Background In past years, several small pilot projects have been carried out on water pollution from plant protection products (PPP), achieving reductions in PPP concentrations in some surface waters of over 90%. There has, however, been little or no coordination and exchange of experiences between these initiatives. Moreover, due to the small scale of their implementation, the methods developed are seldom directly transferable to the national or EU level. Furthermore, consistent and detailed recommendations for operators to avoid point source pollution were not available in most countries. Objectives Through multi-stakeholder training and awareness-raising, the project sought to attain a significant decrease in water pollution from PPP. It would directly address PPP-users (mainly farmers), but also train key ‘PPP-intermediaries’ (distributors, advisors or agricultural schools, etc.), who would, in turn, inform PPP-users on the prevention of pollution from point sources. The project aimed to develop: best management practice guidelines for safe PPP use; a common training framework; minimal technical specifications for PPP-container rinsing instruments, filling and cleaning places, sprayers, and other related tools and practices; and a checklist for safe PPP use, aimed at farm managers, contractor sprayers, extension services and other actors. intensive information and education material for farmers and advisers. Results The TOPPS project was successful in achieving its objectives, to develop common European best management practices’(BMP) guidelines and to promote the BMP principals (through advice, training, and demonstrations) towards preventing point source pollution to water. The project is innovative in that it is the first project to develop a strategy for the implementation of sustainable use of PPP on a European level; while multi-stakeholder approaches have been demonstrated with significant reductions in PPP concentrations in water, these demonstrations have occurred in a number of small scale pilot areas throughout Europe (e.g., in the UK, Sweden, Belgium, Germany, and France). The highly innovative aspect of the TOPPS project lies within the way it has been organised, the methodology used and the ambitious goals it set out to reach. BMP guidelines A key result has been the development of the BMPs guidelines to avoid water pollution from point sources on the full range of farmers' working processes: on transport, storage, before spraying, after spraying, and remnant management. The BMPs were developed by more than 300 experts and helped reach a consensus over 15 countries (the guidelines were translated in 12 languages). The BMP is now considered to be a reference guide to avoid point sources. Some national authorities have even taken the BMPs as their official recommendation, such as in Poland. Other main results are the: development of best management practices’ brochures that have been translated in 15 languages; publication of 400 articles, of which 300 were disseminated in the farm press media reaching an estimated 10 million professional users (or 80% of key EU stakeholders and intermediaries); development of an extensive network of PPP experts that is considered to be a significant asset on a European level since agri-environmental advice and best management practices currently have no other European platform; training to over 4 000 farmers and 1 500 advisors; and presentations at 65 fairs and field days (visited by an estimated 2.7 million visitors) and numerous conferences (approximately 30). Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Communication Plan (see "Read more" section).