EuPC’s Pellet & Other Forms of Microplastics Loss Monitoring Survey

Plastic Pellets (OSPAR)
Mass of preformed moulding material, having relatively uniform dimensions, is used as feedstock in plastic product manufacturing operations. Source: EN ISO 472:2013+A1:2018 (modified).

NOTE 1: throughout this document plastic pellets, powders, flakes, and dust, including recycled material, are referred to as “pellets”

a) Plastic powder: fine particulate matter that serves as a feedstock in plastic product manufacturing operations.

b) Plastic flake: small flat-shaped matter with a regular or irregular form that serves as a feedstock in plastic product manufacturing operations or plastic that has been shredded. Plastic flakes can be manufactured or generated through the agglomeration of plastic dust or powder when plastics are processed.

c) Plastic dust: fine particulate matter with irregular form and size, produced when plastics are manufactured, handled, conveyed, machined, or processed.

NOTE 2: Pellets are produced in many colours. Plastic pellets are also known as “granules” or “nurdles” and are normally spherical or lenticular in shape.

NOTE 3: In some countries, plastic can also be termed “resin”.

This survey aims at obtaining reporting from EuPC members and their member companies on the pellet loss in order to evaluate the extent of the emissions throughout Europe at a sectoral level.

As the European Commission announced a new initiative to address the unintentional release of microplastics in the environment with the intended restriction proposal on intentionally added microplastics to products with a reporting obligation on pellet loss at industrial sites as of 31 May 2026, EuPC takes the opportunity to organize this voluntary survey to help its members anticipate the aforementioned requirement. In the long term, this will demonstrate the effectiveness of implementing OCS EU Certification Scheme and potentially influence upcoming measures on “non intentional microplastics”.

Moreover, reporting to trade associations is a condition under the current OCS EU Certification Scheme.

That is why this survey serves 4 purposes:

  1. Informing the company taking pellet loss prevention measures on its progress in emission reduction/minimization and feed its risk mapping, assessment and action plan
  2. Ensure the compliance with OCS EU reporting requirements
  3. Enable to evaluate the actual extent of pellet losses emissions in Europe
  4. Enable to fulfil the upcoming legal obligation that will be foreseen in the intentional microplastics restriction from the European Commission and influence upcoming potential measures on “non intentional microplastics”. We aim to organize this reporting at a sectoral level.

The survey will be open From May 30 to September 15 2023 and a first analysis of aggregated data will take place mid-October 2023.

Here below, you shall find the questions of the survey where companies may fill in information about the outcome of the pellet loss reporting model they used. The annual loss during operation (recurring losses) represents the end result in the bow-tie model (loss per year). The cumulated total of loss incidents comes from the incident reporting template. Those are incidents resulting in a loss to environment of 0,5 or more kg. The total estimated loss should be provided by the companies themselves since some incidents could to a certain extent be considered as part of the loss during operation (recurring losses).

You shall also have the option to upload your pellet loss calculation method and results as a supporting file.

If you would like to use the bowtie model templates, please find them attached alongside the guidance manuals:

This form complies with EU Competition law and PCE undertakes that only staff or consultants duly appointed by PCE will gather and obtain knowledge of the information received from each company supplying data (see enclosed confidentiality statement).

N.B: This survey shall be run on a yearly basis at least until the reporting obligation to the European Chemicals Agency enters into force.

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