Monthly Archives: February 2022

Ukraine Exports and Imports Numerous Polymers and Chemicals that Will Likely be Impacted by the Conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Ukraine exports sizable volumes of benzene, caustic soda, propylene monomer and PVC, and, imports polyethylene, polypropylene, liquefied propane and butane gas and PET.

Ukraine’s top export markets include Italy, Poland, Turkey, Czech Rep., Russia and Spain, among others. Russia is Ukraine’s top import source for LDPE, polypropylene, methanol and liquefied propane and butane gas.

This table shows Ukraine’s total exports and imports in 2021 and top trading partners for each:

From International Trader Publications’ World Trade Analyses, continuously updated analysis of trade between countries and regions for each product.

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Trends in United States Exports of Recyclable Polymers

The US exported 557,000 tons of recyclable polymers in 2021, one-third the volume of what was shipped in 2017. In addition to a sharp decline in volume over that period, the distribution of US exports changed. Latin America and Canada now account for a greater share of the total, although Asia-Pacific remains the largest volume destination. Further declines in US exports to Asia-Pacific are likely given the decision by CMA CGM, the US’s largest shipper of these materials, to end shipments as of June 1, 2022.

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Trends in United States’ Trade in Commodity Polymers in 2021

Imports of commodity polymers into the US in 2021 were the highest volume ever reported, 7.0 million tons, an increase of 1 million tons, 16%, from the prior year. The increase in imports, and also the drop in US exports by 15%, to 14.2 million tons, reflected strong domestic demand, US production issues and logistical problems. Demand is likely to continue strong in 2022. New US capacity and the gradual resolution of supply chain issues will likely result in further declines in imports and rising exports.

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