Terephthalic Acid imports from these countries could face tariffs as high as 25.7%, after investigation finds EU industry selling below production costs amid mounting losses
April 10th, 2026 – A new Implementing Regulation approved today by the EU Commission has imposed provisional anti-dumping duties on imports of terephthalic acid, a chemical intermediate that is used primarily in the production of polyethilene terephthalate (PET). PET is a common plastic, employed in bottles, packaging, or films, originating from South Korea and Mexico. The tariffs will apply for six months, until November, and are subject to a security deposit at the point of customs clearance.
Registration of imports, which had been in place since October 2025, is discontinued following the approval of this Regulation. Data will continue to be collected during the registration period will be preserved pending a possible decision on retroactive application.
The provisional duty rates, which are based on the lesser of the dumping margin and injury margin, are as follows:
- South Korea:
- Samnam Petrochemical Co., Ltd., and Hanwha Impact Corporation: 6.2%
- All other imports subject to dumping: 13.7%
- Taekwang Industrial Co. Ltd,: Exempt
- Mexico*
- Alpek (Akra Polyester + Tereftalatos Mexicanos): 25.7%
(*) Alpek, the sole known Mexican exporter, declined to respond to the Commission’s investigation, triggering the use of a higher rate as a punitive measure over non-compliance.
These new duties come following an investigation initiated on 13th August 2025, following a complaint lodged by Belgian producer INEOS Aromatics, which manufactures between 27 and 45% of the acid produced in the EU, on the grounds that dumped imports were causing material injury to EU industries.
Additional notes:
The EU’s terephthalic acid industry has been under intense pressure for at least the last three years. Two production facilities operated by the Indorama group, in Portugal and the Netherlands, were closed in 2023 and 2024 respectively, reducing total EU production capacity by about half over the period. The three remaining producers, meanwhile, have been recording losses in every year of the investigation period, reaching -21% profitability between July 2024 and June 2025, with a negative cash flow that exceeded 200 million euros.
The Commission found price suppression as the primary price effect, as Korean and Mexican import prices were below EU producers’ cost of production throughout the period, forcing EU producers to sell below cost to retain any market share, but without technically undercutting EU selling prices in the investigation period.
