Recently, the titanium dioxide industry has received significant news: the European Union Court of Justice rejected the appeals filed by France and the European Commission, upholding the ruling to revoke the carcinogenic classification of titanium dioxide powder. The industry generally believes this is positive news for Chinese titanium dioxide enterprises, and exports are expected to see substantial growth.
Sun Zheyu, Deputy Secretary-General of the Titanium Dioxide Branch of the National Chemical Productivity Promotion Center, analyzed that the EU Court's ruling will have both short-term and long-term benefits for China's titanium dioxide exports. The direct benefit is that the revocation of the carcinogenic label will reduce compliance costs and trade barriers for exports to the EU. This will significantly enhance the competitiveness of Chinese products, and export volumes are expected to experience explosive growth.
According to customs statistics, China's total titanium dioxide exports in 2024 reached 1.9017 million tons, of which exports to the EU fluctuated between 210,000 and 250,000 tons, accounting for 10%-13% of the annual total exports. From January to February 2025, exports to the EU stood at 26,900 tons, with the full-year forecast maintaining around 180,000 tons, a decline compared to 2024.
"The 5.86% year-on-year decline in exports in the first half of 2025 already reflects industry pressures, and the new ruling is expected to ease the industry's downturn," Sun Zheyu noted. "As a high-end global market (accounting for approximately 15%-20% of China's exports), the recovery of EU demand holds greater strategic significance for domestic leading manufacturers." He emphasized that enterprises should establish a sound market monitoring mechanism to closely track changes in EU policies and regulations, competitor dynamics, and market demand to maintain competitiveness.
Previously, the carcinogenic label subjected China's titanium dioxide to numerous restrictions in the EU market. Many customers reduced orders due to concerns about potential risks or even switched to alternative products. The EU Court's revocation of the carcinogenic classification has opened the door to the EU market for Chinese titanium dioxide enterprises. However, Sun Zheyu warned of potential challenges: the EU's ban on titanium dioxide as a food additive (E171) remains in effect, there may be a trust crisis in the cosmetics sector (e.g., sunscreens), and recovery in non-industrial fields will be slower.
Sun Zheyu pointed out that the extended disputes over this incident have not truly ended. Currently, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) still classifies titanium dioxide as a Group 2B carcinogen (possibly carcinogenic to humans). The EU Court's ruling only negates its administrative classification; scientific divergences remain unresolved, and future new research may trigger policy reversals again. "Revocation of the label" does not mean "zero risk": the court did not deny potential inhalation risks, only that the original classification lacked sufficient basis. Downstream industries (such as coating construction) still need to strengthen occupational protection to avoid liability disputes. There is a policy divide between the food and industrial sectors: the EU's ban on food additive E171 while revoking the carcinogenic label for industrial products may trigger public doubts about standard consistency, requiring enhanced cross-sector risk communication.
Ni Xiaoguang, Chairman of Jiangsu Fanhua Chemical Technology Co., Ltd., analyzed that after the EU revoked the carcinogenic classification of titanium dioxide (titanium white powder) in its powdered form, relevant products no longer need to be labeled with carcinogenic risk warnings, lowering market access thresholds and simplifying export compliance procedures. Enterprises will save on compliance costs previously spent on packaging, labeling, and transportation requirements to meet carcinogenic classification standards, as well as avoid additional testing or alternative material research and development costs caused by the classification. Chinese enterprises should seize this opportunity to continuously improve product quality and environmental standards, further gain the trust of EU customers, and consolidate their position in the international market.
Yang Xun, a titanium industry analyst at Yantai Titanium, believes that the EU's claim that titanium dioxide is carcinogenic was proven false years ago, and the EU Court's ruling was an expected outcome. On one hand, Chinese titanium dioxide has obvious advantages: not only is the EU increasingly dependent on the global market, but as the quality of Chinese titanium dioxide continues to improve, its substitutability for overseas products is growing, and technical barriers will gradually be resolved. On the other hand, the EU's anti-dumping investigation into Chinese titanium dioxide in the previous stage was essentially protection for backward production capacity. Similar to this incident, markets cannot be protected by such measures; they must be won through comprehensive competitiveness centered on product quality.
Ou Hongchu, Sales Manager of Guangxi Jinmao Titanium Industry Co., Ltd., opined that the biggest obstacle to China's titanium dioxide exports is the EU's anti-dumping measures, and the market outlook should be cautiously optimistic.
Yang Xun stated that overall, this is good news. Chinese titanium dioxide exports to EU countries will no longer face excessive hurdles—enterprises only need to focus on improving product quality, developing the market, and providing good customer service.
