Reynolds Consumer Products Inc. - Annual Report: 2020 (Form 10-K)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form 10-K

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020

OR

For the transition period from____ to____

Commission File Number: 001-39205

REYNOLDS CONSUMER PRODUCTS INC.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

1900 W. Field Court

Lake Forest, Illinois 60045

Telephone: (800) 879-5067

(Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Registrant’s Principal Executive Offices)

Securities registered pursuant to section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered pursuant to section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐ No ☑

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.  Yes ☐ No ☑

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☑ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☑ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes ☐ No ☑

As of June 30, 2020, the aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock held by non-affiliates (shareholders other than executive officers, directors or holders of more than 5% of the outstanding stock of the registrant) was approximately $1,884 million, based on the closing price of the registrant’s common stock on such date. This calculation does not reflect a determination that certain persons are affiliates of the registrant for any other purposes.

The registrant had 209,700,500 shares of common stock, $0.001 par value, outstanding as of January 29, 2021.

Documents incorporated by reference: Portions of the Registrant’s definitive proxy statement relating to its 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

REYNOLDS CONSUMER PRODUCTS INC.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains certain statements that constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In some cases, you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as “may,” “might,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential” or “continue,” the negative of these terms and other comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements, which are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions about us, may include projections of our future financial performance, our anticipated growth strategies and anticipated trends in our business. These statements are only predictions based on our current expectations and projections about future events. There are important factors that could cause our actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from the results, level of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including those risks and uncertainties discussed in Item 1A. “Risk Factors.” You should specifically consider the numerous risks outlined in the “Risk Factors” section. These risks and uncertainties include factors related to:

Although we believe the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, level of activity, performance or achievements. Moreover, neither we nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of any of these forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. We are under no duty to update any of these forward-looking statements after the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K to conform our prior statements to actual results or revised expectations.

Additional information about these factors and about the material factors or assumptions underlying such forward-looking statements may be found elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, under Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors.”

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PART I

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

In this Annual Report on Form 10-K, “Reynolds Consumer Products,” “RCP,” the “Company,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to (i) prior to the Corporate Reorganization on February 4, 2020, as defined in our Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-234731), as amended and as filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), the Reynolds Consumer Group business consisting of the combination of Reynolds Consumer Products Inc. and the operations, assets and liabilities comprising Reynolds Group Holdings Limited’s Reynolds Consumer Products segment as reflected in the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K; and (ii) after the Corporate Reorganization, Reynolds Consumer Products Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries. Reynolds Consumer Products Inc., formerly known as RenPac Holdings Inc., was incorporated in the state of Delaware on September 26, 2011.

We filed a Registration Statement on Form S-1, as amended, with the SEC which was declared effective on January 30, 2020. On January 31, 2020, our common stock began “regular-way” trading on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the “REYN” symbol. On February 4, 2020, we completed our Corporate Reorganization and initial public offering (“IPO”).

We own or have rights to trademarks, service marks and trade names that we use in connection with the operation of our business. Other trademarks, service marks and trade names appearing in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are the property of their respective owners. Solely for convenience, some of the trademarks, service marks and trade names referred to in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are listed without the ® or ™ symbols, but we will assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights to our trademarks, service marks and trade names.

Overview

Our mission is to simplify daily life so consumers can enjoy what matters most.

We are a market-leading consumer products company with a presence in 95% of households across the United States. We produce and sell products across three broad categories: cooking products, waste & storage products and tableware. We sell our products under iconic brands such as Reynolds and Hefty, and also under store brands that are strategically important to our customers. Overall, across both our branded and store brand offerings, we hold the #1 or #2 U.S. market share position in the majority of product categories in which we participate. We have developed our market-leading position by investing in our product categories and consistently developing innovative products that meet the evolving needs and preferences of the modern consumer.

Our mix of branded and store brand products is a key competitive advantage that aligns our goal of growing the overall product category with our customers’ goals and positions us as a trusted strategic partner to our retailers. Our Reynolds and Hefty brands have preeminent positions in their categories and carry strong brand recognition in household aisles.

Our products are typically used in the homes of consumers of all demographics on a daily basis and meet the convenience-oriented preferences of today’s consumer across a broad range of household activities. We help make daily life easier by assisting with preparation, cooking, mealtime and clean-up and by providing convenient storage and indoor/outdoor disposal solutions. Our diverse product portfolio includes aluminum foil, wraps, disposable bakeware, trash bags, food storage bags and disposable tableware. Our products are known for their quality, which is recognized by our consumers and retail partners alike. Our consumers know they can rely on our trusted brands. These factors generate loyalty which empowers us to develop and launch new products that expand usage occasions and transition our portfolio into adjacent categories.

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We have strong relationships with a diverse set of customers including leading grocery stores, mass merchants, warehouse clubs, discount chains, drug stores, home improvement stores, military outlets and eCommerce retailers. Our customer relationships have been built on a long history of trust. Our portfolio of branded and store brand products allows our retail partners to manage multiple household aisles with a single vendor. Many of our products have had a prominent position on the shelves of major retailers for decades and have become an integral part of household aisles. We believe our strong brand recognition and customer loyalty lead to robust product performance.

Source: Nielsen xAOC last 52 weeks ended December 26, 2020.

Our Segments

We manage our operations in four reportable segments: Reynolds Cooking & Baking, Hefty Waste & Storage, Hefty Tableware and Presto Products.

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Our Products

Our portfolio consists of three main product groups: waste & storage products, cooking products and tableware. Our consolidated net revenues by product line for fiscal years 2020, 2019 and 2018 were as follows:

Customers

Our customer base includes leading grocery stores, mass merchants, warehouse clubs, discount chains, dollar stores, drug stores, home improvement stores, military outlets and eCommerce retailers. We sell both branded and store brand products across our customer base. We generally sell our branded products pursuant to informal trading policies and our store brand products under one year or multi-year agreements. Walmart accounted for 30%, 30% and 28% and Sam’s Club accounted for 13%, 13% and 12% of our total net revenue in fiscal years 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively. Sales to Walmart are concentrated more heavily in our Hefty Waste & Storage segment, and sales to Sam’s Club are concentrated more heavily in our Hefty Tableware segment.

During fiscal year 2020, sales in North America and the United States represented 99% and 98% of our total sales, respectively.

Sales and Distribution

Through our sales and marketing organization, we are able to manage our relationships with customers at the national, regional and local levels, depending on their needs. We believe that our dedicated sales representatives, category management teams and our participation in both branded and store brand products create a significant competitive advantage.

We have a direct sales force organized by customer type, including national accounts, regional accounts and eCommerce. Our sales force is responsible for sales across each of our segments and our portfolio of branded and store brand products. We complement our internal sales platform by selectively utilizing third-party brokers for certain products and customers. In addition to sales professionals, each of our top 20 customers has a dedicated customer support team, including customer service representatives, category management teams and a logistics and transportation team.

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We utilize two routes of distribution to deliver our products to our customers. In many cases, we ship directly from our warehouses to the customer distribution center. Given the breadth of our product offerings, we are also able to optimize truckloads and reduce inventory for our retail partners by shipping trucks from mixing centers filled with SKUs across all of our product categories.

Competition

The U.S. household consumer products market is mature and highly competitive. Our competitive set consists of consumer products companies, including large and well-established multinational companies as well as smaller regional and local companies. These competitors include The Clorox Company, S.C. Johnson & Sons, Inc., Poly-America, Handi-Foil Corporation, Republic Plastics, Ltd., Trinidad Benham Corporation, Inteplast Group, Ltd. and Dart Container Corporation. Within each product category, most of our products compete with other widely advertised brands and store brand products.

Competition in our categories is based on a number of factors including price, quality and brand recognition. We benefit from the strength of our brands, a differentiated portfolio of quality branded and store brand products, as well as significant capital investment in our manufacturing facilities. We believe the strong recognition of the Reynolds brand and Hefty brand among U.S. consumers gives us a competitive advantage. In addition, our largest customers choose us for our customer service, category management services and commitment to “Made in the U.S.A.” products.

Seasonality

Portions of our business have historically been moderately seasonal. Overall, our strongest sales are in our fourth quarter and our weakest sales are in our first quarter. This is driven by higher levels of sales of cooking products around major U.S. holidays in our fourth quarter, primarily due to the holiday use of Reynolds Wrap, Reynolds Oven Bags and Reynolds Parchment Paper. Our tableware products generally have higher sales in the second quarter of the year, primarily due to outdoor summertime use of disposable plates, cups and bowls, however, our tableware products seasonality trends in 2020 were different from historical seasonality trends due to fewer social gatherings as a result of COVID-19.

Raw Materials and Suppliers

We have a diverse supplier base, and are not reliant on any single supplier for our primary raw materials, including polyethylene, polystyrene and aluminum. We also purchase raw material additives, secondary packaging materials and finished products for resale. We source a significant majority of our resin requirements from domestic suppliers. We have a track record of actively managing and/or successfully passing along to customers raw material price fluctuations.

Centralized purchasing enables us to leverage the global purchasing power of our operations and reduces our dependence on any one supplier. We generally have one to two year contracts with resin and aluminum suppliers, which have historically provided us with a steady supply of raw materials. In certain instances, we purchase selected finished goods from third-party suppliers to supplement capacity and source specialty items. We have not historically experienced any significant interruptions of key raw material supplies.

Intellectual Property

We have a significant number of registered patents and registered trademarks, including Reynolds and Hefty, as well as several copyrights, which, along with our trade secrets and manufacturing know-how, help support our ability to add value within the market and sustain our competitive advantages. We have invested a considerable amount of resources in developing proprietary products and manufacturing capabilities, and we employ various methods, including confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements with third parties, employees and consultants, to protect our intellectual property. While in the aggregate our patents are of material importance to us, we believe that we are not dependent upon any single patent or group of patents.

Other than licenses for commercially available software, we do not believe that any of our licenses from third parties are material to us taken as a whole. We do not believe that any of our licenses to intellectual property rights granted to third parties are material to us taken as a whole.

Employees and Human Capital

Our human capital resources objectives include identifying, recruiting, retaining, incentivizing and integrating our existing and new employees. Our talent management and succession plan process includes the identification of key positions based on current and future business strategies, the identification of potential successors, and a plan for talent development. As of December 31, 2020, we employed approximately 5,450 people located primarily in our U.S. and Canada manufacturing facilities. Approximately 23% of our employees are covered by collective bargaining agreements. We have not experienced any significant union-related work stoppages over the last ten years. We believe our relationships with our employees and labor unions are satisfactory.

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Regulatory

As many of our products are used in food packaging, our business is subject to regulations governing products that may contact food in all the countries in which we have operations. Future regulatory and legislative change can affect the economics of our business activities, lead to changes in operating practices, affect our customers and influence the demand for and the cost of providing products and services to our customers. We have implemented compliance programs and procedures designed to achieve compliance with applicable laws and regulations, and believe these programs and procedures are generally effective. However, because of the complexity of these laws and regulations and the multinational scope of our business, compliance cannot be guaranteed.

We are subject to various national, state, local, foreign and international environmental, health and safety laws, regulations and permits. Among other things, these requirements regulate the emission or discharge of materials into the environment, govern the use, storage, treatment, disposal and management of hazardous substances and wastes, protect the health and safety of our employees, regulate the materials used in and the recycling of our products and impose liability, which can be strict, joint and several, for the costs of investigating and remediating, and damages resulting from, present and past releases of hazardous substances related to our current and former sites, as well as at third party sites where we or our predecessors have sent hazardous waste for disposal. Many of our manufacturing facilities require environmental permits, such as those limiting air emissions. Compliance with these permits can require capital investment and, in some cases, could limit production.

In addition, a number of governmental authorities, both in the United States and abroad, have considered, and are expected to consider, legislation aimed at reducing the amount of plastic waste. Programs have included banning certain types of products, mandating certain rates of recycling and/or the use of recycled materials, imposing deposits or taxes on plastic bags and packaging material and requiring retailers or manufacturers to take back packaging used for their products.

Moreover, as environmental issues, such as climate change, have become more prevalent, governments have responded, and are expected to continue to respond, with increased legislation and regulation, which could negatively affect us. For example, the United States Congress has in the past considered legislation to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. In addition, the Environmental Protection Agency is regulating certain greenhouse gas emissions under existing laws such as the Clean Air Act. A number of states and local governments in the United States have also announced their intentions to implement their own programs to reduce greenhouses gases. These initiatives may cause us to incur additional direct costs in complying with any new environmental legislation or regulations, such as costs to upgrade or replace equipment, as well as increased indirect costs that could get passed through to us resulting from our suppliers and customers also incurring additional compliance costs.

Available Information

We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. The SEC maintains an Internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC at http://www.sec.gov.

We also make financial information, news releases and other information available on our corporate website at www.reynoldsconsumerproducts.com. Our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and any amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) are available free of charge on this website as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file these reports and amendments with, or furnish them to, the SEC. The information contained on or connected to our website is not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K and should not be considered part of this or any other report filed with the SEC.

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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

You should carefully consider the risks described below in addition to the other information set forth in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including the Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations section and the consolidated financial statements and related notes. If any of the following risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected. The risks discussed below are not the only risks we face. Additional risks or uncertainties not currently known to us, or that we currently deem immaterial, may also have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, prospects, results of operations, cash flows or price of our securities.

Risks Related to Our Business, Growth and Profitability

Our success depends on our ability to anticipate and respond to changes in consumer preferences.

We are a consumer products company and believe that our success depends, in part, on our ability to leverage our existing brands and products to drive increased sales and profits.  This depends on our ability to identify and offer products at attractive prices that appeal to consumer tastes and preferences, which are difficult to predict and evolve over time.  Our ability to implement this strategy depends on, among other things, our ability to:

We may not be able to implement this strategy successfully, which could materially and adversely affect our sales and business, financial condition and results of operations.

We are dependent on maintaining satisfactory relationships with our major customers, and significant consolidation among our customers, or the loss of a significant customer, could decrease demand for our products or reduce our profitability.

Many of our customers are large and possess significant market leverage, which results in significant downward pricing pressure and can constrain our ability to pass through price increases. We generally sell our branded products pursuant to informal trading policies and our store brand products under one year or multi-year agreements.  We do not have written agreements with many of our customers.  Our contracts generally do not obligate the customer to purchase any given amount of product.  If our major customers reduce purchasing volumes or stop purchasing our products for any reason, our business and results of operations would likely be materially and adversely affected.  It is possible that we will lose customers, which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We rely on a relatively small number of customers for a significant portion of our revenue. In 2020, sales to our top ten customers accounted for 68% of our total revenue, and our two largest customers, Walmart and Sam’s Club, individually accounted for 30% and 13%, respectively, of our total revenue.  Sales to Walmart are concentrated more heavily in our Hefty Waste & Storage segment, and sales to Sam’s Club are concentrated more heavily in our Hefty Tableware segment.  The loss of any of our significant customers would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, over the last several years, there has been a trend toward consolidation among our customers in the retail industry and we expect that this trend will continue.  Consolidation among our customers could increase their ability to apply pricing pressure, and thereby force us to reduce our selling prices or lose sales.  In addition, following a consolidation, our customers may close stores, reduce inventory or switch suppliers.  Any of these factors could negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We operate in competitive markets.

We operate in competitive markets.  Our main competitors include The Clorox Company, S.C. Johnson & Sons, Inc., Poly-America, Handi-Foil Corporation, Republic Plastics, Ltd., Trinidad Benham Corporation, Inteplast Group, Ltd. and Dart Container Corporation.  Although capital costs and intellectual property and technology may create barriers to entry, we face the threat of competition from new entrants to our markets as well as from existing competitors, including competitors outside the United States who may have lower production costs.  Our customers continuously evaluate their suppliers, often resulting in downward pricing pressure and increased pressure to continuously introduce and commercialize innovative new products, improve customer service, maintain strong relationships with our customers and, where applicable, develop and maintain brands that are meaningful to consumers.  If our products fail to compete successfully with other branded or private label offerings, demand for our products and our sales and profitability could be negatively impacted.

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Loss of any of our key manufacturing facilities or of those of our key suppliers could have an adverse effect on our business.

Some of our products are manufactured at a single location. For example, our Malvern, Arkansas plant is our sole producer of foil reroll for our Louisville, Kentucky plant, which in turn is our sole producer of household foil. The loss of the use of all or a portion of any of our key manufacturing facilities, especially one that is a sole producer, or the loss of any key suppliers, due to any reason, including an accident, labor issues, weather conditions, natural disaster, the emergence of a pandemic (such as coronavirus), cyber-attacks against our information systems (such as ransomware) or otherwise, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Any interruption in our supply of raw materials could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We are dependent on our suppliers for an uninterrupted supply of key raw materials in a timely manner. The supply of these materials could be disrupted for a wide variety of reasons, including political and economic instability, the financial stability of our suppliers, their ability to meet our standards, labor problems, the availability and prices of raw materials, currency exchange rates, transport availability and cost, transport security and inflation, and other factors beyond our control. We have written contracts with some but not all of our key suppliers, and where we have written contracts, they generally include force majeure clauses that excuse the supplier’s failure to supply in certain circumstances. Any interruption in the supply of raw materials for an extended period of time could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our business is impacted by fluctuations in raw material, energy and freight costs, including the impact of tariffs and similar matters.

Fluctuations in raw material and energy costs could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.  Raw material costs represent a significant portion of our cost of sales. The primary raw materials we use are plastic resins, particularly polyethylene and polystyrene, and aluminum. The prices of our raw materials have fluctuated significantly in recent years. Aluminum prices have been historically volatile as aluminum is a cyclical commodity with prices subject to global market factors. Resin prices have also historically fluctuated with changes in crude oil and natural gas prices as well as changes in refining capacity and the demand for other petroleum-based products. Raw material costs are also impacted by governmental actions, such as tariffs and trade sanctions.  For example, the imposition by the U.S. government of tariffs on products imported from certain countries and trade sanctions against certain countries have introduced greater uncertainty with respect to policies affecting trade between the United States and other countries and have impacted the cost of certain raw materials, including aluminum and resin. Major developments in trade relations, including the imposition of new or increased tariffs by the United States and/or other countries, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We typically do not enter into long-term fixed price purchase contracts for our principal raw materials. Sales contracts for our products generally do not contain cost pass-through mechanisms for raw material costs. Where our contracts use such pass-through mechanisms, differences in timing between purchases of raw materials and sales to customers can create a “lead lag” effect during which margins are negatively impacted when raw material costs rise and positively impacted when raw material costs fall. We adjust prices, where possible, to mitigate the effect of production cost increases, including raw materials, but these increases are not always possible or may not cover the increased raw material costs.

In addition, we distribute our products and receive raw materials primarily by rail and truck. Reduced availability of rail or trucking capacity has caused us, and may continue to cause us, to incur unanticipated expenses and impair our ability to distribute our products or receive our raw materials in a timely manner, which could disrupt our operations, strain our customer relations and adversely affect our operating profits. In particular, reduced trucking capacity, due to a shortage of drivers, the federal regulation requiring drivers to electronically log their driving hours and adverse weather conditions, among other reasons, has caused an increase in the cost of transportation for us and many other companies.

Our brands are critical to our success.

Our ability to compete successfully depends on our ability to develop and maintain brands that are meaningful to consumers. The development and maintenance of such brands requires significant investment in product innovation, brand-building, advertising and marketing.  We focus on developing innovative products to address consumers’ unmet needs and introducing store brand products that emulate other popular branded consumer products, and, as a result, may increase our expenditures for advertising and other brand-building or marketing initiatives. However, these initiatives may not deliver the desired results, which could adversely affect our business and the recoverability of the trade names recorded on our balance sheet, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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Our business could be impacted by changes in consumer lifestyle and environmental concerns.

We are a consumer products company and any reduction in consumer demand for the types of products we offer as a result of changes in consumer lifestyle, environmental concerns or other considerations could have a significant impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. For example, there have been recent concerns about the environmental impact of single-use disposable products and products made from plastic, particularly polystyrene foam. These concerns, and the actions taken in response (including regulations banning the sale of certain polystyrene foam products in certain jurisdictions), impact several of our products, especially in our Hefty Tableware segment. Sustainability concerns, including the recycling of products, have received increased focus in recent years and may play an increasing role in brand management and consumer purchasing decisions. These changes in consumer lifestyle, environmental concerns or other considerations may result in a decrease in the demand for certain of our current products, and our inability to respond through innovation or acquisition of assets we do not currently own, could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our business may be affected by economic downturns in the markets that we serve and in the regions that supply our raw materials.

Our business is impacted by market conditions in the retail industry and consumer demand for our products, which in turn are affected by general economic conditions. Downturns or periods of economic weakness or increased prices in these consumer markets have resulted in the past, and could result in the future, in decreased demand for our products. For example, uncertainty about future economic conditions globally, and in the United States in particular, could lead to declines in consumer spending and consumption and cause our customers to purchase fewer of our products.

Our profitability and cash flows could suffer if we are unable to continue to generate cost savings in our manufacturing and distribution processes.

We anticipate that cost savings will result from reducing material costs and manufacturing inefficiencies and from realizing productivity gains, distribution efficiencies and overhead reductions. However, if we cannot successfully develop and implement cost savings plans, or if the cost of making these changes increases, we will not realize all anticipated benefits, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Sales growth objectives may be difficult to achieve, and we may not be able to achieve our innovation goals, develop and introduce new products and line extensions or expand into adjacent categories and countries.

We operate in mature markets that are subject to high levels of competition.  Our future performance and growth, including our ability to meet our internal objectives of generating 20% of our revenue each year from products that are less than three years old, depends on innovation and our ability to successfully develop or license capabilities to introduce new products, brands, line extensions and product innovations or enter into or expand into adjacent product categories, sales channels or countries.  Our ability to quickly innovate in order to adapt our products to meet changing consumer demands is essential, especially in light of eCommerce and direct-to-consumer channels significantly reducing the barriers for even small competitors to quickly introduce new brands and products directly to consumers.  The development and introduction of new products require substantial and effective research and development and demand creation expenditures, which we may be unable to recoup if the new products do not gain widespread market acceptance.

In addition, effective and integrated systems are required for us to gather and use consumer data and information to successfully market our products.  New product development and marketing efforts, including efforts to enter markets or product categories in which we have limited or no prior experience, have inherent risks, including product development or launch delays.  These could result in us not being the first to market and the failure of new products, brands or line extensions to achieve anticipated levels of market acceptance.  If product introductions or new or expanded adjacencies are not successful, costs associated with these efforts may not be fully recouped and our results of operations could be adversely affected. In addition, if sales generated by new products cause a decline in sales of our existing products, our financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.  Even if we are successful in increasing market share within particular product categories, a decline in the markets for such product categories could have a negative impact on our financial results. In addition, in the future, our growth strategy may include expanding our international operations, which could be subject to foreign market risks, including, among others, foreign currency fluctuations, economic or political instability and the imposition of tariffs and trade restrictions, which could adversely affect our financial results.

We may incur liabilities, experience harm to our reputation and brands, or be forced to recall products as a result of real or perceived product quality or other product-related issues.

Although we have control measures and systems in place that are designed to ensure that the safety and quality of our products are maintained, the consequences of not being able to do so could be severe, including adverse effects on consumer health, our reputation, the loss of customers and market share, financial costs and loss of revenue.  If any of our products are found to be defective, we could be required to or may voluntarily recall such products, which could result in adverse publicity, significant expenses and a disruption in sales and could affect our reputation and that of our products.  In addition, if any of our competitors or customers supply faulty or contaminated products to the market, our industry could be negatively impacted, which in turn could have adverse effects on our business.

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The widespread use of social media and networking sites by consumers has greatly increased the speed and accessibility of information dissemination.  Negative publicity, posts or comments on social media or networking sites about us or our brands, whether accurate or inaccurate, or disclosure of non-public sensitive information about us, could be widely disseminated through the use of social media.  Such events, if they were to occur, could harm our image and adversely affect our business, as well as require resources to rebuild our reputation.

We are affected by seasonality.

Portions of our business have historically been moderately seasonal.  Overall, our strongest sales are in our fourth quarter and our weakest sales are in our first quarter. This is driven by higher levels of sales of cooking products around major U.S. holidays in our fourth quarter, primarily due to the holiday use of Reynolds Wrap, Reynolds Oven Bags and Reynolds Parchment Paper.  Our tableware products generally have higher sales in the second quarter of the year, primarily due to outdoor summertime use of disposable plates, cups and bowls, however, our tableware products seasonality trends in 2020 were different from historical seasonality trends due to fewer social gatherings as a result of COVID-19. As a result of this seasonality, any factors negatively affecting us during these periods of any year, including unfavorable economic conditions, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations for the entire year. Because of quarterly fluctuations caused by these and other factors, comparisons of our operating results across different fiscal quarters may not be accurate indicators of our future performance.

Loss of our key management and other personnel, or an inability to attract new management and other personnel, could negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We depend on our senior executive officers and other key personnel to operate our businesses, develop new products and technologies and service our customers.  The loss of any of these key personnel could adversely affect our operations.  Competition is intense for qualified personnel and the loss of them or an inability to attract, retain and motivate additional highly skilled personnel required for the operation and expansion of our business could hinder our ability to successfully conduct research and development activities or develop and support marketable products.  Additionally, the high U.S. employment levels in recent years have increased turnover as compared to prior periods at some of our facilities and made hiring and retaining hourly employees more difficult. Any of these factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may have difficulty acquiring product lines or businesses, which could impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may pursue acquisitions of product lines or businesses from third parties. Acquisitions involve numerous risks, including difficulties in the assimilation of the operations, technologies, services and products of the acquired product lines or businesses, estimation and assumption of liabilities and contingencies, personnel turnover and the diversion of management’s attention from other business operations.  We may be unable to successfully integrate and manage certain product lines or businesses that we may acquire in the future, or be unable to achieve anticipated benefits or cost savings from acquisitions in the time frame we anticipate, or at all.

We may not be successful in obtaining, maintaining and enforcing sufficient intellectual property rights to protect our business, or in avoiding claims that we infringe on the intellectual property rights of others.

We rely on intellectual property rights such as patents, trademarks and copyrights, as well as unpatented proprietary knowledge and trade secrets, to protect our business. However, these rights do not afford complete protection against third parties. For example, patents, trademarks and copyrights are territorial; thus, our business will only be protected by these rights in those jurisdictions in which we have been issued patents or have trademarks or copyrights, or have obtained licenses to use such patents, trademarks or copyrights.  Even so, the laws of certain countries may not protect our intellectual property rights to the same extent as do the laws of the United States. Additionally, there can be no assurance that others will not independently develop knowledge and trade secrets that are similar to ours, or develop products or brands that compete effectively with our products and brands without infringing, misusing or otherwise violating any of our intellectual property rights.

We cannot be certain that any of our current or pending patents, trademarks and copyrights will provide us with sufficient protection from competitors, or that any intellectual property rights we do hold will not be invalidated, circumvented or challenged in the future. There is also a risk that we will not be able to obtain and perfect or, where appropriate, license, the intellectual property rights necessary to support new product introductions and product innovations. Additionally, we have licensed, and may license in the future, patents, trademarks, trade secrets and other intellectual property rights to third parties. While we attempt to ensure that our intellectual property rights are protected when entering into business relationships, third parties may take actions that could materially and adversely affect our rights or the value of our intellectual property rights.

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Third parties may copy or otherwise obtain and use our proprietary knowledge or trade secrets without authorization or infringe, misuse or otherwise violate our other intellectual property rights. For example, our brand names, especially Reynolds, Hefty, Diamond and Presto, are well-established in the market and have attracted infringers in the past. Additionally, we may not be able to prevent current and former employees, contractors and other parties from misappropriating our confidential and proprietary knowledge.  Infringement, misuse or other violation of any of our intellectual property rights may dilute or diminish the value of our brands and products in the marketplace, which could adversely affect our results of operations and make it more difficult for us to maintain a strong market position.  

Although we believe that our intellectual property rights are sufficient to allow us to conduct our business without incurring liability to third parties, our products and brands may infringe on the intellectual property rights of others, and in the past we have been, and in the future we may be, subject to claims asserting infringement, misuse or other violation of intellectual property rights and seeking damages, the payment of royalties or licensing fees, and/or injunctions against the sales of our products. If we are found to have infringed, misused or otherwise violated the intellectual property rights of others, we could be forced to pay damages, cease use of such intellectual property or, if we are given the opportunity to continue to use the intellectual property rights of others, we could be required to pay a substantial amount for continued use of those rights.  In any case, such claims could be protracted and costly and could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations regardless of their outcome.

Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are a material component of our balance sheet and impairments of these assets could have a significant impact on our results.

We have recorded a significant amount of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets, representing our Reynolds and Hefty trade names, on our balance sheet. We test the carrying values of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment at least annually and whenever events or circumstances indicate the carrying value may not be recoverable. The estimates and assumptions about future results of operations and cash flows made in connection with impairment testing could differ from future actual results of operations and cash flows. While we concluded that our goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets were not impaired during our annual impairment review performed during the fourth quarter of 2020, future events could cause us to conclude that the goodwill associated with a given segment, or one of our indefinite-lived intangible assets, may have become impaired. Any resulting impairment charge, although non-cash, could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

Some of our workforce is covered by collective bargaining agreements, and our business could be harmed in the event of a prolonged work stoppage.

Approximately 23% of our employees are covered by collective bargaining agreements. While we believe we have good relationships with our unionized employees and we have not experienced a significant union-related work stoppage over the last ten years, if we encounter difficulties with renegotiations or renewals of collective bargaining arrangements or are unsuccessful in those efforts we could incur additional costs and experience work stoppages.  We cannot predict how stable our union relationships will be or whether we will be able to successfully negotiate successor collective bargaining agreements without impacting our financial condition. In addition, the presence of unions may limit our flexibility in dealing with our workforce. Work stoppages could negatively impact our ability to manufacture our products on a timely basis, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

Tax legislation initiatives or challenges to our tax positions could adversely affect our operations and financial condition.

We are subject to the tax laws and regulations of the U.S. federal, state and local governments. From time to time, legislative measures may be enacted that could adversely affect our overall tax positions regarding income or other taxes. There can be no assurance that our effective tax rate or tax payments will not be adversely affected by these legislative measures.

For example, in December 2017, the United States federal government enacted tax reform that, among other things, reduced U.S. federal corporate income tax rates, imposed limits on tax deductions for interest expense, changed the rules related to capital expenditure cost recovery and changed many of the rules related to the taxation of business income generated outside of the United States.  There are a number of uncertainties and ambiguities as to the interpretation and application of many of the provisions of the enacted tax reform measure.  Given the unpredictability of these possible changes and their potential interdependency, it remains difficult to assess the overall effect such tax changes will have on our earnings and cash flow, and the extent to which such changes could adversely impact our results of operations. As the impacts of the new law are determined, and as regulations and other guidance interpreting the new law are issued and finalized, our financial results could be impacted. In addition, future changes in tax laws, including as a result of any legislation proposed by the new U.S. presidential administration or Congress, which may include efforts to change or repeal the 2017 tax reform measures and the federal corporate income tax rate reduction, could have a material adverse impact on our tax rate and our cash tax expectations.

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In addition, U.S. federal, state and local tax laws and regulations are extremely complex and subject to varying interpretations.  There can be no assurance that our tax positions will be sustained if challenged by relevant tax authorities and if not sustained, there could be a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

Risks Related to Liquidity and Indebtedness

We have significant debt, which could adversely affect our financial condition and ability to operate our business.

As of January 31, 2021, we had $2,257 million of outstanding indebtedness under our senior secured term loan facility (“Term Loan Facility”) and up to $250 million of borrowing capacity under our senior secured revolving credit facility (“Revolving Facility”). Our debt level and related debt service obligations:

These restrictions could adversely affect our financial condition and limit our ability to successfully implement our growth strategy.

In addition, we may need additional financing to support our business and pursue our growth strategy, including for strategic acquisitions. Our ability to obtain additional financing, if and when required, will depend on investor demand, our operating performance, the condition of the capital markets and other factors. We cannot assure you that additional financing will be available to us on favorable terms when required, or at all. If we raise additional funds through the issuance of equity, equity-linked or debt securities, those securities may have rights, preferences or privileges senior to those of our common stock, and, in the case of equity and equity-linked securities, our existing stockholders may experience dilution.

An increase in market interest rates, or a phase-out or replacement of the LIBO rate with a benchmark rate that is higher or more volatile than the LIBO rate, could increase our interest costs.

Our debt bears interest at variable rates, and we may incur additional variable interest rate indebtedness in the future. This exposes us to interest rate risk, and any interest rate swaps we enter into in order to reduce interest rate volatility may not fully mitigate our interest rate risk. If interest rates were to increase, our debt service obligations on the unhedged variable rate indebtedness would increase even if the amount borrowed remained the same, and our net income and cash flows, including cash available for servicing our indebtedness, will correspondingly decrease.

In addition, in July 2017, the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority announced that, after the end of 2021, it would no longer persuade or compel contributing banks to make rate submissions to the ICE Benchmark Administration (together with any successor to the ICE Benchmark Administrator, the “IBA”) for purposes of the IBA setting the LIBO rate. The cessation date for submission and publication of rates for certain tenors of the LIBO rate has since been extended by the IBA until mid-2023.  It is uncertain if applicable tenors of the LIBO rate will cease to exist after calendar year 2021, or whether additional reforms to the LIBO rate may be enacted, or whether alternative reference rates will gain market acceptance as a replacement for the LIBO rate.  While the credit agreement governing our debt provides a mechanism for determining an alternative rate of interest in the event that the LIBO rate is no longer available, any such alternative, successor, or replacement rate may not be similar to, or produce the same value or economic equivalence of, the LIBO rate or have the same volume or liquidity as did the LIBO rate prior to its discontinuance or unavailability, which may increase our overall interest expense on unhedged variable rate indebtedness which is currently based on the LIBO rate. In addition, there can be no assurance that we will be able to reach an agreement with the administrative agent for our lenders on any such replacement benchmark before experiencing adverse effects due to changes in interest rates, if at all. We will continue to monitor the situation and address the potential reference rate changes in future debt obligations that we may incur, but the potential effect of the phase-out or replacement of the LIBO rate on our cost of capital cannot yet be determined and any increase in the interest we pay and a corresponding increase in our costs of capital or otherwise could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

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Risks Related to Stockholder Influence, Related Party Transactions and Governance

Substantial future sales by Packaging Finance Limited or others of our common stock, or the perception that such sales may occur, could depress the price of our common stock.

Packaging Finance Limited (“PFL”) owns the majority of our outstanding common stock. We do not know whether or when PFL will sell shares of our common stock. The sale by PFL or others of a substantial number of shares of our common stock, or a perception that such sales could occur, could significantly reduce the market price of our common stock.  The perception of a potential sell-down by PFL could depress the market price of our common stock and make it more difficult for us to sell equity securities in the future at a time and at a price that we deem appropriate.

Anti-takeover provisions in our charter documents and under Delaware law could make an acquisition of our company more difficult, limit attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management and limit the market price of our common stock.

Provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control or changes in our management.  Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws include provisions that:

These provisions may frustrate or prevent any attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management by making it more difficult for stockholders to replace members of our board of directors, which is responsible for appointing the members of our management.  As a result, these provisions may adversely affect the market price and market for our common stock if they are viewed as limiting the liquidity of our stock.  These provisions may also make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us in the future, and, as a result, our stockholders may be limited in their ability to obtain a premium for their shares of common stock.

Furthermore, we have entered into a stockholders agreement with PFL which, among other matters, provides PFL with the right to nominate a certain number of directors to our board of directors so long as the Hart Entities beneficially own at least 10% of the outstanding shares of our common stock.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is the exclusive forum for substantially all disputes between us and our stockholders.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is the exclusive forum for any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf; any action asserting a breach of fiduciary duty; any action asserting a claim against us arising pursuant to the Delaware General Corporation Law, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or our amended and restated bylaws; or any action asserting a claim against us that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, the exclusive forum provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act, the Securities Act of 1933, or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. The choice of forum provision may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage such lawsuits against us and our directors, officers and other employees.  Alternatively, if a court were to find the choice of forum provision contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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We intend to continue to pay regular dividends on our common stock, but our ability to do so may be limited.

We intend to continue to pay cash dividends on our common stock on a quarterly basis, subject to the discretion of our board of directors and our compliance with applicable law, and depending on our results of operations, capital requirements, financial condition, business prospects, contractual restrictions, restrictions imposed by applicable laws and other factors that our board of directors deems relevant.  Our ability to pay dividends is restricted by the terms of our Term Loan Facility and may be restricted by the terms of any future debt or preferred equity securities.  Our dividend policy entails certain risks and limitations, particularly with respect to our liquidity. By paying cash dividends rather than investing that cash in our business or repaying any outstanding debt, we risk, among other things, slowing the expansion of our business, having insufficient cash to fund our operations or make capital expenditures or limiting our ability to incur borrowings.  Our board of directors will periodically review the cash generated from our business and the capital expenditures required to finance our growth plans and determine whether to modify the amount of regular dividends and/or declare any periodic special dividends. There can be no assurance that our board of directors will not reduce the amount of regular cash dividends or cause us to cease paying dividends altogether.

We could incur significant liabilities if we take certain actions that result in assessment of U.S. federal income tax on certain internal transactions undertaken by PEI Group (previously known as RGHL Group) in preparation for our IPO.

We historically operated as part of Pactiv Evergreen Inc. and its subsidiaries (“PEI Group”, previously known as “RGHL Group”). In preparation for our IPO, PEI Group effected certain distributions pursuant to the Corporate Reorganization to transfer its interests in us to PFL in a manner that was intended to qualify as tax-free to PFL and PEI Group under Sections 368(a)(1)(D) and 355 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Code”). PEI received a tax opinion as to the tax treatment of these distributions, which relied on certain facts, assumptions, representations and undertakings from Mr. Graeme Hart, PEI Group and us regarding the past and future conduct of the companies’ respective businesses and other matters. If any of these facts, assumptions, representations or undertakings are incorrect or not otherwise satisfied, PEI may not be able to rely on the opinion of tax counsel and could be subject to significant tax liabilities. Notwithstanding the opinion of tax counsel, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) could determine on audit that these distributions are taxable if it determines that any of these facts, assumptions, representations or undertakings are not correct or have been violated or if it disagrees with the conclusions in the opinion, or for other reasons, including as a result of certain significant changes in the stock ownership of PEI, Pactiv Evergreen Group Holdings Inc. (an indirect subsidiary of PEI) or us after the distributions. If the distributions are determined to be taxable for U.S. federal income tax purposes, PFL, PEI and Pactiv Evergreen Group Holdings Inc. could incur significant U.S. federal income tax liabilities, and we could also incur significant liabilities. Under the tax matters agreement between PEI and us (“Tax Matters Agreement”), we are required to indemnify PEI Group against taxes incurred by them that arise as a result of, among other things, a breach of any representation made by us, including those provided in connection with the opinion of tax counsel or us taking or failing to take, as the case may be, certain actions, in each case, that result in any of the distributions failing to meet the requirements of a tax-free distribution under Sections 355 and 368(a)(1)(D) of the Code.

We may be affected by significant restrictions, including on our ability to engage in certain corporate transactions for a two-year period after the Corporate Reorganization, in order to avoid triggering significant tax-related liabilities.

To preserve the tax-free treatment for U.S. federal income tax purposes to PEI Group of the distributions effected pursuant to the Corporate Reorganization, under the Tax Matters Agreement that we entered into with PEI, we are restricted from taking any action that prevents these distributions from being tax-free for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Under the Tax Matters Agreement, for the two-year period following these distributions, we are subject to specific restrictions on our ability to enter into acquisitions, mergers, liquidations, sales and stock redemption transactions with respect to our stock. These restrictions may limit our ability to pursue certain strategic transactions or other transactions that we may believe to be in the best interests of our stockholders or that might increase the value of our business. These restrictions do not limit the acquisition of other businesses by us for cash consideration. Furthermore, we are subject to specific restrictions on discontinuing the active conduct of our trade or business and the issuance or sale of stock or other securities (including securities convertible into our stock but excluding certain compensatory arrangements), which may limit our ability to effect certain anti-takeover provisions related to the issuance of preferred stock. Such restrictions may reduce our strategic and operating flexibility, including our options for raising equity capital.

PFL controls the direction of our business and PFL’s concentrated ownership of our common stock may prevent our stockholders from influencing significant decisions.

PFL owns and controls the voting power of approximately 74% of our outstanding shares of common stock. Under our stockholders agreement with PFL, PFL is entitled to nominate all of our board of directors so long as it owns at least 50% of our shares, and a majority of our board of directors so long it owns at least 40% of our shares.  Additionally, as long as PFL continues to control a majority of the voting power of our outstanding common stock, it is generally able to determine the outcome of all corporate actions requiring stockholder approval.

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PFL and its affiliates engage in a broad spectrum of activities. In the ordinary course of their business activities, PFL and its affiliates may engage in activities where their interests may not be the same as, or may conflict with, the interests of our other stockholders. Other stockholders will not be able to affect the outcome of any stockholder vote while PFL controls the majority of the voting power of our outstanding common stock. As a result, PFL controls, directly or indirectly and subject to applicable law, the composition of our board of directors, which in turn will be able to control all matters affecting us, including, among others:

In addition, the concentration of PFL’s ownership could also discourage others from making tender offers, which could prevent holders from receiving a premium for their common stock.

Because PFL’s interests may differ from ours or from those of our other stockholders, actions that PFL takes with respect to us, as our controlling stockholder, may not be favorable to us or our other stockholders, including holders of our common stock.

If we are no longer affiliated with PEI Group, we may be unable to continue to benefit from that relationship, which may adversely affect our operations and have a material adverse effect on us.

Our affiliation with PEI Group provided us with increased scale and reach.  We leveraged our combined scale to coordinate purchases across our operations to reduce costs.  If we no longer benefit from this relationship, whether because we are no longer affiliated with PEI Group or otherwise, it may result in increased costs for us and higher prices to our customers because we may be unable to obtain goods, services and technology from unaffiliated third parties on terms as favorable as those previously obtained.  As a result of any the above factors, we may be precluded from pursuing certain opportunities that we would otherwise pursue, including growth opportunities, which in turn may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We have entered, and may continue to enter, into certain related party transactions.  There can be no assurance that we could not have achieved more favorable terms if such transactions had not been entered into with related parties, or that we will be able to maintain existing terms in the future.

We have entered into various transactions with Rank Group Limited (“Rank”) and other related parties that are members of PEI Group, including, among others:

While we believe that all such transactions have been negotiated on an arm’s length basis and contain commercially reasonable terms, we may have been able to achieve more favorable terms had such transactions been entered into with unrelated parties.  In addition, while these services are being provided to us by related parties, our operational flexibility to modify or implement changes with respect to such services or the amounts we pay for them may be limited.  At the conclusion of these agreements, we will have to perform such services with internal resources or contract with third party providers.  There could be disruptions upon transition, and there can be no assurance that we will be able to perform or obtain the necessary services at the same or lower cost.  Such related party transactions may also potentially involve conflicts of interest; for example, in the event of a dispute under any of these related party agreements, PEI Group could decide the matter in a way adverse to us, and our ability to enforce our contractual rights may be limited.

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It is also likely that we may enter into related party transactions in the future.  Although material related party transactions that we may enter into will be subject to approval or ratification of a designated committee of our board of directors (which will initially be the Audit Committee) or other committee designated by our board of directors made up solely of independent directors, there can be no assurance that such transactions, individually or in the aggregate, will not have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations, or that we could not have achieved more favorable terms if such transactions had not been entered into with related parties.

If PFL sells a controlling interest in our company to a third party in a private transaction, investors may not realize any change-of-control premium on shares of our common stock and we may become subject to the control of a presently unknown third party.

PFL owns and controls the voting power of approximately 74% of our outstanding shares of common stock. PFL has the ability, should it choose to do so, to sell some or all of its shares of our common stock in a privately negotiated transaction, which, if sufficient in size, could result in a change of control of our company.

The ability of PFL to privately sell its shares of our common stock, with no requirement for a concurrent offer to be made to acquire all of the shares of our common stock that are publicly traded, could prevent investors from realizing any change-of-control premium on shares of our common stock that may otherwise accrue to PFL on its private sale of our common stock. Additionally, if PFL privately sells its significant equity interest in our company, we may become subject to the control of a presently unknown third party. Such third party may have conflicts of interest with those of other stockholders. In addition, if PFL sells a controlling interest in our company to a third party, our liquidity could be impaired, our outstanding indebtedness may be subject to acceleration and our commercial agreements and relationships could be impacted, all of which may adversely affect our ability to run our business as described herein and may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

We are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the rules of Nasdaq and, as a result, rely on exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements.

PFL controls a majority of the voting power of our outstanding common stock.  As a result, we are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the corporate governance standards of Nasdaq.  Under these rules, a listed company of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by an individual, group or another company is a “controlled company” and may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements, including:

While PFL controls a majority of the voting power of our outstanding common stock, we intend to rely on these exemptions and, as a result, will not have a majority of independent directors on our board of directors or a compensation, nominating and corporate governance committee consisting entirely of independent directors. Accordingly, you will not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to all of the corporate governance requirements of Nasdaq.

PEI Group may compete with us, and its competitive position in certain markets may constrain our ability to build and maintain partnerships.

We may face competition from a variety of sources, including Pactiv and other members of PEI Group, both today and in the future.  For example, while we have supply agreements in place with Pactiv, Pactiv may still compete with us in certain products and/or in certain channels.  In addition, while none of the other members of PEI Group currently manufacture or sell products that compete with our products, they may do so in the future, including as a result of acquiring a company that operates as a manufacturer of consumer products.  Due to the significant resources of PEI Group, including financial resources and know-how resulting from the previous management of our business, PEI Group could have a significant competitive advantage should it decide to engage in the type of business we conduct, which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.  Although Pactiv has historically sold the products (primarily tableware and cups) that we purchase from it in the foodservice business-to-business channel, after the termination of our supply agreement with Pactiv it could seek to sell such products in the retail channel or otherwise compete with us, especially where we sell private label or store brand products.  As our former supplier, Pactiv would have information about products, including pricing that could give it a competitive advantage.

In addition, we may partner with companies that compete with PEI Group in certain markets. Our affiliation with PEI Group may affect our ability to effectively partner with these companies. These companies may favor our competitors because of our relationship with PEI Group.

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Conflicts of interest may arise because certain of our directors may hold a management or board position with PEI Group entities.

From time to time, certain of our directors may also be directors or officers of PEI or other PEI Group entities. The interests of any such director in PEI, other PEI Group entities and us could create, or appear to create, conflicts of interest with respect to decisions involving both us and PEI or PEI Group entities that could have different implications for PEI and us. These decisions could, for example, relate to:

Conflicts of interest could also arise if we enter into any new commercial arrangements with PEI Group in the future. The presence of directors or officers of entities affiliated with PEI on our board of directors could create, or appear to create, conflicts of interest and conflicts in allocating their time with respect to matters involving both us and any one of them, or involving us and PEI, that could have different implications for any of these entities than they do for us. Provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws address corporate opportunities that are presented to any of our directors who, from time to time, are also directors or officers of PEI and certain of its subsidiaries. We cannot assure you that our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will adequately address potential conflicts of interest or that potential conflicts of interest will be resolved in our favor or that we will be able to take advantage of corporate opportunities presented to any such individual who is a director of both us and PEI. As a result, we may be precluded from pursuing certain advantageous transactions or growth initiatives.

Our inability to resolve in a manner favorable to us any potential conflicts or disputes that arise between us and PEI Group, PFL or Rank with respect to our past and ongoing relationships may adversely affect our business and prospects.

Potential conflicts or disputes may arise between PEI Group, PFL or Rank and us in a number of areas relating to our past or ongoing relationships, including:

The resolution of any potential conflicts or disputes between us, PEI Group, PFL or Rank or their subsidiaries over these or other matters may be less favorable to us than the resolution we might achieve if we were dealing with an unaffiliated third party.

The agreements we have entered into with PEI Group and Rank are of varying durations and may be amended upon agreement of the parties. So long as it has the ability to nominate a majority of our board of directors, PFL will be able to determine the outcome of all matters requiring stockholder approval and will be able to cause or prevent a change of control of our company or a change in the composition of our board of directors, and could preclude any acquisition of our company.  For so long as we are controlled by PFL, we may be unable to negotiate renewals or amendments to these agreements, if required, on terms as favorable to us as those we would be able to negotiate with an unaffiliated third party.

Risks Related to Being a Newly Stand-Alone Public Company

As a newly stand-alone public company, our historical financial data is not necessarily representative of the results we would have achieved as a stand-alone public company and may not be a reliable indicator of our future results.

Prior to our public offering, we operated as part of PEI Group and not as a stand-alone entity. The historical information, prior to February 4, 2020, in this Annual Report on Form 10-K reflects our business as part of PEI Group.  This information does not necessarily reflect the financial position, results of operations, and cash flows we would have achieved as a public company during those periods presented, or that we will achieve in the future. This is primarily because of the following factors:

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Therefore, our historical financial data may not necessarily be indicative of our future financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.

Our ability to operate our business effectively may suffer if we do not, quickly and cost effectively, establish our own financial, administrative, and other support functions, and we cannot assure you that the transitional services PEI Group and Rank have agreed to provide us will be sufficient for our needs.

Historically, we have relied on financial, administrative, and other resources of PEI Group to operate our business. In conjunction with our separation from PEI Group, we created our own financial, administrative and other support systems or contracted with third parties to replace PEI Group’s systems. In connection with our IPO, we entered into agreements with PEI Group and Rank under which PEI Group and Rank provide certain transitional services to us, such as supply chain, information technology, legal, finance and accounting, human resources, tax, treasury and other services, as well as access to certain information technology systems shared with PEI Group and subject to data access controls. These services and data access controls may not be sufficient to meet our needs. After our agreements with PEI Group and Rank expire, we may not be able to obtain these services at prices or on terms that are as favorable. Any failure or significant downtime in our own financial, administrative or other support systems or in PEI Group’s or Rank’s financial, administrative or other support systems during the transitional period could negatively impact our results of operations.

We do not have a history of complying with the requirements of being a public company and the requirements of being a public company may strain our resources and divert management’s attention.

As a public company, we are subject to various requirements, including the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“Sarbanes-Oxley Act”) and the rules of Nasdaq, that did not apply to us prior to becoming a public company.  The requirements of these rules and regulations have increased, and will continue to increase our legal and financial compliance costs, make some activities more difficult, time-consuming or costly and increase demand on our systems and resources.  For example, we are obligated to file with the SEC annual and quarterly information and other reports and therefore need to have the ability to prepare financial statements that are compliant with all SEC reporting requirements on a timely basis.  In addition, we are subject to other reporting and corporate governance requirements, including certain requirements of Nasdaq and certain provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder, which impose significant compliance obligations upon us. The increased costs of compliance with public company reporting requirements and our potential failure to satisfy these requirements could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Risks Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 and associated responses could adversely impact our business and results of operations.

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted economic activity and markets throughout the world. In response, governmental authorities have implemented numerous measures in an attempt to contain the virus, such as travel bans and restrictions, quarantines, shelter-in-place orders and business shutdowns.

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The COVID-19 pandemic, including the measures instituted by governmental authorities and associated responses, has, and could continue to, adversely impact our business and results of operations in a number of ways, including but not limited to:

These and other impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic could have the effect of heightening many of the other risk factors disclosed in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The ultimate impact depends on the severity and duration of the current COVID-19 pandemic and actions taken by governmental authorities and other third parties in response, each of which is uncertain, rapidly changing and difficult to predict. Any of these disruptions could adversely impact our business and results of operations.

Legal, Regulatory and Compliance Risks

We are subject to governmental regulation and we may incur material liabilities under, or costs in order to comply with, existing or future laws and regulations.

Many of our products come into contact with food when used, and the manufacture, packaging, labeling, storage, distribution, advertising and sale of such products are subject to various laws designed to protect human health and the environment.  For example, in the United States, many of our products are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (including applicable current good manufacturing practice regulations) and/or the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and our product claims and advertising are regulated by the Federal Trade Commission.  Most states have agencies that regulate in parallel to these federal agencies.  Liabilities under, and/or costs of compliance, and the impact on us of any non-compliance with, any such laws and regulations could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.  In addition, changes in the laws and regulations which we are subject to could impose significant limitations and require changes to our business, which in turn may increase our compliance expenses, make our business more costly and less efficient to conduct, and compromise our growth strategy.

We could incur significant liabilities related to, and significant costs in complying with, environmental, health and safety laws, regulations and permits.

Our operations are subject to various national, state, local, foreign and international environmental, health and safety laws, regulations and permits that govern, among other things, the emission or discharge of materials into the environment; the use, storage, treatment, disposal, management and release of hazardous substances and wastes; the health and safety of our employees and the end-users of our products; and the materials used in, and the recycling of, our products.  These laws and regulations impose liability, which can be strict, joint and several, for the costs of investigating and remediating, and damages resulting from, present and past releases of hazardous substances related to our current and former sites, as well as at third party sites where we or our predecessors have sent waste for disposal.  Non-compliance with, or liability related to, these laws, regulations and permits, which tend to become more stringent over time, could result in substantial fines or penalties, injunctive relief, requirements to install pollution control devices or other controls or equipment, civil or criminal sanctions, permit revocations or modifications and/or facility shutdowns, and could expose us to costs of investigation or remediation, as well as tort claims for property damage or personal injury.

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In addition, a number of governmental authorities, both in the United States and abroad, have considered, and are expected to consider, legislation aimed at reducing the amount of plastic waste. Programs have included banning certain types of products, mandating certain rates of recycling and/or the use of recycled materials, imposing deposits or taxes on plastic bags and packaging material, and requiring retailers or manufacturers to take back packaging used for their products. Such legislation, as well as voluntary initiatives, aimed at reducing the level of plastic wastes could reduce the demand for certain plastic products, result in greater costs for manufacturers of plastic products or otherwise impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.  Additional regulatory efforts addressing other environmental or safety concerns in the future could similarly impact our operations and financial results.

We depend on intellectual property rights licensed from third parties, and disputes regarding, or termination of, these licenses could result in loss of rights, which could harm our business.

We are dependent in part on intellectual property rights licensed from third parties. Our licenses of such intellectual property rights may not provide exclusive or unrestricted rights in all fields of use and in all territories in which we may wish to develop or commercialize our products in the future and may restrict our rights to offer certain products in certain markets or impose other obligations on us in exchange for our rights to the licensed intellectual property. In addition, we may not have full control over the maintenance, protection or use of in-licensed intellectual property rights, and therefore we may be reliant on our licensors to conduct such activities.  

Disputes may arise between us and our licensors regarding the scope of rights or obligations under our intellectual property license agreements, including the scope of our rights to use the licensed intellectual property, our rights with respect to third parties, our and our licensors’ obligations with respect to the maintenance and protection of the licensed intellectual property, and other interpretation-related issues. The agreements under which we license intellectual property rights from others are complex, and the provisions of such agreements may be susceptible to multiple interpretations. The resolution of any contract interpretation disagreement that may arise could narrow what we believe to be the scope of our rights to the intellectual property being licensed, or increase what we believe to be our financial or other obligations under the relevant agreement. Termination of or disputes over such licenses could result in the loss of significant rights.

We are generally also subject to all of the same risks with respect to protection of intellectual property that we license as we are for intellectual property that we own. Any failure on our part or the part of our licensors to adequately protect this intellectual property could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Breaches of our information systems security measures could expose us to liability and disrupt our operations.

We depend on information technology for processing and distributing information in our business, including to and from our customers and suppliers. This information technology could be subject to theft, damage or interruption from a variety of sources, including malicious computer viruses, security breaches, defects in design, employee malfeasance or human or technical errors.  Additionally, we could be at risk if a customer’s or supplier’s information technology system is attacked or compromised.  Cybersecurity incidents have increased in number and severity, and it is expected that these trends will continue.  Although we have taken measures to protect our data and to protect our computer systems from attacks, they may not be sufficient to prevent unauthorized access to our systems or theft of our data. If we or third parties with whom we do business were to fall victim to cyber-attacks or experience other cybersecurity incidents, such incidents could result in unauthorized access to, disclosure or loss of or damage to company, customer or other third party data; theft of confidential data, including personal information and intellectual property; loss of access to critical data or systems; service interruptions; and other business delays or disruptions.  The loss or disclosure of personal information could also expose us to liability or penalties under laws, rules and regulations related to solicitation, collection, processing or use of consumer, customer, vendor or employee information or related data.  In addition, we may incur large expenditures to investigate or remediate, to recover data, to repair or replace networks or information technology systems, or to protect against similar future events. If these events were to occur, we could incur substantial costs or suffer other consequences that negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Legal claims and proceedings could adversely impact our business.

As a large company with a long history of serving consumers, we may be subject to a wide variety of legal claims and proceedings.  Regardless of their merit, these claims can require significant time and expense to investigate and defend.  Since litigation is inherently uncertain, there is no guarantee that we will be successful in defending ourselves against such claims or proceedings, or that our assessment of the materiality of these matters, including any reserves taken in connection therewith, will be consistent with the ultimate outcome of such matters.  The resolution of, or increase in the reserves taken in connection with, one or more of these matters could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.

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Our insurance coverage may not adequately protect us against business and operating risks.

We maintain insurance for some, but not all, of the potential risks and liabilities associated with our business.  For some risks, we may not obtain insurance if we believe the cost of available insurance is excessive in relation to the risks presented.  As a result of market conditions, premiums and deductibles for certain insurance policies can increase substantially, and in some instances, certain insurance policies are economically unavailable or available only for reduced amounts of coverage.  For example, we will not be fully insured against all risks associated with pollution and other environmental incidents or impacts.  Moreover, we may face losses and liabilities that are uninsurable by their nature, or that are not covered, fully or at all, under our existing insurance policies.  Any significant uninsured liability may require us to pay substantial amounts, which would adversely affect our cash position and results of operations.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or they publish inaccurate or unfavorable reports about our business, the price of our common stock and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our common stock depends in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business, our market and our competitors. We do not have any control over these analysts. If one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade our shares of common stock or change their opinion of our common stock, our common stock price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our company or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which could cause our common stock price or trading volume to decline.

Failure to maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting in accordance with Sections 302 and 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act could have a material adverse effect on our business and reputation.

We are required to comply with the SEC’s rules under Sections 302 and 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which requires management to certify financial and other information in our quarterly and annual reports and provide an annual management report on the effectiveness of controls over financial reporting. When evaluating our internal controls over financial reporting, we may identify material weaknesses that we may not be able to remediate in time to meet the applicable deadline imposed upon us for compliance with the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Testing and maintaining our internal control over financial reporting may also divert management’s attention from other matters that are important to the operation of our business. In addition, if we fail to maintain the adequacy of our internal controls, as such standards are modified, supplemented or amended from time to time, we may not be able to ensure that we can conclude on an ongoing basis that we have effective internal controls over financial reporting in accordance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We cannot be certain as to the timing of completion of our evaluation, testing and any remediation actions or the impact of the same on our operations. If we fail to maintain the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in a timely manner or with adequate compliance, our independent registered public accounting firm may issue an adverse opinion due to ineffective internal controls over financial reporting, and we may be subject to sanctions or investigation by regulatory authorities, such as the SEC. Moreover, any material weakness or other deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting may impede our ability to file timely and accurate reports with the SEC. Any of the above could cause a negative reaction in the financial markets due to a loss of confidence in the reliability of our financial statements. In addition, we may be required to incur costs to improve our internal control system and the hiring of additional personnel. Any such action could negatively affect our results of operations and cash flows.

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ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None.

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

Our corporate headquarters are located in Lake Forest, Illinois. In addition, as of December 31, 2020, our production and distribution network consisted of 21 manufacturing and warehouse facilities in 10 states and one manufacturing facility in Canada, which are used to produce and store the products sold in all four of our business segments. We own the majority of our physical properties. We believe that all of our properties are in good operating condition and are suitable to adequately meet our current needs.

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

From time to time, we are a party to various claims, charges and litigation matters arising in the ordinary course of business. Management and legal counsel regularly review the probable outcome of such proceedings. We have established reserves for legal matters that are probable and estimable, and at December 31, 2020, these reserves were not significant. While we cannot feasibly predict the outcome of these matters with certainty, we believe, based on examination of these matters, experience to date and discussions with counsel, that the ultimate liability, individually or in the aggregate, will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not applicable.

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PART II

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Principal Market

Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the “REYN” symbol and began “regular way” trading on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on January 31, 2020. Prior to that date, there was no public trading market for our common stock.

Stockholders

As of January 29, 2021, there were four holders of record of our common stock. The actual number of our stockholders is greater than this number, and includes beneficial owners whose shares are held in “street name” by banks, brokers and other nominees.

Dividends

We expect that our practice of paying quarterly cash dividends on our common stock will continue, although the payment of future dividends is at the discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend upon our earnings, capital requirements, financial condition, contractual restrictions (including under our Term Loan Facility) and other factors.

Equity Compensation Plan Information

The information required by this Item concerning our equity compensation plan is incorporated herein by reference to Part III, Item 12 of this report.

Use of Proceeds from Sale of Registered Securities

On February 4, 2020, we completed our IPO, in which we sold 54,245,500 shares of common stock, including the exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase 7,075,500 additional shares, at a public offering price of $26.00 per share for an aggregate price of $1,410 million. We received net proceeds of $1,336 million in the IPO, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions of $67 million and other expenses of $5 million.  The offer and sale of the shares in the IPO were registered under the Securities Act of 1933 pursuant to a Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-234731), which was declared effective by the SEC on January 30, 2020. Upon completion of the sale of the shares of our common stock, the IPO terminated. There has been no material change in the use of proceeds from our IPO as described in our final prospectus filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 31, 2020 pursuant to Rule 424(b)(4) of the Securities Act of 1933. Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC acted as representatives of the several underwriters for the offering.

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Performance Graph

The following graph compares our cumulative total stockholder return from January 31, 2020 to December 31, 2020 to that of the S&P 500 Index, the Russell MidCap Index and a peer group. The graph assumes that the value for the investment in our common stock, each index and the peer group was $100 on January 31, 2020, and that all dividends were reinvested. The complete list of our peer group comprises: Church & Dwight Co. Inc., The Clorox Company, Colgate-Palmolive Company, Energizer Holdings, Inc., Kimberly-Clark Corporation., Newell Brands Inc., The Procter & Gamble Company, Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc. and WD-40 Company.

Stockholder returns over the indicated period should not be considered indicative of future stockholder returns.

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ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

The following table presents our selected financial data. As detailed in our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, prior to our Corporate Reorganization and IPO on February 4, 2020, our operations were not structured under a single consolidating parent entity. We historically operated as part of Pactiv Evergreen Inc. (“PEI”, previously known as Reynolds Group Holdings Limited) and its subsidiaries (“PEI Group”) and not as a stand-alone entity.

Refer to Item 7, “Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”, and our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information, including matters that might cause this data not to be indicative of our future financial condition or results of operations.

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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Our management’s discussion and analysis is intended to help the reader understand our results of operations and financial condition and is provided as an addition to, and should be read in connection with, our consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Tabular dollars are presented in millions.

Description of the Company and its Business Segments

We are a market-leading consumer products company with a presence in 95% of households across the United States. We produce and sell products across three broad categories: cooking products, waste & storage products and tableware. We sell our products under iconic brands such as Reynolds and Hefty and also under store brands that are strategically important to our customers. Overall, across both our branded and store brand offerings, we hold the #1 or #2 U.S. market share position in the majority of product categories in which we participate.  We have developed our market-leading position by investing in our product categories and consistently developing innovative products that meet the evolving needs and preferences of the modern consumer.

Our mix of branded and store brand products is a key competitive advantage that aligns our goal of growing the overall product category with our customers’ goals and positions us as a trusted strategic partner to our retailers. Our Reynolds and Hefty brands have preeminent positions in their categories and carry strong brand recognition in household aisles.

We manage our operations in four operating and reportable segments: Reynolds Cooking & Baking, Hefty Waste & Storage, Hefty Tableware and Presto Products:

Factors Affecting Our Results of Operations

We believe that our performance and future success depend on a number of factors that present significant opportunities for us but also pose risks and challenges, including those discussed below and in the section of this Annual Report on Form 10-K titled “Risk Factors.”

Consumer Demand for our Products

Our business is largely impacted by the demands of our customers, and our success depends on our ability to anticipate and respond to changes in consumer preferences. Our products are household staples with a presence in 95% of households across the United States.

We also expect that consumers’ desire for convenience will continue to sustain demand for our products. Today’s consumers are focused on convenience, which extends into household products that improve ease of use and provide time savings, and they are willing to pay a higher price for innovative features and functionality. While advanced features are already prevalent in many of our products, we intend to continue investing in product development to accommodate the convenience-oriented lifestyles of today’s consumers.

Furthermore, while many consumers still prefer to purchase branded products, they are becoming increasingly comfortable purchasing store brand products across broader product categories. Branded products and store brand products accounted for 63% and 37% of our revenue, excluding business-to-business revenue, respectively, in the year ended December 31, 2020. We intend to continue investing in both our branded and store brand products to grow the entire product category. Our scale across household aisles and ability to offer both branded and store brand products enable us to grow the overall category. Through our category captain level advisor roles with our retail partners, we offer marketing and consumer shopping strategies, both in store and online, which expand usage occasions and stimulate consumption.

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Raw Material, Energy and Freight Price Fluctuations

Our business is impacted by fluctuations in the prices of the raw materials, energy and freight costs incurred in manufacturing and distributing our products as well as fluctuations in logistics costs related thereto. The primary raw materials used to manufacture our products are plastic resins and aluminum, and we also use commodity chemicals and energy. We are exposed to commodity and other price risk principally from the purchase of resin, aluminum, natural gas, electricity, carton board and diesel. We distribute our products and receive raw materials primarily by rail and truck, which exposes us to fluctuations in freight and handling costs caused by reduced rail and trucking capacity. Sales contracts for our products typically do not contain pass-through mechanisms for raw material, energy and freight cost changes, but we adjust prices, where possible, in response to such price fluctuations.

Resin prices have historically fluctuated with changes in the prices of crude oil and natural gas, as well as changes in refining capacity and the demand for other petroleum-based products. Aluminum prices have also historically fluctuated, as aluminum is a cyclical commodity with prices subject to global market factors. Raw material costs have also been impacted by governmental actions, such as tariffs and trade sanctions.

Purchases of most of our raw materials are based on negotiated rates with suppliers, which are linked to published indices. Typically, we do not enter into long-term purchase contracts that provide for fixed quantities or prices for our principal raw materials.

We use various strategies to manage our cost exposures on certain raw material purchases, and we use naturally established forecast cycles to influence the purchase of raw materials. In addition, from time to time we have entered into hedging agreements, including commodity derivative contracts, to hedge commodity prices primarily related to aluminum, diesel and benzene with the objective of obtaining more predictable costs for these commodities. The realized and unrealized gains or losses arising from commodity derivative instruments are recognized in cost of sales.

Furthermore, since we distribute our products and receive raw materials primarily by rail and truck, reduced availability of rail or trucking capacity and fluctuations in freight and handling costs have caused us to incur increased expenses in certain prior periods. Where possible, we also adjust the prices of our products in response to fluctuations in production and distribution costs.

Our operating results are also impacted by energy-related cost movements, including those impacting both our manufacturing operations and transportation and utility costs.

Competitive Environment

We operate in a marketplace influenced by large retailers with strong negotiating power over their suppliers. Current trends among these large retailers include increased demand for innovative new products from suppliers, requiring suppliers to maintain or reduce product prices and to deliver products within shorter lead times. We also face the threat of competition from new entrants to our markets as well as from existing competitors, including those overseas who may have lower production costs. In addition, the timing and amount in which our competitors invest in advertising and promotional spending may vary from quarter to quarter and impact our sales volumes and financial results. See “Business - Competition” for more detail on our competitors.

Seasonality

Portions of our business historically have been moderately seasonal. Overall, our strongest sales are in our fourth quarter and our weakest sales are in our first quarter. This is driven by higher levels of sales of cooking products around major U.S. holidays in our fourth quarter, primarily due to the holiday use of Reynolds Wrap, Reynolds Oven Bags and Reynolds Parchment Paper. Our tableware products generally have higher sales in the second quarter of the year, primarily due to outdoor summertime use of disposable plates, cups and bowls, however, our tableware products seasonality trends in 2020 were different from historical seasonality trends due to fewer social gatherings as a result of COVID-19.

Sustainability

Interest in environmental sustainability has increased over the past decade, and we expect that this may play an increasing role in consumer purchasing decisions. For instance, there have been recent concerns about the environmental impact of single-use disposable products and products made from plastic, particularly polystyrene foam, affecting our products, especially our Hefty Tableware segment. While there is a focus on environmentally friendly products, survey results indicate that in most of our product categories, consumers continue to rank performance-related purchase criteria, such as durability and ease of use, followed by price, as top considerations, rather than sustainability. As our consumers may shift towards purchasing more sustainable products, we have focused much of our innovation efforts around sustainability. We offer a broad line of products made with recycled, renewable, recyclable and compostable materials. We intend to continue sustainability innovation in our efforts to be at the leading edge of recyclability, renewability and compostability in order to offer our customers environmentally sustainable choices.

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Our Separation from PEI Group (previously known as RGHL Group)

Prior to our Corporate Reorganization and IPO completed on February 4, 2020, we operated as part of PEI Group’s broader corporate organization rather than as a stand-alone public company. PEI Group performed or supported various corporate services for us, including executive management, supply chain, information technology, legal, finance and accounting, human resources, risk management, tax, treasury and other services. In addition, we have sold products to, and purchased products from, PEI Group. Historically, these transactions involving PEI Group may not have always been consummated on terms equivalent to those in an arm’s-length transaction. Sales to PEI Group of products that we manufacture have been reflected as related party net revenues in our consolidated financial statements. Certain related party transactions are reflected as related party receivables and payables in our consolidated balance sheets and are settled in cash. Prior to our Corporate Reorganization and IPO, certain related party transactions with PEI Group were settled by either non-cash capital contributions from PEI Group to us or non-cash capital distributions from us and were included as part of PEI Group’s net investment in our balance sheet. We also utilize manufacturing and warehousing facilities and resources managed by PEI Group to conduct our business. The expenses associated with these transactions are included in cost of sales in our consolidated statements of income. We believe that the assumptions and methodologies underlying the allocation of these expenses from PEI Group are reasonable. However, such allocations do not necessarily reflect what the results of operations and financial position would have been had we operated as a stand-alone public company during the periods presented.

In conjunction with our separation from PEI Group, we entered into a transition services agreement with a subsidiary of PEI Group whereby PEI Group will continue to provide certain administrative services to us, including information technology services; accounting, treasury, financial reporting and transaction support; human resources; procurement; tax, legal and compliance related services; and other corporate services for up to 24 months beginning on February 4, 2020. In addition, we entered into a transition services agreement with Rank Group Limited whereby, upon our request, Rank Group Limited will provide certain administrative services to us, including financial reporting, consulting and compliance services, insurance procurement and human resources support, legal and corporate secretarial support, and related services for up to 24 months. At the conclusion of these transitional arrangements, we will have to perform these services with internal resources or contract with third party providers. The previous arrangements we had with PEI Group may be materially different from the arrangements that we have entered into as part of our separation from PEI Group.

On February 4, 2020, in conjunction with our Corporate Reorganization and IPO, we entered into new external debt facilities ( “External Debt Facilities”), consisting of a $2,475 million senior secured term loan facility (“Term Loan Facility”) and a $250 million senior secured revolving credit facility (“Revolving Facility”), and repaid portions of the related party borrowings owed to PEI Group that were reflected on our balance sheet prior to that date. PEI Group contributed the remaining balance of related party borrowings owed by us to PEI Group as additional paid-in capital without the issuance of any additional shares prior to the closing of our IPO. In addition, all indebtedness that we had borrowed under PEI Group’s Credit Agreement was reallocated and we were released as a borrower and guarantor from such facilities and released as a guarantor of PEI Group’s outstanding senior notes.

Public Company Expenses

As a newly public company in 2020, we have implemented additional procedures and processes for the purpose of addressing the standards and requirements applicable to public companies. In particular, our accounting, legal and personnel-related expenses and directors’ and officers’ insurance costs have increased, related to establishing more comprehensive compliance and governance functions, establishing, maintaining and reviewing internal controls over financial reporting in accordance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and preparing, filing and distributing periodic reports in accordance with SEC rules. Our financial statements from fiscal year 2020 onward reflect the impact of these expenses.

In conjunction with our Corporate Reorganization and IPO, we have assumed responsibility for all of our stand-alone public company costs, including the costs of certain corporate services previously provided by PEI Group. In addition, as we transition away from the corporate services previously provided by PEI Group, we have incurred, and will continue to incur, non-recurring transitional costs. We expect the transitional costs to continue into 2021.

In addition, in conjunction with our Corporate Reorganization and IPO, we established a 2020 incentive award plan for purposes of granting stock-based compensation awards to certain of our senior management, to our non-executive directors and to certain employees, to incentivize their performance and align their interests with ours. We began recognizing stock-based compensation expense during the first quarter of fiscal year 2020.

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Impact of COVID-19

As we manufacture and sell products that are essential to the daily lives of consumers, we have been classified as an “essential business” and our operations have remained open throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. We have implemented policies and procedures designed to protect our employees and our customers, including implementing recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for social distancing in our plants, screening employees for increased temperature at certain locations, providing masks and/or face coverings, engagement of third-party vendors to clean and sanitize facilities, implementing a work from home policy for all employees who can do so, and enhancing our leave policies to ensure employees experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 stay at home. As the pandemic progresses, we remain committed to adapting our policies and procedures to ensure the safety of our employees and compliance with federal, state and local regulations. While we experienced increased costs in the year ended December 31, 2020 as a result of COVID-19, they were not material to our results of operations. However, these costs may not be representative of what we may incur moving forward.

We continue to experience an increase in demand from a fundamental shift to more at-home use of our products driven by the consumer response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The duration and magnitude of the increased demand remains unknown, and its ongoing impact on our operations may not be consistent with our experiences to date. At this time, we are unable to predict with any certainty the nature, timing or magnitude of any changes in future sales and/or earnings attributable to the impact of COVID-19 in North America. We do not currently anticipate that the COVID-19 pandemic will materially impact our liquidity over the next 12 months.

Non-GAAP Measures

In this Annual Report on Form 10-K we use the non-GAAP financial measures “Adjusted EBITDA”, “Adjusted Net Income” and “Adjusted EPS”, which are measures adjusted for the impact of specified items and are not in accordance with GAAP.

We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income calculated in accordance with GAAP, plus the sum of income tax expense, net interest expense, depreciation and amortization and further adjusted to exclude, as applicable, unrealized gains and losses on commodity derivatives, factoring discounts (pre-IPO), the allocated related party management fee (pre-IPO), IPO and separation-related costs and business rationalization costs. We define Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted EPS as Net Income and Earnings Per Share calculated in accordance with GAAP, plus the sum of IPO and separation-related costs, the impact of a tax legislation change under the CARES Act enacted on March 27, 2020.

We present Adjusted EBITDA because it is a key measure used by our management team to evaluate our operating performance, generate future operating plans and make strategic decisions. In addition, our chief operating decision maker uses Adjusted EBITDA of each reportable segment to evaluate the operating performance of such segments. We use Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted EPS as supplemental measures to evaluate our business’ performance in a way that also considers our ability to generate profit without the impact of certain items. Accordingly, we believe presenting these measures provides useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating our operating results in the same manner as our management team and board of directors.

Non-GAAP information should be considered as supplemental in nature and is not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the related financial information prepared in accordance with GAAP. In addition, our non-GAAP financial measures may not be the same as or comparable to similar non-GAAP financial measures presented by other companies.

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The following is a reconciliation of our net income, the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, to Adjusted EBITDA for each of the periods indicated:

The following is a reconciliation of our net income and diluted EPS, the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures, to Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted EPS for the year ended December 31, 2020:

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Results of Operations

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Detailed comparisons of revenue and results are presented in the discussions of the operating segments, which follow our consolidated results discussion.

Discussions of the year ended December 31, 2018 items and comparisons between the year ended December 31, 2019 and the year ended December 31, 2018 can be found in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 10, 2020.

Aggregation of Segment Revenue and Adjusted EBITDA

Year Ended December 31, 2020 Compared with the Year Ended December 31, 2019

Total Reynolds Consumer Products

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Components of Change in Net Revenues for the Year Ended December 31, 2020 vs. the Year Ended December 31, 2019

Total Net Revenues. Total net revenues increased by $231 million, or 8%, to $3,263 million. The increase in net revenues was largely due to a fundamental shift to more at-home use of our products and the introduction of several new products. This was partially offset by the exit from certain low margin store branded business in the prior year, a decline in related party revenue and lower pricing.

Cost of Sales. Cost of sales increased by $138 million, or 6%, to $2,290 million. The increase was primarily due to increased revenue and higher logistics costs, partially offset by lower material and manufacturing costs.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses. Selling, general and administrative expenses increased by $53 million, or 17%, to $358 million primarily due to higher personnel and advertising costs.

Other Expense, Net. Other expense, net decreased by $36 million, or 55%, to $29 million. The decrease was primarily attributable to the prior year factoring discount on the sale of our U.S. trade receivables through PEI Group’s securitization facility and the allocated related party management fee.

Interest Expense, Net. Interest expense, net decreased by $139 million, or 67%, to $70 million. The decrease was primarily due to the change in our debt structure as a result of our IPO in the first quarter of 2020. Prior to the IPO we had related party debt and associated interest expense that was replaced with our External Debt Facilities in conjunction with the IPO.

Income Tax Expense. We recognized income tax expense of $153 million on income before income taxes of $516 million (an effective tax rate of 29.7%) for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to income tax expense of $76 million on income before income taxes of $301 million (an effective tax rate of 25.4%) for the year ended December 31, 2019. The increase in the effective tax rate was due to the recognition of a $27 million discrete tax expense associated with the remeasurement of our deferred taxes as a result of the legislation change from the CARES Act. Excluding the impact of this, our effective tax rate was 24.6% for year ended December 31, 2020.

Adjusted EBITDA. Adjusted EBITDA increased by $62 million, or 9%, to $717 million. The increase in Adjusted EBITDA was primarily due to increased revenue and lower material and manufacturing costs, partially offset by higher logistics costs and selling, general and administrative expenses, as discussed above.  

Segment Information

Reynolds Cooking & Baking

Total Segment Net Revenues. Reynolds Cooking & Baking total segment net revenues increased by $83 million, or 8%, to $1,159 million. The increase in net revenues was primarily driven by increased demand, partially offset by a decline in related party revenue and lower pricing.

Adjusted EBITDA. Reynolds Cooking & Baking Adjusted EBITDA increased by $45 million, or 22%, to $254 million. The increase in Adjusted EBITDA was primarily driven by increased volume and lower material and manufacturing costs, partially offset by lower pricing, as noted above, and increased logistics and advertising costs.

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Hefty Waste & Storage

Total Segment Net Revenues. Hefty Waste & Storage total segment net revenues increased by $109 million, or 15%, to $818 million. The increase in net revenues was primarily driven by increased demand.

Adjusted EBITDA. Hefty Waste & Storage Adjusted EBITDA increased by $46 million, or 24%, to $236 million. The increase in Adjusted EBITDA was primarily driven by increased revenue, as noted above, partially offset by increased logistics costs and advertising spend.  

Hefty Tableware

Total Segment Net Revenues. Hefty Tableware total segment net revenues increased by $12 million, or 2%, to $763 million. The increase in net revenues was primarily due to the introduction of several new products and higher pricing driven by fewer promotions than in the prior year.

Adjusted EBITDA. Hefty Tableware Adjusted EBITDA decreased by $8 million, or 4%, to $170 million. The decrease in Adjusted EBITDA was primarily driven by increased logistics costs and advertising spend, partially offset by the increased revenue, as noted above.  

Presto Products

Total Segment Net Revenues. Presto Products total segment net revenues increased by $22 million, or 4%, to $533 million. The increase in net revenues was primarily due to increased demand, partially offset by the exit of certain low margin store branded business in the prior year.  

Adjusted EBITDA. Presto Products Adjusted EBITDA increased by $7 million, or 8%, to $98 million. The increase in Adjusted EBITDA was primarily driven by increased revenue, as noted above.

Historical Cash Flows

The following table discloses our cash flows for the years presented:

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Cash provided by operating activities

Net cash from operating activities decreased by $84 million, or 21%, to $319 million. The change was primarily driven by a $279 million increase in accounts receivable, $240 million of which was related to accounts receivables previously sold through PEI Group’s securitization facility prior to our separation from PEI Group, partially offset by an increase in net income and changes in related party receivables and payables.

Cash used in investing activities

Net cash used in investing activities increased by $15 million, or 12%, to $143 million. The net increase was primarily attributable to an increase of $34 million, or 31%, in the acquisition of property, plant and equipment, partially offset by the reduction in cash advanced to PEI Group as part of wider PEI Group cash management activities in the prior year. The increase in the acquisition of property, plant and equipment was primarily attributable to taking operational ownership of two facilities previously managed by PEI Group in conjunction with the IPO and expenditures associated with additional capacity in response to the increased demand we have experienced.

Cash provided by (used in) financing activities

Net cash from financing activities changed by $230 million, from an outflow of $196 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 to an inflow of $34 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. The change in cash flows from financing activities was primarily attributable to proceeds received from the IPO and the drawdown of the Term Loan Facility partially offset by repayments of related party balances, principal repayments of the Term Loan Facility and dividends paid during fiscal year 2020.

Seasonality

Portions of our business historically have been moderately seasonal. Overall, our strongest sales are in our fourth quarter and our weakest sales are in our first quarter. This is driven by higher levels of sales of cooking products around major U.S. holidays in our fourth quarter, primarily due to the holiday use of Reynolds Wrap, Reynolds Oven Bags and Reynolds Parchment Paper. Our tableware products generally have higher sales in the second quarter of the year, primarily due to outdoor summertime use of disposable plates, cups and bowls, however, our tableware products seasonality trends in 2020 were different from historical seasonality trends due to fewer social gatherings as a result of COVID-19.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Our principal sources of liquidity are existing cash and cash equivalents, cash generated from operating activities and available borrowings under the Revolving Facility.

External Debt Facilities

On February 4, 2020, in conjunction with our Corporate Reorganization and IPO, we entered into the External Debt Facilities which consist of a $2,475 million Term Loan Facility and a Revolving Facility that provides for additional borrowing capacity of up to $250 million, reduced by amounts used for letters of credit.

As of December 31, 2020, the outstanding balance under the Term Loan Facility was $2,257 million. As of December 31, 2020, we had no outstanding borrowings under the Revolving Facility, and we had $7 million of letters of credit outstanding, which reduces the borrowing capacity under the Revolving Facility.

The initial borrower under the External Debt Facilities is Reynolds Consumer Products LLC (the “Borrower”). The Revolving Facility includes a sub-facility for letters of credit. In addition, the External Debt Facilities provide that the Borrower has the right at any time, subject to customary conditions, to request incremental term loans or incremental revolving credit commitments in amounts and on terms set forth therein. The lenders under the External Debt Facilities are not under any obligation to provide any such incremental loans or commitments, and any such addition of or increase in loans is subject to certain customary conditions precedent and other provisions.

Interest rate and fees

Borrowings under the External Debt Facilities bear interest at a rate per annum equal to, at our option, either a base rate or a LIBO rate plus an applicable margin of 1.75%.

During the year ended December 31, 2020, we entered into a series of interest rate swaps which fixed the LIBO rate to an annual rate of 0.18% to 0.47% (for an annual effective interest rate of 1.93% to 2.22%, including margin) for an aggregate notional amount of $1,650 million. These interest rate swaps hedge a portion of the interest rate exposure resulting from our Term Loan Facility for periods ranging from one to five years.

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Prepayments

The Term Loan Facility contains customary mandatory prepayments, including with respect to excess cash flow, asset sale proceeds and proceeds from certain incurrences of indebtedness.

The Borrower may voluntarily repay outstanding loans under the Term Loan Facility at any time without premium or penalty, other than customary breakage costs with respect to LIBO rate loans. During the year ended December 31, 2020, we made voluntary principal payments of $200 million related to the Term Loan Facility. Subsequent to December 31, 2020, we made a voluntary principal payment of $100 million related to the Term Loan Facility.

Amortization and maturity

The Term Loan Facility matures in February 2027. The Term Loan Facility amortizes in equal quarterly installments of $6 million, which commenced in June 2020, with the balance payable on maturity. The Revolving Facility matures in February 2025.

Guarantee and security

All obligations under the External Debt Facilities and certain hedge agreements and cash management arrangements provided by any lender party to the External Debt Facilities or any of its affiliates and certain other persons are unconditionally guaranteed by the Company, the Borrower (with respect to hedge agreements and cash management arrangements not entered into by the Borrower) and certain of the Company’s existing and subsequently acquired or organized direct or indirect material wholly-owned U.S. restricted subsidiaries, with customary exceptions including, among other things, where providing such guarantees is not permitted by law, regulation or contract or would result in material adverse tax consequences.

All obligations under the External Debt  Facilities and certain hedge agreements and cash management arrangements provided by any lender party to the External Debt  Facilities or any of its affiliates and certain other persons, and the guarantees of such obligations, are secured, subject to permitted liens and other exceptions, by: (i) a perfected first-priority pledge of all the equity interests of each wholly-owned material restricted subsidiary of the Company, the Borrower or a subsidiary guarantor, including the equity interests of the Borrower (limited to 65% of voting stock in the case of first-tier non-U.S. subsidiaries of the Company, the Borrower or any subsidiary guarantor) and (ii) perfected first-priority security interests in substantially all tangible and intangible personal property of the Company, the Borrower and the subsidiary guarantors (subject to certain other exclusions).

Certain covenants and events of default

The External Debt Facilities contain a number of covenants that, among other things, restrict, subject to certain exceptions, our ability and the ability of the restricted subsidiaries of the Company to:

The External Debt Facilities contain a springing financial covenant requiring compliance with a ratio of first lien net indebtedness to consolidated EBITDA, applicable solely to the Revolving Facility. The financial covenant is tested on the last day of any fiscal quarter only if the aggregate principal amount of borrowings under the Revolving Facility and drawn but unreimbursed letters of credit exceed 35% of the total amount of commitments under the Revolving Facility on such day.

If an event of default occurs, the lenders under the External Debt Facilities are entitled to take various actions, including the acceleration of amounts due under the External Debt Facilities and all actions permitted to be taken by secured creditors.

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We are currently in compliance with the covenants contained in our External Debt Facilities.

During the year ended December 31, 2020, our Board of Directors declared quarterly cash dividends totaling $0.59 per share. We expect to continue paying cash dividends on a quarterly basis; however, future dividends are at the discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend upon our earnings, capital requirements, financial condition, contractual limitations (including under the Term Loan Facility) and other factors.

We believe that our projected cash position, cash flows from operations and borrowings under the External Debt Facilities are sufficient to meet the needs of our business for at least the next 12 months.

Contractual Obligations

The following table summarizes our material contractual obligations as of December 31, 2020:

As of December 31, 2020, our liabilities for uncertain tax positions and defined benefit pension obligations totaled $4 million. The ultimate timing of these liabilities cannot be determined; therefore, we have excluded these amounts from the contractual obligations table above.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We have no material off-balance sheet obligations.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The methods, estimates and judgments we use in applying our most critical accounting policies have a significant impact on the results we report in our consolidated financial statements. Specific areas requiring the application of management’s estimates and judgments include, among others, assumptions pertaining to benefit plan assumptions, valuation assumptions of goodwill and intangible assets, useful lives of long-lived assets, sales incentives and income taxes. Accordingly, a different financial presentation could result depending on the judgments, estimates or assumptions that are used. The most critical accounting policies and estimates are those that are most important to the portrayal of our financial condition and results of operations and require us to make the most difficult and subjective judgments, often estimating the outcome of future events that are inherently uncertain. Our most critical accounting policies and estimates are related to revenue recognition, the valuation of goodwill and intangible assets and income taxes. A summary of our significant accounting policies and use of estimates is contained in Note 2 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies of our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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Revenue Recognition-Sales Incentives

We routinely commit to one-time or ongoing trade-promotion programs with our customers. Programs include discounts, allowances, shelf-price reductions, end-of-aisle or in-store displays of our products and graphics and other trade-promotion activities conducted by the customer, such as coupons. Collectively, we refer to these as sales incentives or trade promotions. Costs related to these programs are recorded as a reduction to revenue. Our trade promotion accruals are primarily based on estimated volume and incorporate historical sales and spending trends by customer and category. The determination of these estimated accruals requires judgment and may change in the future as a result of changes in customer promotion participation, particularly for new programs and for programs related to the introduction of new products. Final determination of the total cost of a promotion is dependent upon customers providing information about proof of performance and other information related to the promotional event. This process of analyzing and settling trade-promotion programs with customers could impact our results of operations and trade promotion accruals depending on how actual results of the programs compare to original estimates. Sales incentives represented 5%, 6% and 5% of total net revenues for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively.  As of December 31, 2020 and 2019, we had accruals of $35 million and $39 million, respectively, reflected on our consolidated balance sheets in Accrued and other current liabilities related to sales incentive programs.

Goodwill, Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets and Long-Lived Assets

We test our goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment annually in the fiscal fourth quarter unless there are indications during a different interim period that these assets may have become impaired. No impairments were identified as a result of our impairment review performed annually during the fourth quarter of fiscal years 2020, 2019 and 2018.

Goodwill

Our reporting units for goodwill impairment testing purposes are Reynolds Cooking & Baking, Hefty Waste & Storage, Hefty Tableware and Presto Products. No instances of impairment were identified during the fiscal year 2020 annual impairment review. All of our reporting units had fair values that significantly exceeded recorded carrying values. However, future changes in the judgments, assumptions and estimates that are used in the impairment testing for goodwill as described below could result in significantly different estimates of the fair values.

In our evaluation of goodwill impairment, we have the option to first assess qualitative factors such as the maturity and stability of the reporting unit, the magnitude of the excess fair value over carrying value from the prior year’s impairment testing, other reporting unit operating results as well as new events and circumstances impacting the operations at the reporting unit level. If the result of a qualitative test indicates a potential for impairment, a quantitative test is performed, wherein we compare the estimated fair value of each reporting unit to its carrying value. In all instances where a quantitative test was performed, the estimated fair value exceeded the carrying value of the reporting unit and none of our reporting units were at a risk of failing the quantitative test. If the estimated fair value of any reporting unit had been less than its carrying value, an impairment charge would have been recorded for the amount by which the reporting unit’s carrying amount exceeds its fair value.

To determine the fair value of a reporting unit as part of our quantitative test, we use a capitalization of earnings method under the income approach. Under this approach, we estimate the forecasted Adjusted EBITDA of each reporting unit and capitalize this amount using a multiple. The Adjusted EBITDA amounts are consistent with those we use in our internal planning, which gives consideration to actual business trends experienced and the long-term business strategy. The selection of a capitalization multiple incorporates consideration of comparable entity trading multiples within the same industry and recent sale and purchase transactions. Changes in such estimates or the application of alternative assumptions could produce different results.

Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets

Our indefinite-lived intangible assets consist of certain trade names. We test indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment on an annual basis in the fourth quarter and whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such assets may not be recoverable. We have the option to first assess qualitative factors such as the maturity of the trade name, the magnitude of the excess fair value over carrying value from the prior year’s impairment testing, as well as new events and circumstances impacting the trade name. If the result of a qualitative test indicates a potential for impairment, a quantitative test is performed. If the carrying amount of such asset exceeds its estimated fair value, an impairment charge is recorded for the difference between the carrying amount and the estimated fair value. When a quantitative test is performed we use a relief from royalty computation under the income approach to estimate the fair value of our trade names. This approach requires significant judgments in determining (i) the estimated future branded revenue from the use of the asset; (ii) the relevant royalty rate to be applied to these estimated future cash flows; and (iii) the appropriate discount rates applied to those cash flows to determine fair value. Changes in such estimates or the use of alternative assumptions could produce different results. No instances of impairment were identified during the fiscal year 2020 annual impairment review. Each of our indefinite-lived intangible assets had fair values that significantly exceeded recorded carrying values.

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Long-Lived Assets

Long-lived assets, including finite-lived intangible assets, are reviewed for possible impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances occur that indicate that the carrying amount of an asset (or asset group) may not be recoverable. Our impairment review requires significant management judgment, including estimating the future success of product lines, future sales volumes, revenue and expense growth rates, alternative uses for the assets and estimated proceeds from the disposal of the assets. We review business plans for possible impairment indicators. Impairment occurs when the carrying amount of the asset (or asset group) exceeds its estimated future undiscounted cash flows. When impairment is indicated, an impairment charge is recorded for the difference between the asset’s carrying value and its estimated fair value. Depending on the asset, estimated fair value may be determined either by use of a discounted cash flow model or by reference to estimated selling values of assets in similar condition. The use of different assumptions would increase or decrease the estimated fair value of assets and would increase or decrease any impairment measurement.

Income Taxes

Prior to our Corporate Reorganization and IPO, our U.S. operations were included in a consolidated U.S. federal return as well as certain state and local tax returns filed by PEI Group. We also file certain separate U.S. state and local and foreign income tax returns. The income tax expense (benefit) included in our consolidated statements of income has been calculated using the separate return basis. It is possible that we will make different tax accounting elections and assertions subsequent to our shares being issued to the public. Therefore, our income taxes, as presented in our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, may not be indicative of our income taxes in the future. Where we have been included in the tax returns filed by PEI Group, any income taxes payable resulting from the separate return basis have been reflected in our consolidated balance sheets in Net Parent deficit.

Considerable management judgment is necessary to assess the inherent uncertainties related to the interpretations of complex tax laws, regulations and taxing authority rulings.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

New accounting guidance that we have recently adopted, as well as accounting guidance that has been recently issued but not yet adopted by us, is included in Note 2 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies of our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

In the normal course of business, we are subject to risks from adverse fluctuations in interest rates and commodity prices. Our objective in managing our exposure to market risk is to limit the impact on earnings and cash flow.

Interest Rate Risk

We had significant variable rate debt commitments outstanding as of December 31, 2020, which accrue interest at the LIBO rate plus an applicable margin of 1.75%. These on-balance sheet financial instruments expose us to interest rate risk.

During September 2020, we entered into a series of interest rate swaps which fixed the LIBO rate to an annual rate of 0.18% to 0.47% (for an annual effective interest rate of 1.93% to 2.22%, including margin) for an aggregate notional amount of $1,650 million. These interest rate swaps hedge a portion of the interest rate exposure resulting from our Term Loan Facility. We classified these instruments as cash flow hedges. Our cash flow hedge contracts are for periods ranging from one to five years. Our average variable rate for an aggregate notional amount of $1,650 million is a one month LIBO rate plus an applicable margin of 1.75%. The fair value of our interest rate swaps included on our consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2020 was not material.

Based on the unhedged outstanding borrowings under the Term Loan Facility as of December 31, 2020, a 100-basis point increase (decrease) in the interest rates under the Term Loan Facility would result in a $6 million increase (decrease) in interest expense, per annum, on our borrowings.

Commodity Risk

We are exposed to commodity and other price risk principally from the purchase of resin, aluminum, natural gas, electricity, carton board and diesel. We use various strategies to manage cost exposures on certain material purchases with the objective of obtaining more predictable costs for these commodities. From time to time, we enter into hedging agreements, including commodity derivative contracts, to hedge commodity prices primarily related to diesel and benzene.

We enter into futures and swaps to reduce our exposure to commodity price fluctuations. These derivatives are implemented to either (a) mitigate the impact of the lag in timing between when material costs change and when we can pass through these material cost changes to our customers or (b) fix our input costs for a period. The following table provides the details of our outstanding commodity derivative contracts as of December 31, 2020.

Commodity derivative contracts are valued using observable market commodity index prices less the contract rate multiplied by the notional amount or based on pricing models that rely on market observable inputs such as commodity prices. As of December 31, 2020, the estimated fair values of the outstanding commodity derivative contracts were a net asset of less than $1 million. During the year ended December 31, 2020, we recognized a $4 million realized gain in cost of sales in the consolidated statement of income related to commodity derivatives and no unrealized gain or loss.

A 10% upward (downward) movement in the price curve used to value the commodity derivative contracts, applied as of December 31, 2020, would have resulted in an increase (decrease) of less than $1 million in unrealized gains recognized in the consolidated statements of income assuming all other variables remain constant.

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ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Board of Directors and Stockholders of Reynolds Consumer Products Inc.

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Reynolds Consumer Products Inc. and its subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, and the related consolidated statements of income, of comprehensive income, of stockholders’ equity and of cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2020, including the related notes (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2020 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Change in Accounting Principle

As discussed in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company changed the manner in which it accounts for leases in 2019.

Basis for Opinion

These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits of these consolidated financial statements in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Critical Audit Matters

The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the consolidated financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that (i) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the consolidated financial statements and (ii) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.

Revenue Recognition – Sales Incentives

As described in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company recorded net revenues of $3,147 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. Consideration in contracts with customers is variable due to anticipated reductions such as discounts, allowances and trade promotions. Accordingly, revenues are recorded net of estimated sales incentives, based on known or expected adjustments. The transaction price is estimated based on the amount of consideration to which management believes they will be entitled.  

The principal considerations for our determination that performing procedures relating to revenue recognition – sales incentives is a critical audit matter are a high degree of auditor effort in performing procedures and evaluating audit evidence related to contractual terms in customer arrangements to determine the amount of consideration.  

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Addressing the matter involved performing procedures and evaluating audit evidence in connection with forming our overall opinion on the consolidated financial statements. These procedures included testing the effectiveness of certain controls relating to sales incentives. These procedures also included, among others, evaluating contractual terms in customer arrangements that impact management’s determination of the sales incentive related to the product and related recognition of revenue on a sample basis.  

/s/PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Chicago, Illinois

February 12, 2021

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2015.

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Reynolds Consumer Products Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Income

For the Years Ended December 31

(in millions, except for per share data)

See accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements.

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Reynolds Consumer Products Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income

For the Years Ended December 31

(in millions)

See accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements.

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Reynolds Consumer Products Inc.

Consolidated Balance Sheets

As of December 31

(in millions, except for per share data)