10-K
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024
OR
Commission File Number 001-36794
The Chemours Company
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
1007 Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware19801
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)
Registrant’s Telephone Number:(302) 773-1000
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of Each Class Trading Symbol(s) Name of Exchange on Which Registered
Common Stock ($0.01 par value) CC New York Stock Exchange
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
Large accelerated filer ☒ Accelerated filer ☐ Non-accelerated filer ☐
Smaller reporting company ☐ Emerging growth company ☐
The aggregate market value of common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of June 28, 2024, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, was approximately $3.4 billion. As of February 12, 2025, 149,440,788 shares of the company’s common stock, $0.01 par value, were outstanding.
Documents Incorporated by Reference
Portions of the registrant’s definitive proxy statement relating to its 2025 annual meeting of shareholders (the “2025 Proxy Statement”) are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K where indicated. The 2025 Proxy Statement will be filed with the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after the end of the fiscal year to which this report relates.
The Chemours Company
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Part I
Item 1. Business 4
Item 1A. Risk Factors 17
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments 37
Item 1C. Cybersecurity 37
Item 2. Properties 38
Item 3. Legal Proceedings 39
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures 39
Information About Our Executive Officers 40
Part II
Item 6. Reserved 43
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk 74
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 75
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures 76
Item 9B. Other Information 79
Item 9C Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections 79
Part III
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers, and Corporate Governance 80
Item 11. Executive Compensation 80
Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services 80
Part IV
Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules 81
Signatures 85
1
Forward-looking Statements
This section and other parts of this Annual Report on Form 10-K contain forward-looking statements, within the meaning of the federal securities laws, that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements provide current expectations of future events based on certain assumptions and include any statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact. The words “believe”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “plan”, “estimate”, “target”, “project”, and similar expressions, among others, generally identify “forward-looking statements”, which speak only as of the date the statements were made. The matters discussed in these forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to these differences include, but are not limited to, the risks, uncertainties, and other factors discussed below and within Item 1A – Risk Factors in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions and expectations of future events that may not be accurate or realized. Forward-looking statements also involve risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. Important factors that may materially affect such forward-looking statements and projections include:
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fluctuations in energy and raw materials pricing;
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failure to develop and market new products and applications, and optimally manage product life cycles;
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increased competition, and increasing consolidation of our core customers;
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significant litigation and environmental matters, including indemnifications we were required to assume and cost-sharing arrangements into which we have entered;
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significant or unanticipated expenses, including, but not limited to, litigation or legal settlement expenses;
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our ability to manage and complete capital projects and/or planned expansions, including the start-up of capital projects;
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changes in relationships with our significant customers and suppliers;
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failure to manage process safety and product stewardship issues appropriately;
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global economic and capital markets conditions, such as inflation, interest and currency exchange rates, and commodity prices, as well as regulatory requirements;
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the effects of pandemics on customer demand for our products, our manufacturing operations, our supply chain effectiveness and efficiencies, the broader financial markets, and our financial results;
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currency-related risks;
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our current indebtedness and availability of borrowing facilities, including access to our revolving credit facilities;
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business or supply disruptions and security threats, such as acts of sabotage, terrorism or war, weather events, natural disasters, and cybersecurity incidents;
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uncertainty regarding the availability of additional financing in the future, and the terms of such financing;
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negative rating agency actions;
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changes in laws and regulations or political conditions;
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our ability to protect, defend, and enforce our intellectual property rights;
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our ability to predict, identify, and address changes in consumer preference and demand;
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our ability to complete potential divestitures or acquisitions and our ability to realize the expected benefits of divestitures or acquisitions if they are completed;
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our ability to meet our growth expectations and outlook;
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our ability to deliver cost savings as anticipated, whether or not on the timelines proposed;
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our ability to pay a dividend and the amount of any such dividend declared,
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disruptions in our information technology networks and systems;
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our ability to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures; and
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regulatory inquiries, litigation, or liabilities that may result from the matters included in the Audit Committee Internal Review.
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This report contains sustainability-related statements based on certain assumptions as well as estimates that are subject to a high level of uncertainty, and these statements should not necessarily be viewed as being representative of current or actual risk or performance, or forecasts of expected risk or performance. In addition, historical, current, and forward-looking environmental and social-related statements may be based on standards for measuring progress that are still developing, and internal controls and processes that continue to evolve. Forward-looking and other statements in this report may also address our corporate responsibility commitments and sustainability progress, plans, and goals, and the inclusion of such statements is not an indication that these matters are necessarily material for the purposes of complying with or reporting pursuant to the U.S. federal securities laws and regulations, even if we use the word “material” or “materiality” in this report.
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. We assume no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statement for any reason, except as required by law.
Unless the context otherwise requires, references herein to “The Chemours Company”, “Chemours”, “the Company”, “our company”, “we”, “us”, and “our” refer to The Chemours Company and its consolidated subsidiaries. References herein to “EID” refer to EIDP, Inc., formerly known as E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, which is our former parent company and is now a subsidiary of Corteva, Inc. (“Corteva”), a Delaware corporation, unless the context otherwise requires. References herein to “DuPont” refer to DuPont de Nemours, Inc., a Delaware Corporation.
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The Chemours Company
PART I
Item 1. BUSINESS
Overview
The Chemours Company (herein referred to as “we”, “us”, or “our”) is 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 refrigeration and air conditioning, paints and coatings, plastics, transportation, semiconductor and consumer electronics, general industrial, and oil and gas. Our principal products include refrigerants, titanium dioxide (“TiO2”) pigment and industrial fluoropolymer resins. We manage and report our operating results through three principal reportable segments: Thermal & Specialized Solutions, Titanium Technologies, and Advanced Performance Materials. Our Thermal & Specialized Solutions segment is a leading, global provider of refrigerants, thermal management solutions, propellants, blowing agents, and specialty solvents. 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 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.
We operate 28 major production facilities located in eight countries and serve approximately 2,500 customers across a wide range of end-markets in approximately 110 countries. Many of our commercial and industrial relationships span decades. Our customer base includes a diverse set of companies, many of which are leaders in their respective industries. Our sales are not materially dependent on any single customer. As of December 31, 2024, no one individual customer represented more than 10% of our consolidated net sales, and one individual customer balance represented approximately 7% of our total outstanding accounts and notes receivables balance.
We are a different kind of chemistry company. Our world-class product portfolio enables the performance and convenience of everyday products, processes, and technologies people rely on in their daily lives, making our products and the solutions they enable both vital and essential. We are committed to creating value for our customers and stakeholders by leveraging strengths that we use to create competitive advantage: our innovation and technical expertise, our ability to operate complex manufacturing sites safely, our deep customer relationships based on trust and reliability, and our talented workforce. Every day our people bring our chemistry to life, guided by five core values that form the bedrock foundation for how we operate: (i) Safety – we are committed to protecting people and the environment; (ii) Integrity – we do what's right; (iii) Partnership – we win through collaboration with the right internal and external partners; (iv) Ownership – we are each accountable for the Company's success; (v) Respect – we treat people well, include others, and value diverse perspectives.
Our core values, in unison with our company vision of Trusted Chemistry, helping people live better lives and communities thrive, underpin our commitment to our stakeholders. Our values and vision cannot be separated from our business strategy.
Our Strategy
In 2024 we refreshed and introduced our corporate strategy, Pathway to Thrive. The strategy capitalizes on the fundamental strengths of our businesses, our incredible talent, and the competitive differentiators that make us the best owners and operators of Chemours. Pathway to Thrive provides a clear framework to create value for shareholders centered around four pillars:
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Operational Excellence - we run our business with a mindset of continuous improvement that allows us to adapt to changing market dynamics and challenges. Through standardization of key processes and operating best practices, we achieve consistent execution across our business and take unnecessary costs out.
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Enabling Growth - we strategically invest in high-return, low risk initiatives across our portfolio, prioritizing our expansion into rapidly growing end-markets, and concentrating on data center cooling, next generation refrigerant and semiconductor fabrication. We invest our capital using a disciplined capital allocation program and we expect these investment activities to be funded by organic cash flow generation and achieved cost-savings across all of our businesses.
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Portfolio Management - we are always assessing our performance to ensure we are strategically optimizing our existing businesses and assets. Our continued shift in focus from products to applications in higher-growth, higher-margin markets, paired with regularly revisiting the returns of our asset base with an emphasis on the specialty components of our business, will enhance shareholder value. In addition, we seek to evaluate the productivity and contributions of our existing asset footprint to ensure we have the optimal asset base for our future needs.
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Strengthening the Long Term - fortifying ourselves for the long-term means prioritizing key activities that are critical to our ability to deliver business performance and create value. The most critical areas are resolving legacy litigation matters, fulfilling our commitment to responsible manufacturing, and mounting successful advocacy efforts that create awareness and inform regulations and policies globally that recognize the criticality of our chemistries.
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The Chemours Company
Sustainability
At Chemours, our approach to Sustainability begins with our vision to deliver Trusted Chemistry that helps people live better lives and communities to thrive. In 2018, we set forth ambitious Corporate Responsibility Commitment ("CRC") goals that we aim to achieve by 2030. These goals are designed to promote accountability and enable us to measure and transparently report the progress and impact of our sustainability commitment. Leveraging a robust governance framework, we are working to integrate sustainability across our organization and our business management processes. Our work in sustainability creates value for our shareholders by protecting our right to operate, meeting the needs of our customers, and advancing our corporate strategy, Pathway to Thrive. We understand that maintaining safe, sustainable operations has an impact on us, our communities, the environment, and our collective future. We deliver for our customers and society by designing sustainable offerings that perform at the highest level while minimizing impact on the environment. We are a leader in responsible manufacturing and we value partnership and collaboration to drive change. We are committed to continue working with policymakers, our value chain, and other organizations to find solutions that meet science-based regulations and address community needs.
Corporate History
We began operating as an independent company on July 1, 2015 (the “Separation Date”) after separating from EID (the “Separation”). The Separation was completed pursuant to a separation agreement and other agreements with EID, including an employee matters agreement, a tax matters agreement, a transition services agreement, and an intellectual property cross-license agreement. These agreements, along with the Memorandum of Understanding (the “MOU”) that was entered into in January 2021, govern the relationship between us and EID following the Separation and provided for the allocation of various assets, liabilities, rights, and obligations at the Separation Date. On August 31, 2017, EID completed a merger with The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”). Following their merger, EID and Dow engaged in a series of reorganization steps and, in 2019, separated into three publicly-traded companies named Dow Inc., DuPont, and Corteva. EID is now a subsidiary of Corteva, and, at this time, any agreements related to our Separation are between us and EID, Corteva, and DuPont. Effective January 1, 2023, E.I. du Pont de Nemours changed its name to EIDP, Inc.
Segments
In our Thermal & Specialized Solutions segment, we are a leading, global provider of refrigerants, thermal management solutions, propellants, foam blowing agents, and specialty solvents. Our Thermal & Specialized Solutions segment has held a leading position in the refrigerants market since the commercial introduction of FreonTM in 1930. We are currently a leader in the development of sustainable technologies like OpteonTM, one of the world’s lowest global warming potential (“GWP”) refrigerant brands, as governments around the world pass laws and regulations that make the use of low GWP refrigerants a requirement.
In our Titanium Technologies segment, we are a leading, global provider of TiO2 pigment. Guided by decades of innovation, we are one of the largest global producers of TiO2 pigment, using our proprietary chloride technology, and our network of manufacturing facilities allows us to efficiently and cost-effectively serve our global customer base. We believe our Titanium Technologies Transformation Plan (further described below), which supports our Pathway to Thrive corporate strategy, positions us as one of the lowest-cost high-quality TiO2 pigment producers. At the same time, our unique go-to-market strategy provides our customers with three differentiated channels to buy Ti-PureTM TiO2. This combination of technology and commercial innovation allows us to continue to meet our customers’ needs around the world.
In our Advanced Performance Materials segment, we are a leading, global provider of high-end polymers and advanced materials that deliver unique attributes, including chemical inertness, thermal stability, low friction, weather and corrosion resistance, extreme temperature stability, and unique di-electric properties. Our Advanced Performance Materials segment has a diversified offering of products that includes various specialty product solutions, membranes, industrial resins, and coatings across our TeflonTM, VitonTM, KrytoxTM, and NafionTM brand portfolios. These product offerings position the business to serve a breadth of markets, segments, and applications, including electronics, communications, transportation, wire and cable, energy, oil and gas, and medical, among others, and our product offerings are fundamental to the future of clean energy and advanced electronics.
Each of our three business segments leverage our state-of-the-art R&D facility, the Chemours Discovery Hub, a 312,000-square-foot R&D center located on the Science, Technology, and Advanced Research campus of the University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware to drive faster product development on a global scale.
Additional information on our segments can be found in Item 7 – Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and “Note 29 – Geographic and Segment Information” to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
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The Chemours Company
Thermal & Specialized Solutions Segment
Segment Overview
Our Thermal & Specialized Solutions segment is a leading, global provider of refrigerants, thermal management solutions, propellants, foam blowing agents, and specialty solvents. We have an industry-leading safety culture and apply world-class R&D and technical expertise to ensure that our operations run safely and reliably, and to improve our process technology.
Our Thermal & Specialized Solutions segment has held a leading position in the fluorochemicals market since the commercial introduction of FreonTM in 1930. Since the original chlorofluorocarbons (“CFC”)-based product was introduced, Thermal & Specialized Solutions has been at the forefront of new technology research for lower GWP and lesser ozone-depleting potential products, leading to the development of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (“HCFC”) and hydrofluorocarbons (“HFC”). We have a leading position in HFC refrigerants under the brand name FreonTM, and we are a leader in the development of more sustainable technologies like OpteonTM, a line of low GWP hydrofluoroolefin (“HFO”) refrigerants and specialty fluids, which also have a near-zero ozone-depletion footprint. OpteonTM was initially developed in response to the European Union’s (“EU”) Mobile Air Conditioning Directive. Today, our OpteonTM-branded portfolio of products is used in a broad range of applications, including automotive, air conditioning, commercial refrigeration, and foam blowing agents. This patented technology offers similar functionality to current HFC products, and meets or betters currently mandated environmental standards and, in some cases, provides energy efficiency benefits.
Our Thermal & Specialized Solutions segment led the industry in the Montreal Protocol-driven transition in 1987 from CFCs to the lesser ozone-depleting HCFCs and non-ozone-depleting HFCs and, in 1988, committed to cease production of CFCs. Starting in the early 1990s, Thermal & Specialized Solutions began manufacturing non-ozone-depleting HFCs. Driven by the emerging megatrends of climate change, decarbonization, and energy efficiency, together with environmental legislation being enacted across the U.S., Europe, Latin America, and Japan, we commercialized OpteonTM in 2016. In 2023, we announced the initial commercialization of OpteonTM 2P50 which is targeted for the first half of 2026, pending appropriate regulatory approvals. OpteonTM 2P50 represents a critical step in positioning the Company to meet a growing challenge brought on by a new era of data transmission driving a dramatic increase in demands for faster computing, AI capabilities, and other cutting-edge applications, all of which are based in technologies requiring elevated cooling capacities. We will continue to invest in R&D in next generation refrigerants to drive long-term sustainable growth with low GWP solutions to meet the increasing regulatory requirements of the industry and the needs of our customers. Growth in our Thermal & Specialized Solutions segment is supported in part by the adoption of the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act ("AIM Act") in the US and the EU’s Fluorinated-Gas ("F-Gas") Directive. In 2022, we announced our plan to expand our OpteonTM YF capacity at our Corpus Christi, Texas facility by approximately 40% to help meet customer needs as they continue to transition to lower GWP refrigerants. Mechanical completion of this expansion plan was completed in the fourth quarter of 2024.
Industry Overview and Competitors
Our Thermal & Specialized Solutions segment competes against a broad variety of global manufacturers, as well as regional manufacturers in Asia Pacific. We have a leadership position in fluorine chemistry and materials science, a broad scope and scale of operations, market-driven applications development capabilities, and deep customer knowledge. Key competitors for the Thermal & Specialized Solutions segment include Honeywell International, Inc., Arkema S.A., Orbia, and Daikin Industries, Ltd, and, to a certain extent, other industrial gas producers.
Thermal & Specialized Solutions' historical demand growth has maintained alignment with broader economic trends. However, periods of intensified demand, linked to regulatory-driven transitions from HFCs to HFOs, as recently witnessed in the EU and US, have propelled an expansion rate within our segment surpassing GDP growth. Developed markets serve as the predominant consumers of fluorochemicals, with global middle-class growth and rising demands for automobiles, refrigeration, and air conditioning acting as pivotal drivers for increased demand across various fluorochemical applications.
Raw Materials
The primary raw materials required to support the Thermal & Specialized Solutions segment are fluorspar, sulfur, ethylene, chlorinated organics, chlorine, and hydrogen fluoride. These are available in many countries and are not concentrated in any particular region. We pursue maximum competitiveness in our global supply chains through competitive, flexible, and diversified sourcing of key raw materials. Our contracts typically include terms that span from two to ten years. Qualified fluorspar sources have fixed contract prices or freely-negotiated, market-based pricing. We diversify our sourcing through multiple geographic regions and suppliers to ensure a diversified and cost competitive supply.
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The Chemours Company
Sales, Marketing, and Distribution
With approximately 90 years of innovation and development in fluorine science, our technical, marketing, and sales teams around the world have deep expertise in our products and their end-uses. We work with customers to select the appropriate solutions to meet their technical performance needs. We sell our products through direct channels and through resellers. Sales agreements vary by product line and markets served and include both spot-pricing arrangements and multi-year contracts with varying durations.
Our Thermal & Specialized Solutions segment maintains a large fleet of railcars, tank trucks, and containers to deliver our products and support our supply chain needs. For the portion of the fleet that is leased, the related lease terms are usually staggered, which provides us with a competitive cost position, as well as the ability to adjust the size of our fleet in response to changes in market conditions. A dedicated logistics team, along with external partners, works to optimize the assignment of our transportation equipment for each product line and geographic region to maximize utilization and flexibility of the supply chain.
Customers
Our Thermal & Specialized Solutions segment serves approximately 900 customers and distributors globally, and, in many instances, these commercial relationships have been in place for decades. No single Thermal & Specialized Solutions customer represented more than 10% of the segment’s net sales in 2024.
Seasonality
Thermal & Specialized Solutions’ refrigerant sales fluctuate by season, as sales in the first half of the year are generally higher than sales in the second half of the year due to increased demand in the northern hemisphere for residential, commercial, and automotive air conditioning in the spring, which peaks in the summer months, and then declines in the fall and winter. Mobile air conditioning demand is slightly higher in the first half of the year due to the timing of automotive production shutdowns in the second half of the year.
Titanium Technologies Segment
Segment Overview
Our Titanium Technologies segment is a leading, global manufacturer of high-quality TiO2 pigment. This premium white pigment is used to deliver whiteness, brightness, opacity, durability, efficiency, and protection in applications, including architectural and industrial coatings, flexible and rigid plastic packaging, polyvinylchloride (“PVC”), laminate papers used for furniture and building materials, coated paper, and coated paperboard used for packaging. We sell our TiO2 pigment under the Ti-PureTM brand name. We operate three TiO2 pigment production facilities: two in the U.S. and one in Mexico. In total, we have a TiO2 pigment nameplate capacity of approximately 1.1 million metric tons per year. In addition, our network includes a large-scale repackaging and distribution facility in Belgium. We also operate mineral sands mining and/or separation operations in Starke, Florida, Nahunta, Georgia, Jesup, Georgia and Offerman, Georgia.
We are one of a limited number of manufacturers operating a chloride process to produce TiO2 pigment. We believe that our proprietary chloride technology enables us to design and operate plants at a much higher capacity than other chloride technology-based TiO2 pigment producers, uniquely utilize a broad spectrum of titanium-bearing ore feedstocks, and deliver industry-leading batch-to-batch consistency. We believe this technology, which is in use at all of our production facilities, provides us with the asset structure to deliver one of the industry’s lowest manufacturing cost positions. Our R&D efforts focus on improving production processes to further improve our cost position, developing TiO2 pigment grades that help our customers achieve optimal cost and product performance to enhance total end-user value and meeting our sustainability goals.
We sell over 20 different grades of TiO2 pigment, with each grade tailored for targeted applications. Our full portfolio of premium performance TiO2 pigment grades provide end-users with benefits beyond opacity, such as brighter colors, increased product durability and lifespan, improved efficiency for direct and downstream customers, and the brilliant whites achievable only through chloride-manufactured pigment.
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The Chemours Company
We have operated a titanium mine in Starke, Florida since 1949. Additionally, in 2019, we acquired a titanium mine in Nahunta, Georgia, from which we source ore feedstock to be processed at its associated mineral sands separation facility in Offerman, Georgia, and in August 2020 we commenced mining operations at our surface mine in Jesup, Georgia to expand the flexibility and scalability of our internally sourced ore. Our mines provide us with high-quality domestic ilmenite ore feedstock and currently supply less than 15% of our ore feedstock needs, with expansion options that could further increase our in-sourced raw material base. Co-products of our mining operations, which comprised less than 5% of our total net sales in Titanium Technologies during 2024, include zircon (zirconium silicate), staurolite minerals, and monazite. We are a major supplier of high-quality calcined zircon in North America, primarily focused on the precision investment casting industry, foundry, specialty applications, and ceramics. Our staurolite blasting abrasives are used in a variety of surface preparation applications, including steel preparation and maintenance and paint removal. We are currently the only domestic producer of monazite, a key feed source of rare earth minerals. Our monazite is processed in the U.S., and the rare earth oxides extracted from the monazite are used in clean energy applications, such as permanent magnets for wind generation and electric vehicle batteries.
Titanium Technologies Transformation Plan
In the third quarter of 2023, in line with our strategic priorities for creating long-term shareholder value and building on the legacy of delivering high-quality Ti-PureTM offerings, the Titanium Technologies segment commenced certain transformation initiatives to streamline our workforce, drive enhancements to our manufacturing processes, and optimize input costs under the Titanium Technologies Transformation Plan, which supports our Pathway to Thrive corporate strategy, and positions us as one of the lowest-cost high-quality TiO2 pigment producers. As part of these efforts, in July 2023, we announced our decision to shut down our TiO2 manufacturing facility in Kuan Yin, Taiwan. We fully completed the shut down in the fourth quarter of 2023 and completed decommissioning activities in the second quarter of 2024. Dismantling and removal activities are expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2025. We made total cash payments of $48 million and $25 million associated with the Titanium Technologies Transformation Plan during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, inclusive of severance payments, decommissioning, and other third-party fees. As a result of efforts taken under the Titanium Technologies Transformation Plan, we achieved approximately $190 million in cost savings, of which $140 million and $50 million related to 2024 and 2023, respectively. We believe that our ongoing manufacturing optimization efforts, streamlined workforce initiatives, and additional measures, including our recently announced chlorine supply agreement with the PCC Group (described further below), will position us as one of the world's lowest-cost TiO2 providers and ultimately improve the earnings quality of our Titanium Technologies segment.
Industry Overview and Competitors
Overall demand for TiO2 pigment is highly correlated to growth in the global residential housing, commercial construction, and packaging markets. We continue to experience customers’ preference for high-quality Ti-PureTM offerings. After above-GDP trend TiO2 demand growth in 2016 and 2017, the TiO2 pigment market contracted below the GDP trend in 2018 and 2019. In 2020, the TiO2 pigment market expanded, while global GDP contracted during the novel coronavirus disease (“COVID-19”) pandemic. In 2021, the TiO2 pigment market again grew at greater-than-global GDP growth rates. We saw robust demand in the first half of 2022, followed by a rapid market decline in the second half of 2022 as pigment demand declined below the long-term GDP trend. This low demand environment continued through 2023 and 2024 as global economic uncertainties persisted. In the longer-term, we expect global TiO2 pigment demand to continue its historical correlation with global GDP growth rates.
We estimate that the worldwide demand for TiO2 pigment in 2024 was approximately 7.3 million metric tons. Worldwide nameplate capacity in 2024 was estimated to be approximately 9.9 million metric tons. The products manufactured on this global capacity base are not fully substitutable due to pigment quality consistency and pigment product design. As future customer demand grows, we have the ability to incrementally increase our production capacity by approximately 15% through technology-enabled de-bottlenecking processes. We believe that unlocking this additional 15% of capacity is in line with our stated intention to grow with our customers’ needs over the long-term.
Competition in the TiO2 pigment market is based primarily on product performance (both product design and quality consistency), supply capability, technical service, and price. Our major competitors within premium performance pigment include Tronox Holdings plc, LB Group Co. Ltd., Venator Materials plc, Kronos Worldwide, Inc., and INEOS AG.
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The Chemours Company
Raw Materials
The primary raw materials used in the manufacture of TiO2 pigment are titanium-bearing ores, chlorine, calcined petroleum coke, and energy. We source titanium-bearing ores from multiple suppliers around the globe, primarily located in Australia, Africa, and Eastern Europe. We pursue a diversified procurement strategy, with long and medium-term supply contracts, as well as spot purchases. Where possible, we qualify or purchase multiple grades of ore from each supplier to limit our exposure to any single supplier for any single grade of ore. Our primary titanium feedstock is chloride ilmenite, and to a lesser extent, leucoxenes, slags, and natural and synthetic rutiles. Any of our titanium-bearing ores can be consumed at any of our operating sites, providing supply chain options in the event of supply disruptions. Historically, we have not experienced any problems renewing such contracts for raw materials or securing our supply of titanium-bearing ores. Our increased pigment production capacity will be supported by investments to extend our ilmenite mines and through contracts with our suppliers.
We play an active role in ore source development around the globe. Supply chain flexibility allows for ore purchase and use optimization to manage short-term demand fluctuations and provide a long-term competitive advantage. Our process technology and ability to use lower-grade ilmenite ore gives us the flexibility to alter our ore mix to low-cost configuration based on sales, demand, and projected ore pricing. Lastly, we have taken steps to optimize routes for ore distribution within our manufacturing asset base and increased storage capacity at our production facilities.
Chlorine is also a key raw material input to our process. Price and availability of chlorine are subject to cyclicality and regional market dynamics. In addition, transporting chlorine can be costly. To reduce our need to transport chlorine, we have a chlor-alkali production facility run by a third party that is co-located at our New Johnsonville, Tennessee site. In 2024, we announced that the PCC Group plans to build and operate a chlor-alkali facility on the grounds of our TiO2 plant in DeLisle, Mississippi and thatthe PCC Group and Chemours have entered into a chlorine supply agreement which is subject to certain customary conditions precedent. The new facility will utilize state-of-the-art technology to maximize energy efficiency and provide up to an annual nameplate capacity of 340,000 metric tons once the plant is operational. Construction is expected to begin in early 2026 with the plant being operational in 2028.
Calcined petroleum coke is another important raw material input to our process. We source calcined petroleum coke from well-established suppliers in North America typically under contracts that run multiple years to facilitate materials and logistics planning through the supply chain. Raw materials distribution efficiency is enhanced through the use of bulk ocean, barge, and rail transportation modes.
Energy is a key input cost in the TiO2 pigment manufacturing process, representing approximately 10% of the production cost. We have access to natural gas-based energy at our U.S. and Mexico TiO2 pigment production facilities and our Florida and Georgia minerals plants, supporting advantaged energy costs given the low cost of natural gas in the U.S relative to most of the other parts of the world.
Sales, Marketing, and Distribution
We sell the majority of our products through a direct sales force. We continue to build on our commercial strategy to optimize our performance through TiO2 market cycles while remaining closely connected to our customer needs. Our strategy establishes a commercial framework that allows us to focus on enhancing durable, value-oriented customer relationships, while providing customers access to a predictable and reliable supply of high-quality TiO2. Customers can purchase Ti-PureTM TiO2 either through medium- to long-term contracts or through Ti-PureTM Flex. Launched in 2019, Ti-PureTM Flex is an innovative channel that provides customers the unique ability to purchase Ti-PureTM TiO2 via our web-based portal, the first of its kind in the industry. To further expand our reach beyond these sales channels, we also utilize third-party sales agents and distributors.
TiO2 pigment represents a significant raw material cost for many of our customers, and as a result, purchasing decisions are often made by our customers’ senior management teams. TiO2 pigment, however, is only a small fraction of the cost when considering certain end-use applications, especially in segments with larger value chain players, such as specialty coatings, plastics, and laminates applications. Our sales organization works to develop and maintain close relationships with key decision makers in our value chain. In addition to close purchasing relationships, our sales and technical service teams work together to develop relationships with all layers of our customers’ organizations to ensure that we meet our customers’ commercial and technical requirements. When appropriate, we collaborate closely with customers to solve formulation or application problems by modifying product characteristics or developing new product grades.
To ensure efficient distribution, we maintain a fleet of railcars which are predominantly used for distribution of products in the U.S. and Canada and utilize third-party truck and ocean carriers. A dedicated logistics team along with external partners continually assess and optimize the assignment of our transportation equipment for each product line and geographic region to maximize utilization and maintain an efficient supply chain.
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The Chemours Company
Customers
Globally, we serve approximately 500 customers through our Titanium Technologies segment. In 2024, our 10 largest Titanium Technologies customers accounted for approximately 41% of the segment’s net sales, and one Titanium Technologies customer represented over 10% of the segment’s net sales. Our larger customers are typically served through direct sales and tend to have medium-term to long-term contracts. We serve our small-size and mid-size customers through a combination of our direct sales and distribution network. Our direct customers in the Titanium Technologies segment are producers of decorative coatings, automotive and industrial coatings, polyolefin master batches, PVC, engineering polymers, laminate paper, coatings paper, and coated paperboard. We focus on developing long-term partnerships with key market participants in each of these sectors. We also deliver a high level of technical service to satisfy our customers’ specific needs, which helps us maintain strong customer relationships.
Seasonality
The demand for TiO2 pigment is subject to seasonality due to the influence of weather conditions and holiday seasons on some of our applications, such as decorative coatings. As a result, our TiO2 pigment sales volume is typically highest in the second and third quarters. This pattern applies to the entire TiO2 pigment market, but may vary by region, country, or application. The impacts of seasonality on demand for TiO2 pigment may also be altered by economic factors, such as changes in global GDP, global supply chain and logistics issues, and other factors.
Advanced Performance Materials Segment
Segment Overview
Our Advanced Performance Materials segment draws on vast experience in fluoropolymer chemistry as a leading, global provider of performance solutions and advanced materials that solve challenging problems in emerging technologies and deliver unique capabilities in products and applications that people around the world use every day. The segment's diversified portfolio includes various specialty product solutions, membranes, industrial resins, and coatings. These product offerings position the business to serve a broad range of markets, including consumer electronics, semiconductors, digital communications, transportation, energy, oil and gas, and medical, among others.
Our products set the standard in a number of performance categories, including chemical inertness, thermal stability, low friction, weather and corrosion resistance, and di-electric properties. These performance advantages make our polymers a material of choice, especially in complex applications and extreme environmental conditions. Our performance solutions portfolio includes differentiated offerings such as those that are critical to many emerging technology areas, including hydrogen production and fuel cells, emerging battery technologies, advanced semi-conductor infrastructure, 5G data delivery, and connected electronic devices. Our advanced materials portfolio provides products which are essential to established technologies across a diverse range of markets and applications, including consumer goods, transportation, and chemical processing.
Our Advanced Performance Materials products are sold under the brand names TeflonTM, VitonTM, KrytoxTM, and NafionTM. TeflonTM coatings, resins, additives, and films serve as the key underpinning for a variety of industrial and commercial applications, including semiconductor infrastructure. VitonTM fluoroelastomers are used in automotive, consumer electronics, chemical processing, oil and gas, petroleum refining and transportation, and aircraft and aerospace applications. Our KrytoxTM-branded lubricants are used in a broad range of industrial applications, including bearings, automotive friction management, and electric motors. NafionTM membranes are critical components in chlor-alkali processing and flow batteries, as well as the hydrogen electrolyzers and fuel cells which underpin the hydrogen economy. In 2023, we launched operations at THE Mobility F.C. Membranes Company as a part of Chemours’ joint venture with BWT FUMATECH Mobility GmbH to elevate and accelerate the capacity to manufacture fuel cell and humidifier membranes for mobility applications for long-term customers.
Our Advanced Performance Materials segment is focused on technology development in its key markets. We also participate in a broad array of industry consortia and collaborate with leading academics across a variety of disciplines to drive fundamental R&D in the materials space.
The segment is well positioned to capture future growth through the combination of our unique product capabilities and market-driven product development process. Advanced Performance Materials will benefit long-term from secular growth in clean energy and advanced electronics.
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The Chemours Company
Industry Overview and Competitors
Our Advanced Performance Materials segment competes against a broad variety of global manufacturers, as well as regional manufacturers in Asia Pacific. We have a leadership position in fluorine chemistry and materials science, a broad scope and scale of operations, a strong applications development competency, and deep customer knowledge. Key competitors for this segment include Daikin Industries, Ltd., 3M Company, Syensqo, S.A., AGC Inc., and Dongyue Group Co., Ltd.
The demand for products in the economically sensitive advanced materials portfolio is tied to regulatory developments, as well as the cyclicality of key end markets, such as industrial, chemical processing, consumer goods, and transportation, and is expected to grow in line with GDP. However, with growing demand for cleaner and faster technologies, demand for products in the performance solutions portfolio is expected to grow at a rate faster than GDP, driven by global middle-class growth and alignment between our market-driven product technology development process and emerging market technologies, such as 5G, fuel cells and electrolyzers, electronics, communications, and transportation.
Raw Materials
The primary raw materials required for the Advanced Performance Materials segment are chlorinated organics, hydrogen fluoride, and vinylidene fluoride. These are available in many countries and are not concentrated in any particular region. We pursue maximum competitiveness in our global supply chains through competitive, flexible, and diversified sourcing of key raw materials. Our contracts typically include terms that span from two to five years. We diversify our sourcing through multiple geographic regions and suppliers to ensure a diversified and cost competitive supply.
Sales, Marketing, and Distribution
With approximately 90 years of innovation and development in fluorine science, our technical, marketing, and sales teams around the world have deep expertise in our products and their end-uses. We work with customers to select the appropriate fluoropolymers or other advanced performance materials to meet their technical performance needs based on their intended performance-in-use requirements. We sell our products through direct and indirect channels, and the duration of our selling agreements vary by product line and markets served.
Our Advanced Performance Materials segment maintains a fleet of railcars, tank trucks, containers, and totes to deliver our products and support our supply chain needs. For the portion of the fleet that is leased, the related lease terms are usually staggered, which provides us with a competitive cost position, as well as the ability to adjust the size of our fleet in response to changes in market conditions. We manage our fleet to ensure it is appropriately sized to meet market demand while maintaining flexibility. A dedicated logistics team, along with external partners, works to optimize the assignment of our transportation equipment for each product line and geographic region to maximizeutilization and flexibility of the supply chain.
Customers
Our Advanced Performance Materials segment serves approximately 1,000 customers and distributors globally and, in many instances, these commercial relationships have been in place for decades. No single Advanced Performance Materials customer represented more than 10% of the segment’s net sales in 2024.
Seasonality
The Advanced Performance Materials segment has historically seen some seasonal effects with lower sales in the fourth quarter, with planned maintenance activities at our own sites and at certain customers typically occurring during this period.
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Intellectual Property
Intellectual property, including trade secrets, certain patents, trademarks, copyrights, know-how, and other proprietary rights, is a critical part of maintaining our technology leadership and competitive edge. Our business strategy is to file patent and trademark applications internationally for proprietary new product and application development technologies, and we work actively on a global basis to create, acquire, license, protect, and enforce our intellectual property rights. As of December 31, 2024, we owned approximately 4,050 granted patents and 1,420 pending applications in the U.S. and internationally, as well as approximately 1,680 trademark registrations and 24 pending trademark applications in the U.S. and internationally.
The protections afforded under our patents and trademarks vary based on country, scope of individual patent, and trademark coverage, as well as the availability of legal remedies in each country. Our patents, in the aggregate, are believed to be of material importance to our business. However, although certain proprietary intellectual property rights are important to our success, we do not believe that we are materially dependent on any single patent (or group of related patents) or trademark. We believe that securing our intellectual property is critical to maintaining our technology leadership and our competitive position, especially with respect to new technologies or the extensions of existing technologies. Our intellectual property can be a source of incremental income through licensing arrangements.
Our Thermal & Specialized Solutions segment is a technology leader in the markets in which it participates. We maintain a large fluorochemicals patent portfolio covering compositions, methods of making, and applications for refrigeration and air conditioning, foam expansion agents and propellants, specialty fluids, immersion cooling, and fluorochemical recycling, among other applications. With respect to our OpteonTM refrigerants we have composition patents covering R-1234yf having expiration dates through the end of the decade, and patents covering other aspects of our OpteonTM refrigerants including blend compositions containing R-1234yf, methods of making R-1234yf, and applications having varying expiration dates at least into the mid-2030s. We consider our OpteonTM and FreonTM trademarks used in the Thermal & Specialized Solutions segment to be valuable assets.
Our Titanium Technologies segment relies upon proprietary knowledge, continuing technological innovation, and trade secrets to develop and maintain our competitive position in this sector. Within this segment, we hold significant intellectual property in the form of trade secrets and patents, and, while we believe that no single trade secret is material in relation to our combined business as a whole, we believe that our trade secrets are material in the aggregate.Our proprietary chloride production process is an important part of our technology, and our business could be harmed if our trade secrets are not maintained in confidence. Within our Titanium Technologies segment’s intellectual property portfolio, we consider our Ti-PureTM trademark to be a valuable asset. We have registered the Ti-PureTM trademark in a number of countries.
Our Advanced Performance Materials segment possesses extensive know-how and trade secrets related to manufacturing technologies for a broad range of specialized fluoropolymers, as well as application development technology for fluoropolymers based on comprehensive knowledge of customer applications. We hold patents relating to manufacturing for certain products with high quality, specifications and purity as required by the electronics, communications, automotive, wire and cable, battery, fuel cell, water electrolysis, and other industries. Additionally, our Advanced Performance Materials segment is a leader in and holds patents relating to non-fluorinated materials for use as durable water repellents for garments and other uses. In our Advanced Performance Materials segment’s intellectual property portfolio, we consider our TeflonTM, VitonTM, NafionTM, and KrytoxTM trademarks to be valuable assets.
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The Chemours Company
Environmental and Regulatory Matters
Information related to environmental matters is included in several areas of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including: (i) Item 1A – Risk Factors; (ii) Item 3 – Legal Proceedings, under the heading “Environmental Proceedings”; (iii) Item 7 – Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations; and, (iv) “Note 3 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” and “Note 22 – Commitments and Contingent Liabilities” to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Climate Change
Our sustainability work begins with our vision to deliver Trusted Chemistry. That vision calls on us to ensure that our decisions ultimately help people live better lives and communities thrive. We don’t embrace sustainability for the sake of it, we ensure that our work is a fully integrated part of delivering our corporate strategy, Pathway to Thrive. Through sustainability we are actively protecting our license to operate our facilities, meeting the needs of our customers and differentiating our portfolio, advancing the work across the four pillars of our strategy — Operational Excellence, Enabling Growth, Portfolio Management, and Strengthening the Long-Term — to create value for our shareholders.
As part of delivering trusted chemistry, we focus on the responsible treatment of climate and water. Our 2030 goals include:
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60% absolute reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions; and,
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99% or more reduction of air and water process emissions of fluorinated organic chemicals ("FOCs").
In 2021, we updated our climate goals to better align our climate commitment with the Paris Accord and set us on a path to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions from our operations by 2050. In 2022, we signed a commitment with the Science Based Targets initiative (“SBTi”) to establish science-based targets for scopes 1, 2, and 3 GHG emissions. In May 2024, the SBTi approved Chemours’ near-term science-based emissions reduction targets. This includes our existing 2030 goal of a 60% absolute reduction and a new Scope 3 target of reducing emissions by 25% per ton of product by 2030. Beyond the progress we have made reducing our operational footprint through Scope 1 and 2 reductions, the reduction of our Scope 3 emissions will enable us to partner with our suppliers to further improve our Product Carbon Footprint by reducing upstream emissions, as well as reduce downstream emissions through the ongoing adoption of low carbon solutions enable by Chemours innovation, like our OpteonTM portfolio of low global warming potential refrigerants.
Making people’s lives better centers on the essentiality of our products and the critical end markets they serve. From medical applications that save lives, to low global warming potential refrigerants, durable paints and coatings, and even semiconductor chips and clean energy technologies such as EV batteries, Chemours chemistries power products that the world needs. We believe that climate change is an important global issue that presents both opportunities and challenges for our company, our partners, our customers, and our communities. Climate change matters for our company are likely to be driven by changes in physical and transition risk, such as regulations and/or public policy, and changes in technology and product demand. Our operations and business results are increasingly subject to evolving climate-related legislation and regulations, inclusive of restrictions on GHG emissions, cap and trade emissions trading systems, and taxes on GHG emissions, fuel, and energy, among other provisions. Such regulatory matters have led, and are expected to continue to lead, to subsequent developments in product technology and demand. This helps guide our investment decisions and drive growth in demand for low-carbon and energy-efficient products, manufacturing technologies, and services that facilitate adaptation to a changing climate. Our business segments conduct market trend impact assessments, continuously evaluate opportunities for existing and new products and are well-positioned to take advantage of opportunities that may arise from increased market demand for and/or legislation mandating or incentivizing the use of products and technologies necessary to achieve a low-carbon economy.
In our Thermal & Specialized Solutions segment, global regulations driving the phase-down of HFCs, including the EU’s F-Gas Directive, the EU’s Mobile Air Conditioning Directive, and the AIM Act in the US, promote the adoption and sale of our high performing OpteonTM products, which have lower global warming potential ("GWP") and near-zero ozone-depletion footprint. Our OpteonTM portfolio has been developed to meet global regulations while maintaining or improving performance compared to the products they replace in refrigeration and cooling applications, such as food transportation, food and pharmaceutical/medical storage, food manufacturing and retail, automotive air conditioning, and residential and commercial building air conditioning. We are on track to achieve, by the end of 2025, our estimated goal that our low GWP products will result in 325 million tons of avoided emissions of carbon dioxide equivalents on a global basis.
We are a proponent of the AIM Act, that went into effect in 2022 and has begun the national phase-down of hydrofluorocarbons. We successfully completed an improvement project to significantly reduce emissions of HFC-23 at our Louisville, Kentucky manufacturing site. The project includes the design, custom-build and installation of proprietary technology to capture HFC-23 process emissions from the site. This project was operational as of October 2022 and validation of performance was completed prior to an extension period granted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") in the first quarter of 2023.
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The Chemours Company
In our Titanium Technologies business, our Ti-PureTM Sustainability ("TS") product series, is designed to advance our customers’ sustainability goals. The product series includes enhanced product sustainability designations—including climate impact and resource efficiency. Going forward, our product portfolio will continue to be centered on the evolving needs of our customers.
In our Advanced Performance Materials segment, our growth prospects in fluoropolymers are also enhanced by regulation driving the increasing demand for electric vehicles and high-performance, low-emission vehicles. Our fluoropolymers are critical to delivering high performance over a wide range of harsh operating conditions, enhancing passenger safety, improving emission controls and fuel economy, enabling vehicle electrification and the shift to hydrogen-powered vehicles, and improving the sustainability footprint and performance of hybrid and electric car batteries. We expect the use of our fluoropolymers in vehicles to increase, driven by the automotive industry’s trends toward energy efficiency and clean energy due to evolving emissions performance regulations and increasing adoption of electric vehicles. Our fluoropolymer technology supports growing market demand for clean hydrogen generation using water electrolyzers, energy storage in flow batteries, and hydrogen conversion to power fuel cell vehicles.
As an energy and emissions intensive company, our costs of complying 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 GHG-emitting equipment, or additional costs associated with GHG emissions. Additionally, significant regional or national differences in approaches to the imposition of such regulations and restrictions could present competitive challenges or opportunities in a global marketplace. Currently, most of our global operating facilities are required to monitor and report their GHG emissions but may or may not be subject to programs requiring trading or emission controls. The EU Emission Trading System applies to our operating sites in that region. Furthermore, U.S. political administration could lead to changes to federal regulation with respect to GHG emissions limits and/or other legislation that could impact our operations. By tracking and taking action to reduce our GHG emissions footprint through energy efficiency programs, increased use of renewable energy and focused GHG emissions reduction programs, we can decrease the potential future impact of these regulatory matters.
Human Capital
Meeting our commitment to responsible chemistry depends on our ability to create a vibrant workplace culture that attracts and retains the best and brightest in their fields to come work at Chemours. Our success depends on our ability to attract, retain and motivate employees, and to identify and develop high-performing talented personnel to succeed our senior management and other key roles. This success depends on creating a diverse, inclusive, equitable and thriving workplace culture – one that holds a multiplicity of viewpoints, stems from a variety of backgrounds, and brings an abundance of different life experiences to work. We believe our global workforce should reflect the viewpoints and diversity of the communities in which we operate. That combination of excellence and diversity is essential to continuing our strong track record of uncovering and delivering the innovative solutions society needs.
Diverse and Inclusive Leadership and Workforce
Our board of directors is comprised of eleven individuals with a diverse set of experiences, skills and credentials, selected for their business acumen and ability to challenge and add value to management. Our directors have held significant leadership positions and bring a depth of experience across a wide variety of industries, providing the Company with unique insights and fresh perspectives. Refer to Item 10 – Directors, Executive Officers, and Corporate Governance for further information related to our board of directors. As of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, management of the Company is led by our Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and 7 of her direct reports, which comprise our Chemours Executive Team (“CET”). Further information related to our CET is included under the caption “Information About Our Executive Officers” within this Part I of our Annual Report on Form 10-K.
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The Chemours Company
As of December 31, 2024, we had approximately 6,000 employees globally, nearly all of which were full-time employees. As of December 31, 2024, we had approximately 77% of our employees in the Americas (67% of whom are in the United States), 16% in Europe, and 7% in Asia Pacific (4% are in China). Approximately 13% of our employees are represented by unions or works councils. Management believes that its relations with employees and labor organizations are good.
In addition to Chemours employees, our total global workforce also includes contract workers who are available to support our manufacturing sites. Our number of contract workers varies throughout the year due to business needs and seasonal plant activities. These on-site contract workers provide services for facility maintenance, engineering services and construction support, operations, research and logistics support, equipment service and maintenance, custodial services, and site security services. Management believes that its relations with contract workers are good.
Corporate Responsibility Commitments ("CRC")
Chemours is committed to creating and sustaining a diverse, inclusive, and safe workplace that reflects our diverse communities in which we operate and focuses on diversity of skills and diversity of experiences with a focus on creating a vibrant workplace culture that attracts, retains, and empowers the best and brightest in their fields.
In support of our commitment to foster a diverse and inclusive environment where all employees can contribute, thrive and grow, we have several Employee Resource Groups (“ERGs”): Chemours Asian Group, Chemours Black Employee Network, Chemours Latin American Resource Organization, Chemours Pride Network, Chemours Women’s Network, Early Career Network, Chemours Veterans' Network and Chemours Native American Employee Network. The objectives of these ERGs are to help foster a diverse, inclusive workplace by educating and building awareness across the Company on challenges underrepresented groups often face, how to be more inclusive, supporting career development efforts, and leading community outreach efforts. We also facilitate additional educational programs, workshops and discussions on a variety of diversity and inclusion topics for global, regional, and local employee groups. We continue to further our CRC goals through a range of tactics. To recruit top talent and broaden our local workforce pipeline, we virtually attended as well as attended fairs at various universities and conferences. Meanwhile, our manufacturing sites partnered with local trade schools and community colleges to create apprenticeship opportunities and develop degree programs that teach students the unique skills needed for a career in operations.
Ultimately, we believe that these efforts create a company culture that promotes individual differences, differences in experience and skills, a safety-focused mentality, and talent development initiatives which result in competitive strength.
Safety
Safety is one of our five core values and is deeply engrained throughout our culture. As an industry leader in Responsible Manufacturing, we operate our plant sites with a deep commitment to the health and safety of communities where we operate, our people, and our partners all along the value chain.
In February 2024, the board of directors established an Environmental, Health, Safety (“EHS”) and Operations Performance committee. The committee assists the board in overseeing the assessment and management of environmental, health, and safety risks by reviewing our programs for identifying, assessing, managing, and mitigating such risks.
At Chemours, our talented and dedicated people are one of our biggest strengths, and ensuring we have leaders who are committed to safety and manufacturing our products responsibly is foundational to our company's success. We believe our ability to keep our employees safe from harm and business performance are interconnected. As a part of our safety culture, every employee feels supported and empowered to exercise "stop work authority" and to participate openly in incident investigations which leads to operational learning focused on eliminating or reducing physical accidents. Around the world and at every site, the way in which we work is grounded in our Safety value, always.
Professional Development
We encourage and support our employees to own their careers by taking the lead in their respective professional development journeys. We actively support our employees in their professional development, providing multiple learning opportunities and trainings. We encourage and support employee participation in industry associations, professional organizations and other external resources to develop their skills and experience. We also provide our employees with the necessary tools and resources to develop and produce the next generation of innovative chemistry products, most notably, our Chemours Discovery Hub. Given our focus on experiential learning, we leverage special projects, short-term assignments, and cross-functional job rotations to further develop talent and support employees in meeting their professional aspirations. Semi-annual performance reviews, combined with annual career development planning and ongoing feedback, provide support in performance and development and help our people know where they excel and how they can improve.
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Equitable Employee Compensation
We provide a total compensation package that is targeted to be competitive with the markets in which we compete for talent, while allowing individual employee pay to vary equitably based on performance, skills, and experience. Our compensation programs are globally aligned, and, where possible, our total rewards plans include base salary, incentives (short- and long-term), financial, physical, and mental well-being programs, and monetary and social recognition. We routinely review our total rewards practices in the markets in which we compete to ensure our plans allow us to recruit and retain the diverse talent we need to be successful. We are firmly committed to paying our employees in a fair and equitable manner, regardless of race or gender, and we have implemented global total rewards tools to promote equitable remuneration. To ensure we deliver on this commitment, we periodically engage with independent third-party consultants to review our compensation practices and recommend pay actions.
Additionally, we believe in pay transparency. In 2023, we became transparent with our pay practices in both North America and Europe. The extent to which we share will vary based on local country norms, but may include market position, base salary ranges, bonus and equity targets. We will continue to strive to bring transparency to all of our employees in the near future.
Employee Attraction and Retention
We believe that our workplace culture, as reinforced by our commitment to sustainability, corporate values, professional development opportunities, and competitive employee compensation, is critical in attaining a high offer acceptance rate and maintaining low levels of attrition, thereby enabling us to attract talented employees and retain and recognize the benefits of our investments in our employees’ technical manufacturing capabilities, safety acumen, and professional development. For the year ended December 31, 2024, our voluntary attrition percentage was approximately 8%.
Available Information
We are subject to the reporting requirements under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”). Consequently, we are required to file reports and information with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including reports on the following forms: Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act.
Our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports are also accessible on our website at http://www.chemours.com by clicking on the section labeled “Investor Relations”, then on “Financials” and “SEC Filings”. These reports are made available, without charge, as soon as it is reasonably practicable after we file or furnish them electronically with the SEC at http://www.sec.gov.
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The Chemours Company
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 fund 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 that commenced in 2024, we may be exposed to civil or criminal 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, financial condition and cash flows.
Risks Related to Our Business Performance
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Operating as a multi-national corporation presents risks associated with global and regional economic, political and global capital market conditions, as well as risks resulting from changes to regional regulatory requirements (including environmental standards);
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If significant tariffs or other restrictions continue to be placed on foreign imports by the United States and related countermeasures are taken by impacted foreign countries, our results of operations could be negatively affected:
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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 negative 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 significant charges 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.
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, financial condition and cash flows;
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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, including environmental, weather, and natural disasters.
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We participate in certain business relationships where we may be adversely impacted by the actions of the joint venture, its participants, or other partners;
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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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If we identify a material weakness in internal control over financial reporting, or if we fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls, we may not be able to accurately determine our financial results or prevent fraud, either of which could have a material effect on us; and
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We have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant expenses related to the Audit Committee Internal Review, 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, or at all;
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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 and currency exchange rates, including events or concerns involving liquidity, defaults or non-performance by financial institutions or transactional counterparties, could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.
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, if any, 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.
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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 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances ("PFAS"), including 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”) and other compounds; and products that are manufactured or use such compounds, including Aqueous Film Forming Foam (“AFFF”). Chemours does not, and has never, used PFOA as a polymerization aid nor sold it as a commercial product. Prior to the Separation, the performance chemicals segment of EID made PFOA at its Fayetteville Works site in Fayetteville, North Carolina (“Fayetteville”) and used PFOA as a polymerization aid in the manufacture of fluoropolymers and fluoroelastomers at certain sites, including: Washington Works, Parkersburg, West Virginia; Chambers Works, Deepwater, New Jersey ("Chambers Works"); Dordrecht Works, Netherlands; Changshu Works, China; and, Shimizu, Japan. These sites are now owned and/or operated by Chemours.
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 Fayetteville, Dordrecht Works in Dordrecht, Netherlands or otherwise. In relation to remedies, these costs could be for both on-site and off-site issues, including additional on-site corrective action and off-site drinking water and other programs. 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.
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The Chemours Company
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.
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, which could result in future asset impairments. 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.
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.
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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, which may or may not be supported by scientific evidence, 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 different sectors that are affected and elements of the proposal, and further meetings will be held in 2025. In November 2024, ECHA and the five European countries issued a progress update on the PFAS restriction, indicating that alternative restriction options, besides a full ban or a ban with time-limited derogations, are being considered for uses including, but not limited to: batteries; fuel cells; and electrolysers, and that fluoropolymers have high stakeholder interest considering availability of alternatives for certain uses and potential socio-economic impacts of a ban. The five national authorities who prepared the proposal are also updating their initial report to address the consultation comments, which will then be assessed by ECHA committees. The estimated earliest entry into force of restrictions is 2026, 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 draft Effluent Limitations Guidelines ("ELGs") for PFAS manufacturers as announced in the PFAS Strategic Roadmap were not proposed in the fourth quarter of 2024 and we continue to monitor and respond to information requests related to potential ELGs.
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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. In July 2024, the Third Circuit dismissed the Company’s petition for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, finding the health advisory was not a final agency action.
In March 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 – (“ppt”)) 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 on April 10, 2024 EPA issued its final rule, which included promulgating individual MCLs for PFOA and PFOS at 4ppt and individual MCLs for PFHxS, PFNA and HFPO-DA at 10ppt. In addition, EPA finalized a hazard index of 1 (unitless) as the MCL for any mixture of PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA and PFBS. The final rule became effective 60 days from publication in the Federal Register and the compliance date for public water systems in the U.S. to meet the MCLs is five years from the publication date. In June 2024, Chemours, as well as other organizations including the American Water Works Association and the American Chemistry Council, filed petitions for review of the final rule in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. This appeal is now being held in abeyance until April 2025 to allow EPA to review the underlying rule. Also in April 2024, EPA issued a final rule designating PFOA and PFOS as hazardous substances under CERCLA, which has also been challenged in the same appeals court. EPA has moved to hold this appeal also in abeyance to allow review of the underlying rule. 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.
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 fund 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.
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.
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.
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.
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The Chemours Company
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.
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.
As a result of the Audit Committee Internal Review that commenced in 2024, we may be exposed to civil and criminal litigation from investors and/or regulatory entities, which may adversely affect our reputation, results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows.
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, our practices for managing working capital, including the related impact on metrics within our 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 our 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 we 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 our 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 are no longer with the Company. We 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 our SEC filings and in June 2024 received a subpoena from the SEC in respect of that review. In March 2024, two putative class actions were filed in Delaware federal court against us 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 September 2024, an Amended Complaint was filed, and the Company and former officers filed a motion to dismiss the Amended Complaint in October 2024. In April 2024, June 2024, July 2024, August 2024 and October 2024, we received seven stockholder demands for inspection of books and records under Section 220 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware and the common law (“Section 220 Demand”), including in its purpose the investigation of possible wrongdoing, mismanagement or breach of fiduciary duties by the Board of Directors and/or senior management in connection with the compensation of executive officers and oversight over our accounting practices. In addition, we are 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.
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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, financial condition and cash flows.
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. In February 2025, the U.S. presidential administration issued an executive order pausing the U.S. Department of Justice’s enforcement of the FCPA for 180 days until the attorney general issues revised FCPA enforcement guidance. Due to the changing nature of the regulatory environment and uncertainty about the priorities and direction of the U.S. presidential administration, we cannot be certain if or how the DOJ’s enforcement of the FCPA will change or its impact on our business. 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
Operating as a multi-national corporation presents risks associated with global and regional economic, political and global capital market conditions, as well as risks resulting from changes to regional regulatory requirements (including environmental standards).
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 and political 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. In addition, social and political concerns and divisions in the U.S. and throughout the world, including elections and political changes in various countries, may further exacerbate economic and geo-political risks.
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 and political conditions, 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.
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The Chemours Company
If significant tariffs or other restrictions continue to be placed on foreign imports by the United States and related countermeasures are taken by impacted foreign countries, our results of operations could be negatively affected.
If significant tariffs or other restrictions continue to be placed on foreign imports and related countermeasures are taken by impacted foreign countries, our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows may be negatively affected. For example, on February 1, 2025, the U.S. imposed a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico, which were subsequently suspended for a period of one month, and a 10% additional tariff on imports from China. Historically, tariffs have led to increased trade and political tensions. In response to tariffs, foreign countries have implemented retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods. Political tensions as a result of trade policies could reduce trade volume, investment, technological exchange and other economic activities between major international economies, resulting in a material adverse effect on global economic conditions and the stability of global financial markets. If further tariffs are imposed on a broader range of imports, or if further retaliatory trade measures are taken by impacted foreign countries in response to additional tariffs, we may be required to raise our prices or incur additional expenses, which may result in the loss of customers and our results of operations could be negatively affected.
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.
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 negative 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.
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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.
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.
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 or environmental 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.
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The Chemours Company
If our long-lived assets, including goodwill, become impaired, we may be required to record significant charges to earnings.
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, or other assets is determined, negatively impacting our results of operations. We have a significant amount of long-lived assets on our consolidated balance sheets. Under U.S. 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. Subsequent to December 31, 2023, 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.
In the third quarter of 2024, we concluded a triggering event was present for our Advanced Performance Materials reporting unit and associated goodwill. As a result of the quantitative goodwill impairment analysis performed, we concluded the carrying amount of the Advanced Performance Materials reporting unit exceeded its fair value, resulting in a non-cash goodwill impairment charge of $56 million. There can be no assurance that future events may not result in an impairment to the Advanced Performance Materials asset group or an impairment to any of our other reporting units' goodwill or long-lived assets.
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.
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. We, and our subsidiaries, are required to file certain tax returns and information reports with various tax authorities and government bodies. The failure to file returns or information reports could be punishable by civil penalties as well as other remedial measures which could adversely affect our operating results, financial condition, or cash flows.
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.
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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.
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The Chemours Company
The widespread outbreak of any illness or communicable disease could result in a significant health crisis that adversely affects local and global economies and financial markets. The effects of any significant health crisis 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.
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, financial condition and cash flows.
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 and maintaining any of the requisite licenses, permits, and authorizations from governmental or regulatory authorities could increase the total cost, delay, jeopardize, prevent the construction or opening of such facilities, or cause shutdowns 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, and the safety of our employees and communities. 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, which could result in potential impairments of assets. While we endeavor to provide adequate protection for the safety of our employees and 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, employees malfeasance, 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, results of operations and cash flows.
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The Chemours Company
Our results of operations and financial condition could be seriously impacted by business disruptions, including environmental, weather, and natural disasters.