The impact of EU counter-tariffs on the US plastics industry

The Plastics Industry Association has released an analysis examining the potential impact of the European Union’s proposed retaliatory tariffs on the US plastics industry. In response to the 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imposed by the US on 12 March 2025, the European Union has proposed countermeasures that include resin and plastic products. In this regard, the European Commission has launched a call for information until 26 March.

The European Commission has identified 1,708 products for possible countermeasures, including 60 resin and plastic products at the 8-digit EU Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) level. When matched to the corresponding 6-digit US HTS codes, the proposed EU tariffs are estimated to impact 5.9 billion dollars in US plastics resin and product exports to the EU, based on 2024 export values.

Based on the 4.3 billion dollars in US imports of the above resin and plastic products from the EU in 2024, the European Commission’s proposed countermeasures put a potential 1.6 billion dollars US trade surplus at risk in 2025. While the European Commission has not included plastic equipment and molds in its proposed countermeasures, US plastics equipment and mold makers that use steel and aluminum imported from the EU are already affected by the US tariffs.