Monthly Trade News · August 2026

UK Trade News Roundup: August 2026 — What Changed and What To Do Now

August didn't slow down after July's record-breaking month. A major EU compliance deadline landed, the US handed UK pharmaceutical exporters a rare tariff cut, the EU tightened its carbon border rules, and the Trade Remedies Authority quietly had one of its busiest months of the year.

Here's what actually happened in August, and what UK exporters and importers need to do about each one.

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1. The EU's New Packaging Rules Are Now Live

On 12 August 2026, the EU's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) became directly applicable across all 27 member states, replacing a 30-year-old packaging directive. As a regulation rather than a directive, it applies uniformly and immediately — no national transposition, no grace period.

For UK exporters: this applies to you even though you're outside the EU

The PPWR covers all packaging placed on the EU market, regardless of where it's manufactured. If you sell packaged goods into the EU, you likely fall under the "importer" or "producer" definitions the regulation uses, which means EPR registration and compliant labelling are your responsibility, not your EU customer's.

We've gone deep on exactly what this means for your packaging, labelling and EPR obligations in a dedicated guide: EU Packaging Rules: What UK Exporters Must Do About PPWR. If packaged goods are any part of what you export to the EU, that's worth reading in full. Official guidance is also available on business.gov.uk.

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2. The US Cuts Pharmaceutical Tariffs for the UK to Zero

A rare piece of good tariff news: the US confirmed it has cut its Section 232 tariff on UK-origin patented pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical ingredients from 10% to 0%, effective 31 July 2026 and formally published in the Federal Register on 4 August. It's the first country-specific relief granted under April's pharmaceutical tariff proclamation.

For UK pharmaceutical exporters: check the classification, not just the rate

Confirm your entries are filed under the correct heading (9903.04.63) to actually receive the zero rate. Also worth knowing: country of origin for these products is likely to track where the active pharmaceutical ingredient was made, not where the drug was put into its final dosage form — so if your supply chain touches ingredient manufacturing outside the UK, don't assume the zero rate automatically applies.

This one's specific to US-bound pharmaceutical exports, so there's limited direct read-across for importers this month. Full detail is in the Federal Register notice.

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3. The EU Tightens Its Carbon Border Rules

Two related updates landed for the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) this month. On 3 August, corrected default emissions values entered into force, applying retrospectively from 1 January 2026. On 14 August, the European Commission published ten new guidance documents to help non-EU suppliers move from generic default values to verified actual emissions data.

For UK exporters in covered sectors: your EU customer is the declarant, but you hold the data they need

CBAM certificates are bought and surrendered by your EU importer, not by you directly. But the financial incentive now clearly favours verified actual emissions over defaults, which means your EU customers will increasingly ask you to supply installation-level emissions data. Being able to provide it — rather than leaving them to fall back on the default value — is becoming a genuine competitive point in these sectors.

For importers bringing goods into the UK, this doesn't apply yet — the UK's own CBAM doesn't commence until January 2027 (more on that below). Full guidance is on the European Commission's CBAM portal.

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4. The Trade Remedies Authority Has a Busy Month

The UK's Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) rarely makes headlines, but August was unusually active. A provisional anti-dumping duty of 16.25%–71.74% now applies to boom lifts imported from China, effective 20 August. The TRA also concluded a dumping investigation into Chinese biodiesel with duties proposed, opened two brand-new investigations (into PET plastic and S-PVC), let an old anti-dumping duty on Chinese and Russian cold-rolled steel expire on 5 August, and extended anti-dumping duties on Chinese bicycles and components through to 2029.

For UK importers: check whether your product category is affected

If you import boom lifts, biodiesel, PET, S-PVC, bicycles, or cold-rolled steel from the countries named above, check the specific measure against your commodity code before your next shipment — provisional duties apply from the notice date, and getting the classification wrong is the most common way businesses miss a change like this.

For exporters, the direct effect is limited unless you manufacture using one of these inputs domestically, in which case it's worth watching whether your own costs shift. Full detail on the boom lifts measure — including the exporter-specific rates in the annex — is on GOV.UK. Getting your commodity codes right is central to catching measures like this before they catch you — our Applying Commodity Codes and Classification of Goods course covers exactly this.

Quick Answers

Does the EU packaging regulation (PPWR) apply to me if I'm based in the UK, not the EU?

Yes. The PPWR applies to all packaging placed on the EU market regardless of where it's manufactured. If you export packaged goods into the EU, you likely have EPR registration and labelling obligations as an importer or producer under the regulation, not just your EU customer.

Does the US pharmaceutical tariff cut apply to all UK pharmaceutical exports?

No. It applies specifically to patented pharmaceuticals and associated ingredients covered by April's Section 232 proclamation, filed under the correct HTS heading, and it's conditional on continued compliance with the US–UK Pharmaceutical Pricing Arrangement. Generic pharmaceutical products aren't covered by this particular relief.

Do the new Trade Remedies Authority duties affect my business if I don't import from China?

Only if your product and country of origin match a specific measure. Anti-dumping and safeguard duties are always scoped to named product categories and countries — check the TRA's measures database against your own commodity codes and suppliers before assuming a change does or doesn't apply to you.