Import/export HS code 39159020: Plastic waste from PET
Recyclable plastic scraps made from polyethylene terephthalate, often used for bottles
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| China | 4,258,791 |
| Ireland | 1,267,436 |
| Netherlands | 1,155,172 |
| United Arab Emirates | 1,054,030 |
| United Republic of Tanzania | 406,449 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 264,756 | 3,994,035 | +3,729,279 |
| Ireland | 991,420 | 276,016 | -715,404 |
| Netherlands | 1,127,118 | 28,054 | -1,099,064 |
| United Arab Emirates | 177,918 | 876,112 | +698,194 |
| United Republic of Tanzania | 0 | 406,449 | +406,449 |
| Oman | 208,721 | 0 | -208,721 |
| Bahrain | 76,190 | 0 | -76,190 |
| Israel | 0 | 65,258 | +65,258 |
| Tunisia | 58,899 | 0 | -58,899 |
| Italy | 46,767 | 0 | -46,767 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| China | 4,291,019 |
| Ireland | 1,264,906 |
| Netherlands | 1,179,731 |
| United Arab Emirates | 1,130,220 |
| United Republic of Tanzania | 406,449 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 264,756 | 4,026,263 | +3,761,507 |
| Ireland | 989,931 | 274,975 | -714,956 |
| Netherlands | 1,127,118 | 52,613 | -1,074,505 |
| United Arab Emirates | 254,108 | 876,112 | +622,004 |
| United Republic of Tanzania | 0 | 406,449 | +406,449 |
| Oman | 140,004 | 0 | -140,004 |
| Colombia | 68,717 | 0 | -68,717 |
| Israel | 0 | 65,258 | +65,258 |
| Tunisia | 58,899 | 0 | -58,899 |
| Bangladesh | 46,767 | 0 | -46,767 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 5 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 3 |
| Greater Manchester | 2 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 1 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 1 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 3 | 2 | -1 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 2 | 1 | -1 |
| Greater Manchester | 2 | 0 | -2 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| Cheshire | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 0 | 1 | +1 |
| Inner London - West | 0 | 1 | +1 |
| Kent | 0 | 1 | +1 |
| Lincolnshire | 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) | 7,303,904 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 1,431,269 |
| Air transport | 84,323 |
| Other | 1,489 |
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) | 1,973,010 | 5,330,894 | +3,357,884 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 1,091,470 | 339,799 | -751,671 |
| Air transport | 17,007 | 67,316 | +50,309 |
| Other | 1,489 | 0 | -1,489 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 3,677,354 |
| London Gateway Port | 1,573,386 |
| Heysham | 1,175,460 |
| Southampton | 838,770 |
| Hull | 752,537 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 598,984 | 3,078,370 | +2,479,386 |
| London Gateway Port | 139,023 | 1,434,363 | +1,295,340 |
| Heysham | 971,800 | 203,660 | -768,140 |
| Southampton | 111,940 | 726,830 | +614,890 |
| Hull | 752,537 | 0 | -752,537 |
| Liverpool Docks | 68,230 | 147,759 | +79,529 |
| Immingham Docks | 179,713 | 27,415 | -152,298 |
| London | 186,090 | 6,116 | -179,974 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 17,007 | 57,869 | +40,862 |
| Dover | 46,767 | 0 | -46,767 |
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 | 8 |
| Waste collection, treatment and disposal activities; materials recovery | 5 |
| Remediation activities and other waste management services. | 2 |
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 2 |
| Architectural and engineering activities; technical testing and analysis | 1 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 2 |
| 2025-11 | 2 |
| 2025-10 | 3 |
| 2025-09 | 2 |
| 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 |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 9 |
| 54m+ | 7 |
| 0-1m | 6 |
| 15m-54m | 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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Spain | 10,476,521 |
| France | 8,797,791 |
| Netherlands | 6,902,179 |
| Turkey | 3,848,402 |
| Germany | 1,869,070 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 6,514,879 | 3,961,642 | -2,553,237 |
| France | 3,011,691 | 5,786,100 | +2,774,409 |
| Netherlands | 3,232,499 | 3,669,680 | +437,181 |
| Turkey | 2,187,273 | 1,661,129 | -526,144 |
| Germany | 928,206 | 940,864 | +12,658 |
| Indonesia | 17,634 | 1,619,696 | +1,602,062 |
| Ireland | 442,823 | 1,132,671 | +689,848 |
| Portugal | 228,853 | 1,242,900 | +1,014,047 |
| United States | 984,427 | 446,165 | -538,262 |
| Slovakia | 128,769 | 1,149,479 | +1,020,710 |
Exports by country of origin
What this shows: Export volume by production origin country. For re-exports, indicates where goods originated before UK export.
Top 5 values
| Origin | £ |
|---|---|
| XI | 81 |
Export origin countries 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 export value, right side by second 12-month export value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Origin | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| XI | 81 | 0 | -81 |
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) | 28,612,587 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 16,690,495 |
| Air transport | 8,144 |
| Other | 81 |
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) | 12,186,030 | 16,426,557 | +4,240,527 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 9,233,560 | 7,456,935 | -1,776,625 |
| Air transport | 3,066 | 5,078 | +2,012 |
| Other | 81 | 0 | -81 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 9,219,246 |
| Immingham Docks | 9,093,679 |
| Felixstowe | 5,358,158 |
| London | 5,028,472 |
| London Gateway Port | 3,813,308 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 3,632,180 | 5,587,066 | +1,954,886 |
| Immingham Docks | 3,884,180 | 5,209,499 | +1,325,319 |
| Felixstowe | 3,156,515 | 2,201,643 | -954,872 |
| London | 2,478,999 | 2,549,473 | +70,474 |
| London Gateway Port | 1,344,613 | 2,468,695 | +1,124,082 |
| Thamesport | 2,081,842 | 749,584 | -1,332,258 |
| Southampton | 828,234 | 637,745 | -190,489 |
| Liverpool Docks | 705,419 | 649,452 | -55,967 |
| Hull | 909,449 | 211,738 | -697,711 |
| Heysham | 215,002 | 777,102 | +562,100 |
Quick facts
HS code: 39159020
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Recyclable plastic scraps made from polyethylene terephthalate, often used for bottles