E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company is a chemical company more commonly referred to as the DuPont company. The company was established in 1802 by Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours (1739-1817) and his son Éleuthère Irénée du Pont (1771-1834) the company began with the production of gunpowder. The du Pont’s purchased a mill site on the banks of the Brandywine River just North of Wilmington, Delaware. During wartime the company was a major supplier for the United States government. During peacetime, the company marketed their product towards sportsmen and hunters. Throughout the 1900s and 1910s, the company shifted its focus away from gunpowder production and towards chemistry innovations. By 1926 the company officially dissolved the powder production unit, although it had already been inactive for many years.

The Foreign Relations Department of E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company was first organized on August 1, 1930, for the purpose of improving the exchange of scientific and technical information with DuPont's British counterpart, Imperial Chemical Industries, Ltd. Under the terms of an agreement, DuPont researchers became able to exchange information with their counterparts at ICI that had previously been regarded as strictly confidential and proprietary in nature. On January 8, 1958, the department was reorganized as the International Dept. in order to take advantage of new opportunities to export technology afforded by the creation of the European Common Market and the lowering of trade barriers.

In 1974, Du Pont acquired a 40% interest in Nylon de Mexico, S.A. (Nylmex) following a merger with Policron de Mexico, S.A., in which Du Pont had held a 49% interest. This merger marked a major commitment on the part of Du Pont to increase its participation in the Mexican textile market.

The International Dept. was abolished effective January 1, 1991.