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Founded in 1865 and based in Germany, BASF is the world’s largest chemical company, with products spanning the full chemical spectrum of commodity to specialty. In addition, the company is a strong player in agricultural crop protection chemicals and emissions control catalysts for cars and trucks. Given its sheer size, BASF has a top-three market position in approximately 70% of its businesses.

FMC is a pure-play global crop protection company with a fairly balanced product portfolio across geographies and crop exposure. Through acquisitions, FMC is now one of the five largest patented crop protection companies and focuses on the development of new products, including biologicals, through its research and development pipeline.

International Flavors & Fragrances is the largest specialty ingredients producer globally. The company sells ingredients for the food, beverage, health, household goods, personal care, and pharmaceutical industries. The company makes proprietary formulations, partnering with customers to deliver custom solutions. The nourish segment, which generates roughly half of revenue, is a leading flavor producer and also sell texturants, plant-based proteins, and other ingredients. The health and biosciences business, which generates around one fourth of revenue, is a global leader in probiotics and enzymes. IFF is also one of the leading fragrance producers in the world.

Ecolab is a provider of water, hygiene, and energy technology and services. The company delivers comprehensive solutions to promote safe food, maintain clean environments, optimize water and energy use, and improve operational efficiency for customers in the food, healthcare, energy, hospitality, and industrial sectors. Ecolab has over 48,000 employees worldwide. The shares are a component of the S&P 500.