SECURITIES REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(g) OF THE ACT: NONE

Certain statements in this report, including without limitation, certain statements made under Item 1, “Business,” and Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” are forward-looking statements within the meaning of and made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. In addition, our management may from time to time make oral forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the words “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “project,” “might,” “plan,” “estimate,” “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “seek” or “intend” and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements reflect our current expectations and assumptions regarding our business, the economy and other future events and conditions and are based on currently available financial, economic and competitive data and our current business plans. Actual results could vary materially depending on risks and uncertainties that may affect our operations, markets, services, prices and other factors as discussed in the Risk Factors section of this report.report and our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). While we believe our assumptions are reasonable, we caution you against relying on any forward-looking statements as it is very difficult to predict the impact of known factors, and it is impossible for us to anticipate all factors that could affect our actual results. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, a weakening of global economic and financial conditions, interruptions in the supply of or increased cost of raw materials, the loss of, or difficulties with the further realization of, cost savings in connection with our strategic initiatives, the impact of our substantial indebtedness, our failure to comply with financial covenants under our credit facilities or other debt, pricing actions by our competitors that could affect our operating margins, changes in governmental regulations and related compliance and litigation costs, uncertainties related to COVID-19 and the impact

Based in Columbus, Ohio, Hexion Inc. (“Hexion” or the “Company”), a New Jersey corporation, with predecessors dating from 1899, is one of the world’s largestleading global producer of thermosetting resins, or thermosets,adhesives, coatings and composites materials. Our products include a leading producerbroad range of adhesivecritical components and structural resins and coatings. Thermosets are a critical ingredient in most paints, coatings, glues and other adhesives produced for consumer or industrial uses. The type of thermosetformulations used and how it is formulated, applied and cured, determines its key attributes,to impart valuable performance characteristics such as durability, gloss, heat resistance, adhesion orand strength to our customers and their customers’ final products. As such, our products sold to our customers are highly value-added contributions to their final work product, even though they often represent only a small portion of the final product. Thermosetting resins include materialsoverall end-product cost. We serve highly diversified growing end-markets such as phenolicresidential and non-residential construction, wind energy, industrial, automotive, consumer goods and electronics.

Until the closing date, the Company has agreed to operate the Held for Sale Business in the ordinary course. The Company has agreed to provide certain transitional services to the Buyers for a limited period of time following the closing. The sale is subject to customary closing conditions, including European Works Council consultation, and urethane resins.is expected to close in the first quarter of 2021.

We have a broad range of thermoset resin technologies, with high quality research, applications development and technical service capabilities. We provide a broad array of thermosetscapabilities, and associated technologies, andwe have significant market positions in each of the key markets that we serve.

We have a history of product innovation and success in introducing new products to new markets, as evidenced by more than 850750 granted patents, the majority of which relate to the development of new products and manufacturing processes, and we are constantly looking at ways to introduce new products in our currently established markets.

We are a leading producer of epoxy specialty resins, modifiers and curing agents in Europe and the United States with a global reach to our end markets, which include emergingother regions such as China and Latin America. Epoxy resins are the fundamental component of many types of materials and are often used in the automotive, construction, wind energy, aerospace and electronics industries due to their superior adhesion, strength and durability. We internally consume approximately 30% of our liquid epoxy resin (“LER”) production in specialty composite, coating and adhesive applications, which ensures a consistent supply of our required intermediate materials. Our position in basic epoxy resins, along with our technology and service expertise, has enabled us to offer formulated specialty products in certain markets. In composites, our specialty epoxy products are used either as replacements for traditional materials such as metal, wood and ceramics, or in applications where traditional materials do not meet demanding engineering specifications.

We are a leading producer of resins that are used in fiber reinforced composites. Composites are a fast growing class of materials that are used in a wide variety of applications ranging from aircraft components and wind turbine blades to sports equipment, and increasingly in automotive and transportation. We supply epoxy resin systems to composite fabricators in the wind energy, automotive and pipe markets.

Epoxy specialty resins are also used for a variety of high-end coating applications that require the superior adhesion, corrosion resistance and durability of epoxy, such as protective coatings for industrial flooring, pipe, marine and construction applications and automotive coatings. Epoxy-based surface coatings are among the most widely used industrial coatings due to their long service life and broad application functionality combined with overall economic efficiency. We also leverage our resin and additives position to supply custom resins to specialty coatings formulators.

We are one of the world’s largest suppliers of basic epoxy resins, such as solid epoxy resin (“SER”)SER and LER. These base epoxies are used in a wide variety of industrial coatings applications. In addition, we are a major producer of bisphenol-A (“BPA”) and epichlorohydrin (“ECH”), key precursors in the downstream manufacture of basic epoxy resins and epoxy specialty resins. We internally consume the majority of our BPA, and all of our ECH, which ensures a consistent supply of our required intermediate materials.

We are the world’s largest producer of Versatic acids and derivatives. Versatic acids and derivatives are specialty monomers that provide significant performance advantages for finished coatings, including superior adhesion, hydrolytic stability, water resistance, appearance and ease of application. Our products include basic Versatic acids and derivatives sold under the Versatic™, VEOVA™ vinyl ester and CARDURA™ glycidyl ester names. Applications for these specialty monomers include decorative, automotive and protective coatings, as well as other uses, such as adhesives and intermediates.

For additional information about our segments, see Note 1620 to our Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 of Part II of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Our products are sold to industrial users worldwide through a combination of a direct sales force that services our larger customers and third-party distributors that more cost-effectively serve our smaller customers. Our customer service and support network is made up of key regional customer service centers. We have global account teams that serve the major needs of our global customers for technical service and supply and commercial term requirements. Where operating and regulatory factors vary from country to country, these functions are managed locally.

Our research and development activities are geared towards developing and enhancing products, processes and application technologies so that we can maintain our position as one of the world’s largest producerproducers of thermosetting resins. We focus on:

We have over 380300 scientists and technicians worldwide. Our research and development facilities include a broad range of synthesis, testing and formulating equipment and small-scale versions of customer manufacturing processes for applications development and demonstration. We recently completed our new Application Development Center (“ADC”) in Shanghai, China, as part of our global efforts to further strengthen our industry-leading research and development and technical services capabilities. We continue to strategically invest in our R&D footprint to increase opportunities for innovation and stimulate growth.

More recently, we have focused research and development resources on the incorporation of green chemistry principles into technology innovations to remain competitive and to address our customers’ demands for more environmentally preferred solutions. Our efforts have focused on developing resin technologies that reduce emissions, maximize efficiency and increase the use of bio-based raw materials. Some examples of meaningful results of our investment in the development of green products with sustainable attributes include:

As of December 31, 2017,2020, we own, license or have rights to over 850 granted750 patents and over 1,1501,000 registered trademarks, as well as various patent and trademark applications and technology licenses around the world, which we currently use or hold for use in our operations. A majority of our patents relate to developing new products and processes for manufacturing and will expire between 20182021 and 2035.2038. We renew our trademarks on a regular basis. While we view our patents and trademarks to be valuable, because of the broad scope of our products and services, we do not believe that the loss or expiration of any single patent or trademark would have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position or the continuation of our business.

The European Commission enacted a regulatory system in 2006, known as Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemical substances (“REACH”), which requires manufacturers, importers and consumers of certain chemicals to register these chemicals and evaluate their potential impact on human health and the environment. As REACH matures and is further amended, significant market restrictions could be imposed on the current and future uses of chemical products that we use as raw materials or that we sell as finished products in the European Union. Other countries may also enact similar regulations.

Our policy is to operate our plants in a manner that protects the environment, health and safety of our employees, customers and communities. We have implemented company-wide environmental, health and safety policies managed by our Environmental, Health and Safety (“EH&S”) department and overseen by the EH&S Committee of Hexion Holdings’ Board of Managers.Directors. Our EH&S department provides support and oversight to our operations worldwide to ensure compliance with environmental, health and safety laws and regulations. This responsibility is executed via training, communication of EH&S policies, formulation of relevant policies and standards, EH&S audits and incident response planning and implementation. Our EH&S policies include systems and procedures that govern environmental emissions, waste generation, process safety management, handling, storage and disposal of hazardous substances, worker health and safety requirements, site security, emergency planning and response and product stewardship.

Our operations involve the use, handling, processing, storage, transportation and disposal of hazardous materials, and we are subject to extensive environmental regulation at the federal, state and international levels. We are also exposed to the risk of claims for environmental remediation or restoration. Our production facilities require operating permits that are subject to renewal or modification. Violations of environmental laws or permits or safety obligations may result in restrictions being imposed on operating activities, substantial fines, penalties, damages or other costs. In addition, statutes such as the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act and comparable state and foreign laws impose strict, joint and several liability for investigating and remediating the consequences of spills and other releases of hazardous materials, substances and wastes at current and former facilities, as well as third-party disposal sites. Other laws permit individuals to seek recovery of damages for alleged personal injury or property damage due to exposure to hazardous substances and conditions at our facilities or to hazardous substances otherwise owned, sold or controlled by us. Therefore, notwithstanding our commitment to environmental management and environmental health and safety, we may incur liabilities in the future, and these liabilities may result in a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Although our environmental policies and practices are designed to ensure compliance with international, federal and state laws and environmental regulations, future developments and increasingly stringent regulation could require us to make additional unforeseen environmental expenditures. In addition, our former operations, including our ink, wallcoverings, film, phosphate mining and processing, thermoplastics and food and dairy operations may give rise to claims relating to our period of ownership.

Our Boardcommitment to acting ethically is non-negotiable.

During this pandemic, we have implemented additional guidelines to further protect the business. Each employee has a responsibility to maintainhealth and advance the ethical valuessafety of the Company. In support of this, our employees receive trainingas we continue to emphasize the importance of complianceoperate with our Codesuppliers and customers. We have committed to maintaining a paramount focus on the safety of Conduct.our employees while minimizing potential disruptions caused by COVID-19. For example, we are following all legislatively-mandated travel directives in the various countries where we operate, and we have also put additional travel restrictions in place for our associates designed to reduce the risk from COVID-19. Additionally, we are utilizing extended work from home options to protect our office associates, while adjusting our meeting protocols and processes at our manufacturing sites.

The public may read and copy any materials that we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) aton the SEC’s Public Reference Roomwebsite at 100 F Street, NW, Washington, DC 20549. The public may obtain information about the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330.www.sec.gov. In addition, our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and amendments to these reports are available free of charge to the public through our internet website at www.hexion.com under “Investor Relations - SEC Filings” or. The content on the SEC’sany website at www.sec.gov.referenced in this filing is not incorporated by reference into this filing unless expressly noted otherwise.

Following are our principal risks. These factors may or may not occur, and we cannot express a view on the likelihood that any of these may occur. Other factors may exist that we do not consider significant based on information that is currently available or that we are not currently able to anticipate. Any of the following risks could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations and prospects.

Changes in global economic and financial market conditions could impact our business operations in a number of ways including, but not limited to, the following:

Raw materials costs made up approximately 70%75% of our cost of sales (excluding depreciation expense) in 2017.2020. The prices of our direct and indirect raw materials have been, and we expect them to continue to be, volatile. If the cost of direct or indirect raw materials increases significantly and we are unable to offset the increased costs with higher selling prices, our profitability will decline. Increases in prices for our products could also hurt our ability to remain both competitive and profitable in the markets in which we compete.

Although some of our materialsmaterial contracts include competitive price clauses that allow us to buy outside the contract if market pricing falls below contract pricing, and certain contracts have minimum-maximum monthly volume commitments that allow us to take advantage of spot pricing, we may be unable to purchase raw materials at market prices. In addition, some of our customer contracts have fixed prices for a certain term, and as a result, we may not be able to pass on raw material price increases to our customers immediately, if at all. Due to differences in timing of the pricing trigger points between our sales and purchase contracts, there is often a “lead-lag” impact. In many cases this “lead-lag” impact can negatively impact our margins in the short term in periods of rising raw material prices and positively impact them in the short term in periods of falling raw material prices. Future raw material prices may be impacted by new laws or regulations, suppliers’ allocations to other purchasers, changes in our supplier manufacturing processes as some of our products are byproducts of these processes, interruptions in production by suppliers, natural disasters, volatility in the price of crude oil and related petrochemical products and changes in exchange rates.

Our manufacturing operations require adequate supplies of raw materials and intermediate products on a timely basis. The loss of a key source or a delay in shipments could have a material adverse effect on our business. Raw material availability may be subject to curtailment or change due to, among other things:

Many of our raw materials and intermediate products are available in the quantities we require from a limited number of suppliers. Should any of our key suppliers fail to deliver these raw materials or intermediate products to us or no longer supply us, we may be unable to purchase these materials in necessary quantities, which could adversely affect our volumes, or may not be able to purchase them at prices that would allow us to remain competitive. During the past several years, certain of our suppliers have experienced force majeure events rendering them unable to deliver all, or a portion of, the contracted-for raw materials. On these occasions, we have been forced to limit production or were forced to purchase replacement raw materials in the open market at significantly higher costs or place our customers on an allocation of our products. In the past, some of our customers have chosen to discontinue or decrease the use of our products as a result of these measures. We have experienced force majeure events by certain of our suppliers which have had significant negative impacts on our business. For example, in 2014, Shell notified us of aover the past several years there have been various supply interruption event at its Moerdijk, Netherlands facility,events due to hurricanes, supplier production fires and other supply issues which provideshave impacted our ability to obtain key raw materials to us, and this event resulted in us allocating certain products to our customers through mid-2015, at which point the disruption was resolved. In addition,materials. Additionally, we cannot predict whether new regulations or restrictions may be imposed in the future which may result in reduced supply or further increases in prices. We cannot assure investors that we will be able to renew our current materials contracts or enter into replacement contracts on commercially acceptable terms, or at all. Fluctuations in the price of these or other raw materials or intermediate products, the loss of a key source of supply or any delay in the supply could result in a material adverse effect on our business.

Our production facilities are subject to hazards associated with the manufacturing, handling, storage and transportation of chemical materials and products, including human exposure to hazardous substances, pipeline and equipment leaks and ruptures, explosions, fires, inclement weather and natural disasters, mechanical failures, unscheduled downtime, transportation interruptions, remedial complications, chemical spills, discharges or releases of toxic or hazardous substances or gases, storage tank leaks and other environmental risks. Additionally, a number of our operations are adjacent to operations of independent entities that engage in hazardous and potentially dangerous activities. Our operations or adjacent operations could result in personal injury or loss of life, severe damage to or destruction of property or equipment, environmental damage, or a loss of the use of all or a portion of one of our key manufacturing facilities. Such events at our facilities, or adjacent third-party facilities, could have a material adverse effect on us.

We may incur losses beyond the limits or coverage of our insurance policies for liabilities that are associated with these hazards. In addition, various kinds of insurance for companies in the chemical industry have not been available on commercially acceptable terms, or, in some cases, have been unavailable altogether. In the future, we may not be able to obtain coverage at current levels, and our premiums may increase significantly on coverage that we maintain.

Our operations involve the use, handling, processing, storage, transportation and disposal of hazardous materials and are subject to extensive and complex U.S. federal, state, local and non-U.S. supranational, national, provincial, and local environmental, health and safety laws and regulations. These environmental laws and regulations include those that govern the discharge of pollutants into the air and water, the generation, use, storage, transportation, treatment and disposal of hazardous materials and wastes, the cleanup of contaminated sites, occupational health and safety and the safe operation of our equipment, and those requiring permits, licenses, or other government approvals for specified operations or activities. Our products are also subject to a variety of international, national, regional, state, and provincial requirements and restrictions applicable to the manufacture, import, export or subsequent use of such products. In addition, we are required to maintain, and may be required to obtain in the future, environmental, health and safety permits, licenses, or government approvals to continue current operations at most of our manufacturing and research facilities throughout the world.

Environmental, health and safety requirements change frequently and have tended to become more stringent over time. We cannot predict what environmental, health and safety laws and regulations or permit requirements will be enacted or amended in the future, how existing or future laws or regulations will be interpreted or enforced or the impact of such laws, regulations or permits on future production expenditures, supply chain or sales. Our costs of compliance with current and future environmental, health and safety requirements could be material. Such future requirements include legislation designed to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other substances associated with climate change (“greenhouse gases”). The European Union has enacted greenhouse gas emissions legislation and continues to expand the scope of such legislation. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (the “USEPA”) has promulgated regulations applicable to projects involving greenhouse gas emissions above a certain threshold, and the United States and certain states within the United States have enacted, or are considering, limitations on greenhouse gas emissions. These requirements to limit greenhouse gas emissions could significantly increase our energy costs, and may also require us to incur material capital costs to modify our manufacturing facilities.

In addition, we are subject to liability associated with hazardous substances in soil, groundwater and elsewhere at a number of sites. These include sites that we formerly owned or operated and sites where hazardous wastes and other substances from our current and former facilities and operations have been sent, treated, stored, or recycled or disposed of, as well as sites that we currently own or operate. Depending upon the circumstances, our liability may be strict, joint and several, meaning that we may be held responsible for more than our proportionate share, or even all, of the liability involved regardless of our fault or whether we are aware of the conditions giving rise to the liability. Even where liability has been allocated among parties, we may be subject to material changes in such allocation in the future for a number of reasons, including the discovery of new contamination, the insolvency of a responsible party, or a heightened nexus to the remediation site. Environmental conditions at these sites can lead to environmental cleanup liability and claims against us for personal injury or wrongful death, property damages and natural resource damages, as well as to claims and obligations for the investigation and cleanup of environmental conditions. The extent of any of these liabilities is difficult to predict, but in the aggregate such liabilities could be material.

We have been notified that we are or may be responsible for environmental remediation at a number of sites in North America, Europe and South America. We are also performing a number of voluntary cleanups. The most significant sites at which we are performing or participating in environmental remediation are sites formerly owned by us in Geismar, Louisiana and Plant City, Florida. As the result of former, current or future operations, there may be additional environmental remediation or restoration liabilities or claims of personal injury by employees or members of the public due to exposure or alleged exposure to hazardous materials in connection with our operations, properties or products. Sites sold by us in past years may have significant site closure or remediation costs and our share, if any, may be unknown to us at this time. These environmental liabilities or obligations, or any that may arise or become known to us in the future, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, cash flows and profitability.

Several governmental agencies have enacted, are considering or may consider in the future, regulations that may impact our ability to sell certain chemical products in certain geographic areas. The European Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals (“REACH”) regulation requires manufacturers, importers and consumers of certain chemicals manufactured in, or imported into, the European Union to register such chemicals and evaluate their potential impacts on human health and the environment. REACH may result in certain chemicals being further regulated, restricted or banned from use in the European Union. In addition, the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (“LCSA”) was signed into law on June 22, 2016, and updates and revises the Toxic Substances Control Act. LCSA requires the implementing agency to conduct risk evaluations on high priority chemicals, which could include chemical products we manufacture. Other countries have implemented, or are considering implementation of, similar chemical regulatory programs. When fully implemented, REACH, LCSA and other similar regulatory programs may result in significant adverse market impacts on the

Because of certain government public health agencies’ concerns regarding the potential for adverse human health effects, formaldehyde is a regulated chemical and public health agencies continue to evaluate its safety. A division of the World Health Organization, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, or IARC, and the National Toxicology Program, or NTP, within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, have classified formaldehyde as being carcinogenic to humans. The USEPA, under its Integrated Risk Information System, or IRIS, released a draft of its toxicological review of formaldehyde in 2010, stating that formaldehyde meets the criteria to be described as “carcinogenic to humans.” The National Academy of Sciences peer reviewed the draft IRIS toxicological review and issued a report in April 2011 that criticized the draft IRIS toxicological review and stated that the methodologies and the underlying science used in the draft IRIS review did not clearly support a conclusion of a causal link between formaldehyde exposure and leukemia. USEPA may or may not issue a revised draft IRIS toxicological review to reflect the NAS findings, including the conclusions regarding a causal link between formaldehyde exposure and leukemia. Formaldehyde has been designated to undergo a risk evaluation under the 2016 amended Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The TSCA review process for formaldehyde has started and a final risk determination is expected at the end of 2022. The risk evaluation will include an assessment of most consumer, general public and occupational exposure conditions of use. The final risk determinations will drive how the chemistry of formaldehyde and its many applications will be regulated going forward. A high-priority designation means the EPA has nominated formaldehyde for further risk evaluation. Effective January 1, 2016, ECHA classified formaldehyde as a Category 2 Mutagen, but rejected reclassificationinstead, classified it as a Category 1A Carcinogen.1B "presumed carcinogen. It is possible that new regulatory requirements could be promulgated to limit human exposure to formaldehyde, that we could incur substantial additional costs to meet any such regulatory requirements, and that there could be a reduction in demand for our formaldehyde-based products. These additional costs and reduced demand could have a material adverse effect on our operations and profitability.

Scientists periodically conduct studies on the potential human health and environmental impacts of chemicals, including products we manufacture and sell. Also, nongovernmental advocacy organizations and individuals periodically issue public statements alleging human health and environmental impacts of chemicals, including products we manufacture and sell. Based upon such studies or public statements, our customers may elect to discontinue the purchase and use of our products, even in the absence of any government regulation. Such actions could significantly decrease the demand for our products and, accordingly, have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, cash flows and profitability.

We cannot predict with certainty the cost of defense, of prosecution or of the ultimate outcome of litigation and other proceedings filed by or against us, including penalties or other civil or criminal sanctions, or remedies or damage awards, and adverse results in any litigation and other proceedings may materially harm our business. Litigation and other proceedings may include, but are not limited to, actions relating to intellectual property, international trade, commercial arrangements, product liability, environmental, health and safety, joint venture agreements, labor and employment or other harms resulting from the actions of individuals or entities outside of our control. In the case of intellectual property litigation and proceedings, adverse outcomes could include the cancellation, invalidation or other loss of material intellectual property rights used in our business and injunctions prohibiting our use of business processes or technology that are subject to third-party patents or other third-party intellectual property rights. Litigation based on environmental matters or exposure to hazardous substances in the workplace or based upon the use of our products could result in significant liability for us, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and/or profitability.

We produce hazardous chemicals that require care in handling and use that are subject to regulation by many U.S. and non-U.S. national, supra-national, state and local governmental authorities. In some circumstances, these authorities must review and, in some cases approve, our products and/or manufacturing processes and facilities before we may manufacture and sell some of these chemicals. To be able to manufacture and sell certain new chemical products, we may be required, among other things, to demonstrate to the relevant authority that the product does not pose an unreasonable risk during its intended uses and/or that we are capable of manufacturing the product in compliance with current regulations. The process of seeking any necessary approvals can be costly, time consuming and subject to unanticipated and significant delays. Approvals may not be granted to us on a timely basis, or at all. Any delay in obtaining, or any failure to obtain or maintain, these approvals would adversely affect our ability to introduce new products and to generate revenue from those products. New laws and regulations may be introduced in the future that could result in additional compliance costs, bans on product sales or use, seizures, confiscation, recall or monetary fines, any of which could prevent or inhibit the development, distribution or sale of our products and could increase our customers’ efforts to find less hazardous substitutes for our products. We are subject to ongoing reviews of our products and manufacturing processes.

As discussed above, we manufacture and sell products containing formaldehyde, and certain governmental bodies have stated that there is a causal link between formaldehyde exposure and certain types of cancer, including myeloid leukemia and NPC. These conclusions could adversely impact our business and also become the basis of product liability litigation.

We produce and use hazardous chemicals that require appropriate procedures and care to be used in handling them or in using them to manufacture other products. As a result of the hazardous nature of some of the products we produce and use, we may face claims relating to incidents that involve our customers’ improper handling, storage and use of our products. We have historically faced lawsuits, including class action lawsuits that claim liability for death, injury or property damage caused by products that we manufacture or that contain our components. Additionally, we may face lawsuits alleging personal injury or property damage by neighbors living near our production facilities. These lawsuits, and any future lawsuits, could result in substantial damage awards against us, which in turn could encourage additional lawsuits and could cause us to incur significant legal fees to defend such lawsuits, either of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and/or profitability. In addition, the activities of environmental action groups could result in litigation or damage to our reputation.

The storage, handling, manufacturing and transportation of chemicals at our facilities and adjacent facilities could result in leaks, spills, fires or explosions, which could result in production downtime, production delays, raw material supply delays, interruptions and environmental hazards. We have experienced incidents at our own facilities and a raw material supplier located adjacent to our facility that have resulted mostly in short term, but some long term, production delays. Production interruption may also result from severe weather, particularly with respect to our southern U.S. operations near the Gulf Coast. Production lapses caused by any such delays can often be absorbed by our other manufacturing facilities, and we maintain insurance to cover such potential events. However, such events could negatively affect our operations.

We have significant manufacturing and other operations outside the United States. Some of these operations are in jurisdictions with unstable political or economic conditions. There are numerous inherent risks in international operations, including, but not limited to:

Our international operations expose us to different local political and business risks and challenges. For example, we may face potential difficulties in staffing and managing local operations, and we may have to design local solutions to manage credit risks of local customers and distributors. In addition, some of our operations are located in regions that may be politically unstable, having particular exposure to riots, civil commotion or civil unrests,unrest, acts of war (declared or undeclared) or armed hostilities or other national or international calamity. In some of these regions, our status as a U.S. company also exposes us to increased risk of sabotage, terrorist attacks, interference by civil or military authorities or to greater impact from the national and global military, diplomatic and financial response to any future attacks or other threats.

In addition, intellectual property rights may be more difficult to enforce in non-U.S. or non-Western European countries.

If global economic and market conditions, or economic conditions in Europe, China, Brazil, Australia, the United States or other key markets remain uncertain or deteriorate further, the value of associated foreign currencies and the global credit markets may weaken. Additionally, general financial instability in countries where we do not transact a significant amount of business could have a contagion effect and contribute to the general instability and uncertainty within a particular region or globally. If this were to occur, it could adversely affect our customers and suppliers and in turn have a materially adverse effect on our international business and results of operations.

In 2017,2020, approximately 60%54% of our net sales originated outside the United States. In our consolidated financial statements, we translate our local currency financial results into U.S. dollars based on average exchange rates prevailing during a reporting period or the exchange rate at the end of that period. During times of a strengthening U.S. dollar, at a constant level of business, our reported international revenues and earnings would be reduced because the local currency would translate into fewer U.S. dollars.

In addition to currency translation risks, we incur a currency transaction risk whenever we enter into a purchase or a sales transaction or indebtedness transaction using a different currency from the currency in which we record revenues. Given the recent volatility of exchange rates, we may not manage our currency transaction and/or translation risks effectively, and volatility in currency exchange rates may materially adversely affect our financial condition or results of operations, including our tax obligations. Since the vast majority of our indebtedness is denominated in U.S. dollars, a strengthening of the U.S. dollar could make it more difficult for us to repay our indebtedness.

We have entered and expect to continue to enter into various hedging and other programs in an effort to protect against adverse changes in the non-U.S. exchange markets and attempt to minimize potential material adverse effects. These hedging and other programs may be unsuccessful in protecting against these risks. Our results of operations could be materially adversely affected if the U.S. dollar strengthens against non-U.S. currencies and our protective strategies are not successful. Likewise, a strengthening U.S. dollar provides opportunities to source raw materials more cheaply from foreign countries.

Oil and natural gas prices have fluctuated greatly over the past several years and we anticipate that they will continue to do so. Natural gas and electricity are essential to our manufacturing processes, which are energy-intensive. Our energy costs represented approximately 4% of our total cost of sales for the year ended December 31, 2017.2020.

Our operating expenses will increase if our energy prices increase. Increased energy prices may also result in greater raw materials costs. If we cannot pass these costs through to our customers, our profitability may decline. Increased energy costs may also negatively affect our customers and the demand for our products. In addition, as oil and natural gas prices fall, while having a positive effect on our overall costs, such falling prices can have a negative impact on our oilfield business, as the number of oil and natural gas wells drilled declines in response to market condition.

If energy prices decrease, we expect benefits in the short-run with decreased operating expenses and increased operating income, but may face increased pricing pressure from competitors that are similarly impacted by energy prices. As a result, profitability may decrease over an extended period of time of lower energy prices. Moreover, any future increases in energy prices after a period of lower energy prices may have an adverse impact on our profitability for the reasons described above.

Several of the markets that we operate in are highly competitive, and this competition could harm our results of operations, cash flows and financial condition. Our competitors include major international producers as well as smaller regional competitors. We believe that the most significant competitive factor that impacts demand for certain of our products is selling price. We may be forced to lower our selling price based on our competitors’ pricing decisions, which would reduce our profitability. Certain markets that we serve have become commoditized in recent years and have given rise to several industry participants, resulting in fierce price competition in these markets. In addition, we face competition from a number of products that are potential substitutes for our products. Growth in substitute products could adversely affect our market share, net sales and profit margins.

Additional trends include current and anticipated consolidation among our competitors and customers which may cause us to lose market share as well as put downward pressure on pricing. There is also a trend in our industries toward relocating manufacturing facilities to lower cost regions, such as Asia, which may permit some of our competitors to lower their costs and improve their competitive position. Furthermore, there has been an increase in new competitors based in these regions.

Some of our competitors are larger, have greater financial resources, have a lower cost structure, and/or have less debt than we do. As a result, those competitors may be better able to withstand a change in conditions within our industry and in the economy as a whole. If we do not compete successfully, our operating margins, financial condition, cash flows and profitability could be adversely affected. Furthermore, if we do not have adequate capital to invest in technology, including expenditures for research and development, our technology could be rendered uneconomical or obsolete, negatively affecting our ability to remain competitive.

We rely on the patent, trademark, copyright and trade-secret laws of the United States and the countries where we do business to protect our intellectual property rights. We may be unable to prevent third parties from using our intellectual property without our authorization. The unauthorized use of our intellectual property could reduce any competitive advantage we have developed, reduce our market share or otherwise harm our business. In the event of unauthorized use of our intellectual property, litigation to protect or enforce our rights could be costly, and we may not prevail.

Many of our technologies are not covered by any patent or patent application, and our issued and pending U.S. and non-U.S. patents may not provide us with any competitive advantage and could be challenged by third parties. Our inability to secure issuance of our pending patent applications may limit our ability to protect the intellectual property rights these pending patent applications were intended to cover. Our competitors may attempt to design around our patents to avoid liability for infringement and, if successful, our competitors could adversely affect our market share. Furthermore, the expiration of our patents may lead to increased competition.

Our pending trademark applications may not be approved by the responsible governmental authorities and, even if these trademark applications are granted, third parties may seek to oppose or otherwise challenge these trademark applications. A failure to obtain trademark registrations in the United States and in other countries could limit our ability to protect our products and their associated trademarks and impede our marketing efforts in those jurisdictions.

In addition, effective patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret protection may be unavailable or limited in some foreign countries. In some countries we do not apply for patent, trademark or copyright protection. We also rely on unpatented proprietary manufacturing expertise, continuing technological innovation and other trade secrets to develop and maintain our competitive position. While we generally enter into confidentiality agreements with our employees and third parties to protect our intellectual property, these confidentiality agreements are limited in duration and could be breached, and may not provide meaningful protection of our trade secrets or proprietary manufacturing expertise. Adequate remedies may not be available if there is an unauthorized use or disclosure of our trade secrets and manufacturing expertise. In addition, others may obtain knowledge about our trade secrets through independent development or by legal means. The failure to protect our processes, apparatuses, technology, trade secrets and proprietary manufacturing expertise, methods and compounds could have a material adverse effect on our business by jeopardizing critical intellectual property.

Where a product formulation or process is kept as a trade secret, third parties may independently develop or invent and patent products or processes identical to our trade-secret products or processes. This could have an adverse impact on our ability to make and sell products or use such processes and could potentially result in costly litigation in which we might not prevail.

Our production processes and products are specialized; however, we could face intellectual property infringement claims from our competitors or others alleging that our processes or products infringe on their proprietary technology. If we were subject to an infringement suit, we may be required to change our processes or products, or stop using certain technologies or producing the infringing product entirely. Even if we ultimately prevail in an infringement suit, the existence of the suit could cause our customers to seek other products that are not subject to infringement suits. Any infringement suit could result in significant legal costs and damages and impede our ability to produce key products, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our ability to operate our business and implement our strategies depends, in part, on the skills, experience and efforts of key members of our leadership team. We do not maintain any key-mankey-individual insurance on any of these individuals. In addition, our success will depend on, among other factors, our ability to attract and retain other managerial, scientific and technical qualified personnel, particularly research scientists, technical sales professionals, and engineers who have specialized skills required by our business and focused on the industries in which we compete. Competition for qualified employees in the chemicals industry is intense and the loss of the services of any of our key employees or the failure to attract or retain other qualified personnel could have a material adverse effect on our business or business prospects. Further, if any of these executives or employees joins a competitor, we could lose customers and suppliers and incur additional expenses to recruit and train personnel, who require time to become productive and to learn our business.

We may be unable to timely extend or renegotiate our collective bargaining agreements as they expire. We have collective bargaining agreements which will expire during the next two years. We also may be subject to strikes or work stoppages by, or disputes with, our labor unions. If we fail to extend or renegotiate our collective bargaining agreements, if disputes with our works councils or unions arise or if our unionized or represented workers engage in a strike or other work stoppage, we could incur higher labor costs or experience a significant disruption of operations, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position and results of operations.

We sponsor various pension and similar benefit plans worldwide.

In 2018, we do not expect to make any contributions to our U.S. defined benefit pension plan and2021, we expect to contribute approximately $23$3 and $33 to our U.S. and non-U.S. defined benefit pension plans, respectively, which we believe is sufficient to meet the minimum funding requirements as set forth in employee benefit and tax laws.

Our future funding obligations for our employee benefit plans depend upon the levels of benefits provided for by the plans, the future performance of assets set aside for these plans, the rates of interest used to determine funding levels, the impact of potential business dispositions, actuarial data and experience, and any changes in government laws and regulations. In addition, certain of our funded employee benefit plans hold a significant amount of equity securities. If the market values of these securities decline, our pension expense and funding requirements would increase and, as a result, could have a material adverse effect on our business.

We have selectively made, and may in the future, pursue divestitures of certain of our businesses as one element of our portfolio optimization strategy.strategy, including the recently announced Purchase Agreement for the sale of our PSR, Hexamine and European-based Forest Products Resins businesses. Divestitures may require us to separate integrated assets and personnel from our retained businesses and devote our resources to transitioning assets and services to purchasers, resulting in disruptions to our ongoing business and distraction of management. Divestitures may alter synergies we expect to continue to achieve from our ongoing cost reduction programs. In the event of a large divestiture, we could use a significant amount of net operating losses which could result in our U.S. Company incurring future cash taxes. In addition, divestitures may result in the retention of certain current and future liabilities as well as obligations to indemnify or reimburse a buyer for certain liabilities of a divested business. These potential obligations could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition if triggered.

In addition, we have made acquisitions of related businesses, and entered into joint ventures in the past and could selectively pursue acquisitions of, and joint ventures with, related businesses as one element of our growth strategy. If such acquisitions are consummated, the risk factors we describe above and below, and for our business generally, may be intensified.intensified or we may be subject to new risks as a result of such acquisitions.

Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 requires companies to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of their internal control over financial reporting. To comply with this statute, each year we are required to document and test our internal control over financial reporting, our management is required to assess and issue a report concerning our internal control over financial reporting.

The existence of one or more material weaknesses has previously resulted in, and could continue to result in, errors in our financial statements, and substantial costs and resources may be required to rectify these errors or other internal control deficiencies and may cause us to incur other costs, including potential legal expenses. If we cannot produce reliable financial reports, investors could lose confidence in our reported financial information, and we may be unable to obtain additional financing to operate and expand our business and our business and financial condition could be harmed.

There would be a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition if we were unable to service our indebtedness or obtain additional financing, as needed.

The terms governing our outstanding debt contain, and any future indebtedness we incur would likely contain, numerous restrictive covenants that impose significant operating and financial restrictions on our ability to, among other things:

A breach of our fixed charge coverage ratio covenant, if in effect, would result in an event of default under our ABL Facility. Pursuant to the terms of our ABL Facility, our direct parent company will have the right, but not the obligation, to cure such default through the purchase of additional equity in up to two of any four consecutive quarters and seven total during the term of the ABL Facility. If a breach of a fixed charge coverage ratio covenant is not cured or waived, or if any other event of default under the ABL Facility occurs, the lenders under such credit facility:

any or all of which could result in an event of default under our notes.

Our subsidiaries own a significant portion of our consolidated assets and conduct a significant portion of our consolidated operations. Repayment of our indebtedness depends, to a significant extent, on the generation of cash flows and the ability of our subsidiaries to make cash available to us by dividend, debt repayment or otherwise. Our subsidiaries may not be able to, or may not be permitted to, make distributions to enable us to make payments on our indebtedness. Each subsidiary is a distinct legal entity and, under certain circumstances, legal and contractual restrictions may limit our ability to obtain cash from subsidiaries. While there are limitations on the ability of our subsidiaries to incur consensual restrictions on their ability to pay dividends or make intercompany payments, these limitations are subject to certain qualifications and exceptions. In the event that we are unable to receive distributions from our subsidiaries, we may be unable to make required principal and interest payments on our indebtedness.

The majority of our facilities are used for the production of thermosetting resins, and most of them manufacture more than one type of thermosetting resin, the nature of which varies by site. These facilities typically use batch technology, and range in size from small sites, with a limited number of reactors, to larger sites, with dozens of reactors. One exception to this is our plantplants in Deer Park, Texas and Pernis, Netherlands are the only continuous-process epoxy resins plantplants in the world, which provides us with a cost advantage over conventional technology.

In addition, we have the ability to internally produce key intermediate materials such as formaldehyde, BPA, ECH, and versatic acid. This backward integration provides us with cost advantages and facilitates our adequacy of supply. These facilities are usually co-located with downstream resin manufacturing facilities they serve. As these intermediate materials facilities are often much larger than a typical resins plant, we can capture the benefits of manufacturing efficiency and scale by selling material that we do not use internally to third parties.

We believe our production and manufacturing facilities are well maintained and effectively utilized and are adequate to operate our business. Following are our more significant production and manufacturing facilities and executive offices:

For a discussion of certain other legal contingencies, refer to Note 814 in Item 8 of Part II of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

This item is not applicable to the registrant.

The following table presents our selected historical consolidated and combined financial data. The following information should be read in conjunction with, and is qualified by reference to, our “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and our audited Consolidated Financial Statements, as well as the other financial information included elsewhere herein.

We are a large participant in the specialty chemicals industry, one of the world’s largest producers of thermosetting resins, or thermosets, and a leading producer of adhesive and structural resins and coatings. Thermosets are a critical ingredient for most paints, coatings, glues and other adhesives produced for consumer or industrial uses. We provide a broad array of thermosets and associated technologies and have significant market positions in all of the key markets that we serve.

Our products are used in thousands of applications and are sold into diverse markets, such as forest products, architectural and industrial paints, packaging, consumer products and automotive coatings, as well as higher growth markets, such as wind energy and electrical composites. Major industry sectors that we serve include industrial/marine, construction, consumer/durable goods, automotive, wind energy, aviation, electronics, architectural, civil engineering, repair/remodeling and oil and gas drilling. Key drivers for our business include general economic and industrial conditions, including housing starts and auto build rates and active oil and gas drilling rigs.rates. In addition, due to the nature of our products and the markets we serve, competitor capacity constraints and the availability of similar products in the market may impact our results. As is true for many industries, our financial results are impacted by the effect on our customers of economic upturns or downturns, as well as by the impact on our own costs to produce, sell and deliver our products. Our customers use most of our products in their production processes. As a result, factors that impact their industries can and have significantly affected our results.

Through our worldwide network of strategically located production facilities, we serve more than 3,3002,900 customers in approximately 9086 countries. Our global customers include large companies in their respective industries, such as 3M, Akzo Nobel, BASF, Bayer, Dow,Norbord, Louisiana Pacific, Monsanto,Bayer, Owens Corning, PPG Industries, ValsparSherwin Williams, Sinoma, Aeolon and Weyerhaeuser.

As a significant player in the specialty chemicals industry, we believe we have unique opportunities to strategically grow our business over the long term. Our products are well aligned with global mega-trends. We continue to develop new products withbelieve growth in many of our key applications is being driven by an emphasis on innovationincreasing need for lighter, stronger, higher performance and expanding our product solutions for our existing global customer base, while growing our businessesengineered materials in potential high growth regions in the world,many end markets such as Asia-Pacific, Latin Americaaerospace, automotive, energy, and the Middle East.construction. Population growth is expected to result in ever increasing demands for more sustainable solutions in energy, such as wind turbines, agriculture, low-emitting coatings, carbon efficient buildings through engineered structural wood, lightweighting composite applications, and improved fire, smoke and toxicity performance. Through these growth strategies, we strive to create shareholder value and generate solid operating cash flow.

Our business segments arebusinesses have been designated by many governments as essential businesses and our operations have continued through December 31, 2020. While we have continued to operate during the pandemic, we did incur adverse financial impacts to our sales and profitability results during the year ended December 31, 2020 from COVID-19, primarily related to reduced volumes. The pandemic has impacted global economic conditions and lowered demand in many of the end use markets in which the Company operates such as automotive, aerospace, industrial products, oil and gas, construction and housing. The ultimate impact that COVID-19 will have on our future financial position, operating results and cash flows involves numerous risks and uncertainties, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity and duration of COVID-19 and actions to contain the virus or treat its impact.

On September 27, 2020, we entered into a definitive agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) for the sale of our Phenolic Specialty Resins ("PSR"), Hexamine and European-based Forest Products Resins businesses (together with PSR, the “Held for Sale Business”) to Black Diamond Capital Management, LLC and Investindustrial (the “Buyers”) for a purchase price of approximately $425. The consideration consists of $335 in cash and certain assumed liabilities with the remainder in future contingent proceeds based on the performance of the Held for Sale Business. The sale is subject to customary closing conditions, including European Works Council consultation, and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2021.

Following are highlights from our results of continuing operations for the years ended December 31, 20172020 and 2016:2019:

Within our Adhesives segment, we anticipate improvement in Segment EBITDA within our North American forest products resins business due to ongoing growthin 2021 based on the latest expectations in U.S. housing starts, remodeling and remodeling. Further, we anticipate modest overall improvementongoing macroeconomic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. We also expect that continued economic recovery will positively impact our North American formaldehyde business in our Latin American forest products resins business due to recovery in the Brazilian economy.2021.

We also anticipate that our businesses will continue to benefit from the savings associated with our restructuring and cost reduction initiatives. In addition, we expect our base epoxy businesslower raw material costs to continue to improve in 2018 due topositively impact results across many of our restructuring initiatives and favorable market conditions. Additionally,businesses. Further, we expect demand in our epoxy specialty business to remain below historical levels due to softnessare in the China wind energy market, although demand is expectedprocess of implementing various efficiency initiatives, which include process improvement and other productivity projects. The benefits of our new capital structure and decreasing working capital will continue to stabilizehave a positive impact on free cash flow in the first half2021.

Lastly, our recent announcement of 2018. We also expect this business to benefit from significant improvements in market demand for waterborne coatings over the next few years, primarily in China. Lastly, we expect our phenolic resins business to benefit from cost reductions associated with our recently completed grid optimization efforts in Germany.

As a result of the Companyemerging from Chapter 11 and its majority-owned subsidiariesqualifying for the application of fresh-start accounting, at the Effective Date, our assets and liabilities were recorded at their estimated fair values which, in some cases, are significantly different than amounts included in our financial statements prior to the Effective Date. Accordingly, our financial condition and results of operations on and after the Effective Date are not directly comparable to our financial condition and results of operations prior to the Effective Date. The total amount of reorganization and fresh start adjustments, as well as incremental costs incurred related to our Bankruptcy Petitions incurred while we were in bankruptcy resulted in a total gain of $2,970 for our continuing operations which minority shareholders hold no substantive participating rights. Intercompany accounts and transactions are eliminated in consolidation.

In addition, we incurred costs related to our Chapter 11 proceedings both prior to filing for bankruptcy and post-emergence, which are not classified within “Reorganization items, net” as these divested businesses. Additionally,costs were not incurred while in 2016 we recorded a gainbankruptcy. These costs were $29 for the year ended December 31, 2019 and are classified within “Selling, general and administrative expense” in the Consolidated Statements of $240 on the disposition of these businesses.

We expect long-term raw material cost volatility to continue because of price movements of key feedstocks. To help mitigate raw material volatility, we have purchase and sale contracts and commercial arrangements with many of our vendors and customers that contain periodic price adjustment mechanisms. Due to differences in timing of the pricing trigger points between our sales and purchase contracts, there is often a “lead-lag” impact. In many cases this “lead-lag” impact can negatively impact our margins in the short term in periods of rising raw material prices and positively impact them in the short term in periods of falling raw material prices.

Under our accounting policy related to the recognition of gains and losses for pension and OPEB plans, upon the annual remeasurement of our pension and OPEB plans in the fourth quarter, or on an interim basis as triggering events warrant, we immediately recognize gains and losses as a mark-to-market (“MTM”) gain or loss through net income. The largest component of our pension and OPEB expense typically relates to these MTM adjustments. We recorded a MTM loss of $4 in 2020, a MTM loss of $5 for the Successor period July 2, 2019 to December 31, 2019 and a MTM gain of $13 in 2018. These MTM adjustments were largely driven by fluctuations in discount rates, which wereincreased in 2018 and decreased in both 2019 and 2020. In addition, a MTM loss of $44 was recorded upon Emergence, driven by reductions in discount rates, which was included within “Reorganization items, net” on the Consolidated Statement of Operations for the Predecessor period January 1, 2019 through July 1, 2019. These MTM adjustments are recognized in “Other non-operating (income) expense, net” in the Consolidated Statements of Operations for the years ended, December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015 as follows:Operations.