The EU has imposed definitive anti-dumping duties on imports of terephthalic acid from South Korea and Mexico, with rates ranging from 6.1% to 24.1%.
Imports from South Korea will face duties of between 6.1% and 13.3%, while imports from Mexico will be subject to a 24.1% duty, the European Commission announced in a statement on Monday.
The measures follow an investigation that found terephthalic acid from the two countries was entering the EU at “dumped” prices, meaning the products were being sold in the bloc below their normal value.
The investigation found the imports were causing injury to the EU’s own terephthalic acid industry, which directly employs around 600 people in Belgium, Poland and Spain.
The EU market for terephthalic acid is worth about €1.4 billion.
What terephthalic acid is used for
Terephthalic acid is a raw material used to produce polyethylene terephthalate, commonly known as PET, the Commission said.
PET is used to make plastic bottles, food packaging and fabrics.
Details of the definitive measures were published in an implementing regulation.
