EU launches trade investigation into PVC dumping as Korean imports quadruple

THE EUROPEAN Commission has launched investigations into alleged dumping of certain types of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) from China, Mexico, Taiwan and South Korea – the latter of which has more than quadrupled exports of the chemical to Europe. 

Meanwhile, imports from China more than tripled from 25m kg in 2024 to 80m kg last year, according to EU figures. However, the modest increase in the total value of imported Chinese PVC from €178m ($199m) to €213m amounted to just a 20% increase, suggesting a reduction in the unit price of the imported chemical from China. 

By contrast, the value of imported South Korean PVC increased three-fold to €124m in the same period. 

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.