Dow has successfully obtained Operation Clean Sweep Europe certification for its two major Dutch manufacturing locations in Terneuzen and Dordrecht, becoming the first certified pellet producers in the Netherlands, as well as the first Dow sites in Europe, to achieve this sustainability certification.
It is an important milestone that recognises ‘our continued commitment to driving the transformational change needed to create a more sustainable future for our industry’, noted Marco ten Bruggencate, EMEA commercial vice president for Packaging and Specialty Plastics
According to the company, more European sites will follow shortly: Dow aims to ensure all European sites are certified by the end of 2024.
The OCS Europe third-party certification scheme was developed in consultation with industry experts, trade associations, NGOs, policy makers, and certification bodies. It is designed to ensure and document companies' compliance throughout the entire plastics supply chain, with requirements on preventing the loss of plastic pellets, powders, and flakes to the environment.
Dow has been a longtime partner in Operation Clean Sweep, engaging with the OCS program for years by training employees and value chain stakeholders on the importance of zero-pellet loss operations, finding solutions to potential pellet waste, and consistently initiating projects and improvements focused on minimising pellet loss.
Dow’s facilities outside Europe are also active participants in OCS. Initiatives include education efforts for employees, value chain partners and customers on the awareness and accountability for pellet loss prevention, containment and clean-up. Dow initiatives such as ‘Every Pellet Counts’ - an internal campaign launched in 2023 - have been particularly important in raising awareness of, and finding solutions for plastic loss during the production, loading, transportation, and processing stages of a product lifecycle.