EU launches trade investigation into PVC dumping as Chinese imports increase 10-fold

THE EUROPEAN Commission has launched investigations into alleged dumping of certain types of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) from Mexico, Taiwan, South Korea and China - the latter of which exported 12 times the amount of PVC to Europe in 2025 than in the previous year.

According to EU figures, the absolute quantity of primary PVC imported from China increased from 4.7 kt in 2024 to 55.6 kt in 2025. Meanwhile, imports from Taiwan increased five-fold from 10.6 kt in 2024 to 53 kt last year. South Korea exported 153 kt to Europe in 2025, more than four times the ammount supplied the previous year. 

In total, PVC imports more than doubled from across the four countries to 171.5 kt in 2025 at a value of €296m  - up from €139m the previous year.

The EU has come under pressure from European chemical manufacturers to tackle alleged dumping, particularly from China, which has been partly blamed for a run of plant closures across Europe in recent years. The EU currently has 72 ongoing dumping investigations, all but five of which are into chemicals, materials or metals, and 48 of which involve China. 

Announcing the move last week, the EU specified its investigation will only look at PVC polymerised through suspension or bulk polymerisation, and it will not include emulsion-based products. At the same time, the bloc announced it will also investigate acetylsalicylic acid from China and some cellulose ethers from China and South Korea.

The PVC investigation was welcomed by Ineos, whose Inovyn division is a major player in the European PVC industry, as an “important first step”. However, CEO Steve Dossett urged the trade measures “to move at the speed of today’s market distortions, not years after the damage has been done.

“Europe is becoming increasingly dependent on imported chemicals while its own industry struggles to compete.”

Overall, imports of organic chemicals from China have increased steadily over the past decade, from 1.9m t in 2016 to 4.3m t in 2025. Over the same period, the import value has increased from €7.6bn to €26bn.

The original version of this article reported EU trade figures for all "polymers of vinyl chloride or of other halogenated olefins in primary forms". It was updated on 26/10/26 to instead report figures specifically for "polyvinyl chloride in primary forms not mixed with any other substances" to more accurately reflect the products subject to the EU's investigation.