Trade in hazardous chemicals in the EU plummeted in 2024, largely driven by a steep fall in exports and imports of substances containing benzene, according to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA).
ECHA’s annual report on chemicals banned or severely restricted in the EU shows that substances containing benzene made up approximately 51% (1.1 million tonnes) of total exports and 99% (30 million tonnes) of total imports of PIC chemicals in 2024.
By comparison, 2023 saw exports of 64 million tonnes and imports of 65 million tonnes. The decline in benzene trade resulted in a 97% drop in overall export volumes and a 53% fall in imports.
“If substances containing benzene are excluded from the data, the report shows a slight increase in hazardous substance trade,” ECHA noted. Exports of other PIC chemicals rose 7%, from 1.03 million tonnes in 2023 to 1.1 million tonnes in 2024, while imports increased 2%, from 378 000 tonnes to 387 000 tonnes.
The top traded chemicals remained largely unchanged, with benzene, substances containing benzene, and ethylene dichloride (1,2-dichloroethane) dominating both exports and imports.
Pesticide exports bucked the downward trend, rising 34% from 173,000 to 232,000 tonnes after two consecutive years of decline, largely driven by chlorate, which accounted for 24% of the increase.
The data comes from 553 companies across 24 EU countries for exports, and 226 companies from 23 countries for imports. Cyprus, Luxembourg, Malta, and Northern Ireland reported no trade in PIC chemicals.
Under Article 10 of the PIC Regulation, importers and exporters must report annual trade in Annex I chemicals to national authorities by 31 March.
