Editor’s note: This is a developing story.
US President Donald Trump has expanded tariffs to include PET resin as of Sept. 8, according to a new executive order. The move drew comment from the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) because of its expected impact on imported resin, but added uncertainty to the market.
Resin imported under the 3907.61.00 and 3907.69.00 harmonized tariff system (HTS) codes was already subject to a 6.5% duty but now faces a higher tariff, though the rate has not been confirmed.
Recycled PET does not have a separate HTS code, so the tariffs will apply to recycled resin as well as virgin PET. It was not immediately clear whether the tariffs are in addition to the existing duty and at what rate they would be levied.
“The Commerce Department today ended the exemption for PET and rPET imports from reciprocal tariffs,” said Steve Alexander, CEO of APR, in a statement. “US PET recyclers are under heavy pressure from a surge of low-cost imported material and an oversupply of virgin plastic—pressures compounded by brands abandoning recycled content commitments in favor of virgin plastic and choosing imported rPET rather than sourcing from domestic recyclers.
“APR will continue to work with state and federal policymakers to create further incentives for brands and manufacturers to use recycled plastics sourced from North American programs to ensure that U.S. recycling capacity grows and delivers on its promise to reduce plastic pollution and curb the production of new plastic,” Alexander said.
The plastics division of the American Chemistry Council declined to comment. The Plastics Industry Association did not respond to a request for comment.
James Derrico, vice president of new business at distributor CellMark told Resource Recycling, “We’re not 100% sure it will actually go into effect, but as of right now we’re operating as if it will. So we’re momentarily holding off on shipments while we determine who will be responsible for the tariff in the transactions.
“We’re not thinking it will have a major effect on the market, but it’s very hard to say, as PET is already fairly weak.”
The White House made the announcement via executive order, the latest step in a months-long dispute that has fueled global uncertainty and shifted trade alliances. Imports have caused concern within the recycling sector since 2024. Buyers have opted for competitively priced imported resin while domestic stakeholders have looked for ways to quantify the impact. Imports of PET resin into the US during January through July rose by 6.4% on the year, according to data from the International Trade Commission (ITC), to 975,420 metric tons.
Only 11 countries supplied about 90% of the year-to-date PET imports, according to the data. Of those 11, the nine countries affected by the tariffs are listed below in descending order of volumes supplied to the US this year, with their country-specific tariff rate as defined in a July 31 executive order. Canada and Mexico are not included in the most recent tariffs.
- Taiwan: 20%
- South Korea: 15%
- Thailand: 19%
- Pakistan: 19%
- Vietnam: 20%
- India: 25%
- Japan: 15%
- Malaysia: 19%
- Indonesia: 19%
A version of this story appeared in Plastics Recycling Update on Sept. 8.
