Graphic Packaging Holding Company (“GPHC” and, together with its subsidiaries, the “Company”) is committed to providing consumer packaging that makes a world of difference. The Company is a leading provider of sustainable, fiber-based consumer packaging solutions for a wide variety of products to food, beverage, foodservice and other consumer products companies. The Company operates on a global basis, is one of the largest producers of folding cartons in the United States ("U.S.") and Europe, and holds leading market positions in coated-recycled paperboard ("CRB"), coated unbleached kraft paperboard ("CUK") and solid bleached sulfate paperboard ("SBS").

The Company’s customers include many of the world’s most widely recognized companies and brands with prominent market positions in beverage, food, foodservice, and other consumer products. The Company strives to provide its customers with innovative sustainable packaging solutions designed to deliver marketing and performance benefits at a competitive cost by capitalizing on its low-cost paperboard mills and converting plants, its proprietary carton and packaging designs, and its commitment to quality and service.

On January 1, 2018, GPHC, a Delaware corporation, International Paper Company, a New York corporation (“IP”), Graphic Packaging International Partners, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company formerly known as Gazelle Newco LLC and a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company (“GPIP”), and Graphic Packaging International, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company formerly known as Graphic Packaging International, Inc. and a direct subsidiary of GPIP (“GPIL”), completed a series of transactions pursuant to an agreement dated October 23, 2017 among the foregoing parties (the “Transaction Agreement”). Pursuant to the Transaction Agreement (i) a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company transferred its ownership interest in GPIL to GPIP; (ii) IP transferred its North America Consumer Packaging (“NACP”) business to GPIP, which was then subsequently transferred to GPIL; (iii) GPIP issued membership interests to IP, and IP was admitted as a member of GPIP; and (iv) GPIL assumed certain indebtedness of IP (the "NACP Combination").

During 2020, GPIP purchased 32.5 million partnership units from IP for $500 million in cash, fully redeeming the 18.2 million partnership units that were required to be redeemed in cash. On February 16, 2021, the Company announced that IP had notified the Company of its intent to exchange additional partnership units. Per an agreement between the parties, on February 19, 2021, GPIP purchased 9.3 million partnership units from IP for $150 million in cash, and IP exchanged 15.3 million partnership units for an equivalent number of shares of GPHC common stock. On May 21, 2021, IP exchanged its remaining 22.8 million partnership units for an equivalent number of shares of GPHC common stock. As required by the parties' agreement, these shares were immediately sold by IP. As a result, IP has no ownership interest remaining in GPIP as of May 21, 2021.

In connection with both the February 19, 2021 and May 21, 2021 exchanges, pursuant to elections under Section 754 of the Internal Revenue Code, the Company obtained an increase with respect to the tax basis in the assets of GPIP and certain of its subsidiaries. As a result, payments pursuant to the Tax Receivable Agreement (“TRA”), executed in connection with the formation of GPIP on January 1, 2018, are required. The TRA provides for the payment by the Company to IP of 50% of the present value of any tax benefits projected to be realized by the Company upon IP’s exchange of its membership interest into GPHC stock. As such, the Company recorded TRA liabilities of $43 million and $66 million, for the February 19, 2021 and May 21, 2021 exchanges, respectively. The TRA liabilities were recorded through adjustments to Capital in Excess of Par Value during the first and second quarters of 2021, respectively. In accordance with the terms of the TRA, the Company settled the liability for the February exchange during the third quarter and settled the liability for the May exchange during the fourth quarter of 2021. Additionally, the Company recorded an adjustment through Capital in Excess of Par Value to decrease its net domestic Deferred Tax Liability (“DTL”) by $175 million in connection with both the February and May exchanges. The decrease in the DTL reflects the change in the outside basis difference associated with the Company’s investment in GPIP and includes the impact of the tax basis step up triggered by the exchanges pursuant to Section 754 of the Internal Revenue Code in addition to other changes to book and tax basis as a result of the Company’s increased ownership interest in GPIP.

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of net sales and expenses during the reporting periods. Actual results could differ from these estimates, and changes in these estimates are recorded when known. Estimates are used in accounting for, among other things, pension benefits, retained insurable risks, slow-moving and obsolete inventory, allowance for doubtful accounts, useful lives for depreciation and amortization, impairment testing of goodwill and long-lived assets, fair values related to acquisition accounting, fair value of derivative financial instruments, share based compensation, deferred income tax assets and potential income tax assessments, and loss contingencies.

Accounts receivable are stated at the amount owed by the customer, net of an allowance for estimated uncollectible accounts, returns and allowances, and cash discounts. The allowance for doubtful accounts is estimated based on historical experience, current economic conditions and the creditworthiness of customers. Receivables are charged to the allowance when determined to be no longer collectible.

The Company has entered into agreements to sell, on a revolving basis, certain trade accounts receivable to third party financial institutions. Transfers under these agreements meet the requirements to be accounted for as sales in accordance with the Transfers and Servicing topic of the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") Accounting Standards Codification (the "Codification"). The loss on sale is not material and is included in Other (Income) Expense, Net line item on the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations. The following table summarizes the activity under these programs for the year ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively:

The Company participates in supply chain financing arrangements offered by certain customers and has entered into various factoring arrangements that also qualify for sale accounting in accordance with the Transfers and Servicing topic of the FASB Codification. For the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, the Company sold receivables of $693 million and $368 million respectively, related to these factoring arrangements.

The Company’s cash, cash equivalents, and accounts receivable are potentially subject to concentration of credit risk. Cash and cash equivalents are placed with financial institutions that management believes are of high credit quality. Accounts receivable are derived from revenue earned from customers located in the U.S. and internationally and generally do not require collateral. For the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020, and 2019, no customer accounted for more than 10% of net sales.

Inventories are stated at the lower of cost and net realizable value with cost determined based on standard (which approximates actual), average or actual cost. Work in progress and finished goods inventories are valued at the cost of raw material consumed plus direct manufacturing costs (such as labor, utilities and supplies) as incurred and an applicable portion of manufacturing overhead. Inventories are stated net of an allowance for slow-moving and obsolete inventory.

Property, plant and equipment are recorded at cost. Betterments, renewals and extraordinary repairs that extend the life of the asset are capitalized; other repairs and maintenance charges are expensed as incurred. The Company’s cost and related accumulated depreciation applicable to assets retired or sold are removed from the accounts and the gain or loss on disposition is included in income from operations.

Interest is capitalized on assets under construction for one year or longer with an estimated spending of $1 million or more. The capitalized interest is recorded as part of the asset to which it relates and is amortized over the asset’s estimated useful life. Capitalized interest was $14 million, $7 million and $3 million for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

The Company assesses its long-lived assets, including certain identifiable intangibles, for impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset may not be recoverable. To analyze recoverability, the Company projects future cash flows, undiscounted and before interest, over the remaining life of such assets. If these projected cash flows are less than the carrying amount, an impairment would be recognized, resulting in a write-down of assets with a corresponding charge to earnings. The impairment loss is measured based upon the difference between the carrying amount and the fair value of the assets. The Company assesses the appropriateness of the useful life of its long-lived assets periodically.


	December 31, 2021						December 31, 2020
In millions	Gross Carrying Amount		Accumulated Amortization		Net Carrying Amount		Gross Carrying Amount		Accumulated Amortization		Net Carrying Amount
Amortizable Intangible Assets:
Customer Relationships(a)	$	1,462	$	(621)	$	841	$	965	$	(556)	$	409

Patents, Trademarks, Licenses, and Leases	140		(113)		27		141		(113)		28

Total	$	1,602	$	(734)	$	868	$	1,106	$	(669)	$	437

The Company tests goodwill for impairment at the reporting unit level, which is an operating segment or a level below an operating segment, which is referred to as a component. A component of an operating segment is a reporting unit if the component constitutes a business for which discrete financial information is available and management regularly reviews the operating results of that component. Two or more components of an operating segment are aggregated and deemed a single reporting unit if the components have similar economic characteristics.

Potential goodwill impairment is measured at the reporting unit level by comparing the reporting unit’s carrying amount (including goodwill), to the fair value of the reporting unit. When performing the quantitative analysis, the estimated fair value of each reporting unit is determined by utilizing a discounted cash flow analysis based on the Company’s forecasts, discounted using a weighted average cost of capital and market indicators of terminal year cash flows based upon a multiple of EBITDA. If the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its estimated fair value, goodwill is considered impaired. In determining fair value, management relies on and considers a number of factors, including but not limited to, future operating results, business plans, economic projections of revenues and operating margins, forecasts including future cash flows, and market data and analysis, including market capitalization. The assumptions used are based on what a hypothetical market participant would use in estimating fair value. Fair value determinations are sensitive to changes in the factors described above. There are inherent uncertainties related to these factors and judgments in applying them to the analysis of goodwill impairment.

Periodically, the Company may perform a qualitative impairment analysis of goodwill associated with each of its reporting units to determine if it is more likely than not that the carrying value of a reporting unit exceeded its fair value. However, the Company performed a quantitative impairment test as of October 1, 2021, and concluded goodwill was not impaired for any of its reporting units.


In millions	Paperboard Mills		Americas Paperboard Packaging		Europe Paperboard Packaging		Corporate/Other(a)		Total
Balance at December 31, 2019	$	507	$	897	$	60	$	14	$	1,478



Acquisition of Businesses	—		—		—		—		—

Foreign Currency Effects	(1)		3		(1)		(1)		—
Balance at December 31, 2020	$	506	$	900	$	59	$	13	$	1,478

Acquisition of Businesses	—		68		475		—		543

Foreign Currency Effects	—		—		(6)		—		(6)
Balance at December 31, 2021	$	506	$	968	$	528	$	13	$	2,015

It is the Company’s policy to self-insure or fund a portion of certain expected losses related to group health benefits and workers’ compensation claims. Provisions for expected losses are recorded based on the Company’s estimates, on an undiscounted basis, of the aggregate liabilities for known claims and estimated claims incurred but not reported.

Asset retirement obligations are accounted for in accordance with the provisions of the Asset Retirement and Environmental Obligations topic of the FASB Codification. A liability and asset are recorded equal to the present value of the estimated costs associated with the retirement of long-lived assets where a legal or contractual obligation exists and the liability can be reasonably estimated. The liability is accreted over time and the asset is depreciated over the remaining life of the asset. Upon settlement of the liability, the Company will recognize a gain or loss for any difference between the settlement amount and the liability recorded. Asset retirement obligations with indeterminate settlement dates are not recorded until such time that a reasonable estimate may be made. The Company's asset retirement obligations consist primarily of landfill closure and post-closure costs at certain of our mills. At December 31, 2021 and 2020, the Company had liabilities of $12 million and $11 million, respectively. The liabilities are primarily reflected as Other Noncurrent Liabilities in the Company's Consolidated Balance Sheets.

The functional currency of the international subsidiaries is usually the local currency for the country in which the subsidiaries own their primary assets. The translation of the applicable currencies into U.S. dollars is performed for balance sheet accounts using current exchange rates in effect at the balance sheet date and for revenue and expense accounts using an average exchange rate during the period. Any related translation adjustments are recorded directly to a separate component of Shareholders’ Equity, unless there is a sale or substantially complete liquidation of the underlying foreign investments. Gains and losses on foreign currency transactions are included in Other Expense, Net for the period in which the exchange rate changes.

The Company pursues a currency hedging program which utilizes derivatives to reduce the impact of foreign currency exchange fluctuations on its consolidated financial results. Under this program, the Company has entered into forward exchange contracts in the normal course of business to hedge certain foreign currency denominated transactions. Realized and unrealized gains and losses on these forward contracts are included in the measurement of the basis of the related foreign currency transaction when recorded.

The Company has two primary activities, manufacturing and converting paperboard, from which it generates revenue from contracts with customers. Revenue is disaggregated primarily by geography and type of activity as further explained in "Note 15 - Business Segment and Geographic Area Information." All reportable segments and the Australia and Pacific Rim operating segments recognize revenue under the same method, allocate transaction price using similar methods, and have similar economic factors impacting the uncertainty of revenue and related cash flows.

Revenue is recognized on the Company's annual and multi-year supply contracts when the Company satisfies the performance obligation by transferring control over the product or service to a customer, which is generally based on shipping terms and passage of title under the point-in-time method of recognition. For the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, the Company recognized $7,131 million, $6,537 million and $6,141 million, respectively, of revenue from contracts with customers.

The transaction price allocated to each performance obligation consists of the stand-alone selling price, estimates of rebates and other sales or contract renewal incentives, and cash discounts and sales returns ("Variable Consideration") and excludes sales tax. Estimates are made for Variable Consideration based on contract terms and historical experience of actual results and are applied to the performance obligations as they are satisfied. Purchases by the Company’s principal customers are manufactured and shipped with minimal lead time, therefore performance obligations are generally satisfied shortly after manufacturing and shipment. The Company uses standard payment terms that are consistent with industry practice.

The Company's contract assets consist primarily of contract renewal incentive payments to customers which are amortized over the period in which performance obligations related to the contract renewal are satisfied. As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, contract assets were $17 million and $15 million, respectively. The Company's contract liabilities consist principally of rebates, and as of December 31, 2021 and 2020 were $61 million and $56 million, respectively.

Research and development costs, which relate primarily to the development and design of new packaging machines and products and are recorded as a component of Selling, General and Administrative expenses, are expensed as incurred. Expenses for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019 were $10 million, $10 million and $9 million, respectively.

During 2019, the Company announced its plans to invest in a new CRB paper machine in Kalamazoo, Michigan. At the time of the announcement, the Company expected to close two of its smaller CRB Mills in 2022 in order to remain capacity neutral. During the third quarter of 2021, the Company decided to continue to operate one of the two original smaller CRB mills at least through 2022. Severance, retention, start-up costs, and other charges associated with this project are included in Exit Activities in the table above. For more information, see "Note 18 - Exit Activities."

During 2019, the Company began a three-year program to dismantle and dispose of idle and abandoned assets primarily at the paperboard mills. Charges related to this program for 2021 and 2020 were $25 million and $14 million, respectively. Charges associated with this program are included in Shutdown and Other Special Charges in the table above.

On July 1, 2021, the Company acquired substantially all the assets of Americraft Carton Inc. ("Americraft"), the largest remaining independent folding carton converter in North America for $292 million. The acquisition included seven converting plants across the United States and is reported within the Americas Paperboard Packaging reportable segment. Charges associated with this acquisition are included in Charges Associated with Business Combinations in the table above. For more information, see "Note 4 - Business Combinations."

On November 1, 2021, the Company acquired all the shares of AR Packaging Group AB ("AR Packaging"), Europe's second largest producer of fiber-based consumer packaging, for $1,412 million in cash, net of cash acquired of $75 million, subject to customary adjustments. The acquisition included 30 converting plants in 13 countries and is reported within the Europe Paperboard Packaging reportable segment. The costs associated with this acquisition are included in Charges Associated with Business Combinations in the table above. For more information, see "Note 4 - Business Combinations."

On January 31, 2020, the Company acquired a folding carton facility from Quad/Graphics, Inc. ("Quad"), a commercial printing company. The converting facility is located in Omaha, Nebraska and is included in the Americas Paperboard Packaging reportable segment. The Company paid $41 million using existing cash and borrowings under its revolving credit facility. The costs associated with this acquisition are included in Charges Associated with Business Combinations in the table above. During the first quarter of 2021, the acquisition accounting for Quad was finalized. For more information, see "Note 4 - Business Combinations."

On April 1, 2020, the Company acquired the Consumer Packaging Group business from Greif, Inc. ("Greif"), a leader in industrial packaging products and services. The acquisition included seven converting plants across the United States and will allow the company to increase its mill-to-converting plant integration over time. The Company paid approximately $80 million using existing cash and borrowings under its revolving credit facility. The costs associated with this acquisition are included in Charges Associated with Business Combinations in the table above. During the second quarter of 2021, the acquisition accounting for Greif was finalized. For more information, see "Note 4 - Business Combinations."

In June 2020, the Company made the decision to close certain converting plants that were acquired from Greif. The Burlington, North Carolina converting facility and the Los Angeles, California converting facility were closed during 2020. Charges associated with these projects are included in Exit Activities in the table above. For more information, see "Note 18- Exit Activities."

The Company has established estimated liabilities related to the partial or complete withdrawal from certain multi-employment benefit plans for facilities which have been closed. During the second quarter of 2020, the Company increased its estimated withdrawal liability for these plans by $12 million. During the fourth quarter of 2020, the Company entered into a settlement agreement with one of its closed multi-employment benefit plans and recorded a $4 million reduction in its estimated withdrawal liability for this plan. These items were recorded in Shutdown and Other Special Charges in the table above. For more information, see "Note 8 - Pensions and Other Postretirement Benefits."

During 2020, the Company incurred incremental costs associated with paying payroll to employees during necessary quarantines due to COVID-19. In addition, the Company made one-time payments to front-line production employees and made contributions to local food banks in the communities where our manufacturing operations are located. The charges associated with these costs and payments were recorded in Shutdown and Other Special Charges in the table above.

On August 1, 2019, the Company acquired substantially all the assets of Artistic Carton Company ("Artistic"), a diversified producer of folding cartons and CRB. The acquisition included two converting plants located in Auburn, Indiana and Elgin, Illinois (included in the Americas Paperboard Packaging reportable segment) and one CRB paperboard mill located in White Pigeon, Michigan (included in the Paperboard Mills reportable segment).

On January 28, 2019, GPHC's board of directors authorized an additional share repurchase program to allow GPHC to purchase up to $500 million of GPHC's issued and outstanding shares of common stock through open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions and Rule 10b5-1 plans (the "2019 share repurchase program"). A previous $250 million share repurchase program was authorized on January 10, 2017 (the "2017 share repurchase program").

In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes. This amendment modifies ASC 740 to simplify the accounting for income taxes. The guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2020. The Company adopted this new guidance during the three months ended March 31, 2021. The Company’s adoption did not result in any changes in accounting principle upon transition and the impact to the Company’s overall financial statements is immaterial.

In March 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-04, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting. This standard provides temporary optional expedients and exceptions for applying GAAP guidance on contract modifications and hedge accounting to ease the financial reporting burdens of the expected market transition from the LIBOR and other interbank offered rates to alternative reference rates, such as the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”). The ASU can be adopted after its issuance date through December 31, 2022. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this new accounting guidance.

In October 2021, the FASB issued ASU No. 2021-08, Business Combinations (Topic 805): Accounting for Acquired Contract Assets and Contract Liabilities. Under the new guidance, the acquirer should determine what contract assets and/or contract liabilities it would have recorded under ASC 606 as of the acquisition date, as if the acquirer had entered into the original contract at the same date and on the same terms as the acquiree. The recognition and measurement of those contract assets and contract liabilities will likely be comparable to what the acquiree has recorded on its books under ASC 606 as of the acquisition date. ASU 2021-08 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted, including in an interim period, for any period for which financial statements have not yet been issued. However, adoption in an interim period other than the first fiscal quarter requires an entity to apply the new guidance to all prior business combinations that have occurred since the beginning of the annual period in which the new guidance is adopted. The Company is currently evaluating the adoption date of ASU 2021-08 and the impact, if any, adoption will have on its financial position and results of operations.