Spanish plastics converters report widening trade deficit, link it to packaging tax

Spanish plastics converters' association Anaip says the country's trade deficit in converted plastics reached 810,000 tonnes in 2025, almost double the 446,000 tonnes of 2016, with imports from China up more than 130%. Anaip blames Spain's tax on non-reusable plastic packaging, the only one in the EU, for a tripling of film imports since 2023, mainly from Brazil, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and says Spain accounts for 81% of the EU's film trade deficit by value; European converters' body EuPC is studying the Spanish case.

Why this mattersAnaip presents Spain's national plastic packaging tax as shifting stretch-film output to non-EU suppliers, a case EuPC is examining against the PPWR's 2030 targets.

• Spain's plastics converting trade deficit reached 810,000 tonnes in 2025, against 446,000 tonnes in 2016
• Imports of converted plastics from China rose more than 130%
• Film imports have tripled since 2023, mainly from Brazil, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, which Anaip attributes to Spain's plastic packaging tax
• Spain accounts for 81% of the EU's film trade deficit by value and 59% by volume
• The converting industry had 3,171 companies, 98% of them SMEs, and 82,433 direct jobs in 2024
• Sector investment reached a record EUR 1,141m (USD 1,275m) in 2024, while employment has been flat since 2021

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