PET imports to the United States from certain countries have increased over the past four years. This has impacted the recycling industry, according to the U.S. PET Coalition.
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a lightweight, transparent, and 100% recyclable plastic in the polyester family. Its high strength makes it ideal for manufacturing water or soda bottles, food containers, and textile fibers known as polyester.
PET Imports to the United States
According to the Coalition, access to discounted inputs derived from sanctioned Russian oil, the displacement of local production by Chinese overcapacity, and foreign efforts to build circular economies without focusing on creating a domestic market have generated a flood of discounted PET in the U.S. market.
Such actions, policies, and practices are taking place in Vietnam, Thailand, South Korea, Taiwan, India, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Additionally, they are also occurring in other countries such as Pakistan, Turkey, Nigeria, Colombia, and Honduras.
Combined PET exports from these 12 economies to the United States rose from 702,000 tons in 2021 to 1,136,000 tons in 2025. This represents an increase of nearly 62% over four years.
According to the Coalition, PET imports from these economies—which have surged in recent years at extremely low prices due to structural overcapacity, excess production, and widespread trade-distorting policies—have harmed U.S. companies and workers.
Recycling Industry
In 2025, the United States imported $1.815 billion worth of PET, a year-over-year decline of 5.5%. Its main supplier was Mexico, with $365 million. It was followed by Taiwan ($259 million), South Korea ($255 million), Thailand ($169 million), and Canada ($121 million).
The trend in PET imports to the United States, in millions of dollars, is shown below:
- 2021: 1,797.
- 2022: 2,598.
- 2023: 1,951.
- 2024: 1,919.
- 2025: 1,814.
For the U.S. PET Coalition, unfair imports have led to catastrophic and entirely unnecessary closures of facilities in the United States. Thirty percent of the U.S. recycling industry has shut down since early 2025, and further closures are expected in 2026.
This includes Evergreen Recycling in Riverside, CA, Clyde, Ohio, and Albany, New York. It also includes the Alpek Polyester plant in Fayetteville, NC, rPlanet Earth in Vernon, CA, and Phoenix Technologies LLC in Bowling Green, OH.
In this case, the importation of discounted PET not only affects PET resin manufacturers but also has a negative impact on companies and facilities throughout the entire plastics value chain, from curbside collection to sorting and washing, through to the processing of recycled material.
Business Projects
Due to the integrated rPET supply chain in the United States, the U.S. PET Coalition stated that discounted imports also negatively impact the finances of municipalities participating in the recycling system. Consequently, they also undermine public confidence in the recycling system as a whole.
In addition, approximately 10% of virgin PET production has been suspended. In March 2023, Alpek Polyester permanently closed its plant in Cooper River, South Carolina, where it had the capacity to produce 160 kilotons of PET resin per year.
Then, in July 2025, Alpek Polyester closed its plant in Fayetteville, North Carolina. There, it had the capacity to produce 170 kilotons of virgin PET per year and 35 kilotons of recycled PET per year.
In addition, a joint $1 billion investment by Alpek Polyester, Indorama Ventures, and APG in Corpus Christi, Texas—aimed at creating one of the world’s largest vertically integrated PET resin production facilities with an annual capacity of 2.4 billion pounds—has been on hold since September 2023.
In the first three months of 2026, PET imports into the United States fell at a year-over-year rate of 28.3%, to $382 million, according to data from the Department of Commerce.
Explore PET imports into the United States and analyze their impact on the recycling industry and the local market.