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 8,054,961
Belgium 514,685
Switzerland 404,040
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 4,251,829 3,803,132 -448,697
Belgium 328,901 185,784 -143,117
Switzerland 208,261 195,779 -12,482
Thailand 0 156,239 +156,239
South Korea 36,193 119,615 +83,422
Germany 70,303 53,892 -16,411
Ireland 69,212 12,954 -56,258
China 27,821 21,161 -6,660
United States 5,650 21,263 +15,613
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 7,052,314
Netherlands 683,832
Thailand 623,443
Switzerland 404,040
Belgium 313,325

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 3,878,142 3,174,172 -703,970
Netherlands 378,151 305,681 -72,470
Thailand 55,237 568,206 +512,969
Switzerland 208,261 195,779 -12,482
Belgium 198,493 114,832 -83,661
South Korea 36,193 120,558 +84,365
Germany 107,186 29,354 -77,832
China 35,500 47,113 +11,613
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
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 3 +3
East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire 1 2 +1
Greater Manchester 2 0 -2
North Somerset, Somerset and Dorset 2 2 +0
Shropshire and Staffordshire 2 1 -1
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) 5,388,870
Roll on Roll off (RORO) 3,183,447
Air transport 989,931
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) 3,313,316 2,075,554 -1,237,762
Roll on Roll off (RORO) 1,178,412 2,005,035 +826,623
Air transport 502,925 487,006 -15,919
Other 48,344 18,888 -29,456

Import volume by port

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

Top 5 values

Port £
Blyth Harbour 2,581,643
Grangemouth Docks 2,243,560
Hull 1,276,006
Middlesbrough 953,883
East Midlands Airport 711,619

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 2,528,015 53,628 -2,474,387
Grangemouth Docks 517,112 1,726,448 +1,209,336
Hull 765,575 510,431 -255,144
Middlesbrough 0 953,883 +953,883
East Midlands Airport 383,739 327,880 -55,859
Immingham Docks 120,285 255,709 +135,424
Felixstowe 128,156 223,461 +95,305
Thamesport 68,142 195,779 +127,637
Purfleet 126,392 55,597 -70,795
London Heathrow Airport 13,457 132,660 +119,203

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
Architectural and engineering activities; technical testing and analysis 2
Fishing and aquaculture 2

Importer companies over time

What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.

Latest 5

Month Companies
2026-04 2
2026-03 5
2026-02 7
2026-01 4
2025-12 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 8
0-1m 2
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 520,374
Netherlands 26,852
Poland 22,725
Turkey 21,380
Germany 16,378

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 223,274 297,100 +73,826
Netherlands 13,905 12,947 -958
Poland 11,163 11,562 +399
Turkey 4,008 17,372 +13,364
Germany 9,655 6,723 -2,932
United States 12,451 2,206 -10,245
Indonesia 1,836 11,927 +10,091
Georgia 9,100 0 -9,100
Italy 4,734 0 -4,734
Romania 0 4,405 +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) 391,741
Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) 227,996
Air transport 59,422

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) 169,866 221,875 +52,009
Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) 88,922 139,074 +50,152
Air transport 45,701 13,721 -31,980

Export volume by port

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

Top 5 values

Port £
Immingham Docks 403,718
Dover / Eurotunnel 141,423
Middlesbrough 36,706
East Midlands Airport 30,127
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 185,213 218,505 +33,292
Dover / Eurotunnel 49,870 91,553 +41,683
Middlesbrough 21,421 15,285 -6,136
East Midlands Airport 23,404 6,723 -16,681
London Heathrow Airport 14,429 1,165 -13,264
London Gateway Port 0 11,927 +11,927
Killingholme 0 9,928 +9,928
Harwich 0 8,459 +8,459
ZLC 5,122 2,439 -2,683
London Stansted Airport 2,746 3,394 +648

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