It was a challenging year for the world’s largest volume exporter of most grades of polyethylene and polypropylene. Weak demand in Asia-Pacific and competition from North America and Asia-Pacific resulted in a drop in Middle East exports of LPDE, EVA, polypropylene homopolymer and propylene copolymers versus the prior year, and, shifts in regional destinations.
Continue readingBrazil was a Commodity Polymer Import Powerhouse in 2024
Imports of nearly all grades of polyethylene, polypropylene, styrenic polymers, PVC and PET were up sharply versus 2023, many grades setting new records. Brazil’s imports of fabricated plastic products also surged to new highs.
Continue readingLatin America’s Commodity Polymer Trade in 2024
Latin America’s trade in commodity polymers in 2024 was characterized by sizable exports of HDPE, polypropylene homopolymer (PP) and uncompounded PVC (PVCU). Latin America was a growth import market for each of the commodity polymers, noting especially both large volumes and large percentage increases on linear/ethylene-alpha-olefin-copolymers (LL/EAOC), HDPE, PP, and PVCU. This series of blogs quantifies imports and exports of the major commodity polymers – LDPE, LL/EAOC, HDPE, EVA, PP, PRC, polystyrene and PVCU – allowing comparisons across the polymers for the geographic regions of Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Africa, North America, Latin America, Middle East and Asia-Pacific.
Continue readingUS Plastic Product Imports Most Likely to be Impacted by the 10% Tariff on China
On February 4, 2025, the US imposed a 10% tariff on imports of all products from China, which included polymers and fabricated plastic products. US imports of polymers from China are small but there are large imports of fabricated plastic products. China countered with tariffs on imports from US of LNG and other products, but not on the large volumes of polymer shipped to China from the US.
Continue readingLNG Trade Between the US and China
As of February 4th, 2025, the US imposed a 10% tariff on all imports from China. Part of China’s response was to levy a 15% tariff on LNG imports from the US, to go into effect February 10th. In 2024, China reported 4.3 million tons of LNG imports from US; the US reported 6.0 million tons of exports to China, a difference of 1.7 million tons.
Continue readingNorth America’s Commodity Polymer Trade in 2024
North America’s trade in commodity polymers in 2024 was characterized by large volume exports of polyethylene, polypropylene, and PVC, and relatively small imports. This series of blogs quantifies imports and exports in 2024 of the major commodity polymers – LDPE, linear/ethylene-alpha-olefin copolymers (LL/EAOC), HDPE, EVA, PP, propylene copolymers (PRC), polystyrene, and PVC – allowing comparisons across the polymers for the geographic regions of Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Africa, North America, Latin America, Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.
Continue readingAfrica’s Commodity Polymer Trade in 2024
Africa’s trade in commodity polymers in 2024 was characterized by relatively small volume exports of HDPE, polypropylene, and PVC. Imports of each of these polymers were substantial and posted gains versus the prior year. This series of blogs quantifies imports and exports in 2024 of the major commodity polymers – LDPE, linear/ethylene-alpha-olefin copolymers (LL/EAOC), HDPE, EVA, PP, propylene copolymers (PRC), polystyrene, and PVC – allowing comparisons across the polymers for the geographic regions of Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Africa, North America, Latin America, Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.
Continue readingEastern Europe’s Commodity Polymer Trade in 2024
Eastern Europe’s trade in commodity polymers in 2024 was characterized by sizable exports of HDPE and polypropylene homopolymer (PP) and the largest volume imports of any region with the exception of Asia-Pacific (and Latin America, for polyethylene). This series of blogs quantifies imports and exports in 2024 of the major commodity polymers – LDPE, linear/ethylene-alpha-olefin copolymers (LL/EAOC), HDPE, EVA, PP, propylene copolymers (PRC), polystyrene, and PVC – allowing comparisons across the polymers for the geographic regions of Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Africa, North America, Latin America, Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.
Continue readingWestern Europe’s Commodity Polymer Trade in 2024
Weak demand, competition in export markets and imports from other regions were reflected in Western Europe’s trade in polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene and PVC in 2024.This series of blogs quantifies each region’s imports and exports in 2024 of the major commodity polymers – LDPE, linear/ethylene-alpha-olefin copolymers (LL/EAOC), HDPE, EVA, PP, propylene copolymers (PRC), polystyrene and PVC – allowing comparisons across the polymers for the geographic regions of Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Africa, North America, Latin America, Middle East and Asia-Pacific.
Continue readingChina’s Trade in Commodity Polymers Has Shifted by 20 million Tons from 2020 to 2024: Imports Have Dropped by 10 million tons; Exports Have Risen by 10 Million Tons.
The changes in China’s trade in polyethylene, polypropylene, styrenic polymers, PVC and PET have profoundly impacted trade flows for both exporting and importing countries.
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