PAS 510:2021

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What is PAS 510:2021 about?

Plastic pellets, flakes, and powders (collectively referred to in this PAS as pellets) are the raw materials used to make a wide variety of plastic products, including mouldings, pipes, and packaging.

With current handling and management practices, pellets can be lost to the environment at every stage of the supply chain, including road transport, shipping, and storage. Once in the environment, pellets, along with other types of microplastics, are known to be eaten by a range of animals including fish and seabirds, and to cause harm.

Building on the groundwork of Operation Clean Sweep®, PAS 510:2021 is designed to help companies achieve and maintain zero plastic pellet loss across their pellet handling operations.

Who is PAS 510:2021 for?

• Any organization of any size in any part of the supply chain that handles pellets, including:

  • Raw material manufacturers

  • Distributors

  • Storage facilities

  • Recyclers

  • Transporters

  • Plastics processors

• Any company handling materials of similar properties and dimensions that might pose a pollution risk

• Anyone buying, selling, or using plastic materials and products, as well as anyone investing in companies that do so

This PAS is intended to be internationally applicable.

What does PAS 510:2021 cover?

It gives requirements for the handling and management of plastic pellets, flakes, and powders throughout the supply chain to prevent spills, leaks, and loss to the environment.

PAS 510:2021 covers:

a)         Organizational responsibilities

b)        Leadership and commitment

c)         Competence, training, and awareness

d)        Risk assessment of pellet loss to the environment

e)        Operational controls:

                                 i.      Prevention, containment, and clean-up

                                ii.      Procurement and suppliers

f)          Internal and external communication

g)         Performance evaluation:

                                 i.      Monitoring and documentation

                                ii.      Auditing and verification of conformity

h)        Improvement:

                                 i.      Internal and external non-conformity and corrective action

                                ii.      Continual improvement

Why should you use PAS 510:2021?

• It can help companies achieve and maintain zero plastic pellet loss across their pellet handling operations
• It can help organizations assure their customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders that the organization has a disciplined, systematic process for handling and managing plastic pellets and is complying with good practices in preventing pellet loss
• It supports the European Commission’s strategy for plastic and the European Union’s Circular Economy Action Plan
• It creates a standardized and consistent approach to risk management and containment of pellets
• It can help investors ensure that actions to prevent plastic pellet pollution are being implemented at all stages in their supply chains