July 18, 2008
News Release 08-072
Inv. Nos. 701-TA-450 and 731-TA-1122 (Final)
Contact: Peg O'Laughlin, 202-205-1819

The United States International Trade Commission (ITC) today determined that a U.S. industry is materially injured by reason of imports of laminated woven sacks from China that the U.S. Department of Commerce has determined are subsidized and sold in the United States at less than fair value.

All six Commissioners voted in the affirmative.

As a result of the Commission's affirmative determinations, the Department of Commerce will issue countervailing duty and antidumping duty orders on imports of this product from China.

The Commerce Department previously made affirmative critical circumstances determinations with regard to imports of this product from China. Therefore, the Commissioners who made an affirmative injury determination today are required to find whether these imports are likely to undermine seriously the remedial effect of the countervailing duty and antidumping duty orders Commerce will issue. All six Commissioners made negative findings with regard to critical circumstances in this investigation. As a result, the countervailing duty order concerning these imports will not apply to goods that entered the United States from China prior to December 3, 2007, and the antidumping duty order concerning these imports will not apply to goods that entered the United States from China prior to January 31, 2008, the dates of the Department of Commerce's affirmative preliminary determinations.

The Commission's public report Laminated Woven Sacks from China (Investigation Nos. 701-TA- 450 and 731-TA-1122 (Final), USITC Publication 4025, July 2008) will contain the views of the Commission and information developed during the investigations.

Copies may be obtained after August 20, 2008, by emailing pubrequest@usitc.gov, calling 202-205-2000, or by writing the Office of the Secretary, 500 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20436. Requests may also be made by fax to 202-205-2104.

Product Description: Laminated woven sacks are bags or sacks consisting of one or more plies of fabric consisting of woven polypropylene strip and/or woven polyethylene strip; with or without an extrusion coating of polypropylene and/or polyethylene on one or both sides of the fabric; laminated by any method either to an exterior ply of plastic film such as biaxially-oriented polypropylene ("BOPP") or to an exterior ply of paper that is suitable for high quality print graphics; printed with three colors or more in register; with or without lining; whether or not closed on one end; whether or not in roll form; with or without handles; with or without special closing features; not exceeding one kilogram in weight. Laminated woven bags are typically used for retail packaging of consumer goods such as pet foods and bird seed.

Status of Proceedings:

 1.  Type of investigations:  Final antidumping and countervailing duty.
 2.  Petitioners:  Laminated Woven Sacks Committee and its individual members, Bancroft
          Bags, Inc., West Monroe, LA; Coating Excellence International, LLC,
          Wrightstown, WI; Hood Packaging Corporation, Madison, MS; Mid-America
          Packaging, LLC, Twinsburg, OH; and Polytex Fibers Corporation, Houston, TX.
 3.  Preliminary investigations instituted by the USITC:  June 28, 2007.
 4.  Commission hearing:  June 17, 2008.
 5.  USITC vote:  July 18, 2008.
 6.  USITC determinations to the U.S. Department of Commerce:  July 30, 2008.
 7.  USITC views to the U.S. Department of Commerce:  July 30, 2008.

U.S. Industry:

 1.  Number of producers in 2007:  Seven.
 2.  Location of producers' plants:  Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin.
 3.  Employment of production and related workers in 2007: (1)
 4.  Apparent U.S. consumption in 2007: (1)
 5.  Ratio of the value of total U.S. imports to total U.S. consumption in 2007: (1)

U.S. Imports:

 1.  From China during 2007:  $58 million (estimated).
 2.  From other countries during 2007:  (1)
 3.  Leading sources during 2007:  China, Thailand, and Vietnam (estimated).

(1) Withheld to avoid disclosure of business proprietary information.