The Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025, introduced in both the US Senate and the House of Representatives in April 2025, is currently in committee. Its enactment is far from certain and depends on negotiations toward peace between Russia and Ukraine. Were it to pass, the impact on Russia would be crippling because of the country’s reliance on exports of energy and related products.
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Imports of Nearly All Widely Traded Polymers and Chemicals are NOT Exempt from the New Tariffs Announced by the US on April 2, 2025
The tariff situation is rapidly evolving. The Executive Order announced by the White House on April 2, 2025 to go into effect April 5 imposed a 10% general tariff on nearly all products imported into the US. This was to be followed by additional tariffs that would vary depending on the country. All of these may change as a result of currently ongoing negotiations.
In Annex II to the Executive Order, the White House exempted certain strategic goods. Most organic chemicals, polymers, and fabricated plastic products are not on this list and are not exempt.
Continue readingMost Widely-Traded Petrochemicals and Related Products Will Show Increased Global Trade Volume September 2024 YTD Versus September 2023 YTD
Gains or declines in global trade volume have wide-ranging implications for shippers, producers, marketers and planners.
Continue readingVietnam is a Major Importer of Many Polymers, Chemicals and Related Products
Polyolefins, PTA, liquefied propane gas, soda ash, PVC, MEG, PET and methanol were leading imports, with sizable volumes also of recyclable PE, ABS, polycarbonates and caustic soda.
Continue readingUkraine’s Exports Remained Depressed Through May, 2022, but Imports of Key Chemical Products Picked Up.
The start of the war in February, 2022, severely impacted Ukraine’s trade in chemical and other products. While export volumes remained depressed, imports of many products into Ukraine picked up in May, although not to pre-war levels.
Continue readingUkraine’s Exports Plummet
Ukraine is a sizable exporter of caustic soda, PVC, propylene monomer and polymers of ethylene, among other products. Shipments of all of these dropped sharply in March, the month after Russia’s invasion, and virtually disappeared in April and May.
Continue readingRussia’s Leading Exports and Imports of Polymers, Chemicals and Gases
The war in Ukraine, and with it sanctions and broken supply chains, will likely impact both exports from and imports into Russia of many products.
Continue readingUkraine 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.
Continue readingTurkey’s Imports of Caustic Soda up 66% in 2019, and Continuing to Rise
Turkey imported 563,000 tons of caustic soda in aqueous solution in 2019, up 66% from 2019. With imports through March 2020 totaling 148,000 tons, the upward trend looks to continue.
Continue reading2019 – the Baseline Year Before Covid-19
2019 was a particularly important year as a baseline because it showed trends that were evolving globally before massive dislocations from Covid-19.
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