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 8,136,563
Belgium 540,342
Switzerland 444,326
Germany 105,132
South Korea 102,197

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 4,254,077 3,882,486 -371,591
Belgium 254,329 286,013 +31,684
Switzerland 314,497 129,829 -184,668
Germany 54,459 50,673 -3,786
South Korea 22,994 79,203 +56,209
Ireland 69,212 12,954 -56,258
United States 16,107 22,367 +6,260
China 28,839 8,294 -20,545
Denmark 16,417 4,820 -11,597
Canada 0 16,549 +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 7,176,074
Netherlands 663,807
Switzerland 444,326
Thailand 421,484
Belgium 324,108

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 3,730,149 3,445,925 -284,224
Netherlands 437,409 226,398 -211,011
Switzerland 314,497 129,829 -184,668
Thailand 65,804 355,680 +289,876
Belgium 181,595 142,513 -39,082
Germany 117,103 41,009 -76,094
South Korea 22,994 79,203 +56,209
China 45,487 34,246 -11,241
Ireland 69,212 0 -69,212
Denmark 16,417 4,820 -11,597

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 1 2 +1
West Yorkshire 2 0 -2
Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 1 1 +0
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) 5,383,745
Roll on Roll off (RORO) 3,116,637
Air transport 913,009
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) 3,069,265 2,314,480 -754,785
Roll on Roll off (RORO) 1,313,118 1,803,519 +490,401
Air transport 561,622 351,387 -210,235
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 3,414,043
Grangemouth Docks 1,458,801
Hull 1,384,278
Middlesbrough 686,172
East Midlands Airport 684,757

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 2,688,343 725,700 -1,962,643
Grangemouth Docks 169,144 1,289,657 +1,120,513
Hull 815,134 569,144 -245,990
Middlesbrough 0 686,172 +686,172
East Midlands Airport 447,161 237,596 -209,565
Immingham Docks 188,655 266,398 +77,743
Felixstowe 122,367 207,992 +85,625
Thamesport 75,442 129,829 +54,387
Purfleet 64,307 128,720 +64,413
Dover / Eurotunnel 130,441 0 -130,441

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
Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles 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
2026-01 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+ 14
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 162,392 270,452 +108,060
Netherlands 13,905 12,947 -958
Turkey 2,815 18,565 +15,750
United States 14,649 5,052 -9,597
Poland 2,984 15,810 +12,826
Germany 14,284 3,898 -10,386
Indonesia 1,836 11,927 +10,091
Italy 5,756 4,734 -1,022
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) 347,569
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) 125,312 222,257 +96,945
Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) 76,753 120,219 +43,466
Air transport 45,292 15,161 -30,131

Export volume by port

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

Top 5 values

Port £
Immingham Docks 319,564
Dover / Eurotunnel 148,877
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 143,564 176,000 +32,436
Dover / Eurotunnel 30,509 118,368 +87,859
Middlesbrough 12,793 19,942 +7,149
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 1,262 6,299 +5,037
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