Global trade in recyclable PE contracted slighlly in 2024, to 2.9 million tons, off 1% from 2023. This followed a 3% decline in 2023 versus 2022. Turkey was the world’s largest importer of recyclable PE; imports picked up in 2024 as the average price fell.

Throughout 2020 to 2024 global trade in recyclable polyethylene was less than 5% of the volume of virgin polymer trade, and showed an inverse relationship. Virgin polymer trade (all PE grades) slowed in 2020 and 2021 during Covid, then slowly climbed, reaching 71.7 million tons in 2024. Trade in recyclable PE climbed in 2021 and 2022, but then contracted, down to 2.9 million tons in 2024.

Turkey is a large importer of virgin PE. Volume increased from 2020 to 2023; eased slightly in 2024, to 2.4 million tons. Average import prices peaked in 2023 at $1578/ton, dropped to $1200/ton in 2023 and steadied around that level in 2024.

Turkey is the world’s largest importer of recyclable PE, which comes mainly from other European countries, plus Iraq. RPE volume slowed in 2022 and 2023 then rebounded 16% in 2024, to 450,000 tons. The average price of RPE trended downward in 2023 and 2024, falling to $234/ton.

From International Trader Publications’ World Trade Analyses, continuously updated analyses of global trade in all grades of virgin polyethylene and also recyclable polyethylene.