The China Plastics Processing Industry Association (CPPIA, Beijing; www.cppia.com.cn) has become the 18th global trade association to sign on to “Operation Clean Sweep” (OCS, www.opcleansweep.org), signatories of which undertake to battle marine debris by promoting the goal of zero pellet loss. The Chinese group joined the initiative – which is a product stewardship programme of SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association (Washington DC / USA; www.plasticsindustry.org) and the American Chemistry Council (ACC, Washington DC; www.americanchemistry.com) – ahead of the recent “Chinaplas” industry fair (www.chinaplasonline.com), held in late May in Guangzhou / China (see Plasteurope.com of 29.05.2015).

CPPIA first started considering participation in OCS in 2012 and after SPI had the licensing agreement translated into Mandarin followed through with signing up. Its membership means the association will promote OCS’ goals among its own members and throughout China. Commenting on CPPIA’s decision to join, SPI senior vice president of Industry Affairs Patty Long said, “Keeping plastic resin pellets out of our oceans and reducing the amount of plastic in the ocean overall will take international collaboration and commitment, and CPPIA’s participation in OCS is a crucial piece of that puzzle.”