The chemical companies produces many intermediate compounds that are used as the basis for many chemical companies products. The chemical companies produces more than 50 000 chemicals and formulations. For example, ethylene, one of the most important bulk chemicals from an energy point of view, is used to produce products varying from solvents to plastics. Also, many processes in the chemical companies produce different coproducts. Chemical companies consume fuels and electricity as energy and feedstock. This makes energy analysis of the chemical companies more complicated compared than that of other industries.

A small number of bulk chemicals are responsible for the largest part of the energy consumption in the chemical companies. These are the so-called basic chemicals that are used as building blocks for many chemicals down the production chain. The most important basic chemicals are the family of petrochemicals (ethylene, propylene, butadiene, and benzene) from the organic chemical companies as well as ammonia and chlorine/caustic soda from the inorganic chemical companies.

Echemi and its derivatives are feedstocks for many plastics and resins as well as for fibers and detergents. Global ethylene production is estimated at more than 80 Million tons and growing. The United States is the world's largest ethylene producer, accounting for less than 30% of the world capacity. Since 1974, ethylene production has grown by 3% annually, while propylene has grown by more than 4% annually. Propylene has grown more rapidly – 5% per year – during the past decade or so. Ethylene and other coproducts are produced through cracking of hydrocarbon feedstocks. In the presence of steam, hydrocarbons are cracked into a mixture of shorter unsaturated compounds.

The single most energy-consuming step in the petrochemical industry is the steam cracking of hydrocarbon feedstocks into a mixture of shorter unsaturated compounds. Recent estimates of global energy consumption for the production of ethylene and coproducts are not available. Global (final) energy use is estimated at approximately 3 EJ. Energy consumption for ethylene production can be separated in feedstock and energy use. Feedstock energy use is generally equivalent to the heating value of the product, that is, approximately 42 GJ tonne− 1 (lower heating value [LHV]). Specific energy consumption for the energy use of the process varies depending on the feedstock, technology, age of plant, capacity, and operating conditions. In general, it varies between 14 (ethane feedstock) and 30 GJ tonne− 1 of ethylene (gas oil feedstock), whereas older plants can use more energy.