Ineos Launches 10 Anti-Dumping Cases to Rescue Struggling European Chemical Industry

In an unprecedented move, the UK-based chemical group Ineos has filed 10 anti-dumping cases against imports of cheap chemical products into the European Union. The company warns that "time is running out" to rescue the struggling European chemical industry, which it says is being "drowned by a tidal wave of low-cost imports" from Asia, the Middle East, and the United States.

Ineos, which operates 15 sites across Europe, says these cheap imports are "undercutting European producers" who face the world's highest energy prices and escalating carbon costs. The company's chief executive, Jim Ratcliffe, had warned in October 2025 that without action to bring down energy costs and provide tariff protection, "there won't be much of a European chemical industry left to save."

The EU's chemical imports from China, which are excluded from many markets by high tariffs, grew 8.3% year-on-year in the first half of 2025, according to the European Chemical Trade Association (CEFIC). In 2024, the European Commission initiated a record 33 investigations, with more than a third focused on chemicals.

Ineos's 10 anti-dumping cases target products such as polyvinyl chloride used in antifreeze, brake fluid and lubricants, as well as butanediol, which is used in many medicines. The company says these products are made at its 15 sites and support more than 5,000 direct skilled jobs.