Neste held a legal import monopoly until the market liberalization in the 1990s. In 1990, Neste's international oil trade accounted for about half of its turnover and oil refining for a quarter. In 1991, the company's turnover stood at 53.025 billion Finnish markka, and it employed around 13,685 people. After the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the supply of oil from the region also dropped, and Neste had to find new sources of raw material. Neste had built several chemical plants around Europe, but as the prices of oil and chemical products plummeted, Neste decided to sell off its chemical industry operations.