Italy’s polymer imports march to record highs in H1
Homo PP imports up, copolymers down marginally from H1 2018
Italy imported 6% more homo-PP in the first half of 2019 than last year. PP copolymer imports volumes, however, were slightly lower by around 2% over the same period of last year.
Imports of HDPE, LDPE inch up
HDPE imports during the January-June period indicated a year-on-year increase of around 5%. Imports of LDPE also inched up during the same period, tacking on a 4% rise over the first half of last year. Imports of both grades showed the strongest half-year performance in almost two decades, as data from ChemOrbis Import Statistics suggest.
LLDPE imports ease, metallocene jumps by a quarter in H1
Meanwhile, LLDPE imports were slightly down by 2% on a yearly basis, unlike other PE grades.
Metallocene-based LLDPE imports, however, became the best performer among the PE grades covered by ChemOrbis Imports Statistics, increasing by almost a quarter over the same period of last year .
HDPE, LLDPE imports from US notch an eye-catching and impactful increase
In the first half, the US entered the lists of top-10 suppliers and stood up to be the 7th largest exporter to Italy. Having imported only 9 thousand tons of HDPE in the full year of 2018, Italy bought more than 20 thousand tons of HDPE from the US only in the first quarter.
The increase in LLDPE imports is also notable. LLDPE imports from the US gained speed particularly after March with overall imports in H1 reaching the double of imports recorded over the course of 2018, which pushed the US to the 8th place in the top-10 supplier list so far this year.
Styrenic imports track different paths
In the first half of 2019, PS imports in Italy were 14% higher from a year ago period. On the other hand, ABS imports decreased by around 7% from last year and stood at their lowest levels since 2016.
PET bottle imports soar 16% y-o-y
PET imports soared by 16% year-on-year in the first 6 months of the year, marking the highest first-half total in 19 years, according to ChemOrbis data.
To track Italy’s imports by product, please click here and by country click here (For members only)
More free plastics news
Plastic resin (PP, LDPE, LLDPE ,HDPE, PVC, GPS; HIPS, PET, ABS) prices, polymer market trends, and more...- March hints at further hikes in European PP, PE markets
- India’s PVC market dips to new lows on Taiwan’s March cuts, players seek signs of bottom
- Q1 turnarounds uplift Mid-East PP, PE markets in February; will it spill over to March?
- SE Asia’s indefinite PE shutdowns: A market in crisis as demand woes threaten survival
- Türkiye’s PPH markets perform better than copolymers in February
- Margin recovery priorities outweigh supply imbalances in European PVC markets
- Asian PVC demand stagnant; recovery hopes shift to end of Q1
- Tough slog in S Korea’s petchem industry spells disappointing 2024 financial results; will government's recent plan help weather the storm?
- China’s PP, PE markets face post-holiday supply surge and tepid demand
- A tug-of-war unfolds in Türkiye as PVC demand struggles against rising costs