Understanding Plastics Trade
Plastics are one of the UK’s top ten imports and exports. Each year the UK imports £13bn of plastics material, products and machinery and exports £8.4bn.
The British Plastics Federation has calculated that if no trade deal is established with the EU and WTO tariffs were applied to both imports and exports, it could raise the cost of trade with the UK by £880m.
Trade Flow Analysis
Overall, the UK has a plastics trade deficit of £4.6bn. Breaking the data down into both plastic materials and plastic products, the trend towards a trade deficit continues. In both cases, out of the top 15 countries with which we trade, the UK has a trade deficit with 11 of them.
When it comes to plastics and rubber equipment, the picture differs slightly. Out of the top 15 countries with which we trade, the UK has a trade deficit with only eight.
Regional trade: the numbers
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Priorities for the plastics industry
The BPF has published the following documents, which draw upon member surveys and the biannual BPF Business Conditions Survey as well as other data. These documents provide the government and other stakeholders with the most representative summary available of the UK plastic industry's views.
Understanding Plastics Trade
Plastics are one of the UK’s top ten imports and exports. Each year the UK imports £13bn of plastics material, products and machinery and exports £8.4bn. This document takes an indepth look at plastics' imports and exports.
The Role of EU Workers in the Plastics Industry
This BPF survey was conducted in April 2017 from amongst our members. It provides a unique insight into the role EU workers play in the UK plastics industry and provided much of the data for Strengthening the Workforce.
Strengthening the Workforce
This document highlights the important role EU workers play, including a breakdown of their roles as well as highlighting how the composition of workers varies significantly between temporary and permanent staff.
Securing the Future
This document outlines the four main priorities for the industry in upcoming Brexit negotiations, as well as providing a brief overview of the UK plastics industry.
