Sociedad Quimica Y Minera SA (SQM) Risk Factors

Chilean laws require companies to offer their shareholders preemptive rights whenever issuing new shares of capital stock so shareholders can maintain their existing ownership percentage in a company. If we increase our capital by issuing new shares, a holder may subscribe for up to the number of shares that would prevent dilution of the holder’s ownership interest. If we issue preemptive rights, United States holders of ADSs would not be able to exercise their rights unless a registration statement under the Securities Act were effective with respect to such rights and the shares issuable upon exercise of such rights or an exemption from registration were available. We cannot assure holders of ADSs that we will file a registration statement or that an exemption from registration will be available. Although in connection with the 2021 capital increase, we filed a registration statement that permitted holders of ADSs to exercise preemptive rights, we may, in our absolute discretion, decide not to prepare and file such a registration statement in a future capital increase. If our ADS holders were unable to exercise their preemptive rights in a future capital increase because we do not file a registration statement, the ADS depositary would attempt to sell their rights and distribute the net proceeds from the sale to them, after deducting the depositary’s fees and expenses. If the ADS depositary is not able sell the rights, the rights would expire and have no further value and holders of ADSs would not realize any value from them. In either case, ADS holders’ equity interests in us would be diluted in proportion to the increase in our capital stock.

The Chilean securities markets are substantially smaller, less liquid and more volatile than the major securities markets in the United States. The volatility and low liquidity of the Chilean markets could increase the price volatility of our ADSs and may impair the ability of a holder to sell our ADSs or to sell the shares underlying our ADSs into the Chilean market in the amount and at the price and time the holder wishes to do so.

In the markets in which we do business, customers may impose quality standards on our products and/or governments may enact stricter regulations for the distribution and/or use of our products. As a result, if we cannot meet such new standards or regulations, we may not be able to sell our products. In addition, our cost of production may increase in order to meet any such newly imposed or enacted standards or regulations. Failure to sell our products in one or more markets or to important customers could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Chile, a member of the International Labor Organization (“ILO”), has ratified the ILO’s Convention 169 (the “Indigenous Rights Convention”) concerning indigenous and tribal people. The Indigenous Rights Convention established several rights for indigenous people and communities. Among other rights, the Indigenous Rights Convention states that (i) indigenous groups should be notified and consulted prior to the development of any project on land deemed indigenous, although veto rights are not mentioned, and (ii) indigenous groups have, to the extent possible, a stake in benefits resulting from the exploitation of natural resources in indigenous land. The extent of these benefits has not been defined by the Chilean government. The Chilean government has addressed item (i) above through Supreme Decree No. 66, issued by the Social Development Ministry. This decree requires government entities to consult indigenous groups that may be directly affected by the adoption of legislative or administrative measures, and it also defines criteria for the projects or activities that must be reviewed through the environmental evaluation system that also require such consultation. To the extent that the new rights outlined in the Igndigenous Rights Convention become laws or regulations in Chile, judicial interpretations of the convention of those laws or regulations could affect the development of our investment projects in lands that have been defined as indigenous, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. The Chilean Supreme Court has consistently held that consultation processes must be carried out in the manner prescribed by the Indigenous Rights Convention. The consultation process may cause delays in obtaining regulatory approvals, including environmental permits, as well as public opposition by local and/or international political, environmental and ethnic groups, particularly in environmentally sensitive areas or in areas inhabited by indigenous populations. Furthermore, the omission of the consultation process when required by law may result in the revocation or annulment of regulatory approvals, including environmental permits already granted. Consequently, operating projects may be affected since the omission of the consultation process, when required by law, could lead to public law annulment actions pursuing the annulment of the environmental permits granted. However, this risk frequently arises during the environmental assessment phase when the environmental permits are to be obtained. In such scenario, affected parties may take several legal actions to declare null or void the environmental permits that omitted the consultation process, and in some cases, courts have overturned environmental approvals in which consultation was not made as prescribed in the Indigenous Rights Convention. If the Indigenous Rights Convention affects our development plans, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our facilities and business operations in Chile and abroad are insured against losses, damage or other risks by insurance policies that are standard for the industry and that would reasonably be expected to be sufficient by prudent and experienced persons engaged in businesses similar to ours. We may be subject to certain events that may not be covered under our insurance policies, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, as a result of major earthquakes and unexpected rains and flooding in Chile, as well as other natural disasters worldwide, conditions in the insurance market have changed and may continue to change in the future, and as a result, we may face higher premiums and reduced coverage, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our business, financial condition and results of operations could be affected by changes in policies of the Chilean government, other political developments in or affecting Chile, legal changes in the standards or administrative practices of Chilean authorities or the interpretation of such standards and practices, over which we have no control. The Chilean government has modified, and has the ability to modify, monetary, fiscal, tax, social and other policies in order to influence the Chilean economy or social conditions. We have no control over government policies and cannot predict how those policies or government intervention will affect the Chilean economy or social conditions, or, directly and indirectly, our business, financial condition and results of operations. Changes in policies involving exploitation of natural resources, taxation and other matters related to our industry may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. We are exposed to economic and political volatility and civil unrest in Chile. Changes in social, political, regulatory and economic conditions or in laws and policies governing foreign trade, manufacturing, development and investment in Chile, as well as crises and political uncertainties in Chile, could adversely affect economic growth in Chile. In October and November 2019, Chile experienced riots and widespread mass demonstrations in Santiago and other major cities in Chile, triggered by an increase in public transportation fares in the city of Santiago, which involved violence and significant property damage and caused commercial disruptions throughout the country. As a result, on October 18, 2019 the Chilean government declared a 15-day period state of emergency and imposed a nighttime curfew in the greater Santiago region and other cities. The state of emergency has since been lifted and the Chilean government has introduced several social reforms. Also in 2019, then President Sebastian Piñera announced a pay cut for members of the Chilean Congress and the highest-paid civil servants and replaced eight ministers of his government. On November 15, 2019, representatives of Chile’s leading political parties agreed to hold a referendum, allowing Chileans to vote on whether to replace the Chilean Constitution. In a November 2020 referendum, Chilean citizens strongly supported convening a constitutional convention to draft a new Chilean Constitution. Any new Constitution could significantly alter the Chilean political situation, affect the Chilean economy, its business outlook, change existing rights, including rights to exploit natural resources, and water and property rights, any of which could adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition. The constitutional convention has already drafted proposals that may have a material impact on our business and operations. Although the final text of the Constitution is still being discussed and the voting of the proposals is still at an initial stage, the convention has accepted some proposals which seek to annul all of the existing mining and water rights and establish a whole new regime regarding mining and exploitation of natural resources. Also, the convention has approved certain proposals seeking to protect indigenous people and to recover indigenous land and territories. Part of our operations are located in areas that may be deemed to be indigenous land according to current and future legislation. Once the full text of the new Chilean Constitution has been drafted, it will be submitted to a national referendum in which the Chilean citizens will decide to approve or reject this text by a simple majority vote. We cannot predict the outcome of such referendum. If the referendum rejects the text of the new Chilean Constitution, the existing Chilean Constitution would remain in effect. We cannot give any assurance that these reforms and proposals or the constitutional reform process will resolve the social and economic concerns or that mass protests or civil unrest will not resume. The long-term effects of this social unrest are hard to predict but could include slower economic growth, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition. In addition, in December 2021, Chile elected Gabriel Boric as the new president. President Boric took office on March 11, 2022 and his agenda is mainly focused on the elimination of private pension funds, social security programs, increases in the minimum wage and pensions, and increases in corporate taxes. President Boric is also a strong supporter of the constitutional reforms being considered by the constitutional convention drafting a new Chilean Constitution. While it is still very early in President Boric’s term and there is uncertainty regarding how President Boric’s reforms may affect the political and business climate in Chile in the future, it is possible that these reforms could lead to higher-than-expected inflation levels, unemployment, higher corporate taxes and financial constraints on small and medium-sized companies, any of which could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition. Future adverse developments in Chile, including political events, financial or other crises, changes to policies regarding foreign exchange controls, regulations, and taxation, may impair our ability to execute our business plan and could adversely affect our growth, results of operations, and financial condition. Inflation, devaluation, social instability, and other political, economic, or diplomatic developments could also reduce our profitability. Economic and market conditions in Chilean financial and capital markets may be affected by international events, which could unfavorably affect the value of our securities.

The impact of climate change and climate change-driven responses, such as a global transition to a low carbon economy on our operations and our customers’ operations, remains uncertain, but the regulatory, market-risks associated with climate change as well as the physical effects of climate change could have an adverse effect on us and our customers as experts believe that climate change may be associated with more extreme weather conditions These effects could include, but may not be limited to, changes in regional weather patterns, including drought and rainfall levels, water availability, sea levels, storm patterns and intensities and temperature levels, including increased volatility in seasonal temperatures via excessively hot or cold temperatures. These extreme weather conditions could vary by geographic location. Climate-derived threats include, among others, changes in regional weather patterns, including changes in precipitation and evaporation parameters that, on the one hand, intensify drought phenomena, affecting the availability of water and, on the other hand, bring intense rains in short periods of time that generate other unwanted events that affect our operation and also our surrounding communities, such as road closures, infrastructure, landslides, among others. Additionally, rising sea levels and storm surges, increasing the days of port closures could impact the supply chain affecting our customers and suppliers. Other events such as storm patterns and intensities, increased wind speed, heat waves, cold waves, among other events considered as acute physical risks of climate change. Other effects are related to temperature levels, including increased volatility in seasonal temperatures through excessively high or low temperatures. These extreme weather conditions may vary by geography and location. Weather conditions have historically caused volatility in the agricultural industry (and indirectly in our results of operations) by causing crop failures or significantly reduced harvests, which can adversely affect application rates, demand for our plant nutrition products and our customers’ creditworthiness. Weather conditions can also lead to a reduction in farmable acres, flooding, drought or wildfires, which could also adversely impact growers’ crop yields and the uptake of plant nutrients, reducing the need for application of plant nutrition products for the next planting season which could result in lower demand for our plant nutrition products and negatively impact the prices of our products. Any prolonged change in weather patterns in our markets, as a result of climate change or otherwise, could have a material adverse impact on the results of our operations.

Economic conditions in China, an important market for the Company, are sensitive to global economic conditions. The global financial markets have experienced significant disruptions in the past, including the recent international trade disputes and tariff actions announced by the United States, China and certain other countries. The U.S. government has imposed significant tariffs on Chinese goods, and Chinese government has, in turn, imposed tariffs on certain goods manufactured in the United States. There is no assurance that the list of goods impacted by additional tariffs will not be expanded or the tariffs will not be increased materially. We are unable to predict how China or U.S. government policy, in particular, the outbreak of a trade war between China and the United States and additional tariffs on bilateral imports, may continue to impact global economic conditions. If the list of goods is further expanded or the tariff is further increased, global economic conditions of both countries could be impacted, and growth in demand for lithium or other commodities could decrease, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our products, particularly iodine, lithium and their derivatives, are preferred raw materials for certain industrial applications, such as rechargeable batteries and liquid-crystal displays (LCDs). Changes in technology, the development of substitute products or other developments could adversely affect demand for these and other products which we produce. In addition, other alternatives to our products may become more economically attractive as global commodity prices shift. Any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.