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Item 1A. RISK FACTORS

Our operations could be affected by various risks, many of which are beyond our control. Based on current information, we believe that the following identifies the material risk factors that could affect our business, results of operations, or financial condition. Past financial performance may not be a reliable indicator of future performance, and historical trends should not be used to anticipate results or trends in future periods. Refer to our “Forward-looking Statements” for more details.

Summary of Risk Factors

The following is a summary of the principal risks that could adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows.

Risks Related to Legal Matters, Environmental Sustainability, and Regulations

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Our results of operations could be adversely affected by litigation and other commitments and contingencies;

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We are subject to extensive environmental and health and safety laws and regulations that may result in unanticipated loss or liability related to our current and past operations, and that may result in significant additional compliance costs or obligations, which in either case, could reduce our profitability or liquidity;

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In connection with our Separation, we were required to assume, and indemnify EID for, certain liabilities. As we may be required to make payments pursuant to these indemnities or under the cost-sharing provisions of the MOU, we may need to divert cash to meet those obligations, and our liquidity or financial results could be negatively affected. In addition, the obligations of EID to indemnify us and/or the obligation of the DuPont Indemnitees to share costs for certain liabilities may not be sufficient to insure us against the full amount of the applicable liabilities for which it will be allocated responsibility, and EID and/or the DuPont Indemnitees may not be able to satisfy their obligations in the future;

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In connection with our Separation, we were required to enter into numerous Separation-related and commercial agreements with our former parent company, EID, which may not reflect optimal or commercially beneficial terms to us;

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If the distribution, in connection with the Separation, together with certain related transactions, were to fail to qualify for non-recognition treatment for U.S. federal income tax purposes, then we could be subject to significant tax and indemnification liability and stockholders receiving our common stock in the distribution could be subject to significant tax liability;

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As a result of the Audit Committee Internal Review, we may be exposed to litigation from investors and/or regulatory entities, which may adversely affect our reputation, results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows; and,

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Our failure to comply with the anti-corruption laws of the U.S. and various international jurisdictions could negatively impact our reputation and results of operations.

Risks Related to Our Business Performance

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Operating as a multi-national corporation presents risks associated with global and regional economic downturns and global capital market conditions, as well as risks resulting from changes to regional regulatory requirements (including environmental standards);

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The businesses in which we compete are highly competitive. If our intellectual property were compromised or copied by competitors, or if our competitors were to develop similar or superior intellectual property or technology, our results of operations could be negatively affected;

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Effects of price fluctuations in energy and raw materials, our raw materials contracts, and our inability to renew such contracts, could have a significant impact on our earnings;

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Our reported results and financial condition could be adversely affected by currency exchange rates and currency devaluation could impair our competitiveness;

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If we are unable to innovate and successfully introduce new products, or new technologies or processes reduce the demand for our products or the price at which we can sell products, our profitability could be adversely affected;

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If our long-lived assets, including goodwill, become impaired, we may be required to record a significant charge to earnings;

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We could be subject to changes in our tax rates and the adoption of tax legislation or exposure to additional tax liabilities that may adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows;

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We are subject to continuing contingent tax-related liabilities of EID;

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We are a holding company that is dependent on cash flows from our operating subsidiaries to fund our debt obligations, MOU escrow funding requirements, capital expenditures, and ongoing operations;

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Failure to meet some or all of our key financial and non-financial targets could negatively impact the value of our business and adversely affect our stock price; and

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A pandemic, epidemic, or other outbreak of infectious disease may have a material adverse effect on our business operations, results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows.

The Chemours Company

Risks Related to Our Operations

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Our ability to make future strategic decisions regarding our manufacturing operations are subject to regulatory, environmental, political, legal, and economic risks, and to a certain extent may be subject to consents or cooperation from EID under the agreements entered into between us and EID as part of the Separation. These could adversely affect our ability to execute our future strategic decisions and our results of operations and financial condition;

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Hazards associated with chemical manufacturing, storage, containment, and transportation could adversely affect our results of operations;

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Our results of operations and financial condition could be seriously impacted by business disruptions and security breaches, including cybersecurity incidents;

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Our operations could be materially impacted in the event of a failure of our information technology infrastructure;

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The ineffectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures, the existence of material weaknesses as described in Part II, Item 9A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and the potential for additional material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting in the future could result in material misstatements in our financial statements; and

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We have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant expenses related to the Audit Committee Internal Review and the remediation of the material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, and any resulting litigation.

Risks Related to Our Indebtedness

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Our current level of indebtedness could adversely affect our financial condition or liquidity, and we could have difficulty fulfilling our obligations under our indebtedness, which may have a material adverse effect on us;

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Despite our current level of indebtedness, we may incur substantially more debt and enter into other transactions, which could further exacerbate the risks to our financial condition described above;

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We may need additional capital in the future and may not be able to obtain it on favorable terms;

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The agreements governing our indebtedness restrict our current and future operations, particularly our ability to respond to changes or to take certain actions;

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Our variable rate indebtedness subjects us to interest rate risk, which could cause our indebtedness service obligations to increase significantly; and

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Adverse developments affecting the financial markets, including events or concerns involving liquidity, defaults or non-performance by financial institutions or transactional counterparties, could adversely affect our business, financial condition, or results of operations.

General Risk Factors

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Our stock price could become more volatile and investments could lose value;

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We cannot guarantee the timing or amount of our dividends and/or our share repurchases, which are subject to a number of uncertainties that may affect the price of our common stock;

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A stockholder’s percentage of ownership in us may be diluted in the future;

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Certain provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated by-laws, and of Delaware law, may prevent or delay an acquisition of us, which could decrease the trading price of the common stock;

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Our success depends on our ability to attract and retain key employees, and to identify and develop talented personnel to succeed our senior management and other key employees; and

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We may experience a disruption of our business activities and our business could be adversely affected due to senior management transitions.

The Chemours Company

Risks Related to Legal Matters, Environmental Sustainability, and Regulations

Our results of operations could be adversely affected by litigation and other commitments and contingencies.

We face risks arising from various unasserted and asserted legal claims, investigations, and litigation matters, such as product liability claims, patent infringement claims, anti-trust claims, and claims for third-party property damage or personal injury stemming from alleged environmental actions (which may concern regulated or unregulated substances) or other torts. We have noted a nationwide trend in purported mass tort and class actions against chemical manufacturers generally seeking relief, such as medical monitoring, property damages, off-site remediation, and punitive damages arising from alleged environmental actions (which may concern regulated or unregulated substances) or other torts without claiming present personal injuries. We also have noted a trend in public and private nuisance suits being filed on behalf of states, counties, cities, and utilities alleging harm to the general public and damages to natural resources. Various factors or developments in these nationwide trends or in the actions could result in future charges that could have a material adverse effect on us. We are also subject to requests for information, including those described below under “As a result of the Audit Committee Internal Review, we may be exposed to litigation from investors and/or regulatory entities, which may adversely affect our reputation, results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows.” An adverse outcome in any one or more of these matters could be material to our financial results, liquidity, and/or stock price, and could adversely impact the value of any of our brands that are associated with any such matters. As discussed below, we are a named defendant and/or cost-sharing and defending DuPont, Corteva, and EID (together, the “DuPont Indemnitees”) in litigation related to the production and use of perfluorooctanoic acids and its salts, including the ammonium salt (“PFOA”); hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (“HFPO Dimer Acid”, sometimes referred to as “GenX” or “C3 Dimer Acid”); Aqueous Film Forming Foam (“AFFF”); per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”); and other compounds.

We have received inquiries, government investigations, directives, multiple lawsuits, and other actions related to PFOA, HFPO Dimer Acid, AFFF, and PFAS. These or other governmental inquiries or lawsuits could lead to us incurring liability for damages or other costs, a criminal or civil proceeding, the imposition of fines and penalties, and/or other remedies, as well as restrictions on or added costs for our business operations going forward, including in the form of restrictions on discharges at our sites, such as the Fayetteville Works site in Fayetteville, North Carolina (“Fayetteville”) or otherwise. Additional lawsuits or inquiries also could be instituted related to these or other compounds in the future. Accordingly, the existing lawsuits and inquiries, and any such additional litigation, relating to our existing operations, PFOA, HFPO Dimer Acid, AFFF, PFAS, or other compounds associated with our products or operations could result in us incurring additional costs and liabilities, which may be material to our financial position and results of operations.

In the ordinary course of business, we may make certain commitments, including representations, warranties, and indemnities relating to current and past operations, including those related to divested businesses, and issue guarantees of third-party obligations. Additionally, we may be required to indemnify EID with regard to liabilities allocated to, or assumed by, us under each of the separation agreement, the employee matters agreement, the tax matters agreement, and the intellectual property cross-license agreement that were executed prior to the Separation. These indemnification obligations to date have included defense costs associated with certain litigation matters, as well as certain damages awards, settlements, and penalties. In January 2021, we and the DuPont Indemnitees entered into a binding Memorandum of Understanding (the “MOU”) addressing certain PFAS matters and costs. Disputes with or among the DuPont Indemnitees and others which may arise with respect to the MOU and PFAS matters, including disputes based on matters of law or contract interpretation, could materially adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows.

Refer to "Note 22 – Commitments and Contingent Liabilities" to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further details related to these matters.

The Chemours Company

Our operations and production facilities are dependent upon attainment and renewal of requisite operating permits and are subject to extensive environmental and health and safety laws, regulations, and enforcements, proceedings or other actions at national, international, and local levels in numerous jurisdictions, relating to pollution, protection of the environment, climate change, transporting and storing raw materials and finished products, storing and disposing of hazardous wastes, and product content and other safety or human rights concerns. Such laws include, but are not limited to:

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U.S.-based regulations, such as the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (“CERCLA”, often referred to as “Superfund”), the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”) and similar state and global laws for management and remediation of hazardous materials, the Clean Air Act (“CAA”) andClean Water Act (“CWA”) and similar state and global laws for the protection of air and water resources, and the Toxic Substances Control Act (“TSCA”);

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Foreign-based chemical control regulations, such as the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals (“REACH”) in the EU, the Chemical Substances Control Law (“CSCL”) in Japan, MEP Order No. 7 in China, and the Toxic Chemical Substance Control Act (“TCSCA”) in Taiwan for the production and distribution of chemicals in commerce and reporting of potential adverse effects;

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The EU Emissions Trading System and similar local and global laws for regulating GHG emissions; and,

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Numerous local, state, federal, and foreign laws, regulations, and enforcements governing materials transport and packaging.

If we are found to be in violation of these laws, regulations, or enforcements, which may be subject to change based on legislative, scientific, or other factors, we may incur substantial costs, including fines, damages, criminal or civil sanctions, remediation costs, reputational harm, loss of sales or market access, or experience interruptions in our operations. Our operations and production may also be subject to changes based on increased regulation or other changes to, or restrictions imposed by, any such additional regulations. Any operational interruptions or plant shutdowns may result in delays in production or may cause us to incur additional costs to develop redundancies in order to avoid interruptions in our production cycles. In addition, the manner in which adopted regulations (including environmental and safety regulations) are ultimately implemented may affect our products, the demand for and public perception of our products, the reputation of our brands, our market access, and our results of operations. In the event of a catastrophic incident involving any of the raw materials we use or chemicals we produce, we could incur material costs to address the consequences of such event and future reputational costs associated with any such event.

Our costs to comply with complex environmental laws and regulations, as well as internal and external voluntary programs, are significant and will continue to be significant for the foreseeable future. These laws and regulations may change and could become more stringent over time, which could result in significant additional compliance costs, increased costs of purchased energy or other raw materials, increased transportation costs, investments in, or restrictions on, our operations, installation or modification of emission control equipment, or additional costs associated with emissions control equipment. As a result of our current and historic operations, including the operations of divested businesses and certain discontinued operations, we also expect to continue to incur costs for environmental investigation and remediation activities at a number of our current or former sites and third-party disposal locations. However, the ultimate costs under environmental laws and the timing of these costs are difficult to accurately predict. While we establish accruals in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), the ultimate actual costs and liabilities may vary from the accruals because the estimates on which the accruals are based depend on a number of factors (many of which are outside of our control), including the nature of the matter and any associated third-party claims, the complexity of the site, site geology, the nature and extent of contamination, the type of remedy, the outcome of discussions with regulatory agencies and other Potentially Responsible Parties (“PRPs”) at multi-party sites, and the number and financial viability of other PRPs. We also could incur significant additional costs as a result of additional contamination that is discovered or remedial obligations imposed in the future. Refer to “Environmental Matters” within Item 7 – Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and “Note 22 – Commitments and Contingent Liabilities” to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information. We also could incur significant additional costs as a result of additional contamination that is discovered or remedial obligations imposed in the future.

As discussed in “Note 22 – Commitments and Contingent Liabilities” to the Consolidated Financial Statements, we continue to have active dialogue with the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (“NC DEQ”) and other stakeholders regarding potential remedies that are both economically and technologically feasible to achieve the objectives of the Consent Order (“CO”) and Addendum (“Addendum”) related to the discharge of HFPO Dimer Acid and PFAS from Fayetteville into the Cape Fear River, site surface water, groundwater, and air emissions. The Addendum establishes the procedure to implement specified remedial measures for reducing PFAS loadings from Fayetteville to the Cape Fear River, including construction of a barrier wall with a groundwater extraction system. The estimated liabilities of achieving the CO and Addendum objectives consist of several components, each of which may vary significantly and may exceed the recorded reserve estimates, which could be material.

The Chemours Company

There is also a risk that one or more of our manufacturing processes, key raw materials, or products may be found to have, or be characterized or perceived as having, a toxicological or health-related impact on the environment or on our customers or employees or unregulated emissions, which could potentially result in us incurring liability in connection with such characterization and the associated effects of any toxicological or health-related impact. If such a discovery or characterization occurs, we may incur increased costs in order to comply with new regulatory requirements or as a result of litigation. In addition, the relevant materials or products, including products of our customers incorporating our materials or products, may be recalled, phased-out, or banned. Changes in laws, science, or regulations, or their interpretations, and our customers’ perception of such changes or interpretations may also affect the marketability of certain of our products.

In June 2019, the Member States Committee of the European Chemicals Agency ("ECHA") also voted to list HFPO Dimer Acid as a Substance of Very High Concern. The vote was based on Article 57(f) – equivalent level of concern having probable serious effects to the environment. This identification does not impose immediate regulatory restriction or obligations, but may lead to a future authorization or restriction of the substance. In September 2019, we filed an application with the EU Court of Justice for the annulment of the decision of ECHA to list HFPO Dimer Acid as a Substance of Very High Concern. In February 2022, the General Court dismissed the annulment action and we appealed such decision. In November 2023, the EU Court of Justice dismissed our appeal.

In May 2020, five European countries began an initiative to restrict the manufacture, placing on the market and use of PFAS in the EU. In this regulatory process, more than 4,000 substances, including F-gases and fluoropolymers are being considered for potential broad regulatory action. On July 15, 2021, the countries submitted their restriction proposal, which informed ECHA of the intent to prepare a PFAS restriction dossier for fluorinated substances within a defined structural formula scope, including branched fluoroalkyl groups and substances containing ether linkages, fluoropolymers and side chain fluorinated polymers. The restriction dossier was submitted to ECHA in January 2023, and in February 2023 ECHA published a report and supporting annexes on the restriction proposal, which includes identified concerns for in-scope PFAS and their degradation products and the proposed restriction of a full ban with certain use-specific time-limited derogation periods. Comments were submitted from individuals and organizations during the consultation period in 2023 and the restriction dossier will be reviewed by the ECHA Risk Assessment Committee ("RAC") and Socio-economic Analysis Committees (“SEAC”). RAC and SEAC will focus on the evaluation of certain consumer uses of PFAS, such as ski wax, cosmetics and consumer mixtures, in the March 2024 plenary meetings. ECHA is currently discussing a joint plan for how to best evaluate the proposal with the five national authorities who prepared it. Once agreed, the plan will be made public. The estimated earliest entry into force of restrictions is 2025, contingent upon timely completion of the remaining steps in the EU REACH restriction process.

In January of 2024, the European Council adopted a regulation supporting the phase down of hydrofluorocarbons (“HFC”) by 2050 and multiple bans on HFCs and hydrofluoroolefin (“HFO”) in select applications. The new regulation entered into force on March 11, 2024, and includes both reviews and exemptions. No later than January 1, 2030, the European Commission will publish a report on the effects of the regulation and whether the bans are upheld based on technical feasibility and socioeconomic impact of alternatives.

In March 2024, ECHA published a registration update for trifluoroacetic acid (“TFA”). This update includes a self-classification, by TFA registrants, of Category 2 Reprotoxin. In parallel, Germany has announced its intention to submit a proposal to revise the existing harmonized (legally binding) classification to include reprotoxicity. The proposal will go through a 60-day consultation period to collect comments from interested parties. Next, ECHA’s RAC will review the submission and all comments and adopt an opinion, which could take up to 18 months. Based on this opinion, the European Commission will prepare a legislative proposal in conjunction with Member State experts. If Member States and the European Parliament do not object, the final harmonized classification will then become legally binding after a transition period. There are many variables in this process, which could take years to complete.

The impacts of these various restrictions and regulatory measures in the EU as noted above, individually and in the aggregate, could lead to material adverse effects on our results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows.

In October 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) released its PFAS Strategic Roadmap, identifying a comprehensive approach to addressing PFAS. The PFAS Strategic Roadmap sets timelines by which EPA plans to take specific actions through 2024, including establishing a national primary drinking water regulation ("NPDWR") for PFOA and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (“PFOS”) and taking Effluent Limitations Guidelines actions to regulate PFAS discharges from industrial categories among other actions. As provided under its roadmap, EPA also released its National PFAS Testing Strategy, under which the agency will identify and select certain PFAS compounds for which it will require manufacturers to conduct testing pursuant to TSCA section 4. We have received various test orders and have formed consortia to jointly manage compliance with the test order requirements. We expect to receive future test orders, however the timing of the remaining TSCA orders is not determinable at this time. Additional costs could be incurred in connection with EPA's actions, which could be material.

The Chemours Company

Also in October 2021, EPA published a final toxicity assessment for GenX compounds that decreased the draft reference dose for GenX compounds based on EPA’s review of new studies and analyses. On March 18, 2022, we filed a petition to EPA requesting to withdraw and correct its toxicity assessment for GenX compounds, and this petition was denied by EPA on June 14, 2022. The next day, on June 15, 2022, EPA released health advisories for four PFAS, including interim updated lifetime drinking water health advisories for PFOA and PFOS, and final health advisories for GenX compounds, including HFPO Dimer Acid and another PFAS compound (PFBS). On July 13, 2022, we filed a Petition for Review of the GenX compounds health advisory. On March 13, 2023, EPA proposed a NPDWR to establish Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCL’s) for six PFAS, with PFOA and PFOS having MCLs as individual compounds (each proposed as 4 parts per trillion) and four other PFAS compounds, including HFPO Dimer Acid, having a hazard index approach limit on any mixture containing one or more of the compounds. The proposed PFAS NPDWR was subject to public comment through May 30, 2023, and is expected to be finalized in the first half of 2024. No action is required on the proposed NPDWR until it is final. Depending on the ultimate outcome of EPA’s actions, our estimated environmental remediation liabilities and accrued litigation could increase to meet any new drinking water standards, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows.

Pursuant to the separation agreement, the employee matters agreement, the tax matters agreement, and the intellectual property cross-license agreement we entered into with EID prior to the Separation, we were required to assume, and indemnify EID for, certain liabilities. These indemnification obligations to date have included, among other items, defense costs associated with certain litigation matters, as well as certain damages awards, settlement amounts, and penalties. In January 2021, we and the DuPont Indemnitees entered into a binding MOU addressing certain PFAS matters and costs.

Disputes with the DuPont Indemnitees and others, which may arise with respect to the MOU, PFAS matters, indemnification, and/or cost-sharing matters, including disputes based on matter of law or contract interpretation, could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. Multiple lawsuits have been filed by third parties containing allegations that EID’s separation of Chemours was a fraudulent transfer.

Third parties could also seek to hold us responsible for any of the liabilities of the EID businesses. EID has agreed to indemnify us for such liabilities, but such indemnity from EID may not be sufficient to protect us against the full amount of such liabilities, and EID may not be able to fully satisfy its indemnification obligations. Moreover, even if we ultimately succeed in recovering from EID any amounts for which we are held liable, we may be temporarily required to bear these losses ourselves. Each of these risks could negatively affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

Refer to “Note 22 – Commitments and Contingent Liabilities” to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information.

Commercial agreements we entered into with EID prior to the Separation were formed in the context of the Separation while we were still a wholly-owned subsidiary of EID. Accordingly, during the period in which the terms of those agreements were formed, we did not have an independent board of directors or management independent of EID. Certain commercial agreements, having long terms and commercially-advantageous cancellation and assignment rights to EID, may not include adjustments for changes in industry and market conditions. There is a risk that the pricing and other terms under these agreements may not be commercially beneficial or able to be changed in the future. The terms relate to, among other things, the allocation of assets, liabilities, rights, and obligations, including the provision of products and services and the sharing and operation of property, manufacturing, office, and laboratory sites, and other commercial rights and obligations between us and EID.

The Chemours Company

Generally, taxes resulting from the failure of the Separation and distribution or certain related transactions to qualify for non-recognition treatment under U.S. federal, state, and/or local tax law, and/or foreign tax law, would be imposed on EID or EID’s stockholders and, under the tax matters agreement that we entered into with EID prior to the Separation, EID is generally obligated to indemnify us against such taxes to the extent that we may be jointly, severally, or secondarily liable for such taxes. However, under the terms of the tax matters agreement, we are also generally responsible for any taxes imposed on EID that arise from the failure of the distribution to qualify as tax-free for U.S. federal income tax purposes within the meaning of Section 355 of the Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”) or the failure of such related transactions to qualify for tax-free treatment, to the extent such failure to qualify is attributable to actions, events, or transactions relating to our or our affiliates’ stock, assets, or business, or any breach of our or our affiliates’ representations, covenants, or obligations under the tax matters agreement (or any other agreement we enter into in connection with the Separation and distribution), the materials submitted to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) or other governmental authorities in connection with the request for the IRS Ruling or other tax rulings or the representation letter provided to counsel in connection with the tax opinion. Events triggering an indemnification obligation under the agreement include events occurring after the distribution that cause EID to recognize a gain under Section 355(e) of the IRC. Such tax amounts could be significant. To the extent we are responsible for any liability under the tax matters agreement, there could be a material adverse impact on our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows in future reporting periods.

The Audit Committee, with the assistance of outside counsel, conducted an internal review in the first quarter of 2024 in response to an anonymous report made to the Chemours Ethics Hotline. The scope of the review included the processes for reviewing reports made to the Chemours Ethics Hotline, the Company’s practices for managing working capital, including the related impact on metrics within the Company’s incentive plans, certain non-GAAP metrics included in filings made with the SEC or otherwise publicly released, and related disclosures. The Audit Committee completed its planned procedures with respect to its review and its findings determined that the Company’s then-Chief Executive Officer ("CEO"), then-Chief Financial Officer ("CFO"), and then-Controller engaged in efforts in the fourth quarter of 2023 to delay payments to certain vendors and accelerate the collection of receivables, in part to meet free cash flow targets that the Company had communicated publicly, and which also would be part of a key metric for determining incentive compensation applicable to executive officers. The Audit Committee Internal Review determined that there was a lack of transparency with the Company's board of directors by the members of senior management who were engaging in these actions, and that these actions violated the Chemours Code of Ethics for the CEO, CFO, and the Controller. As a result, these individuals were placed on administrative leave. The Company issued Current Reports on Form 8-K related to the Audit Committee Internal Review, including announcing the administrative leave determinations, announcing the appointment of a new CEO and Interim CFO, and providing a general update on the review. Chemours is cooperating with requests for information by the SEC and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York concerning the results of the Audit Committee Internal Review and the Company’s SEC filings in respect of that review. In March 2024, two putative class actions were filed in Delaware federal court against the Company and former officers of the Company alleging violations of Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and SEC Rule 10b-5. The complaints allege claims on behalf of proposed classes of purchasers of Chemours stock beginning February 10, 2023 and ending February 28, 2024 and seek compensatory damages and fees. In addition, the Company is aware of additional efforts by private law firms to solicit clients in regard to potential securities class action or derivative litigation. These matters could result in us incurring additional costs and liabilities, which may be material to our results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows.

Refer to Part II, Item 9A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and "Note 2 – Basis of Presentation" and "Note 22 – Commitments and Contingent Liabilities" to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further details related to these matters.

The Chemours Company

Our failure to comply with the anti-corruption laws of the U.S. and various international jurisdictions could negatively impact our reputation and results of operations.

Doing business on a global basis requires us to comply with the laws and regulations of the U.S. government and those of various international and sub-national jurisdictions, and our failure to successfully comply with these rules and regulations may expose us to liabilities. These laws and regulations apply to companies, individual directors, officers, employees, and agents, and may restrict our operations, trade practices, investment decisions, and partnering activities. In particular, our international operations are subject to U.S. and foreign anti-corruption laws and regulations, such as the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”), the U.K. Bribery Act 2010 (“Bribery Act”), and other anti-corruption laws of the various jurisdictions in which we operate. The FCPA, the Bribery Act, and other laws prohibit us and our officers, directors, employees, and agents acting on our behalf from corruptly offering, promising, authorizing, or providing anything of value to foreign officials for the purposes of influencing official decisions or obtaining or retaining business or otherwise obtaining favorable treatment. Our global operations may expose us to the risk of violating, or being accused of violating, the foregoing or other anti-corruption laws. Such violations could be punishable by criminal fines, imprisonment, civil penalties, disgorgement of profits, injunctions, and exclusion from government contracts, as well as other remedial measures. Investigations of alleged violations can be very expensive, disruptive, and damaging to our reputation. Although we have implemented anti-corruption policies and procedures, there can be no guarantee that these policies, procedures, and training will effectively prevent violations by our employees or representatives in the future. Additionally, we face a risk that our distributors and other business partners may violate the FCPA, the Bribery Act, or similar laws or regulations. Such violations could expose us to FCPA and Bribery Act liability, and/or our reputation may potentially be harmed by their violations and resulting sanctions and fines.

Risks Related to Our Business Performance

Our business and operating results may in the future be adversely affected by global and regional economic conditions, including instability in credit markets, declining consumer and business confidence, fluctuating commodity prices and interest rates, volatile exchange rates, and other challenges, such as tariffs on international trade, border adjustments for certain products, strikes or labor disruptions, and a changing financial regulatory environment that could affect the global economy. Such global and regional economic conditions may be further affected by physical risks that stem from a number of root causes, including natural disasters, climate change, and/or travel-based restrictions that may be driven by geo-political activities, military actions, terrorism, and the spread of pandemics, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our customers may experience deterioration of their businesses, shortages in cash flows, and difficulty obtaining financing. As a result, existing or potential customers may delay or cancel plans to purchase products and may not be able to fulfill their obligations to us in a timely fashion. Further, suppliers could experience similar conditions, which could impact their ability to supply materials or otherwise fulfill their obligations to us. Because we have significant international operations, there are a large number of currency transactions that result from our international sales, purchases, investments, and borrowings. Future weakness in the global economy and failure to manage these risks could adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows in future periods.

In addition to the general risks associated with operating in the global economy, our revenue and profitability are largely dependent on the TiO2 pigment industry and the industries that are the end-users of our refrigerants and fluoropolymers. TiO2 pigment, refrigerants, and fluoropolymers are used in many “quality of life” products for which demand historically has been linked to global, regional, and local GDP and discretionary spending, which can be negatively impacted by regional and world events or economic conditions. Such events, which may or may not impact all of our businesses at the same time or to the same degree, are likely to cause a decrease in the demand for our products and, as a result, may have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. The future profitability of our operations, and cash flows generated by those operations, will also be affected by the available supply of our products in the market. Further, our future demand growth may be below average global GDP growth rates if our sales into developed markets outpace our sales into emerging markets. In addition, because demand for certain of our products is driven in part by industry needs to comply with certain environmental regulations (such as markets for refrigerants and foams with low GWP), changes in, the elimination of, or lack of enforcement of such environmental regulations in the U.S., the EU, or other jurisdictions can also negatively impact demand for such products and, as a result, our results of operations and financial condition.

The Chemours Company

Each of the businesses in which we operate is highly competitive. Competition in the performance chemicals industry is based on a number of factors, such as price, product quality, and service. We face significant competition from major international and regional competitors. Some of our competitors in the Titanium Technologies segment may have plans to expand their chloride capacity. Additionally, our Titanium Technologies business competes with numerous regional producers, including producers in China, who have expanded their readily available production capacity. The risk of substitution of these Chinese producers by our customers could increase as these Chinese producers expand their use of chloride production technology. Similarly, we compete with various producers in our Thermal & Specialized Solutions and Advanced Performance Materials businesses, and the risk of substitution of these producers by our customers could increase if these producers develop better capabilities to manufacture products similar to our specialty products.

Intellectual property rights, including patents, trade secrets, confidential information, trademarks, and tradenames are important to our business. We endeavor to protect our intellectual property rights in key jurisdictions in which our products are produced or used and in jurisdictions into which our products are imported. Our success depends to a significant degree upon our ability to protect and preserve our intellectual property rights. However, we may be unable to obtain protection for our intellectual property in key jurisdictions. Although we own and have applied for numerous patents and trademarks throughout the world, we may have to rely on judicial enforcement of our patents and other proprietary rights. Our patents and other intellectual property rights may expire or be challenged, invalidated, circumvented, and rendered unenforceable or otherwise compromised. A failure to protect, defend, or enforce our intellectual property could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Similarly, third parties may assert claims against us and our customers and distributors, alleging our products infringe upon third-party intellectual property rights.

We also rely upon unpatented proprietary technology, know-how, and other trade secrets to maintain our competitive position. While we maintain policies to enter into confidentiality agreements with our employees and third parties to protect our proprietary expertise and other trade secrets, these agreements may not be enforceable or, even if legally enforceable, we may not have adequate remedies for breaches of such agreements. We also may not be able to readily detect breaches of such agreements. The failure of our patents or confidentiality agreements to protect our proprietary technology, know-how, or trade secrets could result in significantly lower revenues, reduced profit margins, or loss of market share.

If we must take legal action to protect, defend, or enforce our intellectual property rights, any suits or proceedings could result in significant costs and diversion of resources and management’s attention, and we may not prevail in any such suits or proceedings. A failure to protect, defend, or enforce our intellectual property rights could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Effects of price fluctuations in energy and raw materials, our raw materials contracts, and our inability to renew such contracts, could have a significant impact on our earnings.

Our manufacturing processes consume significant amounts of raw materials and energy, the costs of which may be subject to worldwide supply and demand factors, global trade regulations and tariffs, GHG emissions-based regulations, and other factors beyond our control. Variations in the cost of energy, which primarily reflect market prices for oil and natural gas, and for raw materials may significantly affect our operating results from period to period. Additionally, to the extent climate change regulations and restrictions are not stringently imposed in the countries in which our competitors operate, our competitors could gain cost or other competitive advantages. Consolidation in the industries providing our raw materials may also have an impact on the cost and availability of such materials. To the extent we do not have fixed price contracts with respect to specific raw materials, we have no control over the costs of raw materials, and such costs may fluctuate widely for a variety of reasons, including changes in availability, major capacity additions or reductions, or significant facility operating problems.

The Chemours Company

When possible, we have purchased, and we plan to continue to purchase, raw materials, including titanium-bearing ores and fluorspar, through negotiated medium-term or long-term contracts to minimize the impact of price fluctuations. To the extent that we have been able to achieve favorable pricing in our existing negotiated long-term contracts, we may not be able to renew such contracts at the current prices, or at all, and this may adversely impact our profitability and cash flows from operations. However, to the extent that the prices of the raw materials that we utilize significantly decline, we may be bound by the terms of our existing long-term contracts and obligated to purchase such raw materials at higher prices as compared to other market participants.

We attempt to offset the effects of higher raw materials and energy costs through selling price increases, productivity improvements, and cost reduction programs. However, the outcome of these efforts is largely determined by existing competitive and economic conditions and may be subject to a time delay between the increase in our raw materials costs and our ability to increase prices, which could vary significantly depending on the market served. If we are not able to fully offset the effects of higher energy or raw materials costs, there could be a material adverse effect on our financial results.

Our reported results and financial condition could be adversely affected by currency exchange rates and currency devaluation could impair our competitiveness.

Due to our international operations, we transact in many foreign currencies, including, but not limited to, the euro, the Mexican peso, the Chinese yuan, the Japanese yen, and the Argentine peso. As a result, we are subject to the effects of changes in foreign currency exchange rates. During times of a strengthening U.S. dollar, our reported net sales and operating income will be reduced because the local currency will be translated into fewer U.S. dollars. During periods of local economic crisis, local currencies may be devalued significantly against the U.S. dollar, potentially reducing our margin. For example, depreciation of the euro against the U.S. dollar has historically negatively impacted our results of operations. We also have certain indebtedness and payables denominated in the euro, and, during times of a strengthening euro relative to the U.S. dollar, our overall debt obligations and payables in U.S. dollars equivalent will increase. Additionally, the Argentine peso has devalued significantly against the U.S. dollar in recent years, which has negatively impacted our results of operations and cash flows.

We enter into certain of our qualifying foreign currency forward contracts under a cash flow hedge program to mitigate the risks associated with fluctuations in the euro against the U.S. dollar for forecasted U.S. dollar-denominated purchases for certain of our international subsidiaries. There can be no assurance that any hedging action will lessen the adverse impact of a variation in currency rates. Also, actions to recover margins may result in lower volume and a weaker competitive position, which may have an adverse effect on our profitability. For example, in our Titanium Technologies segment, a substantial portion of our manufacturing is located in the U.S. and Mexico, while our TiO2 pigment is delivered to customers around the world. Furthermore, our ore cost is principally denominated in U.S. dollars. Accordingly, in periods when the U.S. dollar or Mexican peso strengthen against other local currencies, such as the euro, our costs are higher relative to some of our competitors who operate largely outside of the U.S. and Mexico, and the benefits we realize from having lower costs associated with our manufacturing process are reduced, impacting our profitability.

Our industries and the end-use markets into which we sell our products experience periodic technological changes and product improvements, as well as changes in mandates on or regulation of products and services. Our future growth will depend on our ability to gauge the direction of commercial and technological progress in key end-use markets, our ability to fund and successfully develop, manufacture, and market products in such changing end-use markets, and our ability to adapt to changing regulations including climate change related regulations. We must continue to develop lower-emission manufacturing technologies and identify, develop, and market innovative products or enhance existing products on a timely basis to maintain our profit margins and our competitive position. We may be unable to develop new products or technologies, either alone or with third parties, or license intellectual property rights from third parties on a commercially competitive basis. If we fail to keep pace with the evolving technological innovations in our end-use markets on a competitive basis, including with respect to innovation related to the development of alternative uses for, or application of, products developed that utilize such end-use products, our financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected. We cannot predict whether technological innovations will, in the future, result in a lower demand for our products or affect the competitiveness of our business. We may be required to invest significant resources to adapt to changing technologies, markets, customer behaviors and demands, competitive environments, and laws, regulations, or enforcements. We cannot anticipate market acceptance of new products or future products. In addition, we may not achieve the expected benefits associated with new products developed to meet new laws, regulations, or enforcements if the implementation of such laws, regulations, or enforcements is delayed, and we may face competition from illegal or counterfeit products in regulated markets.

The Chemours Company

If our long-lived assets, including goodwill, become impaired, we may be required to record a significant charge to earnings.

We have a significant amount of long-lived assets on our consolidated balance sheets. Under GAAP, we review our long-lived assets for impairment when events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value may not be recoverable. Goodwill is tested for impairment on October 1 of each year, or more frequently if required. Factors that may be considered a change in circumstances, indicating that the carrying value of our long-lived assets and goodwill may not be recoverable, include, but are not limited to, changes in the industrial, economic, political, social, and physical landscapes in which we operate, a decline in our stock price and market capitalization, reduced future cash flow estimates, changes in discount rate, as well as competition or other factors leading to a reduction in expected long-term sales or profitability. We may be required to record a significant non-cash charge in our financial statements during the period in which any impairment of our long-lived assets, including goodwill, is determined, negatively impacting our results of operations. Subsequent to year end, after the announcement of the Audit Committee Internal Review, we experienced significant fluctuations in our stock price. A sustained decline in our stock price in the future, could indicate the carrying value of our goodwill may not be recoverable.

We are subject to taxes in the U.S. and non-U.S. jurisdictions where our subsidiaries are organized. Due to economic and political conditions, tax rates in various jurisdictions may be subject to significant change. Our future effective tax rates could be affected by and may fluctuate because of changes in the mix of earnings in countries with differing statutory tax rates, changes in the valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities, changes in tax laws or their interpretations, and taxes associated with the repatriation of our non-U.S. earnings. Our tax returns and other tax matters are subject to examination by local tax authorities and governmental bodies. Additionally, we and our subsidiaries are engaged in intercompany transactions across multiple tax jurisdictions. Although we believe we have clearly reflected the economics of these transactions with proper local transfer pricing documentation in place, tax authorities could propose and sustain adjustments. We regularly assess the likelihood of an adverse outcome resulting from these examinations to determine the adequacy of our provision for taxes. There can be no assurance as to the outcome of these examinations. If our effective tax rates were to increase, or if the ultimate determination of the taxes owed by us is for an amount in excess of amounts previously accrued, our operating results, financial condition, and cash flows could be adversely affected.

The Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, which represents a coalition of member countries globally, is supporting changes to numerous long-standing tax principles through its base erosion and profit shifting (“BEPS”) project. The BEPS project is focused on a number of issues, including the shifting of profits among affiliated entities located in different tax jurisdictions and a global minimum corporate income tax under "Pillar Two". Several jurisdictions in which we operated have enacted Pillar Two rules with an effective date of January 1, 2024. At this time we do not expect a material impact; however, given the scope of our international operations and uncertainty surrounding the impact of future legislation, it is difficult to assess how any changes in tax laws arising from BEPS would impact our income tax expense.

We are subject to continuing contingent tax-related liabilities of EID.

There are other significant areas where the liabilities of EID may become our obligations. For example, under the IRC and the related rules and regulations, each corporation that was a member of EID’s consolidated tax reporting group during any taxable period or portion of any taxable period ending on or before the effective time of the distribution is jointly and severally liable for the U.S. federal income tax liability of the entire consolidated tax reporting group for such taxable period. In connection with the Separation and distribution, we entered into a tax matters agreement with EID that allocates the responsibility for prior period taxes of EID’s consolidated tax reporting group between us and EID. If EID were unable to pay any prior period taxes for which it is responsible, however, we could be required to pay the entire amount of such taxes, and such amounts could be significant. Other provisions of federal, state, local, or foreign law may establish similar liability for other matters, including laws governing tax-qualified pension plans, as well as other contingent liabilities.

The Chemours Company

We are a holding company that is dependent on cash flows from our operating subsidiaries to fund our debt obligations, MOU escrow funding requirements, capital expenditures, and ongoing operations.

All of our operations are conducted, and all of our assets are owned, by our operating companies, which are our subsidiaries. We intend to continue to conduct our operations at the operating companies and any future subsidiaries. Consequently, our cash flows and our ability to meet our obligations, including our debt obligations, MOU escrow funding requirements, or make cash distributions depends upon the cash flows of our operating companies and any future subsidiaries, as well as the ability of our operating companies and any future subsidiaries to transfer funds in the form of dividends or otherwise.

Our debt is generally the exclusive obligation of The Chemours Company and our guarantor subsidiaries, as described in “Note 20 – Debt” to the Consolidated Financial Statements. Because a significant portion of our operations are conducted by non-guarantor subsidiaries, our cash flows and our ability to service indebtedness, including our ability to pay the interest on our debt when due and principal of such debt at maturity, are dependent to a large extent upon cash dividends and distributions or other transfers from such non-guarantor subsidiaries. Any payment of dividends, distributions, loans, or advances by our non-guarantor subsidiaries to us could be subject to restrictions on dividends or repatriation of earnings under applicable local law, monetary transfer restrictions, and foreign currency exchange regulations in the jurisdictions in which our subsidiaries operate, and any restrictions imposed by the current and future debt instruments of our non-guarantor subsidiaries.

Our subsidiaries are separate legal entities and, except for our guarantor subsidiaries, have no obligation, contingent or otherwise, to pay any amounts due on our debt or to make any funds available for those amounts, whether by dividends, loans, distributions, or other payments, and do not guarantee the payment of interest on, or principal of, our debt. Any right that we have to receive any assets of any of our subsidiaries that are not guarantors upon the liquidation or reorganization of any such subsidiary, and the consequent right of holders of the outstanding notes to realize proceeds from the sale of their assets, will be structurally subordinated to the claims of that subsidiary’s creditors, including trade creditors and holders of debt issued by that subsidiary.

The ability of our operating companies and any future subsidiaries to make any payments to us depends on their earnings, the terms of their indebtedness, including the terms of any credit facilities, and legal restrictions regarding the transfer of funds.

Failure to meet some or all of our key financial and non-financial targets could negatively impact the value of our business and adversely affect our stock price.

From time to time, we may announce certain key financial and non-financial targets that are expected to serve as benchmarks for our performance or for our liquidity for a given time period, including goals for our future net sales growth, adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization, adjusted earnings per share, free cash flows, return on invested capital, net leverage ratio, corporate responsibility commitments, and/or sustainability commitments. Our failure to meet one or more of these key targets may negatively impact our results of operations, stock price, and stockholder returns. The factors influencing our ability to meet these key targets include, but are not limited to, changes in the global economic environment, changes in our competitive landscape, including our relationships with new or existing customers, our ability to introduce new products, applications, or technologies, our undertaking of an acquisition, joint venture, or other strategic arrangement, the outcome of any new or existing litigation, our failure to comply with new or existing laws or regulations, and other factors described within this Item 1A – Risk Factors, many of which are beyond our control.

A pandemic, epidemic, or other outbreak of infectious disease may have a material adverse effect on our business operations, results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows.

Our operational and financial condition may be negatively impacted by the widespread outbreak of any illnesses or communicable diseases, as well as any associated public health crises that may ensue, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. To minimize transmission, social and economic restrictions have been or may be imposed in the U.S. and abroad, including travel bans, quarantines, restrictions on public gatherings, shelter-in-place orders, and/or safer-at-home orders. These restrictions, while necessary and important for public health, can have negative implications for our business and the U.S. and global economies.

Since 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the global economy, disrupting global supply chains and creating significant uncertainty and volatility in financial markets. While we experienced minimal disruption in our operations and business-related processes, we are continuously monitoring the continuing effects of the COVID-19pandemic on all aspects of our business, including its adverse impacts on our employees, customers, suppliers, vendors, business partners, and supply and distribution channels, as well as our ability to execute our business strategies and objectives. As a multi-national corporation, we are also continuously monitoring the operational and financial impacts of evolving restrictive local and national laws and regulations.

The Chemours Company

The widespread outbreak of any illness or communicable disease could result in, and in the instance of the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in, a significant health crisis that adversely affects local and global economies and financial markets. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to evolve, and have the potential to have a material adverse impact on our business operations, results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows, andmay also exacerbate our other risks, as described within this Item 1A – Risk Factors, any of which could have a material effect on us, including among other things, risks associated with our indebtedness, such as available capacity and compliance with debt covenants, risks related to the adequacy of our cash flows and earnings or other conditions which may affect our liquidity, and risks related to our ongoing ability to pay dividends and repurchase common stock. As the situation continues to evolve, additional impacts of which we are not currently aware may also arise.

Risks Related to Our Operations

Our ability to make future strategic decisions regarding our manufacturing operationsare subject to regulatory, environmental, political, legal, and economic risks, and to a certain extent may be subject to consents or cooperation from EID under the agreements entered into between us and EID as part of the Separation. These could adversely affect our ability to execute our future strategic decisions and our results of operations and financial condition.

One of the ways we may improve our business is through the expansion or improvement of our facilities. Construction of additions or modifications to facilities involves numerous regulatory, environmental, political, legal, and economic uncertainties that are beyond our control and are subject to various start-up risks and consent to operate. Difficulties in obtaining any of the requisite licenses, permits, and authorizations from governmental or regulatory authorities could increase the total cost, delay, jeopardize, or prevent the construction or opening of such facilities. Our expansion or improvement projects may also require the expenditure of significant amounts of capital, and financing may not be available on economically acceptable terms, or at all. As a result, these projects may not be completed on schedule, at the budgeted cost, or at all, which may adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows. Moreover, our revenue may not increase immediately upon the expenditure of funds on a particular project or may be negatively impacted by regulatory or other developments relating to the chemicals we use or manufacture. As a result, we may not be able to realize our expected investment return, which could also adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows.

We periodically assess our manufacturing operations in order to manufacture and distribute our products in the most efficient manner and to minimize the potential impacts of climate-related physical risks on our operations. Based on our assessments, we may make strategic decisions regarding our manufacturing operations, such as capital improvements to modernize certain units and/or improve structural resilience, move manufacturing or distribution capabilities from one plant or facility to another plant or facility, discontinue manufacturing or distributing certain products, or close or divest all or part of a manufacturing plant or facility, some of which have significant shared services and lease agreements with EID. These agreements may adversely impact our ability to make these strategic decisions regarding our manufacturing operations. Further, if such agreements are terminated or revised, we would have to assess and potentially adjust our manufacturing operations, the closure or divestiture of all or part of a manufacturing plant or facility that could result in future charges that could be significant.

Hazards associated with chemical manufacturing, storage, containment, and transportation could adversely affect our results of operations.

There are hazards associated with chemical manufacturing and the related storage, containment, and transportation of raw materials, products, and wastes. These hazards could lead to an interruption or suspension of operations and have an adverse effect on the productivity and profitability of a particular manufacturing facility or on us as a whole. While we endeavor to provide adequate protection for the safe-handling of these materials, issues could be created by various events, including unforeseen accidents or defects, natural disasters, severe weather events, acts of sabotage, military actions, terrorism, and performance by third parties, including tenants at certain of our manufacturing facilities, and, as a result, we could face the following potential hazards, among others:

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piping and storage tank leaks and ruptures;

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mechanical failure;

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employee exposure to hazardous substances;

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fires and explosions; and,

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chemical spills and other discharges or releases of toxic or hazardous substances or gases.

These hazards may cause personal injury and loss of life, damage to property, contamination of the environment, and damage to natural resources, which could lead to government fines and penalties, remedial obligations, work stoppage injunctions, claims and lawsuits by injured persons, damage to our public reputation and brands, loss of sales and market access, customer dissatisfaction, and diminished product acceptance. If such actions are determined adversely to us or there is an associated economic impact to our business, we may have inadequate insurance or cash flows to offset any associated costs. Such outcomes could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

The Chemours Company

Our results of operations and financial condition could be seriously impacted by business disruptions and security breaches, including cybersecurity incidents.

We and certain of our customers and suppliers have experienced business and/or supply chain disruptions, plant downtime, power outages, and/or information technology system and network disruptions. These types of disruptions may be caused by, among other things, acts of sabotage, employee error or other actions, geo-political activity, military actions, and terrorism (including cyberterrorism). Further, the nature of our business dictates that we maintain significant concentrations of physical assets in geographic locations which may be vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, including significant changes in storm patterns and intensities, water shortages, increasing atmospheric and water temperatures, and rising sea levels. Such events could also seriously harm our operations, as well as the operations of our customers and suppliers, and accordingly, we continue to study the long-term implications of changing climate parameters on plant siting, operational issues, and water availability. Although none of the aforementioned disruptions and/or events has materially impacted us to date, we may experience similar type disruptions in the future, which could have a material negative impact on our business, results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows in the future.

Failure to effectively prevent, detect, and recover from security breaches, including attacks on information technology and infrastructure by hackers, viruses, breaches due to employee error or other actions, or other disruptions, could result in misuse of our assets, business disruptions, loss of property including trade secrets and confidential business information, legal claims or proceedings, reporting errors, processing inefficiencies, negative media attention, loss of sales, and interference with regulatory compliance. Such risks are particularly relevant in consideration of remote working arrangements utilized by our workforce where practicable. Like most major corporations, we have been, and expect to be, the target of industrial espionage, including cyberattacks, from time to time. We have determined that these attacks have resulted, and could result in the future, in unauthorized parties gaining access to certain confidential business information, and have included the obtaining of trade secrets and proprietary information related to the chloride manufacturing process for TiO2 pigment by third parties. Although we do not believe that we have experienced any material losses to date related to these breaches, there can be no assurance that we will not suffer any such losses in the future. We actively manage the risks within our control that could lead to business disruptions and security breaches. As these threats continue to evolve, particularly around cybersecurity, we may be required to expend significant resources to enhance our control environment, processes, practices, and other protective measures. Despite these efforts, such events could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, or results of operations.

Our information technology is provided by a combination of internal and external services and service providers, and we rely on information technology in many aspects of our business, including internal and external communications, and the management of our accounting, finance, and supply chain functions. Further, our business involves the use, storage, and transmission of information about customers, suppliers, and employees. As we become more dependent on information technology to conduct our business, and as the number and sophistication of cyberattacks increases, the risks associated with cybersecurity, information security, and data privacy also increases. In response to such risks, we provide our employees with cyber and information security training on a periodic and an annual basis. We have a comprehensive approach to cyber security which includes a robust cyber security education program focused on cyber risk and prevention measures, using online situational awareness training and continuous phishing simulations. Failure to maintain effective internal control over our information technology and infrastructure could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, or results of operations, and/or have a material adverse impact on our stock price.

Preparedness plans pertaining to the physical- and cyber-related aspects of our business have been developed with detailed actions needed in the event of unforeseen events or severe weather. We also engineer our facilities to better withstand these events and hold insurance coverage to protect against losses from physical damages and business interruptions. These measures have historically been in place, and such activities and associated costs are driven by normal operational preparedness. However, there can be no assurance that such measures will be effective for a particular event that we may experience.

The Chemours Company

Our operations could be materially impacted in the event of a failure of our information technology infrastructure.

We currently use an enterprise resource planning (“ERP”) software platform that is no longer supported; however, we pay for extended, customer-specific support, which is costly. We are currently evaluating our options to upgrade or replace our existing platform. Any systems failure, accident, or security breach could result in significant costs or disruptions to our operations, which could have a material adverse effect on our business. Further, such improvements and upgrades or replacements are often complex, costly, and time-consuming. We may also experience challenges integrating any new ERP software platform with our existing technology systems, or may uncover problems with our existing technology systems. Any attempt to upgrade or implement a replacement could result in outages, a disruption to our operations, and our ability to serve our customers.

Pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended, our management is required to report on, and our independent registered public accounting firm is required to attest to, the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. The rules governing the standards that must be met for management to assess our internal control over financial reporting are complex and require significant documentation, testing and possible remediation. Annually, we perform activities that include reviewing, documenting and testing our internal control over financial reporting. In addition, if we fail to maintain the adequacy of our internal control over financial reporting, we will not be able to conclude on an ongoing basis that we have effective internal control over financial reporting in accordance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. If we fail to achieve and maintain an effective internal control environment, we could suffer misstatements in our financial statements and fail to meet our reporting obligations.

As discussed further in Part II, Item 9A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, in evaluating our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023, we identified four control deficiencies relating to failure to set an appropriate tone at the top, design and maintenance of effective controls related to information and communication, design and maintenance of effective controls related to evaluation and escalation of reports made to the Chemours Ethics Hotline, and design and maintenance of effective controls related to vendor master data in order to prevent unauthorized cash disbursements. Each of these four control deficiencies constituted material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. These material weaknesses also resulted in us deeming our disclosure controls and procedures not effective. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of a company’s annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.

In response to these material weaknesses, management is implementing remedial actions to improve the design and operational effectiveness of the elements of the internal control environment that contributed to these material weaknesses, which are described in Part II, Item 9A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Management anticipates that these actions and the introduction of new controls, when implemented and tested for a sufficient period of time, will remediate the material weaknesses. We expect to continue to enhance our internal controls and assess our operating effectiveness throughout 2024.

We may nevertheless be unsuccessful in remediating the material weakness identified by management, or we may be unable to identify and remediate additional control deficiencies, including material weaknesses, in the future. If not remediated, our failure to establish and maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting could result in material misstatements in our financial statements and a failure to meet our reporting and financial obligations, which could subject us to litigation and regulatory investigations, diminish investor confidence in us, negatively impact the trading price of our common stock and/or limit our ability to access capital markets.

The Chemours Company

We have devoted substantial internal and external resources towards the Audit Committee Internal Review and expect to continue to devote substantial resources towards the implementation of enhanced procedures and controls over deficiencies and the remediation of material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. Because of these efforts, we have incurred and expect that we will continue to incur significant fees and expenses for legal, accounting, financial and other consulting and professional services, as well as the implementation and maintenance of systems and processes that will need to be updated, supplemented or replaced. Additionally, we have indemnification and expense advancement obligations pursuant to our bylaws and indemnification agreements with respect to certain current and former members of senior management and our directors. In connection with the Audit Committee Internal Review, we have received requests from former members of senior management under such indemnification agreements and our bylaws to provide advances of funds for legal fees and other expenses, and we expect additional requests in connection with the Audit Committee Internal Review and any future related litigation. We have taken several remediation efforts in response to the Audit Committee Internal Review. However, there can be no assurance that these steps and future steps will be successful. To the extent these steps are unsuccessful or incomplete, or we identify additional matters requiring remediation, we may be required to devote significant additional time and expense to additional remediation efforts. The incurrence of significant additional expenses or the requirement that management devote substantial time to these efforts could reduce the time otherwise available to execute on our business strategies and could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows.

Risks Related to Our Indebtedness

As of December 31, 2023, we had approximately $4.0 billion of indebtedness. At December 31, 2023, together with the guarantors, we had approximately $1.5 billion of indebtedness outstanding under our senior secured credit facilities, and a net $852 million of revolving credit facility (“Revolving Credit Facility”) availability after letters of credit, which would be senior secured indebtedness, if drawn (collectively, the “Senior Secured Credit Facilities”). Our current level of indebtedness increases the risk that we may be unable to generate cash sufficient to pay amounts due in respect of our indebtedness. The level of our indebtedness could have other important consequences on our business, including:

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making it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations with respect to indebtedness;

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increasing our vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry, and competitive conditions;

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requiring us to dedicate a significant portion of our cash flows from operations to make payments on our indebtedness, thereby reducing the availability of our cash flows to fund working capital and other general corporate purposes;

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limiting our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the industry in which we operate;

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restricting us from capitalizing on business opportunities;

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placing us at a competitive disadvantage compared to our competitors that have less debt;

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limiting our ability to borrow additional funds for working capital, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of our business strategy, or other general corporate purposes;

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requiring us to provide additional credit support, such as letters of credit or other financial guarantees, to our customers, suppliers, or regulators, thereby limiting our availability of funds under our Revolving Credit Facility;

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limiting our ability to enter into certain commercial arrangements because of concerns of counterparty risks; and,

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limiting our ability to adjust to changing market conditions and placing us at a competitive disadvantage compared to our competitors that have less debt.

The occurrence of any one or more of these circumstances could have a material adverse effect on us.

Our ability to make scheduled payments on and to refinance our indebtedness, including on our outstanding notes, depends on and is subject to our financial and operating performance, which in turn is affected by general and regional economic, financial, competitive, business, and other factors (many of which are beyond our control), including the availability of financing in the international banking and capital markets. We cannot be certain that our business will generate sufficient cash flows from operations or that future borrowings will be available to us in an amount sufficient to enable us to service our debt, including the outstanding notes, to refinance our debt, or to fund our other liquidity needs.

The Chemours Company

If we are unable to meet our debt service obligations or to fund our other liquidity needs, we will need to restructure or refinance all or a portion of our debt, including the outstanding notes. Failure to successfully restructure or refinance our debt could cause us to default on our debt obligations and would impair our liquidity. Our ability to restructure or refinance our debt will depend on the condition of the capital markets, which is outside of our control, and our financial condition at such time. Any refinancing of our indebtedness could be at higher interest rates and may require us to comply with more onerous covenants that could further restrict our business operations.

Moreover, in the event of a default of our debt service obligations, if not cured or waived, the holders of the applicable indebtedness, including holders of our outstanding notes and the Senior Secured Credit Facilities, could elect to declare all the funds borrowed to be due and payable, together with accrued and unpaid interest. Our assets or cash flows may not be sufficient to fully repay borrowings under our outstanding debt instruments if accelerated upon an event of default. First, a default in our debt service obligations in respect of the outstanding notes would result in a cross-default under the Senior Secured Credit Facilities. The foregoing would permit the lenders under the Revolving Credit Facility to terminate their commitments thereunder and cease making further loans, and would allow the lenders under the Senior Secured Credit Facilities to declare all loans immediately due and payable and to institute foreclosure proceedings against their collateral. Second, any event of default or declaration of acceleration under the Senior Secured Credit Facilities or certain other agreements relating to our outstanding indebtedness could also result in an event of default under the indenture governing the outstanding notes, and any event of default or declaration of acceleration under any other of our outstanding indebtedness may also contain a cross-default provision. Any such default, event of default if not cured or waived, or declaration of acceleration could force us into bankruptcy, reorganization, insolvency, or liquidation.

Refer to “Note 20 – Debt” to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion related to our indebtedness.

Despite our current level of indebtedness, we may incur substantially more debt and enter into other transactions, which could further exacerbate the risks to our financial condition described above.

Notwithstanding our current level of indebtedness, we may incur significant additional indebtedness in the future, including additional secured indebtedness (including the $900 million maximum capacity under the Revolving Credit Facility) that would be effectively senior to our outstanding notes. Although the indenture that governs the outstanding notes and the credit agreement that governs the Senior Secured Credit Facilities contain restrictions on our ability to incur additional indebtedness and to enter into certain types of other transactions, these restrictions are subject to a number of significant qualifications and exceptions. Additional indebtedness incurred in compliance with these restrictions, including additional secured indebtedness, could be substantial. These restrictions also do not prevent us from incurring obligations, such as trade payables, that do not constitute indebtedness as defined under our debt instruments. To the extent such new debt is added to our current debt levels, the substantial leverage risks described in the immediately preceding risk factor would increase.

We may need additional capital in the future and may not be able to obtain it on favorable terms or at all.

Our industry is capital intensive, and we may require additional capital in the future to finance our growth and development, implement further marketing and sales activities, fund ongoing R&D activities, make investments driven by environmental compliance, and meet general working capital needs. Our capital requirements will depend on many factors, including acceptance of and demand for our products, the extent to which we invest in new technology and R&D projects, and the status and timing of these developments, as well as the general availability of capital from debt and/or equity markets. However, debt or equity financing may not be available to us on terms we find acceptable, if at all. If we are unable to raise additional capital when needed, our financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.

Additionally, our failure to maintain the credit ratings on our debt securities, including the outstanding notes, could negatively affect our ability to access capital and could increase our interest expense on future indebtedness. We expect the credit rating agencies to periodically review our capital structure and the quality and stability of our earnings, including environmental, social and governance-related impacts. Deterioration in our capital structure or the quality and stability of our earnings could result in a downgrade of our overall credit ratings and our debt securities. On March 1, 2024, S&P Global downgraded our issuer credit rating from BB to BB- and placed all company credit ratings on CreditWatch with negative implications, and Moody’s has placed our ratings under review for downgrade. These negative rating agency actions could constrain the capital available to us, reduce or eliminate available borrowing to us, and could limit our access to and/or increase the cost of funding our operations. If, as a result, our ability to access capital when needed becomes constrained, our interest costs could increase, which could have material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows.

The Chemours Company

The agreements governing our indebtedness restrict our current and future operations, particularly our ability to respond to changes or to take certain actions.

The agreements governing our indebtedness, including the outstanding notes, contain, and the agreements governing future indebtedness and future debt securities may contain, significant restrictive covenants and, in the case of the Revolving Credit Facility, financial maintenance and negative covenants that will limit our operations, including our ability to engage in activities that may be in our long-term best interests. These restrictive covenants may limit us, and our restricted subsidiaries, from taking, or give rights to the holders of our indebtedness in the event of, the following actions:

•

incurring additional indebtedness and guaranteeing indebtedness and other obligations;

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paying dividends or making other distributions in respect of, or repurchasing or redeeming, our capital stock;

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making acquisitions or other investments;

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prepaying, redeeming, or repurchasing certain indebtedness;

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selling or otherwise disposing of assets;

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selling stock of our subsidiaries;

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incurring liens;

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entering into transactions with affiliates;

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entering into agreements restricting our subsidiaries’ ability to pay dividends;

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entering into transactions that result in a change of control of us; and,

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consolidating, merging, or selling all or substantially all of our assets.

Our failure to comply with those covenants could result in an event of default that, if not cured or waived, could result in the acceleration of some or all of our indebtedness, which could lead us to bankruptcy, reorganization, or insolvency.

Our variable rate indebtedness subjects us to interest rate risk, which could cause our indebtedness service obligations to increase significantly.

Our borrowings under the Senior Secured Credit Facilities are at variable rates and expose us to interest rate risk. As a result, if interest rates increase, our debt service obligations under the Senior Secured Credit Facilities or other variable rate debt would increase, even though the amount borrowed would remain the same, and our net income and cash flows, including cash available for servicing our indebtedness, would correspondingly decrease. We may use, from time to time, derivative instruments to mitigate interest rate risk. However, there is no guarantee that derivative contracts may be available to us and/or if such contracts will provide the desired results. As of December 31, 2023, we had approximately $1.5 billion of our outstanding debt under the Senior Secured Credit Facilities at variable interest rates.

Refer to “Note 26 – Financial Instruments” to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further details regarding our interest rate swaps designated as a cash flow hedge.

Certain U.S. and non-U.S. financial institutions experienced crisis in the first quarter of 2023, resulting in disruption in the financial markets. While we do not foresee any concerns around our liquidity, events involving limited liquidity, defaults, non-performance or other adverse developments that affect financial institutions, transactional counterparties or the financial services industry generally, or concerns about any events of these kinds or other similar risks, have in the past and may in the future lead to market-wide liquidity problems. Although we assess our banking and customer relationships as we believe necessary or appropriate, our access to funding sources and other credit arrangements in amounts adequate to finance our current and future business operations could be significantly impaired by factors that affect us, the financial services industry or economy in general. These factors could include, among others, events such as liquidity constraints or failures, the ability to perform obligations under various types of financial, credit or liquidity agreements or arrangements, disruptions or instability in the financial markets, or concerns or negative expectations about the prospects for companies in the financial services industry.

The Chemours Company

In addition, investor, regulatory, or other concerns regarding the U.S. or international financial systems could result in less favorable commercial financing terms, including higher interest rates or costs and tighter financial and operating covenants, or systemic limitations on access to credit and liquidity sources, thereby making it more difficult for us to acquire financing on acceptable terms or at all. Any decline in available funding or access to our cash and liquidity resources could, among other risks, adversely impact our ability to meet our operating expenses, financial obligations or fulfill our other obligations or result in breaches of our contractual obligations. Any of these impacts, or any other impacts resulting from the factors described above or other related or similar factors not described above, could have material adverse impacts on our liquidity and our business, results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows.

General Risk Factors

Our stock price could become more volatile and investments could lose value.

The market price for our common stock may be affected by a number of factors, including, but not limited to:

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our quarterly or annual earnings, or those of other companies in our industry;

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actual or anticipated fluctuations in our operating results;

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changes in earnings estimates by securities analysts or our ability to meet those estimates or our earnings guidance;

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anticipated or actual outcomes or resolutions of legal or other contingencies;

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internal factors, such as the Audit Committee Internal Review, unplanned changes in senior management, and material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting;

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the operating and stock price performance of other comparable companies;

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a change in our dividend or stock repurchase activities;

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changes in applicable rules and regulations and the reputation of our business;

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the announcement of new products by us or our competitors;

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overall market fluctuations and domestic and worldwide economic conditions; and,

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other factors described within this Item 1A – Risk Factors, and elsewhere within this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

A significant drop or rise in our stock price could expose us to costly and time-consuming litigation, which could result in substantial costs and divert management’s attention and resources, resulting in an adverse effect on our business. See also “As a result of the Audit Committee Internal Review, we may be exposed to litigation from investors and/or regulatory entities, which may adversely affect our reputation, results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows” for a discussion of recent requests for information and potential private litigation.

We cannot guarantee the timing or amount of our dividends and/or our share repurchases, which are subject to a number of uncertainties that may affect the price of our common stock.

The declaration, payment, and amount of any dividends, and/or the decision to purchase common stock under our share repurchase programs, are subject to the sole discretion of our board of directors and, in the context of our capital allocation strategy, will depend upon many factors, including our financial condition, operating results, cash flows, and relevant prospects, our capital requirements and access to capital markets, covenants associated with certain of our debt obligations, legal requirements, and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant, and there can be no assurances that we will continue to pay a dividend or repurchase our common shares in the future.

The reduction or elimination of our dividends or share repurchase programs could adversely affect the price of our common stock. Additionally, any repurchases of our common stock will reduce the amount of our common stock outstanding. There can be no assurances that any share repurchase activity will increase stockholder value due to market fluctuations in the price of our common stock, which may reduce the price of our common stock to levels below the repurchase price. Although our share repurchase programs are designed to enhance long-term shareholder value, short-term fluctuations in the market price of our common stock could reduce the program’s overall effectiveness.

A stockholder’s percentage of ownership in us may be diluted in the future.

A stockholder’s percentage ownership in our common stock may be diluted because of equity issuances for acquisitions, capital market transactions, or otherwise, including, without limitation, equity awards that we may be granting to our directors, officers, and employees. Such issuances may have a dilutive effect on our earnings per share, which could adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

The Chemours Company

In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes us to issue, without the approval of our stockholders, one or more classes or series of preferred stock having such designation, powers, preferences, and relative participating, optional, and other special rights, including preferences over our common stock with respect to dividends and distributions, as our board of directors generally may determine. The terms of one or more classes or series of preferred stock could dilute the voting power or reduce the value of our common stock. For example, we could grant the holders of preferred stock the right to elect some number of our directors in all events or on the happening of specified events or to veto specified transactions. Similarly, the repurchase or redemption rights or liquidation preferences we could assign to holders of preferred stock could affect the residual value of our common stock.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated by-laws contain, and Delaware law contains, provisions that are intended to deter coercive takeover practices and inadequate takeover bids by making such practices or bids unacceptably expensive to the bidder and to encourage prospective acquirers to negotiate with our board of directors rather than to attempt a hostile takeover. These provisions include, among others:

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the inability of our stockholders to act by written consent;

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the limited ability of our stockholders to call a special meeting;

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rules regarding how stockholders may present proposals or nominate directors for election at stockholder meetings;

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the right of our board of directors to issue preferred stock without stockholder approval;

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the ability of our directors, and not stockholders, to fill vacancies (including those resulting from an enlargement of the board of directors) on our board of directors; and,

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the requirement that stockholders holding at least 80% of our voting stock are required to amend certain provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated by-laws.

In addition, we are subject to Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporations Law (“DGCL”). Section 203 of the DGCL provides that, subject to limited exceptions, persons that (without prior board of directors approval) acquire, or are affiliated with a person that acquires, more than 15% of the outstanding voting stock of a Delaware corporation shall not engage in any business combination with that corporation, including by merger, consolidation, or acquisitions of additional shares, for a three-year period following the date on which that person or its affiliate becomes the holder of more than 15% of the corporation’s outstanding voting stock.

We believe these provisions will protect our stockholders from coercive or otherwise unfair takeover tactics by requiring potential acquirers to negotiate with our board of directors and by providing our board of directors with more time to assess any acquisition proposal. These provisions are not intended to make us immune from takeovers. However, these provisions will apply even if an acquisition proposal or offer may be considered beneficial by some stockholders and could delay or prevent an acquisition that our board of directors determines is not in our and/or our stockholders’ best interests. These provisions may also prevent or discourage attempts to remove and replace incumbent directors.

Several of the agreements that we have entered into with EID require EID’s consent to any assignment by us of our rights and obligations, or a change of control of us, under the agreements. The consent rights set forth in these agreements might discourage, delay, or prevent a change of control that a stockholder may consider favorable.

Our success depends on our ability to attract and retain key employees, and to identify and develop talented personnel to succeed our senior management and other key employees.

Our success depends on the performance of our key employees, including our senior management team, which is currently led by a new Chief Executive Officer. If we are unable to identify, attract, retain, and develop a talented, diverse set of leaders, whether due to technical, geographical, social, or other differences, our results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows could be adversely affected. Further, if we are unable to effectively plan for the succession of our senior management team, our results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows could be adversely affected, as we may be unable to realize our business strategy. While our ongoing personnel practices identify a succession process for our key employees, we cannot guarantee the effectiveness of this process, the continuity of highly-qualified individuals serving in all of our key positions at particular moments in time, and/or the completeness of any knowledge transfer at the time of succession, including its impacts on our general operations and on our internal control over our financial reporting.

The Chemours Company

We may experience a disruption of our business activities and our business could be adversely affected due to senior management transitions.

We have had several unplanned senior management changes recently, including our then-Chief Executive Officer, then-Chief Financial Officer, and then-Controller being placed on administrative leave in February 2024, and the appointment of our current Chief Executive Officer and Interim Chief Financial Officer. Leadership transitions and management changes can be difficult to manage, particularly if they are unplanned, inherently cause some loss of institutional knowledge and may cause uncertainties or a disruption to our business or increase the likelihood of turnover in key officers and employees. Our ability to execute our business strategies may be impacted by the uncertainty associated with these transitions and the time and attention of our board of directors and management may be required to dedicate to management transitions could disrupt our business. These factors could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows.

Item 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None.

Item 1C. CYBERSECURITY

Chemours recognizes the critical importance of maintaining a cybersecurity program to provide a secure and reliable computing environment protecting the Company’s information, systems and assets and to enable our digital transformation goals. Our cyber and information security program (the “Program”) is based upon standards published by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (“NIST”) in their Cybersecurity Framework. The goals of our Program are:

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identifying, preventing, and mitigating cybersecurity threats to the Company;

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preserving the confidentiality, security, and availability of the information that we collect and store to use in our business;

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protecting the Company’s intellectual property;

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maintaining the confidence of our customers, business partners and other stakeholders; and

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providing appropriate public disclosure of cybersecurity risks and incidents, when required.

The Chief Information Security Officer (“CISO”) is the Chemours executive principally responsible for managing and maintaining the Program, is accountable for managing risk, ensuring that the organization’s security posture is aligned with its business objectives, and providing timely updates to senior management on such efforts. The CISO reports to the Interim Enterprise Transformation Leader. The current CISO has more than six years with Chemours and over 25 years of total cyber and information security experience with multiple companies across both the private and public sector in CISO and other information security roles.

The CISO manages and is supported by a global team of risk managers, cyber defenders, architects, and engineers with the knowledge and experience to carry out day-to-day cybersecurity operations. They are also supported by third parties who provide threat intelligence, global infrastructure monitoring, and threat detection and response to cyber events. In addition, our Corporate Security team, a part of the Legal organization, has open lines of communication with various Federal, State and International law enforcement agencies to gain access to the latest cyber situational awareness.

We assess third-party cybersecurity controls through a cybersecurity questionnaire and include information security and privacy addendums to our contracts, where applicable. We also require that our vendors and other third parties report cybersecurity incidents to us so that we can assess the impact of the incident on us.

Chemours educates its employees and contractors annually on cyber risks and prevention, monthly using online situational awareness training, active employee engagement, and ongoing phishing simulations.

The CISO has an incident response plan designed to address potential cybersecurity incidents and notify appropriate leadership while determining the material impact through a cyber sub-committee of management’s Disclosure Committee. The plan also includes implementing long-term strategies for recovery and prevention of future incidents.

We manage the cybersecurity risk under our Enterprise Risk Management (“ERM”) program, where we assess key risks within the Company. The board of directors is responsible for oversight of the Company’s enterprise risk management and is informed of the risks associated with cybersecurity through periodic ERM updates. A key part of the Company’s strategy for managing risks from cybersecurity threats is the ongoing assessment and testing of the Company’s processes and practices through auditing, assessments, tabletop exercises, threat modeling, and other exercises focused on evaluating the effectiveness of the Program.

The Chemours Company

The Audit Committee is central to the board of directors' oversight of cybersecurity and regularly meets with the CISO to review and discuss cybersecurity risks, the status of ongoing cyber initiatives and strategies, incident reports and learnings, as well as key performance indicators. The results of any cyber risk assessments, audits, and reviews are reported to the Audit Committee and the board of directors, and the Company adjusts its cybersecurity policies, standards, processes and practices as necessary based on the information provided by the assessments, audits and reviews.

Although our Risk Factors include further details about the cybersecurity risks we face, we believe that risks from prior cybersecurity threats, including any previous cybersecurity incidents, have not materially affected our business to date. We can provide no assurance that there will not be incidents in the future or that they will not materially affect us, including our business strategy, results of operations, or financial condition.

Item 2. PROPERTIES

Our Production Facilities and Technical Centers

Our corporate headquarters is located in Wilmington, Delaware, and we maintain a global network of production facilities and technical centers located in cost-effective and strategic locations. We also use contract manufacturing and joint venture partners in order to provide regional access or to lower manufacturing costs, as appropriate.

The following chart sets forth our production facilities at December 31, 2023.

Production Facilities

(1)

Site is leased from a third party.

(2)

Site with joint venture equity affiliates.

(3)

Shared site between the Thermal & Specialized Solutions and Other segments.

(4)

Shared site between the Thermal & Specialized Solutions and Advanced Performance Materials segments.

(5)

Excludes the Kuan Yin, Taiwan production facility that was fully shut-down during the fourth quarter of 2023.

We have technical centers and R&D facilities located at a number of our production facilities. We also maintain stand-alone technical centers to serve our customers and provide technical support.

The Chemours Company

The following chart sets forth our stand-alone technical centers at December 31, 2023.

Technical Centers

North America Newark, Delaware (1) (4)Wilmington, Delaware (1) (3)

Latin America Mexico City, Mexico (1)

Asia Pacific Shimizu, Japan (2) Shanghai, China (1) (4)

(1)

Site is leased from a third party.

(2)

Site with joint venture equity affiliates.

(3)

Shared site between the Thermal & Specialized Solutions and Advanced Performance Materials segments.

(4)

Shared site between the Titanium Technologies, Thermal & Specialized Solutions, and Advanced Performance Materials segments.

Our plants and equipment are maintained in good operating condition. We believe that we have sufficient production capacity for our primary products to meet demand in 2024. Our properties are primarily owned by us; however, certain properties are leased, as noted in the preceding tables.

We recognize that the security and safety of our operations are critical to our employees and communities, as well as our future. Physical security measures have been combined with process safety measures, administrative procedures, and emergency response preparedness into an integrated security plan. We conduct vulnerability assessments at our operating facilities in the U.S., as well as high-priority sites worldwide, and as a result, identify and implement the appropriate measures to protect these facilities from physical and cyberattacks. We also maintain preparedness plans that detail actions needed to recover from acute severe weather events, natural disasters, or other events that could disrupt our business. We engineer our facilities to better withstand these events and hold insurance coverage to protect against losses from physical damages and business interruptions. These measures have historically been in place, and these activities and associated costs are driven by normal operational preparedness.

The Chemours Company

Item 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

Legal Proceedings

We are subject to various legal proceedings, including, but not limited to, product liability, intellectual property, personal injury, commercial, contractual, employment, governmental, environmental and regulatory, anti-trust, and other such matters that arise in the ordinary course of business. In addition, we, by virtue of our status as a subsidiary of EID prior to the Separation, are subject to or required under the Separation-related agreements executed prior to the Separation to indemnify EID against various pending legal proceedings. Information regarding certain of these matters is set forth below and in “Note 22 – Commitments and Contingent Liabilities” to the Consolidated Financial Statements. In the foregoing, we have excluded matters that we expect to result in sanctions of less than $1 million, if any.

Litigation

PFOA and PFAS: Environmental and Litigation Proceedings

For purposes of this report, the term “PFOA” means, collectively, perfluorooctanoic acid and its salts, including the ammonium salt, and does not distinguish between the two forms. The term “PFAS” means per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Information related to these and other litigation matters, including actions related to Fayetteville, is included in “Note 22 – Commitments and Contingent Liabilities” to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Environmental Proceedings

Dordrecht, Netherlands

In May 2020, we were notified of an alleged criminal offense related to the Netherlands’ Environmental Management Act and the Working Conditions Decree, regarding the use of PFOA during the pre-spin time period of June 1, 2008 to December 31, 2012. The investigation was initiated in the first quarter of 2016 by a public prosecutor. We believe that we have complied with all relevant laws, and we are in contact with the prosecutor.

In addition, in March 2022, the public prosecutor in The Netherlands has raised a matter related to an alleged infraction of Regulation (EU) 517/2014. Due to a reporting error, our Dordrecht Works facility exceeded its allocated or transferred quota of hydrofluorocarbons within the European market over several years. We implemented improvements to our reporting procedures and operated within the allocated quota. We paid a fine in the fourth quarter of 2022.

Fayetteville, North Carolina

In February 2019, we received a Notice of Violation (“NOV”) from EPA alleging certain TSCA violations at Fayetteville. Matters raised in the NOV could have the potential to affect operations at Fayetteville. For this NOV, we responded to EPA in March 2019. We are in discussion with EPA regarding PFAS-related allegations at our sites, including the February 2019 NOV, and at this time management believes that a loss is possible but not estimable. We have also received NOVs from the NC DEQ following entry of the CO, including in April 2020, January 2021, and August 2021, alleging violations relating to Fayetteville. We have responded to these matters and in April 2022 entered into a settlement agreement with NC DEQ with respect to the August 2021 NOV. We do not believe that a loss is probable related to the matters in the other NOVs. Further discussion related to these matters is included under the heading “Fayetteville Works, Fayetteville, North Carolina” in “Note 22 – Commitments and Contingent Liabilities” to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Item 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Information regarding mine safety and other regulatory actions at our surface mines and/or mineral sands separation facilities in Starke, Florida, Jesup, Georgia, Nahunta, Georgia, and Offerman, Georgia, are included in Exhibit 95 to this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

The Chemours Company

INFORMATION ABOUT OUR EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

The following list sets forth our executive officers and a summary of their professional experience.

Denise Dignam, age 58, serves as our President and Chief Executive Officer. Ms. Dignam was appointed Chief Executive Officer in March 2024. Ms. Dignam joined Chemours in 2015 and has served as our President – Titanium Technologies, from 2023 to 2024; President – Advanced Performance Materials from 2021 to 2023; Vice President of Global Operations – Fluoroproducts, from 2019 to 2021; Global Senior Business Director – Fluoropolymers, from 2016 to 2019; and North American Business Director – Diversified Technologies and Industrial Resins, from 2015 to 2016. Previously, she worked at EID in various roles, including Director of Global Supply Chain – Fluoroproducts, from 2013 to 2014; Global Business Manager of Sulfur Products, from 2009 to 2013; and Global Sales Manager of Clean Technologies from 2007 to 2009. Ms. Dignam joined EID in 1988 as a design engineer.

Matthew S. Abbott, age 48, serves as our Interim Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President, Chief Enterprise Transformation Officer, with responsibility for Finance, Enterprise Capital Projects and Engineering Technology, Information Technology, Cyber Security, Digital and Data Analytics and Procurement. Mr. Abbott was appointed as Interim Chief Financial Officer in February 2024 and has served as Chief Enterprise Transformation Officer since June 2023. Mr. Abbott joined Chemours in 2017 and has served as Chemours' Vice President, Digital and Data Analytics Leader from 2021 to 2023 where he was central to designing digital strategies to accelerate Chemours’ journey to becoming a data-driven organization. Past roles included Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer and Controller from 2019 to 2021; and Vice President and Chief Audit Executive from 2017 to 2019. Prior to joining Chemours, Mr. Abbott was a Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP ("PwC") for five years, with nearly twenty total years of experience serving PwC's industrial products and high-technology clients.

Diane I. Picho,age 63, serves as our Interim President – Titanium Technologies. Ms. Picho was appointed to this role in March 2024. Ms. Picho joined Chemours in 2015 and has served as Vice President of Human Resources and Chief of Staff for Titanium Technologies from 2023 to 2024; Vice President of Commercial Operations for the Chemours Advanced Performance Materials business from 2022 to 2023; Senior Director of Commercial Operations for the Chemours Advanced Performance Materials business from 2020-2021; Senior Director of Global Strategy & Business Operating Systems for Chemours Fluoroproducts from 2017 to 2019; and Global Business Productivity Director for Chemours Fluoroproducts from 2015 to 2016. Prior to joining Chemours, Ms. Picho worked at EID in various roles including, North America Regional Business & Market Director for DuPont Chemicals & Fluoroproducts from 2013 to 2015; and Global Business Manager for Fluorochemicals Refrigerants from 2007 to 2012. Ms. Picho joined EID in 1983 as an R&D Engineer.

Joseph T. Martinko, age 56, serves as our President – Thermal & Specialized Solutions. Mr. Martinko was appointed to this role in July, 2023. Mr. Martinko joined Chemours in 2015 and served as Global Business and Marketing Director – OpteonTM products from 2015 to 2019 and Senior Business Director, Americas, from 2019 to 2023. Previously, Mr. Martinko worked at EID in various roles in the fluorochemicals business including North America General Manager and various Global sales, business and marketing roles in Fluoroproducts. Mr. Martinko joined EID in 1995 and had Safety, Health and Environmental and Operations responsibility for several manufacturing units at EID's Chambers Works Facility.

Gerardo Familiar, age 48, serves as our President – Advanced Performance Materials. Mr. Familiar was appointed to this role in March 2023. Mr. Familiar joined Chemours in 2015 and has served as our General Manager - Chemours Hydrogen Venture from 2022 to 2023; Senior Director of TSS Global Strategy, Marketing, and Regulatory Affairs from 2020 to 2022; Director of Investor Relations from 2019 to 2020; Global Business Director and President - Chemours Mexico from 2016 to 2019; and Global Business Director - Coatings from 2015 to 2016. Previously, he worked at EID in various roles, including Global Business Manager from 2014 to 2015; and Business & Marketing Manager North America - APM & TSS from 2013 to 2014. Mr. Familiar joined EID in 2002 as a Sales and Marketing Leader - Mexico and Central America. Prior to joining EID, Mr. Familiar was a Senior Consultant at PwC from 2000 to 2002; and a Business Consultant at Decide MX from 1995 to 1999.

Kristine Wellman, age 54, serves as our Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary. Ms. Wellman was appointed Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary in October 2022. Ms. Wellman joined Chemours in December 2014 and has held several positions within the company throughout her tenure. Ms. Wellman served as Associate General Counsel and Assistant Corporate Secretary from July 2015 through February 2019, and a Vice President from March 2018 through February 2019. Ms. Wellman joined business operations for the Fluoroproducts business in March 2019, serving as Plant Manager, Chambers Works, from March 2019 through November 2020. From December 2020 through November 2021, Ms. Wellman served as Vice President, Advanced Performance Materials, Sustainability. She next was appointed to Vice President, Strategic Planning until September 30, 2022. Prior to joining Chemours, Ms. Wellman held legal leadership positions at several financial institutions, including Senior Vice President and Chief Counsel, Capital One, from February 2012 through November 2014, General Counsel ING Bank, fsb, a U.S. subsidiary of ING Group, N.V., from August 2010 through February 2012, and positions of increasing responsibility within the legal department of Branch Banking & Trust Company (BBT) from June 2006 through July 2010, including Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, July 2008 through July 2010. In 1995, Ms. Wellman began her legal career in private practice focusing on M&A, corporate and securities law, and corporate governance.

The Chemours Company

Ron Charles, age 54, serves as our Senior Vice President, People and Environmental and Health & Safety and was appointed to the role in October 2023. Mr. Charles joined Chemours in October 2017 and has held several positions within the company throughout his tenure. From 2022 to 2023, Mr. Charles served as Vice President – Talent & Culture and Global Human Resources Business Partner (HRBP) for Advance Performance Materials. Additionally, he served as Vice President – Global Labor Relations and Global HRBP for Titanium Technologies from 2017 to 2022 where he led the people aspects of mergers and divestitures. Mr. Charles joined Chemours from Phillips 66, where he served as a Human Resources Manager for the multinational energy company from 2014 to 2017. Prior to Phillips 66, he served as Human Resources Vice President, Global Catalysts Solutions & U.S. Labor Relations at Albemarle Corporation, where he also held a number of Human Resources leadership roles with increasing responsibility including labor relations and compensation strategies from 2005 to 2014. From 2003 to 2005, Mr. Charles served as Human Resources Manager for Armstrong World Industries where he managed employee and union relations. Prior to Armstrong World Industries, Mr. Charles served as Human Resources Manager for Frito Lay from 2002 to 2003, and Human Resources Generalist for Texas Instruments from 2000 to 2002, with responsibilities including manufacturing talent acquisition, performance management, benefits, rewards, and compensation. Mr. Charles started his career at JCPenney as a Performance Improvement Facilitator from 1999 to 2000.

Alvenia Scarborough, age 50, serves as our Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications and Chief Brand Officer. Ms. Scarborough was appointed to this role in October 2020, after serving as Senior Director of Corporate Communications and Brand Marketing since July 2015. Prior to Chemours, Ms. Scarborough held a variety of corporate communications and marketing communications positions with increasing responsibility across brand development, corporate reputation, media relations, employee communications, and digital marketing. Ms. Scarborough brings over two decades of communications experience with leading multinational companies, including: EID, where she served as the Corporate Leader, Brand Management, Protection and Licensing from 2013 to 2015 and Global Director, Business Communications from 2011 to 2013; Newell Rubbermaid, where she served as the Director, Business Communications and Brand Marketing, Global Technology Brands from 2009 to 2010; and Kodak Alaris, where she served as Director of Marketing & Communications, Consumer Imaging from 2000 to 2009, where she spent several years as a product management commercial leader. Ms. Scarborough’s unique experience and modern approach to communications have resulted in multiple industry awards and recognition for breakthrough social media and advertising campaigns.

The Chemours Company

PART II

Market for Registrant’s Common Equity and Related Stockholder Matters

Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the symbol, “CC”. The number of record holders of our common stock was 36,164 at March 22, 2024. Holders of our common stock are entitled to receive dividends when they are declared by our board of directors, and dividends are generally declared and paid on a quarterly basis. Our stock transfer agent and registrar is Computershare Trust Company, N.A.

Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities

None.

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

2022 Share Repurchase Program

On April 27, 2022, our board of directors approved a share repurchase program authorizing the purchase of shares of our issued and outstanding common stock in an aggregate amount not to exceed $750 million, plus any associated fees or costs in connection with our share repurchase activity (the “2022 Share Repurchase Program”). Under the 2022 Share Repurchase Program, shares of our common stock can be purchased in the open market from time to time, subject to management’s discretion, as well as general business and market conditions. Our 2022 Share Repurchase Program became effective on April 27, 2022 and is scheduled to continue through the earlier of its expiration on December 31, 2025 or the completion of repurchases up to the approved amount. The program may be suspended or discontinued at any time.

Through December 31, 2023, we purchased a cumulative 10,342,722 shares of our issued and outstanding common stock under the 2022 Share Repurchase Program, which amounted to $309 million at an average share price of $29.90 per share. There were no share repurchases under the 2022 Share Repurchase Program for the three months ended December 31, 2023. The aggregate amount of our common stock that remained available for purchase under the 2022 Share Repurchase Program at December 31, 2023 was $441 million.

The Chemours Company

Stock Performance Graph

The following graph presents the five-year cumulative total stockholder returns for our common stock through December 31, 2023 compared with the Standard & Poor’s (“S&P”) MidCap 400 and the S&P MidCap 400 Chemical indices.

The graph assumes that the values of our common stock, the S&P MidCap 400 index, and the S&P MidCap 400 Chemical index were each $100 on December 31, 2018, and that all dividends were reinvested.

Item 6. RESERVED

The Chemours Company

This Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (“MD&A”) supplements the Consolidated Financial Statements and the related notes thereto included elsewhere herein to help provide an understanding of our financial condition, changes in our financial condition, and the results of our operations for the periods presented. For the year ended December 31, 2021, and changes from the year ended December 31, 2021 to the year ended December 31, 2022, management’s discussion and analysis pertaining to our financial condition, changes in our financial condition, and the results of our operations have been omitted from this MD&A and may be found in Item 7 – Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations as included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022. This MD&A should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and the related notes thereto included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Our forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions and expectations of future events that may not be accurate or realized. These statements, as well as our historical performance, are not guarantees of future performance. Forward-looking statements also involve risks and uncertainties that are beyond our control. Additionally, there may be other risks and uncertainties that we are unable to identify at this time or that we do not currently expect to have a material impact on our business. Factors that could cause or contribute to these differences include, but are not limited to, the risks, uncertainties, and other factors discussed within Item 1A – Risk Factors in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Overview

We are a leading, global provider of performance chemicals that are key inputs in end-products and processes in a variety of industries. We deliver customized solutions with a wide range of industrial and specialty chemical products for markets, including coatings, plastics, refrigeration and air conditioning, transportation, semiconductor and consumer electronics, general industrial, and oil and gas. Our principal products include titanium dioxide ("TiO2") pigment, refrigerants, industrial fluoropolymer resins, sodium cyanide (prior to the Mining Solutions business sale), and performance chemicals and intermediates. We manage and report our operating results through three principal reportable segments: Titanium Technologies, Thermal & Specialized Solutions, and Advanced Performance Materials. Our Titanium Technologies segment is a leading, global provider of TiO2 pigment, a premium white pigment used to deliver whiteness, brightness, opacity, and protection in a variety of applications. Our Thermal & Specialized Solutions segment is a leading, global provider of refrigerants, thermal management solutions, propellants, blowing agents, and specialty solvents. Our Advanced Performance Materials segment is a leading, global provider of high-end polymers and advanced materials that deliver unique attributes, including low friction coefficients, extreme temperature resistance, weather resistance, ultraviolet and chemical resistance, and electrical insulation. Our Performance Chemicals and Intermediates business is presented under Other Segment.

Recent Developments

Audit Committee Internal Review

On February 29, 2024, we issued a press release and filed a Current Report on Form 8-K, announcing that the Audit Committee of the board of directors (the “Audit Committee”) was conducting an internal review related to an anonymous report made to the Chemours Ethics Hotline (the "Audit Committee Internal Review"). The anonymous report made to the Chemours Ethics Hotline was not elevated to the General Counsel or the Audit Committee, until the matter was identified in connection with the Company’s year-end 2023 external audit process. When informed of the anonymous report to the Chemours Ethics Hotline involving two officers, the General Counsel promptly informed the Chair of the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee retained independent outside counsel to conduct an independent review. The Audit Committee did not place any limitations on the nature or extent of the independent review and directed independent counsel to cooperate in all respects and communicate openly with the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm in the course of the internal review. The Audit Committee has completed its planned procedures with respect to its review. The results of the internal review are disclosed in "Note 2 – Basis of Presentation" to the Consolidated Financial Statements. See also Part II, Item 9A for a discussion of material weaknesses identified in our internal control over financial reporting and related remediation activities.

The Chemours Company

Management Changes

Our board of directors took decisive actions in response to the Audit Committee Internal Review, including the appointment of Denise Dignam as Chief Executive Officer and Matthew Abbott as Interim Chief Financial Officer, two experienced and capable leaders. Ms. Dignam's and Mr. Abbott's biographies are set forth under "Information about our Executive Officers." As we work to implement additional steps to address our material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting, the board of directors is confident in our leadership team as they navigate the organization through these remediation efforts, while also continuing to advance Chemours’ strategy to accelerate value creation for our shareholders. See also Part II, Item 9A for a discussion of material weaknesses identified in our internal control over financial reporting and related remediation activities.

Revision of Previously Issued Financial Statements

During the financial close process for the fourth quarter of 2023, we identified certain immaterial errors impacting previously issued financial statements beginning as of March 31, 2017, and subsequent annual and quarterly reporting periods through September 30, 2023. We assessed the materiality of these errors on prior period consolidated financial statements in accordance with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 99, “Materiality,” codified in ASC 250, Accounting Changes and Error Corrections (“ASC 250”). Based on this assessment, we concluded that the error corrections are not material to any previously presented interim or annual financial statements. The impact of the revisions to the periods presented in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are more fully discussed in "Note 2 – Basis of Presentation" to the Consolidated Financial Statements. The impact of the revisions to the quarterly periods ending March 31, 2023, June 30, 2023, and September 30, 2023 are presented in "Note 30 – Unaudited Quarterly Financial Information" to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

The Chemours Company

Results of Operations and Business Highlights

Results of Operations

The following table sets forth our results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022.

Year Ended December 31,

(Dollars in millions, except per share amounts) 2023 2022

Selling, general, and administrative expense 1,290 710

Research and development expense 108 118

Restructuring, asset-related, and other charges 153 16

Total other operating expenses 1,551 844

Equity in earnings of affiliates 45 55

Interest expense, net (208 ) (163 )

(Loss) gain on extinguishment of debt (1 ) 7

Other income, net 91 70

(Loss) income before income taxes (318 ) 741

(Benefit from) provision for before income taxes (81 ) 163

Less: Net income attributable to non-controlling interests 1 —

Net (loss) income attributable to Chemours $ (238 ) $ 578

Per share data

Basic (loss) earnings per share of common stock $ (1.60 ) $ 3.72

Diluted (loss) earnings per share of common stock (1.60 ) 3.65

Net Sales

The following table sets forth the impacts of price, volume, currency, and portfolio changes on our net sales for the year ended December 31, 2023.

Change in net sales from prior period Year Ended December 31, 2023

Price 2 %

Volume (13 )%

Currency — %

Portfolio — %

Total change in net sales (11 )%

Our net sales decreased by $767 million (or 11%) to $6 billion for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared with net sales of $6.8 billion for the same period in 2022. The decrease in our net sales for the year ended December 31, 2023 was primarily attributable to a decrease in volume of 13%, partially offset by an increase in price of 2%. Volume decreases were attributable to our Titanium Technologies and Advanced Performance Materials segments, partially offset by higher volume in our Thermal & Specialized Solutions segment. Price increases were attributable to our Thermal & Specialized Solutions and Advanced Performance Materials segments.

The drivers of these changes for each of our reportable segments are discussed further under the “Segment Reviews” section within this MD&A.

The Chemours Company

Cost of Goods Sold

Our cost of goods sold (“COGS”) decreased by $457 million (or 9%) to $4.7 billion for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared with COGS of $5.2 billion for the same period in 2022. The decrease in COGS for the year ended December 31, 2023 was primarily attributable to lower sales volume, partially offset by higher raw material costs due to inflation, and lower fixed cost absorption in our Titanium Technologies and Advanced Performance Materials segments. For the year ended December 31, 2023, COGS included a $40 million charge relating to certain raw materials and stores inventories written off related to the Kuan Yin, Taiwan plant shutdown.

Selling, General, and Administrative Expense

Our selling, general, and administrative (“SG&A”) expense increased by $580 million (or 82%) to $1.3 billion for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared with SG&A expense of $710 million for the same period in 2022. The increase in our SG&A expense was primarily attributable to $764 million in litigation-related charges during the year ended December 31, 2023, which includes $592 million of charges related to our portion of the U.S. public water system settlement agreement plus $24 million of third-party legal fees directly related to that settlement, $55 million of charges related to our portion of the settlement agreement with the State of Ohio entered into in November 2023 to resolve PFAS-related claims, and $13 million related to our portion of the supplemental payment to the State of Delaware related to the 2021 settlement, $76 million for other PFAS litigation matters, and $4 million of other litigation matters. The increase was partially offset by lower off-site environmental remediation costs of approximately $148 million at our Fayetteville Works site in Fayetteville, North Carolina ("Fayetteville") relative to the year ended December 31, 2022.

Research and Development Expense

Our research and development (“R&D”) expense decreased by $10 million (or 8%) to $108 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared with R&D expense of $118 million for the same period in 2022. The decrease in our R&D expense for the year ended December 31, 2023 was primarily attributable to lower project spend.

Restructuring, Asset-related, and Other Charges

Our restructuring, asset-related, and other charges increased by $137 million (or over 100%) to $153 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared with $16 million for the same period in 2022.

For the year ended December 31, 2023, our restructuring, asset-related, and other charges were primarily attributable to $126 million of charges related to the Titanium Technologies Transformation Plan, consisting of $78 million of asset-related charges, employee separation charges of $21 million, $17 million of contract termination costs, and $10 million of decommissioning and other charges. In addition, for the year ended December 31, 2023, charges included $16 million resulting from our decision to abandon the implementation of a new enterprise resource planning ("ERP") software platform, $8 million asset impairment following the shutdown of a production line at our El Dorado site, and $4 million related to our 2023 severance program.

For the year ended December 31, 2022, our restructuring, asset-related, and other charges were primarily attributable to $5 million of asset charges resulting from the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and our decision to suspend business with Russian entities, and $9 million of employee separation charges incurred in connection with our 2022 severance programs.

Equity in Earnings of Affiliates

Our equity in earnings of affiliates decreased by $10 million (or 18%) to $45 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared with equity in earnings of affiliates of $55 million for the same period in 2022. The decrease in our equity in earnings of affiliates for the year ended December 31, 2023 was primarily attributable to lower demand.

Interest Expense, Net

Our interest expense, net increased by $45 million (or 28%) to $208 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared with interest expense, net of $163 million for the same period in 2022. The increase in our interest expense, net for the year ended December 31, 2023 was primarily attributable to higher interest rates on our variable rate debt and higher debt principal following issuance of new term loans in August 2023, partially offset by approximately $15 million of higher interest income during 2023.

The Chemours Company

(Loss) Gain on Extinguishment of Debt

For the year ended December 31, 2023, we recognized a net loss on extinguishment of debt of $1 million in connection with the refinancing of the tranche B-2 term loans in August 2023 under an amended and restated credit agreement.

For the year ended December 31, 2022, we recognized a net gain on extinguishment of debt of $7 million in connection with the open market repurchases of various portions of our senior unsecured notes.

Other Income, Net

Our other income, net increased by $21 million (or 30%) to $91 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared with other income, net of $70 million for the same period in 2022. The increase in our other income, net for the year ended December 31, 2023 was primarily attributable to a net pre-tax gain on sale of $106 million associated with the sale of the Glycolic Acid business in 2023, compared to net pre-tax gain on sale recorded in 2022 of $21 million, consisting of $5 million and $18 million associated with the sale of our land related to the Beaumont former operating site (the “Beaumont Transaction”) and the stock sale of certain of our wholly-owned subsidiaries and the remaining assets at our former Aniline business facilities in Pascagoula, Mississippi (the “Pascagoula Transaction”), respectively. In addition, we incurred higher losses in foreign currency exchange in 2023 driven primarily by the devaluation of the Argentine peso. Our other income, net for the year ended December 31, 2022 also includes settlement of a patent infringement matter relating to certain copolymer patents associated with our Advanced Performance Materials segment.

(Benefit From) Provision for Income Taxes

We recognized a benefit from income taxes of $81 million and a provision of $163 million for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Our (benefit from) provision for income taxes represented effective tax rates of 25% and 22% for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

The $81 million benefit from income taxes for the year ended December 31, 2023 was primarily attributable to the net pre-tax loss during the year driven by decreased profitability and certain discrete items in 2023. In 2023, we recorded a $131 million income tax benefit associated with various legal matters, along with a $22 million income tax benefit associated with the Kuan Yin, Taiwan shutdown, inclusive of a $13 million valuation allowance recorded on certain deferred tax assets of one of our Taiwanese subsidiaries and a $13 million benefit associated with a ruling received from Swiss tax authorities in the fourth quarter of 2023. This income tax benefit was offset by $26 million of income tax expense associated with the Glycolic Acid Transaction that occurred in 2023. For the year ended December 31, 2022, provision for income taxes was primarily attributable to net pre-tax position coupled by an additional income tax expense of $36 million related to reserves on transfer pricing positions. These factors, as well as changes to our geographic mix of earnings and other adjustments to our deferred balances, resulted in a change in our effective tax rate from 22% to 25%.

The Chemours Company

Segment Reviews

We operate through three principal reportable segments, which were organized based on their similar economic characteristics, the nature of products and production processes, end-use markets, channels of distribution, and regulatory environments: Titanium Technologies, Thermal & Specialized Solutions, and Advanced Performance Materials. Other Segment includes the Company’s Performance Chemicals and Intermediates business.

Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization ("Adjusted EBITDA") is the primary measure of segment profitability used by our Chief Operating Decision Maker ("CODM") and is defined as income (loss) before income taxes, excluding the following:

•

interest expense, depreciation, and amortization;

•

non-operating pension and other post-retirement employee benefit costs, which represents the non-service component of net periodic pension (income) costs;

•

exchange (gains) losses included in other income, net;

•

restructuring, asset-related, and other charges;

•

(gains) losses on sales of assets and businesses; and,

•

other items not considered indicative of our ongoing operational performance and expected to occur infrequently, including certain litigation related and environmental charges and Qualified Spend reimbursable by DuPont and/or Corteva as part of our cost-sharing agreement under the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) that were previously excluded from Adjusted EBITDA.

A reconciliation of Segment Adjusted EBITDA to the Company's consolidated (loss) income before income taxes for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 is included in “Note 29 – Geographic and Segment Information” to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

The Chemours Company

Titanium Technologies

The following table sets forth the net sales, Adjusted EBITDA, and Adjusted EBITDA margin amounts for our Titanium Technologies segment for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022.

Year Ended December 31,

Adjusted EBITDA margin 11 % 18 %

CC US Equity

CC · 10-K · period ended 2023-12-31

Item 1A. RISK FACTORS

Item 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

Item 1C. CYBERSECURITY

Item 2. PROPERTIES

Item 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

Item 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Item 6. RESERVED

CC US Equity☆

CC · 10-K · period ended 2023-12-31

Item 1A. RISK FACTORS

Item 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

Item 1C. CYBERSECURITY

Item 2. PROPERTIES

Item 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

Item 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Item 6. RESERVED

CC US Equity