Goal 14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.
We believe plastic waste is a significant global challenge and it is unacceptable for it to enter our rivers and oceans. LyondellBasell is committed to helping eliminate plastic waste in the environment and is proud to participate in initiatives across our industry and wider value chain that address this concern through the reduction, recycling, reuse and repurposing of plastic waste.
Launched in January 2019, LyondellBasell was one of the driving forces behind the formation of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW), the first global, cross-value chain initiative dedicated to eliminating plastic waste in the environment. The 45+ companies in AEPW have committed $1.5 billion through 2023 to develop, accelerate and deploy solutions, catalyze public and private investment, and engage communities to help end plastic waste in the environment.
We are also a member of Operation Clean Sweep ® (OCS), the plastics industry initiative aimed at preventing pellet loss. In 2018, we committed to the American Chemistry Council’s (ACC) OCS Blue program, which requires members to demonstrate an enhanced commitment to managing and reporting pellet loss. We developed OCS best practice guidance and incorporated it into our Operational Excellence management system, requiring all sites across the globe to evaluate operations and reduce accidental releases and report discharge, spillage or escape of pellets from production or transportation equipment.
We manage water in accordance with permitted limits for discharge destination and water quality, and our Operational Excellence systems support ongoing compliance. Many of our larger sites operate their own wastewater treatment facilities, which allows for increased control over our water efficiency and quality of our discharges.
One successful project launched as a result is the inspection of railcars returned to our manufacturing sites from customers to identify discharge caps left open after unloading. This information is documented along with the details of the most recent trip record for that railcar, including customer information. Our sales and logistics team uses this data to communicate with internal and external customers to raise awareness and drive improvement.