BPF publishes guide to meeting official standard for pellet loss prevention

The British Plastics Federation (BPF) has produced a new guidance document to help companies implement Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 510:2021 — the world’s first standard to help prevent the loss of plastic pellet, flake and powder to the environment. The PAS was developed with the involvement of the Scottish Government, industry, NGOs and investors. It builds upon Operation Clean Sweep (OCS), an international, industry-led initiative to minimise the risk of plastic raw materials accidentally ending up in rivers, waterways and oceans.

The new document is intended to help companies become PAS-compliant, covering all the requirements a company needs to consider, from assigning responsibilities to operational controls and performance evaluation. By implementing the PAS and following the guidance, companies benefit from being able to ensure investors, customers and stakeholders that they have a robust system in place when it comes to handling plastic raw materials. Both PAS 510:2021 and the new accompanying guidance document are free for anyone to use.

If a company already implements an ISO 14001, ISO 45001 or ISO 9001 it will have an environmental, health and safety or quality policy in place. PAS 510:2021 is no different — it involves developing a raw material prevention policy to eliminate raw material losses to the environment. The document provides an example of such a policy that companies can adapt. It also covers organisational responsibilities and how these different responsibilities should be communicated within a company, as well as externally with various stakeholders.

The guidance explains what site areas a risk assessment needs to cover, how often it should be carried out and by whom, with an example risk assessment provided. It also breaks down operational controls into three categories: prevention, containment and clean-up. Staff training and communication resources are included to help with implementing these operational controls, as well as examples of measurable objectives.

An industry case study from Sealed Air (a packaging manufacturer) is also included, which has experienced quantifiable progress in improving the way raw materials are handled on site, and staff training means minimising the risk of material spillages has become a key responsibility for all. The BPF is encouraging other companies that implement PAS 510:2021 to submit details of their process to help create a collaborative platform of shared solutions.

BPF Head of Public & Environmental Affairs Matt Davies states:

Developing the world’s first PAS standard to help prevent plastic raw materials ending up in the environment was something the BPF was very proud to play a key role in. Meeting PAS 510:2021 highlights that your company takes the responsible handling of plastic raw materials seriously. This new guidance is free to access, easy to follow and provides a wide range of resources to help companies meet that standard. It shows exactly what needs to be done to reassure staff, investors and customers that all necessary steps have been taken to minimise the risk of any spillages.   

Companies are being encouraged to sign up to OCS, which the trade organisation manages within the UK. Any organisation that handles plastic raw materials, including ports and logistics companies, for example, can benefit from joining OCS.

Recently, an additional ‘supporter’ role was created for companies and organisations that do not directly handle plastic pellets, flake or powder but would like to help promote the cause. Those that sign up as supporters are provided with resources to help them promote the message of responsibly handling plastic raw materials.

The free guidance, other resources and more information about the OCS supporter role can be found at: www.bpf.co.uk/OCSguidance