The Trade Remedies Authority has recommended putting a new trade remedy measure in place to protect part of the UK’s plastics industry from harm caused by low-priced imported plastics from America.
The product is SPVC, used for items as diverse as water pipes, window frames, food packaging and inmedical products such as blood storage bags. In 2022, the UK used around 450,000 metric tonnes of SPVC in a UK market worth up to £700m.
After investigation, the TRA found that imports of US-made SPVC were undercutting the UK market by an average of almost 27%, squeezing the UK industry with downward price pressure from dumped US SPVC, forcing reduced prices to levels it claims are unsustainable.
The TRA also found that an anti-dumping measure on imports of SPVC from the US would allow the UK industry to compete fairly, enable it to operate closer to its full capacity and potentially increase its productivity.
The provisional proposed duty amount is 38.43%-56.01%, with the cooperating US exporter that submitted relevant data receiving lower rates than other exporters which did not cooperate.
TRA Chief Executive Oliver Griffiths said: “Our provisional finding is that SPVC from the US is being dumped in the UK and that this is injuring domestic producers. Our publication today demonstrates how interested parties that cooperate in our investigations by sharing key data can receive a lower duty compared with those that do not.”
