Extrusion International 3-2024-USA

32 Extrusion International 3/2024 32 INDUSTRY NEWS 2023 Global Impact Report Released  Ahead of the UN Global Plastic Pollution Treaty meetings taking place at INC-4 in Ottawa, Canada, the Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) and the American Chem- istry Council (ACC) are releasing the 2023 Operation Clean Sweep ® (OCS) Global Impact Report. OCS, an in- dustry-led program that supports companies towards their goal of zero plastic resin loss in operations, is co-led by both organizations. The report highlights how OCS is advancing resin loss prevention strategies across more than 60 coun- tries, ranging from growth in indus- try participation to increases in rigor and transparency through data re- porting and external inspections. The report also spotlights the more than 20 plastic and chemical associa- tions OCS partners with to operate its programs internationally. “As the Operation Clean Sweep continues to grow with more than 5,000 global members, the plas- tics industry remains dedicated to keeping pre-production plas- tic out of our environment,” said PLASTICS President and CEO Matt Seaholm. “The release of this re- port underscores our commitment to that goal while increasing trans- parency and ensuring accountabil- ity as we work to keep more plastic in the circular economy.” “Plastic resin is the building block for everyday products,” said Ross Eisenberg, President of America’s Plastic Makers ® , a di- vision of ACC. “We are working hard so resins continue delivering the benefits that make modern life possible while embracing practices to help keep them out of our envi- ronment.” Highlights from the 2023 OCS Global Impact Report include: • The global OCS member count reached more than 5,000 with more than 300 new companies joining OCS. • Three OCS programs launched external inspection programs: OCS Europe, OCS Turkey, and OCS Blue in the U.S., representing more than 50 countries. • More than 50 countries across Europe implemented data report- ing. • Plastic manufacturers who re- ported in 2022 represent more than 50% of the U.S. production capacity for plastic resin in that year. To read the full report: https://opcleansweep.org /about/ocs-annual-report/ Statement on ABC News’ Operation Clean Sweep Claims  The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS)  issued the following statement in response to ABC News’ piece published April 26, 2024. The following statement can be attrib- uted to Patrick Krieger, Vice Presi- dent of Sustainability for the Plastics Industry Association:  “This ABC News report falsely implies that the plastic industry is not supportive of an international agreement to end plastic waste in the environment – nothing could be further from the truth. Our in- dustry has been engaged in the UN negotiations throughout the entire process of the INC with a goal of achieving a collaborative, robust in- ternational agreement that will put us on the path to ending plastic pol- lution worldwide. Our industry cre- ated Operation Clean Sweep (OCS) to support the prevention of plastic loss from facilities and the supply chain. The OCS Malaysia program was recently launched in 2023 and we continue to work to grow the program’s adoption and impact. After being informed of this circum- stance, we reached out to our local program partners and this facility to provide technical assistance and in- terventions to improve their opera- tions. In the United States, our OCS third-party verification program in - cludes visual inspection of outfalls and fence line, and our goal is to broaden adoption of that program internationally. The plastic industry remains committed to our sustain- ability goals and we want to col- laborate to find workable solutions to achieve them. Operation Clean Sweep exists to help companies im- prove their own practices to achieve these goals and our industry is ea- ger to broaden this program to en- sure these are carried out globally.” Operation Clean Sweep was founded by the Plastics Industry As- sociation in 1991 and is managed in partnership with the American Chemistry Council’s Plastics Division. The industry-led program is dedi- cated 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 the full plastics val- ue chain, ranging from companies making and distributing plastic, to transportation companies moving plastic, and processors manufactur- ing final products. The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) www.plasticsindustry.org Patrick Krieger