What the Prevented Ocean Plastic™ logo means

Prevented Ocean PlasticTM is a recycled plastic programme

designed to support the collection and recycling of plastic from coastal communities at risk of ocean pollution through investment in and development of collection and recycling infrastructure, defined sourcing and traceability requirements across the supply chain, and the supply of traceable recycled plastic material for use in new products and packaging.

The Prevented Ocean PlasticTM programme exists to ensure that:

  • Plastic is recycled before it reaches the ocean.
  • Recycling is carried out in an established, quality-controlled and traceable supply chain.
  • Traceable recycled plastic material is supplied to brands and manufacturers for use in new products and packaging.

What does the Prevented Ocean Plastic™ logo mean:

Whenever you see the Prevented Ocean Plastic™ logo on packaging, this means

  • This product uses packaging that is sourced from a manufacturer that uses Prevented Ocean Plastic™
  • One or more of the product’s packaging components includes a minimum of 30% Prevented Ocean Plastic™ post-consumer recycled content (PCR)
  • In certain parts of the world where the label is used, the actual or minimum percentage of Prevented Ocean Plastic material must be clearly communicated as part of the approved label treatment.

Prevented Ocean Plastic™ material:

  • We work, either in partnership or by investment in infrastructure, in locations, countries and regions where independent data tells us there is an ocean plastic pollution problem.
  • 80% of the plastic polluting our oceans comes from land-based sources in developing coastal communities. This is where Prevented Ocean Plastic™ work.
  • Inspired by academic study, Prevented Ocean Plastic is material collected from regions which fulfil four criteria:
    • The area lacks proper waste management infrastructure and collection incentives.
    • The infrastructure is being overwhelmed by population growth and/or increased tourism.
    • There is a significant risk to wildlife and biodiversity if plastic contaminates their ecosystem.
    • It is found within 50km (30mi) distance of an ocean coastline or major waterway that feeds into the ocean.
  • To be considered Prevented Ocean Plastic, each four of the criteria must be true at the same time.

  • Prevented Ocean Plastic™ does not use mass-balance or credit-allocation methodologies for use of our label.
    Claims relate to physical POP material used in the relevant product or packaging.

Sources: Jambeck,J.R., Andrady, A., Geyer R., Narayan, R., Perryman, M., Siegler, T Wilcox, c., Lavender Law, K., (201s). Plastic waste inputs from land into the., ocean, Science, 347, p. 768-m. (1)

What does the Prevented Ocean Plastic™ programme do to ensure due diligence to such a claim?

  • In order to substantiate the claim of Prevented Ocean Plastic™ in line with the two requirements outlined above, the Prevented Ocean Plastic™ programme uses traceability and audit trail documentation in line with industry best-practice. Standards are used to underpin this traceability and each shipment of material is traceable back to original collection centre, situated within the geographical distance requirement above.
  • The POP Standards were developed through several rounds of external stakeholder engagement. The 2022 consultation on the Recycler Standards involved 80 individuals from 70 companies, including retail customers and labour-standard experts. Further stakeholder and worker consultation was carried out during development of the Collection & Aggregation Centre Standards in 2024. The Standards are aligned with the Ethical Trading Initiative Base Code, and informed by the ISEAL Code of Good Practice and the Responsible Sourcing Initiative framework developed by The Circulate Initiative. The Standards were also piloted with Control Union, which continues to support their independent verification and implementation.
  • Prevented Ocean Plastic™ works with material users, such as packaging manufacturers, to ensure that material procured is delivered with full sight of traceability, but also that material is controlled and segregated through the manufacturer’s own production processes to maintain traceability. In this way, subsequent users of packaging containing Prevented Ocean Plastic™ at the stipulated rates of inclusion are afforded use of the Prevented Ocean Plastic™ claim and logo.
  • Only organisations that have a formal License Agreement with the Prevented Ocean Plastic™ Licensing Team may use the logo and claim. Unauthorised display is prohibited and will be treated as a trademark infringement.
  • The Prevented Ocean Plastic™ team works with adopters, including packaging manufacturers, brands and retailers, to ensure that the Prevented Ocean Plastic™ programme is described accurately and fairly, whilst also maintaining traceability of the programme, i.e. establish practices to ensure that the logo and the claim are only used in instances where Prevented Ocean Plastic™ is present, as per the above requirements. The Programme includes requirements covering sourcing, collection, recycling, traceability and responsible supply-chain practices.
  • Collection centres and recyclers are subject to programme requirements and independent third-party verification and monitoring.
  • Commercial users of the label must hold an authorised Brand Licence and comply with the current Brand Guidelines.
  • Prevented Ocean Plastic may request supporting information to substantiate claims made using our label and may require corrective action, suspend use or withdraw permission where the requirements are not met.

Prevented Ocean Plastic™ has prevented over 80,000 tonnes of plastic from entering the ocean, the equivalent of more than 4 billion bottles:

  • The equivalent number of bottles prevented from entering the ocean is calculated by dividing the total volume of material running through the Prevented Ocean Plastic™ programme by the relevant average weight.
  • As part of our ongoing due diligence to substantiate and qualify these claims, the Prevented Ocean Plastic™ programme will routinely review bottle weights within the network by conducting weighing exercises of typical material deposited at a Prevented Ocean Plastic™ Collection Centre.
  • These weighing exercises will be conducted every 3 years.
  • Sample material to be reflective of typical material running through the Prevented Ocean Plastic™ programme, segregated into different colour streams without the presence of caps and labels.
  • If average bottle weights show to have changed, adopters will be notified with updated calculations advising when new weights take effect. For any volumes previously procured, these remain under any previous average weight calculations, to avoid misleading or misrepresenting the number of bottles prevented.

Disclaimer

All information correct as of June 2026.

Bantam Materials UK Ltd. has taken all reasonable efforts, both in itself and in its dealings with third parties, to ensure that consumers are provided with accurate, transparent and complete information in relation to the Prevented Ocean Plastic™ programme.

The Prevented Ocean Plastic™ team makes this information available to Prevented Ocean Plastic™ adopters so that they can in turn fairly and accurately describe the programme in any of their activities.

When adapted by the end-user, compliance to all applicable legislation and regulations, inclusive of the Green Claims Code or equivalents, remains the responsibility of the end-user.

The Prevented Ocean Plastic™ team cannot accept responsibility for an adopter mis-representing the information contained in our guidelines in any of their activities.