PLASTICS Considers Impact of EU’s Response to US Steel and Aluminum Tariffs
The organization plans to analyze further developments and share insights with its members and the broader U.S. plastics industry as more information becomes available.
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The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) has released an official , authored by Chief Economist Dr. Perc Pineda, examining the potential impact of the European Union’s proposed retaliatory tariffs on the U.S. plastics industry.
According to Pineda, in response to the 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imposed by the U.S. on March 12, 2025, the European Union (EU) has proposed countermeasures that include resin and plastic products. As part of this process, the European Commission launched an information-gathering notice under Regulation (EU) No. 354/2014 regarding the new U.S. tariffs and potential EU rebalancing measures. The notice, which opened on March 12, 2025, allowed stakeholders to submit input only until March 26, 2025.
“The European Commission has identified 1,708 products for possible countermeasures, including 60 resin and plastic products at the 8-digit EU Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) level,” Pineda says. “When matched to the corresponding 6-digit U.S. HTS codes, the proposed EU tariffs are estimated to impact $5.9 billion in U.S. plastics resin and product exports to the EU, based on 2024 export values.”
Based on the $4.3 billion in U.S. imports of the above resin and plastic products from the EU in 2024, the European Commission’s proposed countermeasures put a potential $1.6 billion U.S. trade surplus from 2024 at risk in 2025. While the European Commission has not included plastic equipment and molds in its proposed countermeasures, U.S. plastics equipment and moldmakers that use steel and aluminum imported from the EU are already affected by the U.S. tariffs, Pineda says.
Pineda says the group will continue to monitor global trade dynamics and countries’ responses to shifts in U.S. trade and tariffs, particularly as they impact the plastics industry supply chain. The organization will analyze further developments and share insights with its members and the broader U.S. plastics industry as more information becomes available.
PLASTICS supports the entire plastics supply chain, including equipment suppliers, material suppliers, processors and recyclers — representing over one million workers in the $519 billion U.S. industry. The organization says it advances the priorities of its members who are dedicated to investing in technologies that improve capabilities and advances in recycling and sustainability, and providing essential products that enable for the protection and safety of lives.
Since 1937, PLASTICS has been working to make its members, and the eighth largest U.S. manufacturing industry, more globally competitive while supporting circularity through educational initiatives, industry-leading insights and events, convening opportunities and policy advocacy, including the largest plastics trade show in the Americas, NPE: The Plastics Show.