The following factors could cause our actual results to differ materially from those results, performance or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These factors include, among other things:
•
changes in general economic, business, political and regulatory conditions in the countries or regions in which we operate;
•
the length and depth of product and industry business cycles, particularly in the automotive, electrical, textiles, electronics and construction industries;
•
changes in the price and availability of raw materials, particularly changes in the demand for, supply of, and market prices of ethylene, methanol, natural gas, wood pulp and fuel oil and the prices for electricity and other energy sources;
•
the ability to pass increases in raw material prices on to customers or otherwise improve margins through price increases;
•
the ability to maintain plant utilization rates and to implement planned capacity additions, expansions and maintenance;
•
the ability to reduce or maintain current levels of production costs and to improve productivity by implementing technological improvements to existing plants;
•
increased price competition and the introduction of competing products by other companies;
•
the ability to identify desirable potential acquisition targets and to consummate acquisition or investment transactions, including obtaining regulatory approvals, consistent with our strategy;
•
market acceptance of our technology;
•
the ability to obtain governmental approvals and to construct facilities on terms and schedules acceptable to us;
•
changes in applicable tariffs, duties and trade agreements, tax rates or legislation throughout the world including, but not limited to, adjustments, changes in estimates or interpretations that may impact recorded or future tax impacts associated with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “TCJA”);
•
changes in the degree of intellectual property and other legal protection afforded to our products or technologies or the theft of such intellectual property;
•
compliance and other costs and potential disruption or interruption of production or operations due to accidents, interruptions in sources of raw materials, cyber security incidents, terrorism or political unrest, public health crises (including, but not limited to, the coronavirus outbreak), or other unforeseen events or delays in construction or operation of facilities, including as a result of geopolitical conditions, the occurrence of acts of war or terrorist incidents or as a result of weather, natural disasters, or other crises including public health crises;
•
potential liability for remedial actions and increased costs under existing or future environmental regulations, including those relating to climate change;
•
potential liability resulting from pending or future claims or litigation, including investigations or enforcement actions, or from changes in the laws, regulations or policies of governments or other governmental activities, in the countries in which we operate;
•
changes in currency exchange rates and interest rates;
•
our level of indebtedness, which could diminish our ability to raise additional capital to fund operations or limit our ability to react to changes in the economy or the chemicals industry; and
•
various other factors, both referenced and not referenced in this prospectus.
Additional information regarding these and other factors may be contained in our filings with the SEC incorporated herein by reference, especially on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K. See “Incorporation by Reference” herein. Many of these factors are macroeconomic in nature and are, therefore, beyond our control. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, our