While high environmental, safety and quality management controls are applied throughout the plastics industry, unintentional pellet loss can occur at different value chain stages and end up in waters and on land, harming the environment, animals and more.
Pellet loss is the second-largest source of primary microplastics in the marine environment. As the plastics industry has direct control over pellet loss, Plastics Europe and European Plastics Converters (EuPC) have launched this European certification scheme integrated with Operation Clean Sweep® (OCS).
The OCS program helps companies tackle pellet leakage by providing key recommendations based on six pillars:
- Improving workplace configuration to prevent and respond to leaks
- Establishing internal procedures to achieve zero loss of plastic materials
- Providing training and accountability for employees
- Conducting regular audits
- Ensuring compliance with the law
- Raising awareness among value chain partners
By signing the European OCS pledge, your facility can incorporate plastic-loss prevention into its strategy. As an approved OCS Europe Certification Body, we provide third-party audits, which, when passed, award your facility the OCS Europe certificate and a listing on the OCS Europe public register of certified companies.
Benefit from OCS certification
OCS certification validates your commitment to environmental responsibility and sustainability reporting strategy.
Implementing the OCS program in your facility enables you to:
- Contribute to water quality and wildlife preservation
- Comply with state regulations
- Ensure effective safety and housekeeping programs
- Safeguard employee safety
- Improve operational efficiency
- Enhance profits
- Secure your reputation in the community
Independent OCS audits from an approved certification body
As the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company, with vast technical competence in the plastics industry, we offer independent, third-party OCS Europe-accredited audits. Our global, multi-disciplinary network of experts will help your company ensure compliance with requirements on the prevention of plastic pellets, powders and flake loss.
FAQ
Operation Clean Sweep® (OCS) is a free voluntary program to improve awareness, promote best practices and provide guidance and tools to support companies across the plastics value chain in implementing pellet-loss prevention measures.
This external audit verifies your adherence to the OCS pledge and applies to any pellet-handling facility across Europe, including material suppliers, warehouses and distributors, service providers, trucking and railroad companies, and processors and converters.
Stage A: we provide a tailored proposal for acceptance before the audit process begins.
Stage B: we perform the first part of the audit – a documentation review to check if your system complies with the OCS requirements.
Stage C: we perform the second part of the audit – on-site to confirm OCS implementation. Discussions with employees ensure processes align with the requirements and documentation. Our audit results are presented, including strengths, weaknesses, nonconformities and opportunities for improvement. If nonconformities are found, you have 30 days to submit a corrective action plan for our assessment.
Stage D: annual surveillance audits are conducted over a three-year certification cycle to verify that initial certification conditions are maintained and to ensure continuous improvement through your action plan.
Stage E: every three years, a recertification audit is performed on-site to verify that the conditions for the initial certificate are still met.
The scheme has created numerous tools, such as a manual and checklists, in different languages to assist companies in implementing OCS and creating effective pellet containment measures.