UK-based petrochemical company Ineos plans to file five new anti-dumping duty (ADD) claims to the EU by the end of 2025, aiming to counter "low-cost, high-carbon imports".
Ineos told Argus the five are in addition to three ongoing ADD investigations in which Ineos has since November 2024 been involved in filing complaints, and to two existing ADDs in which Ineos is contributing to seeking an extension or change (see table).
The company gave no further details on countries or, in some cases, specific products in the ADD claims it is preparing. But it said it is also supporting customers with "a growing number of anti-dumping filings" on chemicals that affect Ineos' downstream value chains, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
Imports from the US, Middle East and Asia-Pacific are putting pressure on European chemicals manufacturing, which has high operating costs relative to other regions, Ineos said. It cited data from European Chemical Trade association Cefic showing imports of chemicals from China rose by 8.3pc in the first half of 2025. Ineos singled out the latest EU-US trade deal — a probable reference to the European Commission's proposal to reduce import duties on many chemical products to zero — saying it "gives away what little protection [Europe] had left" against imports from the US.
It also said the commission was not acting quickly or decisively enough. It said the EU's provisional duties on on acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) imports from Taiwan and South Korea was "far too low", and these are failing to prevent imports into the EU.
Most recent Global Trade Tracker (GTT) data for July and August show limited effect, with July imports up by 13pc on the year and August imports down by 4pc. Ineos Styrolution has three ABS plants in Europe: one in Antwerp, Belgium, and two in Germany at Cologne and Ludwigshafen. The three have combined capacity of 490,000 t/yr.
For monoethylene glycol (MEG), Ineos' call relates to a sunset review of ADDs on imports from the US and Saudi Arabia that are due for expiry or renewal in November 2026. For PVC Ineos is seeking an extension or change to ADDs initiated on imports from Egypt and the US in 2024.
The new claims that Ineos is preparing cover products including polyolefins, caustic soda, acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylate (ASA) acetic acid, butyl acetate and polyethylene glycols.
Petrochemical industry bodies have called for more support, and the commission proposed a package of measures in July aiming to address high energy costs, global competition and weak demand. This included a pledge to apply trade defence measures more quickly and expand chemical import monitoring under an existing surveillance task force as part of a support package for the chemicals sector.
Ineos has been an active voice asking for measures to support the industry, including an October call for cuts to taxes and levies on industrial energy in Europe to avert further plant closures.
Citing a commissioned study by Oxford Economics, Ineos said carbon border measures and targeted tariffs can protect European producers from non-European producers that benefit from cheaper or less-regulated energy costs.
| ADD claims that Ineos is involved with or preparing | |
| Product | Current status |
| Cases in preparation to be filed | |
| Polyolefins | N/A |
| Caustic soda | N/A |
| Acrylonitrile styrene acrylate (ASA) | N/A |
| Acetic acid/acetic anhydride/ethyl acetate | N/A |
| Polyethylene glycol/butyl acetate | N/A |
| Current investigation | |
| Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) | Complaint made in November 2024, provisional duties announced in July 2025 |
| Polyterephthalic acid (PTA | Investigation opened in August 2025 on imports from South Korea and Mexico |
| 1,4 butanediol (BDO) | Investigation opened in June 2025 on imports from Saudi Arabia, US, China |
| Change/extension to existing ADD | |
| Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) | Seeking extension/change to ADDs imposed on Egypt/US imports in 2024 |
| Monoethytlene glycol (MEG) | Seeking renewal of ADDs imposed on imports from Saudi Arabia and US in 2021 |
