Operation Clean Sweep® came about as a voluntary initiative to help organizations deal with plastic spills and losses in various forms - pellets, powder and flakes - by providing a set of essential recommendations for reducing these microplastics in the environment.
The loss of these plastic granules is the second largest source of primary microplastics in the environment and can occur at all stages of the value chain, despite the application of current environmental, safety and quality management controls.
Published in 2022, with the first audits in 2023, the OCS certification standard was developed by the association of European Plastics Converters (EuPC) and PlasticsEurope, the association of plastics manufacturers in Europe.
By signing the European OCS Commitment, organizations recognize the importance of preventing spills in the environment and make it a priority in their strategy. To this end, they must implement the six actions recommended by the program:
- Improve workplace layout to prevent spills;
- Create and publish internal procedures to achieve zero pellet loss targets;
- Provide training for employees and make them responsible for preventing, containing, cleaning up and eliminating spills;
- Regularly audit performance;
- Comply with all applicable regulations (local, national and EU) regarding containment and control in the management of microplastics;
- Encourage partners to adopt the same objectives.
The standard applies to all facilities handling plastic in grain orpellet form, including the production, storage and use stages, as well as transportation and logistics. In addition to the essential requirements of the OCS standard, each stage of the value chain has an additional module of specific requirements.
Certification process
- Pre-audit (optional): possibility to identify the strengths and potential for improvement of your management system before the audit.
- Audit: assessment of compliance with the requirements of the OCS standard
- Certificate and Publication in the OCS Public Register: after a positive assessment, APCER issues the OCS certificate and publishes it in the Operation Clean Sweep public register. The certificate is valid for 3 years
- Follow-up audits: annual audits to assess the ongoing effectiveness of the management system.
- Renewal audit: before the end of the certificate period, the organization is subject to a renewal audit to ensure continued compliance with the requirements of the standard. Once compliance has been assessed, a new certificate is issued.
APCER is an OCS certification partner in Portugal.
