IndexBox has just published a new report: ‘U.S. – Plastic Disposable Tableware And Kitchenware – Market Analysis, Forecast, Size, Trends And Insights’. Here is a summary of the report’s key findings.

Last year, American imports of plastic tableware and kitchenware skyrocketed by +35% y-o-y to 942K tonnes, reaching $3.6B in value terms. China prevails in the American import structure, comprising 79% of the total volume; Viet Nam and Mexico follow. All these countries expanded their exports of plastic tableware and kitchenware to America last year. The average import price for plastic tableware and kitchenware fell by -24.8% y-o-y to $3,847 per tonne in 2020.

American Imports of Plastic Tableware and Kitchenware

Imports of plastic tableware and kitchenware into the U.S. soared to 942K tonnes in 2020, jumping by +35% on 2019 figures. In value terms, the imports grew by +1.8% y-o-y to $3.6B (IndexBox estimates) in 2020.

In 2020, China (747K tonnes) constituted the largest supplier of plastic tableware and kitchenware to the U.S., accounting for a 79% share of total imports. Imports of plastic tableware and kitchenware from China exceeded the figures recorded by the second-largest supplier, Viet Nam (45K tonnes), more than tenfold Mexico (43K tonnes occupied the third position in this rankings), with a 4.6% share.

In 2020, the average annual growth rate of volume from China totaled +36.7%. Viet Nam increased its exports to the U.S. threefold, while Mexico saw an increase of +14.2% y-o-y.

In value terms, China ($2.8B) constituted the largest supplier of plastic tableware and kitchenware to the U.S., comprising 79% of total imports. The second position in the ranking was occupied by Mexico ($165M), with a 4.6% share of total imports. It was followed by Taiwan (Chinese), with a 4.5% share.

The average import price for plastic tableware and kitchenware stood at $3,847 per tonne in 2020, dropping by -24.8% against the previous year. Prices varied noticeably by the country of origin: the country with the highest price was Taiwan (Chinese) ($4,050 per tonne), while the price for Viet Nam ($2,632 per tonne) was amongst the lowest. In 2020, the most notable rate of growth in terms of prices was attained by Mexico, while the prices for the other significant suppliers experienced a decline.

Source: IndexBox Platform