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.

Western Europe exported, to other regions 1.1 -1.4 million tons each of LDPE, LL/EAOC, HDPE, PP, PRC and uncompounded PVC plus smaller volumes of EVA and polystyrene. The largest volume imports into Western Europe from other regions were HDPE, LL/EAOC and PP, each 1.4 – 2.1 million tons, followed by LDPE, PRC, PVCU, polystyrene and EVA.

Most of the gains in Western Europe’s export totals versus the prior year were due to shipments to Eastern Europe, which were higher for each polymer except PP, with a slight decline. Africa was a strong growth destination for Western Europe’s LDPE, general purpose PS and PVCU, shipments up 20-30%. Higher volumes of LL/EAOC, up 22%, were exported to to Asia-Pacific, noting reduced supplies going to that region from both North America and the Middle East. Western Europe’s HDPE exports to Asia-Pacific, however, dropped 21%, as Middle East material to that region increased. Western Europe’s PVC trade was influenced by the imposition of anti-dumping duties on imports from the US, which plummetted, Western Europe’s PVC intra-regional trade expanded and shipments from Western Europe to every region except the Middle East increased.

Western Europe imported large volumes of LDPE, LL/EAOC and HDPE from North America, each up 21-25%. LDPE supplies from the Middle East also were up, by 11%; LL/EAOC volumes were flat; HDPE increased 6%. Imports of polypropylene from Eastern Europe surged on new capacity in Poland. Volumes from Asia-Pacific, mainly South Korea, jumped 28%. Middle East continued at the top PP supplier to the region, but volume was off 5%..

From International Trader Publications continuously updated World Trade Analyses of all grade of commodity polymers.