New AD/CV Duties Requested on Paper Plates

A domestic producer coalition seeks the imposition of new antidumping duties on paper plates from China, Thailand and Vietnam, as well as new countervailing duties on paper plates from China and Vietnam, it said in petitions filed with the Commerce Department and the International Trade Commission Jan. 24. Commerce will now decide whether to begin AD/CVD investigations, which could result in the imposition of permanent AD/CVD orders and the assessment of AD and CVD on importers. The American Paper Plate Coalition, consisting of AJM Packaging, Aspen Products, Dart Container, Hoffmaster Group, Huhtamaki Americas and Unique Industries, filed the petition.

Proposed Scope

The petition proposes the following scope for the investigations:

"The merchandise subject to this investigation is certain paper plates. Paper plates subject to this investigation may be uncolored, white, colored, or printed. Printed paper plates subject to this investigation may have any type of surface finish, and may be printed by any means with images, text and/or colors on one or both surfaces. Colored paper plates subject to this investigation may be colored by any method, including but not limited to printing, beater-dyeing, and dip-dyeing. Paper plates subject to this investigation may be produced from paper of any type, may have any caliper or basis weight, may have any shape or size, may have one or more than one section, may be embossed, may have foil or other substances adhered to their surface, and/or may be uncoated or coated with any type of coating.

"The paper plates subject to this investigation remain covered by the scope of this investigation whether imported alone, or in any combination of subject and non-subject merchandise.

"The paper plates subject to this investigation include paper plates matching the above description that have been finished, packaged, or otherwise processed in a third country by performing finishing, packaging, or processing that would not otherwise remove the merchandise from the scope of the investigations if performed in the country of manufacture of the paper plates. Excluded from the scope of this investigation are paper plates produced directly from liquid fiber that is formed into the desired shape and then cured.

"Also excluded from the scope of this investigation are paper bowls, paper buckets, and paper food containers with closeable lids."

The scope as listed in the petition doesn't include the language typical of the scopes of AD/CVD investigations and orders that list the Harmonized Tariff Schedule subheadings covered by the scope. However, the petition elsewhere says the merchandise subject to this investigation is classified under subheading 4823.69.0040

Commerce Accepting Comments on Petition Support

The Commerce Department is accepting comments on domestic industry support by Feb. 7 to determine whether the petitions meet the dual requirements of support by domestic producers or workers accounting for (1) at least 25% of the total production of the domestic-like product and (2) more than 50% of the production of the domestic-like product produced by that portion of the industry expressing support for, or opposition to, the petition. If the petitions meet these requirements, among others, Commerce will initiate antidumping and countervailing duty investigations.