INEOS in Cologne is the largest chemical company and the third largest industrial employer in Cologne. With almost 2,500 employees in four business areas, INEOS in Cologne is one of the largest sites in the INEOS Group. As a petrochemical site, INEOS in Cologne is an important supplier of raw materials to the chemical industry. The primary feedstock is the light petrol (naphtha) produced in refineries during petroleum processing. At the Cologne site, raw materials are produced from it that serve the chemical industry as basic building blocks for the production of plastics, rubber and fibres. They are also used in solvents and detergents, paints, fertilisers and crop protection products, as well as in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. INEOS in Cologne was founded in 1957 as a joint venture between BP and Bayer as EC Erdölchemie. In 2001, the plant became a wholly owned BP company. INEOS has owned INEOS in Cologne since 16 December 2005.