Xerox (XRX) Risk Factors

There has been an increased focus from regulators and stakeholders on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) matters, including greenhouse gas emissions and climate-related risks; diversity, equity, and inclusion; responsible sourcing and supply chain; human rights and social responsibility; and corporate governance and oversight. In the European Union, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) expands the scope of companies required to publicly report ESG-related information and defines the ESG-related information that companies are required to report in accordance with European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). Additionally, on March 21, 2022, the SEC released its Proposed Rules to Enhance and Standardize Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors, which, if adopted as a final rule, would require companies to include certain climate-related disclosures in their registration statements and periodic reports, including disclosure of their direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions. Other mandatory ESG-related disclosures include the Conflict Minerals Reporting in the U.S., Transparency in Supply Chain Act in California, the Modern Slavery Act in the UK and Canada, and the Law on Child Labour Due Diligence in The Netherlands. There are also a number of voluntary reporting schemes that provide a framework to report ESG-related information. In 2021 Xerox voluntarily announced its 2040 net zero goal to meet growing expectations of companies to reduce GHG emissions. Xerox recognizes these goals are subject to risks and uncertainties depending on global climate change, economic conditions, and other factors outside of our control. Xerox also recognizes transitional risks associated with changes in voluntary standards and customer preferences in connection with concerns about climate change. If Xerox is unable to offer products that are as energy efficient as our competitors, there is a risk of reduced demand for our products and reduced market share. Inability, or a perception of inability, to achieve progress toward our environmental goals could adversely impact our business or damage our reputation. Damage to our reputation may reduce demand for our products and services and thus have an adverse effect on our future financial results and our stock price, as well as require additional resources to rebuild our reputation. Given our commitment to ESG, we actively engage external and internal stakeholders to manage these issues and have established and publicly announced certain goals, commitments, and targets which we may refine or even expand further in the future. These goals, commitments, and targets reflect our current plans and aspirations and are not guarantees that we will be able to achieve them. Evolving stakeholder expectations and our efforts and ability to manage these issues, provide updates on them, and accomplish our goals, commitments, and targets present numerous operational, regulatory, reputational, financial, legal, and other risks, any of which may be outside of our control or could have a material adverse impact on our business, including on our reputation and stock price. Further, there is uncertainty around the accounting standards, corporate social responsibility, and climate-related disclosures associated with emerging laws and reporting requirements and the related costs to comply with the emerging regulations. Our failure or perceived failure to achieve our ESG goals, maintain ESG practices, or comply with emerging ESG regulations that meet evolving regulatory or stakeholder expectations could harm our reputation, adversely impact our ability to attract and retain customers and talent, and expose us to increased scrutiny from the investment community and enforcement authorities. Increased focus and activism on ESG topics may hinder our access to capital, as investors may reconsider their capital investment as a result of their assessment of our ESG practices. Our reputation also may be harmed by the perceptions that our stakeholders have about our action or inaction with regards to ESG-related issues. Damage to our reputation and loss of brand equity may cause customers to choose to stop purchasing our products and services, purchase products and services from another company or a competitor, or refuse to renew existing contracts, ultimately reducing demand for our products and services and thus have an adverse effect on our future financial results and stock price, as well as require additional resources to rebuild our reputation.

Continuing political and social attention to the issue of climate change has led to existing and proposed international agreements as well as national, state, local, and foreign legislative, regulatory and procurement initiatives directed at requiring companies to disclose and limit greenhouse gas emissions in the countries, states, and territories in which we operate. Laws, regulatory actions, international agreements, such as the Paris Agreement, and other initiatives to address concerns about climate change and greenhouse gas emissions could negatively impact our business, results of operations, and financial condition, including, among other things, by limiting the availability of our products, increasing the cost to obtain or sell those products, and increasing our reporting and disclosure expenses, or imposing taxes on us or our customers. Though the ultimate impact of these and similar initiatives is not yet fully known, compliance with such proposed or newly adopted disclosure initiatives may incur significant costs. Our operations and our products are subject to environmental regulations in each of the jurisdictions in which we conduct our business and sell our products. Various countries and jurisdictions have adopted, or are expected to adopt, restrictions on the types and amounts of chemicals that may be present in electronic equipment or other items that we use or sell. Ongoing research and review of chemicals used in our products could lead to further restriction of common chemicals in office equipment and supplies. In the European Union, we are subject to "REACH" Regulation (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals), a broad initiative that requires parties throughout the supply chain to register, assess and disclose information regarding many chemicals in their products. Depending on the types, applications, forms and uses of chemical substances in various products, REACH and similar regulatory programs in other jurisdictions could lead to restrictions and/or bans on certain chemical usage. In the United States, the Toxics Substances Control Act (TSCA) authorizes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to regulate and screen all chemicals produced or imported into the United States. Xerox continues its efforts toward monitoring and evaluating the applicability of these and numerous other regulatory initiatives in a continuous effort to develop and enable compliance strategies. As these and similar initiatives and programs become regulatory requirements throughout the world and/or are adopted as public or private procurement requirements, we must comply. Failure to comply could result in the company being subject to potential liability and facing market access limitations that could have a material adverse effect on our operations and financial condition. Other potentially relevant regulatory initiatives throughout the world include various efforts to limit energy use in product manufacturing and other environment-related programs impacting products and operations, such as those associated with climate change accords, agreements and regulations. For example, the European Union's Energy-Related Products Directive (ERP) has led to the adoption of "implementing measures" or "voluntary agreements" that require certain classes of products to achieve certain design and/or performance standards, in connection with energy use and potentially other environmental parameters and impacts. A number of our products are already required to comply with ERP requirements and further regulations are being developed by the EU authorities. The EU Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP) introduced legislative and non-legislative measures focusing on how products are designed, promoting circular economy processes, encouraging sustainable consumption, and ensuring waste is prevented. The implementation of the CEAP is expected to impact how companies prove environmental claims and the materials used, including chemicals and plastics, in products that are placed in the EU market. Environmentally driven procurement requirements also voluntarily adopted by customers in the marketplace (e.g., U.S. EPA EnergyStar, EPEAT, and EU Green Public Procurement) are constantly evolving and becoming more stringent, presenting further market access challenges if our products fail to comply. Various countries and jurisdictions have adopted or are expected to adopt requirements clarifying manufacturer roles and responsibilities related to the recovery of products that were placed on the market and remediation of by-products of the manufacturing process. For example, jurisdictions have adopted or are expected to adopt, programs that make producers of electrical goods, including computers and printers, responsible for certain labeling, collection, recycling, treatment and disposal of these recovered products. If we are unable to collect, recycle, treat and dispose of our products in a cost-effective manner and in accordance with applicable requirements, it could materially adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. Further, Xerox is party to, or otherwise involved in, proceedings in a limited number of locations brought by U.S. or state environmental agencies under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), known as "Superfund," or state laws, in which the primary relief sought is the cost of past and/or future remediation. The nature of financial exposure depends on a variety of factors including changes in laws, known contamination, and discovered contamination that was previously unknown.

Xerox is undergoing significant changes in our business model and, accordingly, current and prospective employees may experience uncertainty about their future and may have other opportunities available to them given the competitive labor market. That uncertainty was further increased by Xerox's recently announced a 15 percent targeted workforce reduction. Our success is dependent, among other things, on our ability to attract, develop and retain highly qualified senior management and other key employees. Competition for key personnel is intense, and our ability to attract and retain key personnel is dependent on a number of factors, including prevailing market conditions and compensation packages offered by companies competing for the same talent. Our ability to do so also depends on how well we maintain a strong corporate culture and corporate brand that is attractive to employees. Hiring and training of new employees has been adversely impacted by global economic uncertainty, the tight labor market caused by low unemployment, and changes to office environments and workplace trends precipitated by COVID-19. The departure of existing key employees or the failure of potential key employees to accept employment with Xerox, despite our recruiting efforts, could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and operating results.