-sector regulations include rules on fertiliser use/storage, manure management, and wastewater discharge limit values (listed centrally by the Climate Ministry). 

Key national measures in practice

• Diffuse (agriculture) nutrient controls
  • Nitrate-vulnerable area rules + fertiliser/manure requirements (application limits, timing, storage, record-keeping obligations via implementing acts). 
  • CAP Strategic Plan (2023–2027) support that reduces nutrient runoff risk (e.g., enhanced soil cover requirements in winter; investments improving manure storage/management). 
• Point sources (wastewater) nutrient reduction
  • Investment/upgrades in wastewater treatment plants (including N/P removal) are identified as a main nutrient-load reduction pathway. 
  • Compliance and performance against the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive requirements (collection + biological treatment incl. N/P removal where required) are tracked at EU level for Estonia. 
• Baltic Sea linkage
  • Estonia’s Marine Strategy Programme of Measures (2022–2027) explicitly treats eutrophication as a key problem area and links marine measures with land-based pressures (incl. agriculture). 

B. Pesticides + highly hazardous chemicals: reduce overall risk

Core national instruments

• Estonia has a dedicated Sustainable Use of Plant Protection Products Action Plan 2024–2029 (national implementation tool under the EU sustainable use framework), with an explicit focus on integrated pest management (IPM) and risk reduction. 
• IPM is mandatory for professional users in Estonia (regulatory requirement communicated by the competent authority). 
• Chemicals Act provides the domestic legal basis to restrict/condition chemicals handling to protect environment and health (complements EU REACH/CLP and sectoral laws). 
• Marine Strategy PoM includes dedicated areas for hazardous substances (D8/D9) (important for biodiversity impacts in marine ecosystems). 

Key national measures in practice

• Risk reduction in pesticide use
  • Mandatory IPM principles for professional users (shift to prevention, monitoring, non-chemical measures where possible; minimise chemical reliance). 
  • Training/certification infrastructure for professional users and distributors (practical implementation lever under the action plan framework). 
• Support for lower-input systems
  • CAP Strategic Plan support for organic farming is explicitly linked to reduced pesticide use and improved water/soil quality (a structural contribution to Target 7(b)). 
• Hazardous chemicals control
  • Cross-cutting chemicals governance through national law (Kemikaaliseadus) + sectoral permitting/controls; marine measures explicitly cover hazardous substances pressures. 

C. Plastic pollution: prevent, reduce, work towards eliminating

Core national instruments

• Waste Act + Packaging Act set the national backbone for waste prevention, collection, recycling and responsibility mechanisms. 
• Estonia implemented the SUP Directive via changes to the Waste/Packaging/Tobacco Acts; the Climate Ministry summarises the main domestic changes and timelines. 
• Government policy pages explicitly describe Estonia’s measures against plastic pollution and marine litter, including for single-use plastics, packaging plastics and microplastics. 
• Marine Strategy PoM includes marine litter (D10) as a dedicated area with measures. 

Key national measures in practice

• Product bans / market restrictions and design requirements (SUP transposition)
  • bans/restrictions on placing certain single-use plastic products (incl. oxo-degradable plastics; certain expanded polystyrene food containers/cups; various single-use items) on the Estonian market. 
  • Tethered cap requirement for beverage containers (to reduce litter of caps/lids). 
• Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) expansion
  • New/expanded EPR systems for specific plastic-containing products (e.g., wipes, balloons, filters, certain fishing gear) and additional producer responsibility costs. 
• Collection/recycling targets and recycled content
  • Separate collection targets (e.g., for plastic beverage bottles) and recycled content requirements (as summarised in national SUP transposition overview). 
• Deposit-return system
  • Estonia operates a deposit-return system as a practical instrument supporting high return/collection of beverage packaging (a key anti-litter / circularity mechanism).