Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements of Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc. (the “Company”) have been prepared pursuant to generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information and the rules and regulations of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) for Form 10-Q, including Article 10 of Regulation S-X. The year-end condensed consolidated balance sheet data was derived from audited financial statements, but does not include all disclosures required by U.S. GAAP. Certain information and note disclosures normally included in annual financial statements have been condensed or omitted pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC. In the opinion of management, all normal, recurring adjustments considered necessary for a fair statement have been included. Management suggests that these Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended August 31, 2016. The results for the three and nine months ended May 31, 2017 and 2016 are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations for the entire fiscal year.

Accounting Changes

In January 2017, an accounting standard update was issued that eliminates the second step of the two-step goodwill impairment test. Under the revised guidance, an entity applies a one-step quantitative test and records the amount of goodwill impairment as the excess of a reporting unit's carrying amount over its fair value, not to exceed the total amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. To reduce the complexity of the goodwill impairment test, the Company early-adopted the new requirement as of the beginning of the third quarter of fiscal 2017 with no impact to the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. The Company will apply the amendments to future goodwill impairment tests. See the Goodwill section of this Note for further detail.

Discontinued Operations

The results of discontinued operations are presented separately, net of tax, from the results of ongoing operations for all periods presented. The expenses included in the results of discontinued operations are the direct operating expenses incurred by the disposed components that may be reasonably segregated from the costs of the ongoing operations of the Company. Asset impairments related to the disposed components are also included in the results of discontinued operations. See Note 10 - Discontinued Operations and the Asset Impairment Charges section of this Note for further detail.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents include short-term securities that are not restricted by third parties and have an original maturity date of 90 days or less. Included in accounts payable are book overdrafts representing outstanding checks in excess of funds on deposit of $4 million and $3 million as of May 31, 2017 and August 31, 2016, respectively.

Assets Held for Sale

An asset is classified as held for sale upon meeting certain criteria specified in the accounting standards. An asset classified as held for sale is measured at the lower of its carrying amount or fair value less cost to sell with no further adjustments for depreciation. During the nine months ended May 31, 2016, the Company recorded an impairment charge for the initial and subsequent write-down of certain equipment assets held for sale of $2 million, which is reported within other asset impairment charges (recoveries), net in the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. The Company determined fair value using Level 3 inputs under the fair value hierarchy consisting of information provided by brokers and other external sources along with management's own assumptions. Assets held for sale were less than $1 million as of August 31, 2016. The Company did not have any assets held for sale as of May 31, 2017.

During the third quarter of fiscal 2017, the Company sold equipment assets that had been classified as held for sale prior to being fully impaired in fiscal 2015. The Company recorded a gain on the sale of $1 million, which is reported within other asset impairment charges (recoveries), net in the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.

Long-Lived Assets

The Company tests long-lived tangible and intangible assets for impairment at the asset group level, which is determined based on the lowest level for which identifiable cash flows are largely independent of the cash flows of other groups of assets and liabilities. For the Company's metals recycling operations, an asset group is generally comprised of the regional shredding and export operation along with surrounding feeder yards. For regions with no shredding and export operations, each metals recycling yard is an asset group. For the Company's auto parts operations, generally each auto parts store is an asset group. The Company's steel manufacturing business is a single asset group. The Company tests its asset groups for impairment when certain triggering events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of the asset group may be impaired. If the carrying value of the asset group is not recoverable because it exceeds the Company’s estimate of future undiscounted cash flows from the use and eventual disposition of the asset group, an impairment loss is recognized by the amount the carrying value exceeds its fair value, if any. The impairment loss is allocated to the long-lived assets of the group on a pro rata basis using the relative carrying amounts of those assets, except that the loss allocated to an individual long-lived asset of the group shall not reduce the carrying amount of that asset below its fair value. Fair value is determined primarily using the cost and market approaches.

During the three and nine months ended May 31, 2016, the Company recorded impairment charges on long-lived tangible and intangible assets associated with certain regional metals recycling operations and used auto parts store locations.

With respect to individual long-lived assets, changes in circumstances may merit a change in the estimated useful lives or salvage values of the assets, which are accounted for prospectively in the period of change. For such assets, the useful life is shortened based on the Company's current plans to dispose of or abandon the asset before the end of its original useful life and depreciation is accelerated beginning when that determination is made. During the nine months ended May 31, 2017, the Company recognized accelerated depreciation primarily due to shortening the useful lives of decommissioned machinery and equipment assets. During the nine months ended May 31, 2016, the Company recognized accelerated depreciation due to shortened useful lives in connection with site closures and idled equipment.

See the Asset Impairment Charges section of this Note for tabular presentation of long-lived asset impairment charges and accelerated depreciation. Long-lived asset impairment charges and accelerated depreciation are reported in the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations within (1) other asset impairment charges (recoveries), net; (2) restructuring charges and other exit-related activities, if related to a site closure not qualifying for discontinued operations reporting; or (3) loss from discontinued operations, if related to a component of the Company qualifying for discontinued operations reporting.

Investments in Joint Ventures

A loss in value of an investment in a joint venture is recognized when the decline is other than temporary. Management considers all available evidence to evaluate the realizable value of its investments including the length of time and the extent to which the fair value has been less than cost, the financial condition and near-term prospects of the joint venture business, and the Company’s intent and ability to retain the investment for a period of time sufficient to allow for any anticipated recovery in fair value. Once management determines that an other-than-temporary impairment exists, the investment is written down to its fair value, which establishes a new cost basis. The Company determines fair value using Level 3 inputs under the fair value hierarchy using an income approach based on a discounted cash flow analysis. During the nine months ended May 31, 2016, the Company recorded an impairment charge of $2 million related to an investment in a joint venture, which is reported within other asset impairment charges (recoveries), net in the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.

During the nine months ended May 31, 2017, one of the Company's other joint venture interests sold real estate resulting in recognition of a $6 million gain by the joint venture, $3 million of which is attributable to the Company's investment. The Company's share of the gain is reported within (income) loss from joint ventures in the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations for the nine months ended May 31, 2017.

Cost Method Investment

During the nine months ended May 31, 2017, the Company invested $6 million in a privately-held waste and recycling entity. The Company's influence over the operating and financial policies of the entity is not significant and, thus, the investment is accounted for under the cost method. Under the cost method, the investment is carried at cost and adjusted only for other-than-temporary impairments, certain distributions and additional investments. The investment is presented as part of the Auto and Metals Recycling ("AMR") reportable segment and reported within other assets in the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. The Company does not hold any other cost-method investments. As of May 31, 2017, the Company had not identified any events or changes in circumstances that may have a significant adverse effect on the fair value of the investment or indicators of other-than-temporary impairment.

Asset Impairment Charges

The following asset impairment charges, excluding goodwill impairment charges discussed below in this Note, were recorded in the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (in thousands):



	Three Months Ended May 31,				Nine Months Ended May 31,
	2017		2016		2017		2016
Reported within other asset impairment charges (recoveries), net⁽¹⁾⁽²⁾:
Long-lived assets	$	—	$	—	$	—	$	7,336
Accelerated depreciation⁽¹⁾	—		—		401		6,208
Investment in joint venture	—		—		—		1,968
Assets held for sale	—		—		—		1,659
Other assets⁽¹⁾	—		—		—		1,287
	—		—		401		18,458
Reported within restructuring charges and other exit-related activities:
Long-lived assets	—		119		—		448
Accelerated depreciation	—		—		96		630
Other assets	—		—		62		1,102
	—		119		158		2,180
Reported within discontinued operations:
Long-lived assets	—		—		—		673
Accelerated depreciation	—		—		—		274
	—		—		—		947
Total	$	—	$	119	$	559	$	21,585

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(1)	Other asset impairment charges were incurred in AMR, except for $401 thousand of accelerated depreciation related to the Steel Manufacturing Business ("SMB") reportable segment for the nine months ended May 31, 2017, and $79 thousand of impairment charges on Other assets related to Corporate for the nine months ended May 31, 2016.


(2)	Excluded from the tabular presentation of asset impairment charges above, but included within other asset impairment charges (recoveries), net reported in the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations, are recoveries on previously-impaired Assets held for sale at AMR of $1,044 thousand for the three and nine months ended May 31, 2017.

Goodwill

Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the net amount of identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed in a business combination measured at fair value. The Company evaluates goodwill for impairment annually on July 1 and upon the occurrence of certain triggering events or substantive changes in circumstances that indicate that the fair value of goodwill may be impaired. Impairment of goodwill is tested at the reporting unit level. A reporting unit is an operating segment or one level below an operating segment (referred to as a component). A component of an operating segment is required to be identified as a reporting unit if the component is a business for which discrete financial information is available and segment management regularly reviews its operating results.

When testing goodwill for impairment, the Company has the option to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether the existence of events or circumstances leads to a determination that it is more likely than not that the estimated fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. If the Company elects to perform a qualitative assessment and determines that an impairment is more likely than not, the Company is then required to perform the quantitative impairment test, otherwise no further analysis is required. The Company also may elect not to perform the qualitative assessment and, instead, proceed directly to the quantitative impairment test.

Under the accounting guidance in effect for the Company prior to the third quarter of fiscal 2017, in the first step of the two-step quantitative impairment test, the fair value of a reporting unit was compared to its carrying value. If the carrying value of a reporting unit exceeded its fair value, the second step of the impairment test was performed for purposes of measuring the impairment. In the second step, the fair value of the reporting unit was allocated to all of the assets and liabilities of the reporting unit to determine an implied goodwill value. If the carrying amount of the reporting unit’s goodwill exceeded the implied fair value of goodwill, an impairment loss was recognized in an amount equal to that excess.

As of the beginning of the third quarter of fiscal 2017, the Company adopted an accounting standard update that eliminates the second step of the two-step goodwill impairment test with no impact to the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. Under the revised guidance, the Company applies a one-step quantitative test and records the amount of goodwill impairment as the excess of a reporting unit's carrying amount over its fair value, not to exceed the total amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. The new guidance does not amend the optional qualitative assessment of goodwill impairment.

The Company estimates the fair value of its reporting units using an income approach based on the present value of expected future cash flows, including terminal value, utilizing a market-based weighted average cost of capital (“WACC”) determined separately for each reporting unit. The determination of fair value involves the use of significant estimates and assumptions, including revenue growth rates driven by future commodity prices and volume expectations, operating margins, capital expenditures, working capital requirements, tax rates, terminal growth rates, discount rates, benefits associated with a taxable transaction and synergistic benefits available to market participants. In addition, to corroborate the reporting units’ valuation, the Company uses a market approach based on earnings multiple data and a reconciliation of the Company’s estimate of the aggregate fair value of the reporting units to the Company’s market capitalization, including consideration of a control premium.

During the second quarter of fiscal 2016, management identified the combination of sustained weak market conditions at such time, including the adverse effects of lower commodity selling prices and the constraining impact of the lower price environment on the supply of raw materials which negatively impacted volumes, the Company’s financial performance and a decline in the Company’s market capitalization at such time as a triggering event requiring an interim impairment test of goodwill allocated to its reporting units. In connection with the interim impairment test performed in the second quarter of fiscal 2016, the Company used a measurement date of February 1, 2016. For a reporting unit within AMR with $9 million of goodwill as of February 1, 2016, the first step of the impairment test showed that the fair value of the reporting unit was less than its carrying amount, indicating a potential impairment. Based on the second step of the impairment test, the Company concluded that no implied fair value of goodwill remained for the reporting unit, resulting in an impairment of the entire carrying amount of the reporting unit's goodwill totaling $9 million. For the reporting unit within AMR carrying the remainder, or $166 million, of the Company's goodwill as of February 1, 2016, the estimated fair value of the reporting unit exceeded its carrying value by approximately 27% and, thus, the Company did not record a goodwill impairment charge.

Concentration of Credit Risk

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to significant concentration of credit risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, and notes and other contractual receivables from suppliers. The majority of cash and cash equivalents is maintained with major financial institutions. Balances with these and certain other institutions exceeded the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insured amount of $250,000 as of May 31, 2017. Concentration of credit risk with respect to accounts receivable is limited because a large number of geographically diverse customers make up the Company’s customer base. The Company controls credit risk through credit approvals, credit limits, credit insurance, letters of credit or other collateral, cash deposits and monitoring procedures. The Company is exposed to a residual credit risk with respect to open letters of credit by virtue of the possibility of the failure of a bank providing a letter of credit. The Company had $47 million and $40 million of open letters of credit as of May 31, 2017 and August 31, 2016, respectively.

Financial Instruments

The Company’s financial instruments include cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable and debt. The Company uses the market approach to value its financial assets and liabilities, determined using available market information. The net carrying amounts of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable and accounts payable approximate fair value due to the short-term nature of these instruments. For long-term debt, which is primarily at variable interest rates, fair value is estimated using observable inputs (Level 2) and approximates its carrying value.

Fair Value Measurements

Fair value is measured using inputs from the three levels of the fair value hierarchy. Classification within the hierarchy is determined based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The three levels are described as follows:


•	Level 1 – Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities.


•	Level 2 – Inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are observable for the determination of the fair value of the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly.


•	Level 3 – Unobservable inputs that are significant to the determination of the fair value of the asset or liability.

When developing the fair value measurements, the Company uses quoted market prices whenever available or seeks to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when quoted market prices are not available.

Restructuring Charges

Restructuring charges consist of severance, contract termination and other restructuring-related costs. A liability for severance costs is typically recognized when the plan of termination has been communicated to the affected employees and is measured at its fair value at the communication date. Contract termination costs consist primarily of costs that will continue to be incurred under operating leases for their remaining terms without economic benefit to the Company. A liability for contract termination costs is recognized at the date the Company ceases using the rights conveyed by the lease contract and is measured at its fair value, which is determined based on the remaining contractual lease rentals reduced by estimated sublease rentals. A liability for other restructuring-related costs is measured at its fair value in the period in which the liability is incurred. Restructuring charges that directly involve a discontinued operation are included in the results of discontinued operations in all periods presented. See Note 7 - Restructuring Charges and Other Exit-Related Activities for further detail.