PE, PP imports into Europe surge in Jan-Aug period

Data released by Eurostat showed that the European Union’s imports of PE increased 31% on a yearly basis in the January-August period, while PP imports rose 23% on the year with the same terms.

LDPE, LLDPE and HDPE imports climbed to 2.206 million tons in the first eight months of 2016. However, LDPE, LLDPE and HDPE exports decreased 6% to 1.205 million tons in January-August.

Europe’s imports of homo PP injection rose 22% and PP copolymer by 27% to 702,898 tons and 190,962 tons, respectively. On the other hand, exports of homo PP injection were down 8% to 508,976 tons. Co-polymer exports advanced 3.1% to 495,062 tons.

According to polymer buyers, European converters had difficulties in 2015 due to a large number of outages in the summer months of last year and came to rely on imports. Chairman of Polymers for Europe Alliance, Ron Marsh stated that more than 50 force majeure declarations were in place by the end of the summer of 2015.