Key facts
- The UK's Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) has launched an anti-dumping investigation into US LLDPE imports.
- The probe was initiated following a complaint by Ineos Olefins & Polymers UK, the sole UK producer of LLDPE.
- Ineos alleges that US-origin LLDPE is being sold in the UK at dumped prices, causing injury to the domestic industry.
- The dumping probe covers the 2025 calendar year, with injury assessment from 2022 to 2025.
- UK LLDPE imports from the US increased to 102,400t in 2025.
The UK's Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) has initiated an anti-dumping investigation into imports of linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) from the United States. This action follows a complaint lodged by Ineos Olefins and Polymers UK, the sole domestic producer of LLDPE.
The investigation, which commenced on July 1, aims to determine if US-origin LLDPE has been sold in the UK at dumped prices, thereby causing injury to the UK's domestic industry. Ineos alleges that US export prices are lower than their normal value, leading to detrimental effects on the UK market, including reduced sales, loss of market share, weaker pricing, decreased profitability, withdrawn investment, and job losses.
The dumping probe specifically covers the period from January 1 to December 31, 2025, while the assessment of injury to the domestic industry spans from January 1, 2022, to December 31, 2025. According to Global Trade Tracker data, UK imports of LLDPE from the US reached 102,400 tonnes in 2025, an increase from 81,100 tonnes in 2024 and 50,000 tonnes in 2023.
Ineos stated that US exporting producers are undercutting UK pricing and exerting consistent downward pressure on prices, creating a "race to the bottom." The company noted that prices in the US domestic market remain stable and are, on average, 40-50% higher than in the UK. Ineos's UK LLDPE plant operated at limited runs, equivalent to 25-40% operating rates in 2025. The company received a support package valued at £120 million ($159.4 million) from the UK government in December 2025, intended to provide basic funding for operations over the next five years. However, Ineos warned that failure to address the dumping issue could jeopardize the future of its LLDPE plant and the associated steam cracker in Grangemouth.
LLDPE is a versatile plastic widely used in packaging films and other flexible applications. Interested parties have until July 16 to register for the investigation. The TRA plans to issue questionnaires on July 24, with responses due by August 24. Verification work is scheduled for September and October. The TRA indicated that provisional measures, which could require importers to provide guarantees against potential anti-dumping duties, might be proposed between October and December if sufficient evidence of dumping and injury is found. Preliminary findings are anticipated in February 2027, with a final recommendation to the secretary of state for business and trade expected in June 2027.