The European Union has launched an anti-dumping investigation into imports of PET Spunbond fabrics from China.
The investigation was initiated after a complaint was filed on August 8, 2025, by two companies, Freudenberg Performance Materials and Johns Manville (JM). They allege, Chinese imports of this product are being ‘dumped’- sold at unfairly low prices- which are causing significant harm to the European Union's domestic industry.
The product in question is a specific type of non-woven fabric made from polyester filaments. It's used in various applications and is defined by its thickness (between 0.5 mm and 1.8 mm) and weight (more than 70 g/sq m), among other technical specifications.
The complainants claim, it's inappropriate to use China’s domestic prices and production costs for comparison because of ‘significant distortions’ in the Chinese market. They cite a 2024 Commission document on market distortions in China, pointing to issues with land, energy, capital, raw materials, and labor, particularly within the textile industry.
To support their claim, they provide extensive evidence, including numerous Chinese government policy documents and five-year plans, such as the ‘Made in China (2025)’ initiative. These documents show a pattern of state intervention and support that distorts the market, they argue.
As a result, the Commission will not use Chinese domestic prices to determine a fair value. Instead, it will construct a ‘normal value’ for the product based on undistorted prices from a representative country. The complainants have suggested Turkey and Thailand as potential benchmarks.
The evidence provided by Freudenberg Performance Materials and JM suggests that the low-priced Chinese imports have negatively impacted the European industry. They claim. this has led to a drop in sales, lower prices, and a decrease in market share for European manufacturers, causing substantial harm to the industry's financial health and overall performance.
