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 4,186,888
Ireland 1,249,242
Netherlands 1,233,893
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 41,784 4,145,104 +4,103,320
Ireland 1,009,958 239,284 -770,674
Netherlands 1,205,839 28,054 -1,177,785
United Arab Emirates 177,918 876,112 +698,194
United Republic of Tanzania 0 406,449 +406,449
Oman 208,721 0 -208,721
Tunisia 86,771 0 -86,771
Bahrain 0 76,190 +76,190
Israel 0 65,258 +65,258
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 4,219,116
Ireland 1,246,295
Netherlands 1,241,199
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 41,784 4,177,332 +4,135,548
Ireland 1,008,052 238,243 -769,809
Netherlands 1,205,839 35,360 -1,170,479
United Arab Emirates 177,918 952,302 +774,384
United Republic of Tanzania 0 406,449 +406,449
Oman 140,004 0 -140,004
Tunisia 86,771 0 -86,771
Colombia 68,717 0 -68,717
Israel 0 65,258 +65,258
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
Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire 2
Greater Manchester 2
Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 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 2 3 +1
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough 2 1 -1
Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire 2 0 -2
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

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) 7,259,873
Roll on Roll off (RORO) 1,471,619
Air transport 91,255
Other 1,906

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) 1,703,357 5,556,516 +3,853,159
Roll on Roll off (RORO) 1,185,805 285,814 -899,991
Air transport 22,302 68,953 +46,651
Other 1,906 0 -1,906

Import volume by port

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

Top 5 values

Port £
Felixstowe 3,666,919
London Gateway Port 1,573,386
Heysham 1,162,613
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 456,370 3,210,549 +2,754,179
London Gateway Port 139,023 1,434,363 +1,295,340
Heysham 986,186 176,427 -809,759
Southampton 35,750 803,020 +767,270
Hull 752,537 0 -752,537
Liverpool Docks 65,033 148,364 +83,331
Immingham Docks 184,138 27,415 -156,723
London 186,090 6,116 -179,974
London Heathrow Airport 15,370 59,506 +44,136
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 9
Waste collection, treatment and disposal activities; materials recovery 4
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
2025-11 2
2025-10 3
2025-09 2
2025-08 3
2025-07 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 8
54m+ 8
0-1m 6
15m-54m 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 £
Spain 11,056,125
France 8,600,890
Netherlands 6,873,579
Turkey 4,045,399
Germany 1,951,068

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 6,039,025 5,017,100 -1,021,925
France 2,287,032 6,313,858 +4,026,826
Netherlands 2,905,506 3,968,073 +1,062,567
Turkey 2,345,821 1,699,578 -646,243
Germany 1,024,187 926,881 -97,306
Indonesia 0 1,637,330 +1,637,330
Ireland 416,998 1,171,792 +754,794
United States 243,795 1,186,797 +943,002
Portugal 107,185 1,314,197 +1,207,012
Slovakia 59,760 1,218,488 +1,158,728

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 193

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 193 0 -193

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) 28,153,429
Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) 17,685,585
Air transport 8,144
Other 193

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) 10,453,995 17,699,434 +7,245,439
Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) 8,329,276 9,356,309 +1,027,033
Air transport 3,066 5,078 +2,012
Other 193 0 -193

Export volume by port

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

Top 5 values

Port £
Dover / Eurotunnel 9,087,724
Immingham Docks 8,987,737
Felixstowe 5,643,276
London 5,045,714
London Gateway Port 3,726,932

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 3,163,301 5,924,423 +2,761,122
Immingham Docks 3,310,759 5,676,978 +2,366,219
Felixstowe 3,426,427 2,216,849 -1,209,578
London 2,236,957 2,808,757 +571,800
London Gateway Port 819,806 2,907,126 +2,087,320
Thamesport 1,355,630 1,481,851 +126,221
Liverpool Docks 866,622 650,947 -215,675
Southampton 484,126 982,301 +498,175
Hull 758,958 385,536 -373,422
Dover 894,099 236,292 -657,807

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