Corporate responsibility and sustainability-related topics, including climate change and diversity, as well as companies’ actions and initiatives on such issues, have received significant attention from a wide range of stakeholders. Our ability to meet the expectations and requirements of key stakeholders, particularly in light of rapid changes in regulations, interpretations of existing regulations or consumer preferences, could affect our business, operating results and financial condition, as well as our policies and procedures relating to corporate responsibility and sustainability-related matters. For example, federal, state or local governmental authorities in various countries are implementing, have proposed and are likely to continue to propose, legislative and regulatory initiatives regarding corporate responsibility and sustainability-related matters, ranging from the disclosure of corporate greenhouse gas emissions to limitations on corporate diversity programs, among others. Compliance with such laws, regulations or policies, including any that may be adopted in the future, could increase the costs of operating our businesses, reduce the demand for our products and impact the prices we charge our customers, any or all of which could adversely affect our results of operations. in addition, various countries and regions have adopted or proposed laws, regulations and policies that diverge from, or potentially conflict with, those in other jurisdictions, which could increase the complexity of, and potential cost related to complying with, such regulations. Failure to comply with any legislation, regulation or policy, including as a result of making good faith interpretations that may differ from those taken by authorities in relevant jurisdictions, could potentially result in legal, reputational and operational risks.
Moreover, our consumers, customers, employees and other stakeholders on products have diverse expectations, demands and perspectives on sustainability matters, which are subject to continued evolution. In order to meet their expectations, we may need to incur increased costs, including to conduct additional due diligence or make additional investments in facilities and equipment. These efforts may in turn impact the availability and cost of key raw materials used in the production of our products or the demand for our products, and could adversely impact our business, operating results and financial condition.
We may not be able to meet the diverse expectations and demands of all of our stakeholders, which could harm our reputation, reduce customer demand for our products and services, and subject us to legal, reputational and operational risks. Although we have announced corporate responsibility and sustainability-related goals and targets, there can be no assurance that our stakeholders will agree with our goals, targets or strategies, or be satisfied with our efforts to implement them. Any perception, whether or not valid, that we have failed to achieve, or to act responsibly with respect to, such matters or to effectively respond to new or additional legal or regulatory requirements, could result in adverse publicity and adversely affect our business and reputation. Execution of these strategies and achievement of our goals and targets is subject to risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside of our control. In particular, with respect to our sustainability efforts, these risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, our ability to execute our strategies and achieve our goals within the currently projected costs and the expected timeframes; the availability and cost of raw materials and renewable energy; unforeseen production, design, operational and technological difficulties; the outcome of research efforts and future technology developments, including the ability to scale projects and technologies on a commercially competitive basis; compliance with, changes or additions to, and divergence in, global and regional regulations, taxes, charges, mandates or requirements relating to greenhouse gas emissions, carbon costs or climate-related goals; adapting products to customer preferences and customer acceptance of sustainable supply chain solutions; diverging and evolving expectations and demands from key stakeholders, including as a result of changing regulations in their jurisdictions; and the actions of competitors and competitive pressures. As a result, there is no assurance that we will be able to adequately meet stakeholder expectations, successfully execute our strategies or achieve our corporate responsibility and sustainability-related goals, which could damage our reputation and customer and other stakeholder relationships and have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.