UK Trade Body Recommends Extending Duties on Indian PET Imports to Protect Domestic Industry

In its Statement of Essential Facts published this week, the TRA concluded that removing current anti-subsidy measures would likely lead to a resurgence of subsidised Indian PET imports and pose renewed threats to the UK domestic PET industry.

Despite import volumes from India remaining low during the investigation period—only 24 tonnes in 2023—the TRA emphasized that subsidy programmes identified under previous EU investigations remain in place and are expected to continue.

The review further found that UK PET producers are still vulnerable to market disruption, citing declining sales, reduced production capacity, and underutilised manufacturing facilities as key indicators of ongoing injury risk.

As such, the TRA intends to uphold the current countervailing duty rates ranging from 0% to 13.8% until August 2029.

This countervailing duty is one of the three primary trade remedy tools used by the UK to safeguard domestic industries against unfair trade practices, alongside anti-dumping and safeguard measures. Countervailing measures specifically target imports that benefit from foreign government subsidies and distort fair competition.

The TRA is inviting comments from stakeholders on its findings until June 13, after which a final recommendation will be made to Jonathan Reynolds, the UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade.

Since Brexit, the UK has inherited and is independently reviewing several EU-originated trade remedies to ensure they align with current national interests.

PET, widely used in food-grade packaging such as beverage bottles and containers, remains a critical raw material for both the UK's packaging industry and its broader sustainability goals.

Source: Business Standard, UK trade body urges continuation of duties on Indian PET plastic imports, May 31, 2025.