Ingevity (NGVT) Risk Factors

The Company purchases a variety of other raw materials from third parties for its manufacturing operations, including, but not limited to, hardwood sawdust, phosphoric acid, ethylene amines, black liquor, maleic/fumaric acid, hydrogen peroxide, cyclohexanone, and ethoxylates. Each raw material is subject to its own supply and demand dynamics which may, at times, limit availability and/or cause price volatility. The Company may be unable to procure the quantities of raw materials it needs which could negatively impact our operations or we may be unable to pass through price increases to our customers which could negatively impact our financial results. For example, our Performance Chemicals segment produces many products derived from lignin, which, like CTO, is a co-product of the kraft pulping process. Lignin is in limited supply and if we are unable to secure a sufficient amount of lignin on a cost-effective basis we could suffer disruption to our road technologies business, which could negatively impact our financial results and our results of operations.

In 2023, sales to customers outside of the U.S. made up approximately 37 percent of our total sales, and we sell our products to customers in approximately 75 countries. We have exposure to risks of operating outside the U.S., including: fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, including the euro, pound sterling, Japanese yen and Chinese renminbi; restrictions on, or difficulties and costs associated with, the repatriation of cash from foreign countries to the U.S.; difficulties and costs associated with complying with a wide variety of complex laws, treaties and regulations, which may carry significant penalties for non-compliance; unexpected changes in political or regulatory environments; earnings and cash flows that may be subject to tax withholding requirements or the imposition of tariffs, exchange controls or other restrictions; geopolitical and economic instability, including the wars in Ukraine and the Gaza region; general country strikes or work stoppages; unforeseen public health crises, such as pandemic and epidemic diseases; import and export restrictions, tariffs, and other trade barriers or retaliatory actions; difficulties in maintaining overseas subsidiaries and international operations; difficulties in obtaining approval for significant transactions; government limitations on foreign ownership; government takeover or nationalization of business; and government mandated price controls. Any one or more of the above factors could adversely affect our international operations and could significantly affect our financial condition and results of operations. For example, Chinese government agencies have in the past required companies to reduce or suspend manufacturing operations from time to time, with little or no notice, for reasons such as energy restrictions and air quality concerns. The timing and length of these suspensions, which are expected to continue occurring, are difficult to predict. These unpredictable events could negatively impact our results of operations and cash flows. Further, any of these factors may impact our customers' non-U.S. operations, which could reduce demand for our products. As our international operations and activities expand, we inevitably have greater exposure to the risks associated with operating in many foreign countries.

Our road technologies business is seasonal in nature, with roughly 70 to 75 percent of revenue generated between April and September each year. Adverse weather conditions, which directly affect the ability to engage in paving and/or road marking activity, have had, and going forward may have, an adverse effect on sales in the road technologies product line if such conditions result in lower customer demand due to a shortened season.

We are affected by general global economic and financial conditions that are beyond our control, including inflation and significant spikes in energy costs. We attempt to reduce our inflation risk and mitigate the effects of other adverse economic and financial conditions by passing on price increases where appropriate to our customers. A significant portion of our business with our customers is purchase order based, which allows us to increase prices in response to inflation and other market conditions. However, to the extent our customers are under fixed-price contracts with limited or no price adjustment mechanisms, we are unable to mitigate the impact of inflation by passing on price increases through to our customers, and we could experience an adverse impact on our results of operations as a result.

Intellectual property rights, including patents, trade secrets, confidential information, trademarks, trade names, and trade dress, are important to our business. See "Intellectual Property" included within Part I. Item 1 of this Form 10-K for more information on the 844 Patent. We endeavor to protect our intellectual property rights in key jurisdictions in which our products are produced or used, in jurisdictions into which our products are imported, and in jurisdictions where our competitors have significant manufacturing capabilities. Our success will depend to a significant degree upon our ability to protect and preserve our intellectual property rights. However, we may be unable to obtain or maintain protection for our intellectual property in key jurisdictions and the Company's patents and other intellectual property may not prevent competitors from independently developing or selling similar or duplicative products and services. 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 be challenged, invalidated, circumvented, and rendered unenforceable or otherwise compromised. We are currently involved in several legal actions relative to the intellectual property associated with the 844 Patent. On September 15, 2021, a jury in the lawsuit filed by the Company against BASF Corporation for patent infringement in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware (the "Delaware Proceeding") issued a verdict in favor of BASF on certain counterclaims filed by BASF in the Delaware Proceeding. The jury awarded BASF damages of approximately $28.3 million, which will be trebled under U.S. antitrust law to approximately $85.0 million when the court enters judgment. On May 18, 2023, the court in the Delaware Proceeding entered judgment on the jury's verdict, which commenced the post-trial briefing stage. On February 13, 2024, the court in the Delaware Proceeding denied BASF's motion for pre-judgment interest on its tortious interference claim as well as and our motion seeking judgment as a matter of law, or a new trial in the alternative. In addition, BASF may seek post-judgment interest and attorneys' fees and costs in amounts that they will have to prove at a future date. Earlier in the Delaware Proceeding, the U.S. District Court dismissed the Company's patent infringement claims against BASF alleging BASF infringed the 844 Patent and invalidated some, but not all, of the claims in our 844 patent, which expired in March 2022. The Company disagrees with the verdict, including the court's application of the law and entry of judgment, and intends to appeal. The Company also intends to challenge the U.S. District Court's previous dismissal of the Company's patent infringement claims against BASF in the Delaware Proceedings. The final resolution of these matters could take up to twenty-four months and there can be no assurance that the Company will prevail in its attempts to challenge the verdict. Because the outcome of the Company's post-trial motions and possible appeal is difficult to predict, as of December 31, 2023, the Company has accrued a total of $85.0 million, the full amount of the jury's verdict (including treble damages). The amount accrued for this matter is included within Other liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2023, and the charge is included within Other (income) expense, net on the consolidated statement of operations for the twelve months ended December 31, 2021. The amount of any liability the Company may ultimately incur related to the Delaware Proceeding could be more or less than the amount accrued. The Company has and may continue to incur additional fees, costs and expenses for as long as the post-trial motions and possible appeal are ongoing. If the Company is required to pay the entire jury verdict (together with any associated fees, costs, and expenses), or the Company must make certain changes to its business when the matters associated with the Delaware Proceeding are eventually resolved, such outcomes could have an adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition, and operating results. The Delaware Proceeding and other legal actions to protect, defend or enforce our intellectual property rights could result in significant costs and diversion of our resources and our management's attention, and we may not prevail in any such suits or proceedings, which 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. If the Company is found to infringe any third-party rights, it could be required to pay substantial damages, or it could be enjoined from offering some of its products and services. We also rely heavily 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. For instance, we manufacture some of our products in China where we may be at a greater risk of a third party misappropriating our intellectual property despite the foregoing policies, procedures and 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.

Our operations are subject to a wide range of general and industry-specific environmental laws and regulations. Certain regulations applicable to our operations, including the OSHA and the TSCA in the U.S. and the REACH directive in Europe, the United Kingdom and other countries, prescribe limits restricting exposure to several chemicals used in our operations, including certain forms of formaldehyde, a raw material used in the manufacture of some lignin-based dispersants. Future studies on the health effects of chemicals used in our operations may result in additional regulation or new requirements, which might further restrict or prohibit the use of, and exposure to, these chemicals. Additional regulation of or requirements for such chemicals could require us to change our operations, and these changes could affect the quality or types of products we manufacture and/or materially increase our costs. Increased focus by governmental entities on environmental issues and sustainability may result in new or increased regulations. Changes in environmental laws and regulations, or their application, could subject Ingevity to significant additional capital expenditures and operating expenses in future years. Additionally, changes in the regulation of greenhouse gases, as well as future climate change laws and regulations, depending on their nature and scope, could subject our operations to significant additional costs or limits on operations. Our manufacturing facilities use energy, including electricity and natural gas and some of our plants emit amounts of greenhouse gas that may in the future be affected by legislative and regulatory efforts to limit greenhouse gas emissions. Potential consequences could include increased energy, transportation, and raw material costs and may require us to make additional investments in facilities and equipment or limit our ability to grow. Any such changes are uncertain and, therefore, it is not possible for Ingevity to predict with certainty the amount of additional capital expenditures or operating expenses that could be necessary for compliance with respect to any such changes. Independent of any such regulation, increased public awareness and adverse publicity about potential impacts on climate change or environmental harm from us or our industry could harm our reputation or otherwise impact Ingevity adversely. In recent years, investors have also begun to show increased interest about sustainability and climate change as it relates to their investment decisions. We have set targets for greenhouse gas reductions and related sustainability goals. There can be no assurance that we will meet these targets and goals. If we fail to achieve our sustainability goals or reduce our impact on the environment or if we are unable to respond or are perceived to be inadequately responding to sustainability concerns, we may receive adverse publicity, and certain investors may divert from, or avoid investing in, our securities, which could have a negative impact on our business and reputation.