The volume of PE film/sheet traded globally increased by 2.6 million tons from 2015 to 2025. Imports into every region grew, as did trade within each region. Shipments by Asia-Pacific and Eastern European suppliers surged. Trade flows in 2026 will be impacted heavily by the ongoing Middle East conflict.

PE film/sheet is widely used in food and consumer goods packaging, shipping, construction, agriculture and industry. It is the largest end use for polyethylene, followed by PE bags and sacks, that can be identified in trade by a universal Harmonized System code.

Although PE film/sheet in grocery bags has been restricted in many countries, its use in other applications has grown (Towards Packaging).

The ITP Indicator of global trade showed increased volume each year from 2015 to 2025 except 2023, because of tariff disputes between US and China that year.

Imports into Western Europe, the world’s largest importing region, nearly doubled over the ten-year period. Film/sheet was sourced mainly from Eastern Europe, followed by Asia-Pacific and Middle East.

Exports from Asia-Pacific more than tripled over the period, product shipped globally. Exports from Eastern Europe rose sharply, mainly on higher volumes to Western Europe. Exports from Western Europe were flat.

Asia-Pacific PE film/sheet exports are expected to drop in 2026 because of the region’s reliance on raw materials from the Middle East. (Coface: Petrochemicals: Asian producers are the most vulnerable to unrest in the Middle East.)

Also adding to the growth in the global trade total over the period was increased trade within each region, noting especially Western Europe and Asia-Pacific. Asia-Pacific intra-regional trade will also likely drop in 2026.

From International Trader Publications’ Polyethylene Film/Sheet World Trade Analysis, a continuously updated analysis of global trade based on the latest statistics from all reporting countries.