Progress Operation Clean Sweep at RENOLIT
We are pleased to announce that our plants in Worms and Frankenthal are the first German sites to receive Operation Clean Sweep (OCS) certification! Our Spanish plant in Villatuerta has also achieved this important certification. All three plants were certified in 2024. This means we are making an important contribution to environmental protection and minimizing the risk of microplastics in the environment.
Operation Clean Sweep is an international program of the plastics industry to prevent pellet, flake and powder losses into the environment. It is a voluntary initiative that supports companies in optimizing their processes and taking measures to minimize the leakage of plastic pellets during production, transport and storage. The aim of OCS is to prevent the pollution of water and soil by plastic particles and thus contribute to the protection of the environment and the oceans.
As part of the preparations for certification, potential for improvement was identified at all three sites and appropriate measures introduced.
Examples from the Worms plant:
- Extrusion: At a water outlet in the extrusion area, a grid was installed over the entire inlet of the wastewater channel to minimize loss into the wastewater. The filter and the surrounding area are cleaned regularly.
- PVC silos: The PVC silos in plants A and B are inspected daily (including at weekends) in order to detect leaks as early as possible. A wet vacuum cleaner was also procured to completely eliminate any leaks.
Examples from the Frankenthal plant:
- Optimization of downpipe: The geometry of a downpipe in the mixer level was optimized to prevent plastic mixture from escaping when filling the extruder.
- Swivel mixer conversion: The enclosure of a swivel mixer was converted from a grid to a closed sheet metal cage in order to reduce the escape of plastic powder.
The certification of each site is valid until 2027, until then annual monitoring audits will take place. The status of the measures and the condition of the plant premises will be checked. Any non-conformities must be rectified.
The audit for Worms and Frankenthal was carried out by AJA Registrars Germany GmbH from Speyer.
Even though OCS certification is currently voluntary, the EU Commission has decided to implement binding regulations for European plastics companies in the future. These will require measures to prevent plastic losses. With OCS certification, we are well prepared for these future requirements.
We are proud of the commitment of our employees who have made this success possible!
