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 | 7,538,114 |
| Belgium | 482,268 |
| Switzerland | 395,929 |
| Thailand | 156,239 |
| South Korea | 155,808 |
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 | 4,089,988 | 3,448,126 | -641,862 |
| Belgium | 355,677 | 126,591 | -229,086 |
| Switzerland | 200,150 | 195,779 | -4,371 |
| Thailand | 0 | 156,239 | +156,239 |
| South Korea | 36,193 | 119,615 | +83,422 |
| Germany | 37,001 | 55,613 | +18,612 |
| Ireland | 69,212 | 12,954 | -56,258 |
| China | 19,572 | 32,441 | +12,869 |
| United States | 3,307 | 22,311 | +19,004 |
| Denmark | 20,301 | 936 | -19,365 |
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 | 6,538,904 |
| Netherlands | 704,226 |
| Thailand | 605,951 |
| Switzerland | 395,929 |
| Belgium | 294,114 |
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 | 3,784,094 | 2,754,810 | -1,029,284 |
| Netherlands | 335,803 | 368,423 | +32,620 |
| Thailand | 46,645 | 559,306 | +512,661 |
| Switzerland | 200,150 | 195,779 | -4,371 |
| Belgium | 226,913 | 67,201 | -159,712 |
| South Korea | 36,193 | 120,558 | +84,365 |
| Germany | 84,200 | 30,183 | -54,017 |
| China | 27,251 | 58,393 | +31,142 |
| 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 | 4 |
| East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire | 2 |
| Greater Manchester | 2 |
| North Somerset, Somerset and Dorset | 2 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 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 | 4 | +4 |
| East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire | 2 | 2 | +0 |
| Greater Manchester | 2 | 0 | -2 |
| North Somerset, Somerset and Dorset | 2 | 2 | +0 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| West Yorkshire | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Cumbria | 0 | 1 | +1 |
| Eastern Scotland | 0 | 1 | +1 |
| Inner London - West | 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) | 5,074,978 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 2,915,689 |
| Air transport | 1,014,625 |
| Other | 36,968 |
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) | 2,936,949 | 2,138,029 | -798,920 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 1,441,253 | 1,474,436 | +33,183 |
| Air transport | 460,537 | 554,088 | +93,551 |
| Other | 18,080 | 18,888 | +808 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Grangemouth Docks | 2,399,888 |
| Blyth Harbour | 2,136,144 |
| Middlesbrough | 1,009,270 |
| Hull | 995,911 |
| East Midlands Airport | 735,887 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grangemouth Docks | 517,112 | 1,882,776 | +1,365,664 |
| Blyth Harbour | 2,136,144 | 0 | -2,136,144 |
| Middlesbrough | 156,751 | 852,519 | +695,768 |
| Hull | 847,483 | 148,428 | -699,055 |
| East Midlands Airport | 342,802 | 393,085 | +50,283 |
| Immingham Docks | 209,502 | 153,465 | -56,037 |
| Felixstowe | 96,029 | 223,461 | +127,432 |
| Thamesport | 68,142 | 197,001 | +128,859 |
| Purfleet | 123,872 | 44,035 | -79,837 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 13,457 | 133,708 | +120,251 |
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
|
4 |
|
Other manufacturing
|
3 |
|
Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles
|
3 |
|
Architectural and engineering activities; technical testing and analysis
|
2 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-05 | 7 |
| 2026-04 | 2 |
| 2026-03 | 5 |
| 2026-02 | 7 |
| 2026-01 | 4 |
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 | 8 |
| Other | 3 |
| 0-1m | 2 |
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 | 512,228 |
| Poland | 26,636 |
| Netherlands | 24,568 |
| Turkey | 21,380 |
| Indonesia | 13,763 |
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 | 243,803 | 268,425 | +24,622 |
| Poland | 11,163 | 15,473 | +4,310 |
| Netherlands | 20,080 | 4,488 | -15,592 |
| Turkey | 9,073 | 12,307 | +3,234 |
| Indonesia | 13,763 | 0 | -13,763 |
| Germany | 2,972 | 10,560 | +7,588 |
| United States | 7,949 | 3,206 | -4,743 |
| Georgia | 9,100 | 0 | -9,100 |
| Italy | 4,734 | 908 | -3,826 |
| Romania | 4,405 | 0 | -4,405 |
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) | 380,782 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 233,344 |
| Air transport | 51,474 |
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) | 206,040 | 174,742 | -31,298 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 100,849 | 132,495 | +31,646 |
| Air transport | 32,916 | 18,558 | -14,358 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Immingham Docks | 404,098 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 146,242 |
| Middlesbrough | 28,180 |
| East Midlands Airport | 17,220 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 16,594 |
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 | 174,816 | 229,282 | +54,466 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 98,792 | 47,450 | -51,342 |
| Middlesbrough | 12,895 | 15,285 | +2,390 |
| East Midlands Airport | 12,219 | 5,001 | -7,218 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 14,429 | 2,165 | -12,264 |
| London Gateway Port | 11,927 | 0 | -11,927 |
| London Stansted Airport | 1,146 | 8,953 | +7,807 |
| Killingholme | 0 | 9,928 | +9,928 |
| Harwich | 8,459 | 0 | -8,459 |
| ZLC | 5,122 | 2,439 | -2,683 |
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