Import/export HS code 390770: Poly(lactic acid)

A biodegradable plastic used in making packaging and disposable items

Why this is important if you are looking for potential customers in the UK:

  • It helps you understand the market size for your product in the UK.
  • It provides you with a list of potential leads who have bought similar products.

* UK only, last 24 months analysed

Imports by country

What this shows: Import market volume by exporter country into the UK.

Top 5 values

Country £
Netherlands 7,658,674
Belgium 527,361
Switzerland 407,402
South Korea 102,197
Germany 98,073

Countries rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months

What this shows: Countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month volume, right side by second 12-month volume, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.

Top 10 values

Country First 12m £ Second 12m £ Delta £
Netherlands 3,961,807 3,696,867 -264,940
Belgium 349,585 177,776 -171,809
Switzerland 277,573 129,829 -147,744
South Korea 22,994 79,203 +56,209
Germany 47,400 50,673 +3,273
Ireland 69,212 12,954 -56,258
China 27,821 8,294 -19,527
United States 4,546 22,367 +17,821
Denmark 20,301 936 -19,365
Canada 16,549 0 -16,549

Imports by country of origin

What this shows: Import volume by production origin country. Differences from exporter-country data can indicate re-export routes.

Top 5 values

Origin £
United States 6,719,880
Netherlands 625,949
Thailand 418,077
Switzerland 407,402
Belgium 322,989

Country of origin rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months

What this shows: Origin countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month import value, right side by second 12-month import value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.

Top 10 values

Origin First 12m £ Second 12m £ Delta £
United States 3,531,782 3,188,098 -343,684
Netherlands 399,551 226,398 -173,153
Thailand 62,397 355,680 +293,283
Switzerland 277,573 129,829 -147,744
Belgium 219,531 103,458 -116,073
Germany 119,714 27,486 -92,228
South Korea 22,994 79,203 +56,209
China 44,469 34,246 -10,223
Ireland 69,212 0 -69,212
Denmark 20,301 936 -19,365

Importers across UK regions

What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.

Top 5 values

UK region Companies
Essex 3
East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire 2
North Somerset, Somerset and Dorset 2
Shropshire and Staffordshire 2
West Yorkshire 2

UK regions rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months

What this shows: UK regions are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month importer count, right side by second 12-month importer count, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.

Top 10 values

UK region First 12m Second 12m Delta
Essex 0 3 +3
East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire 1 2 +1
North Somerset, Somerset and Dorset 2 2 +0
Shropshire and Staffordshire 1 2 +1
West Yorkshire 2 0 -2
Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 1 1 +0
Greater Manchester 1 0 -1
Inner London - West 1 1 +0
Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire 0 1 +1
Mid and South West Wales 1 1 +0

Import volume by transport

What this shows: Import value by transport mode used to bring goods into the UK.

Top 5 values

Transport £
Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) 5,103,148
Roll on Roll off (RORO) 2,900,239
Air transport 862,572
Road transport 69,312
Other 67,232

Transport rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months

What this shows: Transport modes are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month import value, right side by second 12-month import value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.

Top 10 values

Transport First 12m £ Second 12m £ Delta £
Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) 3,028,431 2,074,717 -953,714
Roll on Roll off (RORO) 1,171,246 1,728,993 +557,747
Air transport 511,185 351,387 -159,798
Road transport 69,312 0 -69,312
Other 30,264 36,968 +6,704

Import volume by port

What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.

Top 5 values

Port £
Blyth Harbour 3,138,418
Grangemouth Docks 1,458,801
Hull 1,332,269
Middlesbrough 686,172
East Midlands Airport 635,338

Port rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months

What this shows: Ports are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month import value, right side by second 12-month import value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.

Top 10 values

Port First 12m £ Second 12m £ Delta £
Blyth Harbour 2,583,354 555,064 -2,028,290
Grangemouth Docks 169,144 1,289,657 +1,120,513
Hull 763,125 569,144 -193,981
Middlesbrough 0 686,172 +686,172
East Midlands Airport 397,742 237,596 -160,146
Immingham Docks 120,285 227,343 +107,058
Felixstowe 132,378 193,009 +60,631
Thamesport 75,442 129,829 +54,387
Purfleet 120,508 59,538 -60,970
ZLC 101,451 0 -101,451

Importer companies by SIC division

What this shows: Industry breakdown (SIC divisions) of importing companies.

Top 5 values

SIC Companies
Manufacture of rubber and plastic products 5
Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products 3
Architectural and engineering activities; technical testing and analysis 2
Fishing and aquaculture 2
Other manufacturing 2

Importer companies over time

What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.

Latest 5

Month Companies
2026-01 4
2025-11 3
2025-10 5
2025-09 4
2025-08 3

Top importers

What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.

Importer company size by revenue band

What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.

Top 5 values

Revenue Companies
54m+ 13
1m-15m 7
0-1m 1
Other 1

Import seasonality

What this shows: Average monthly import pattern from historical data.

Exports by country

What this shows: Export market volume by destination country from the UK.

Top 5 values

Country £
Belgium 432,844
Netherlands 26,852
Turkey 21,380
United States 19,701
Poland 18,794

Export countries rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months

What this shows: Destination countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export volume, right side by second 12-month export volume, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.

Top 10 values

Country First 12m £ Second 12m £ Delta £
Belgium 178,857 253,987 +75,130
Netherlands 13,905 12,947 -958
Turkey 2,815 18,565 +15,750
United States 14,649 5,052 -9,597
Poland 4,905 13,889 +8,984
Indonesia 1,836 11,927 +10,091
Germany 9,655 3,898 -5,757
Italy 10,490 0 -10,490
Georgia 9,100 0 -9,100
Pakistan 6,477 0 -6,477

Export volume by transport

What this shows: Export value by transport mode used to ship goods from the UK.

Top 5 values

Transport £
Roll on Roll off (RORO) 342,940
Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) 196,972
Air transport 60,453

Export transport rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months

What this shows: Transport modes are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export value, right side by second 12-month export value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.

Top 10 values

Transport First 12m £ Second 12m £ Delta £
Roll on Roll off (RORO) 134,461 208,479 +74,018
Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) 86,095 110,877 +24,782
Air transport 47,899 12,554 -35,345

Export volume by port

What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.

Top 5 values

Port £
Immingham Docks 319,564
Dover / Eurotunnel 144,248
Middlesbrough 32,735
East Midlands Airport 32,346
London Heathrow Airport 15,594

Export port rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months

What this shows: Ports are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export value, right side by second 12-month export value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.

Top 10 values

Port First 12m £ Second 12m £ Delta £
Immingham Docks 155,277 164,287 +9,010
Dover / Eurotunnel 32,535 111,713 +79,178
Middlesbrough 17,545 15,190 -2,355
East Midlands Airport 28,448 3,898 -24,550
London Heathrow Airport 12,836 2,758 -10,078
London Gateway Port 0 11,927 +11,927
Felixstowe 6,477 2,122 -4,355
Harwich 0 8,459 +8,459
ZLC 3,869 3,692 -177
London 6,035 0 -6,035

Quick facts

HS code: 390770

Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months

Description: A biodegradable plastic used in making packaging and disposable items