WASHINGTON, D.C. (SEPT. 27, 2023) — The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) and the American Chemistry Council (ACC) are excited to announce the launch of Operation Clean Sweep® (OCS) Blue Verification, a new program designed to further the plastics industry’s goal of keeping plastic in use and out of the environment. The launch of OCS Blue Verification brings a new level of rigor and transparency to the more than 500 facilities in the U.S. under the OCS Blue program through an external, facility-level inspection program.

Operation Clean Sweep was founded by the Plastics Industry Association in 1991 and is managed in partnership with the American Chemistry Council’s Plastics Division. The industry-led program is dedicated to helping companies move toward zero plastic resin loss and is active in more than 60 countries worldwide. OCS members in the U.S. represent a diversity of the plastics value chain, ranging from companies making and distributing plastic, to transportation companies moving plastic, and processors manufacturing final products.

“Preventing pre-production plastic from entering the environment is a top priority for PLASTICS’ members and the entire industry,” said PLASTICS President and CEO Matt Seaholm. “OCS Blue Verification underscores this commitment and ensures all OCS Blue members are held to rigorous management practices while working towards a future where all plastic remains in the circular economy.”

“America’s plastic makers have led the charge to be good stewards in resin and pellet management,” said America’s Plastic Makers President Ross Eisenberg. “We are taking significant measures to increase transparency and knowledge sharing that will lead to safer, cleaner communities in the U.S. and abroad.”

OCS Blue’s required management practices demonstrate significant leadership in industry-led, voluntary stewardship to protect the environment, preserve water quality and wildlife, and strengthen worker safety.  OCS Blue Verification is a new mandatory requirement for all material suppliers and processors in OCS Blue and is uniquely available to OCS Blue members in the U.S.

To become OCS Blue Verified, a facility must demonstrate that it has successfully implemented 29 required management practices ranging from robust risk assessments to comprehensive employee training and data reporting. OCS Blue Verification inspections will be conducted by trained and approved OCS Blue Verifiers that meet eligibility requirements. The first verification cycle extends through the end of 2025 and continues every three years moving forward.

PLASTICS and ACC encourage resin producers, converters, shippers, distributors and recyclers – anyone who handles plastic resins – and credentialed press to register for a webinar on OCS Blue Verification to be held on Oct. 25, 1-2 p.m. ET, and reach out to ocs@plasticsindustry.org for additional information and to join OCS Blue.

The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) is the only organization that supports the entire plastics supply chain, including Equipment Suppliers, Material Suppliers, Processors, and Recyclers, representing over one million workers in our $548 billion U.S. industry. PLASTICS advances the priorities of our members who are dedicated to investing in technologies that improve capabilities and advances in recycling and sustainability and providing essential products that allow for the protection and safety of our lives. Since 1937, PLASTICS has been working to make its members, and the seventh largest U.S. manufacturing industry, more globally competitive while supporting circularity through educational initiatives, industry-leading insights and events, convening opportunities and policy advocacy, including the largest plastics trade show in the Americas, NPE2024: The Plastics Show.

The American Chemistry Council’s Plastics Division represents America’s Plastic Makers^SM plus the half million+ scientists, engineers, technicians, and other innovators who make plastics for many essential and lifesaving products that are vital to modern life. America’s Plastic Makers continue to embrace change. We’re linking innovation with sustainability, deploying next generation technologies to make plastics lighter, stronger, more efficient and more recyclable, so we can meet our goal for 100% of U.S. plastic packaging to be reused, recycled, or recovered by 2040. We’re making sustainable change to help build a cleaner, safer, more sustainable future for generations to come.