gpk-20201231

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UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form 10-K


☑			ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
			For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020
or
☐			TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
			For the transition period from to

COMMISSION FILE NUMBER: 001-33988

Graphic Packaging Holding Company

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


Delaware			26-0405422
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)			(I.R.S. employer identification no.)
1500 Riveredge Parkway, Suite 100
Atlanta	,	Georgia	30328
(Address of principal executive offices)			(Zip Code)

(770) 240-7200

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code:

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


Title of Each Class	Trading Symbol(s)	Name of Each Exchange on Which Registered
Common Stock, $0.01 par value per share	GPK	New York Stock Exchange

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

None

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

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

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

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes ☑ No ☐

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

Large accelerated filer

☑

Accelerated filer

☐

Smaller reporting company

☐

Non-accelerated filer

☐

(Do not check if a smaller reporting company)

Emerging growth company

☐

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

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. Yes ☑ No ☐

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

The aggregate market value of voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates at June 30, 2020 was approximately $3.9 billion.

As of February 12, 2021 there were approximately 267,755,764 shares of the registrant’s Common Stock, $0.01 par value per share outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE:

Portions of the registrant’s definitive Proxy Statement for the 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS OF FORM 10-K


INFORMATION CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS		3
	PART I
ITEM 1.	BUSINESS	4
ITEM 1A.	RISK FACTORS	14
ITEM 1B.	UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS	17
ITEM 2.	PROPERTIES	17
ITEM 3.	LEGAL PROCEEDINGS	19
ITEM 4.	MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES	19
	EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE REGISTRANT	20
	PART II
ITEM 5.	MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES	21
ITEM 6.	SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA	24
ITEM 7.	MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS	25
ITEM 7A.	QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURE ABOUT MARKET RISK	41
ITEM 8.	FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA	43
ITEM 9.	CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE	99
ITEM 9A.	CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES	99
ITEM 9B.	OTHER INFORMATION	100
	PART III
ITEM 10.	DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE	100
ITEM 11.	EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION	100
ITEM 12.	SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS	100
ITEM 13.	CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE	100
ITEM 14.	PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES	100
	PART IV
ITEM 15.	EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES	101
ITEM 16.	FORM 10-K SUMMARY	105
SIGNATURES		106

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INFORMATION CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain statements regarding the expectations of Graphic Packaging Holding Company (“GPHC” and, together with its subsidiaries, the “Company”), including, but not limited to, pursuing strategic acquisition opportunities, obtaining adequate wood and fiber supplies, the deductibility of goodwill for tax purposes, the availability of U.S. federal income tax attributes to offset U.S. federal income taxes and the timing related to the Company's future U.S. federal income tax payments, the anticipated reduction of International Paper Company's investment in Graphic Packaging International Partners, LLC, reclassification of loss on derivative instruments, termination of the U.S. pension plan and charges related thereto, charges associated with coated recycled paperboard mill exit activities, capital investment, depreciation and amortization, interest expense, pension plan contributions and post-retirement health care benefit payments in this report constitute “forward-looking statements” as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are based on currently available operating, financial and competitive information and are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company’s historical experience and its present expectations. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company's operations and business, inflation of and volatility in raw material and energy costs, changes in consumer buying habits and product preferences, competition with other paperboard manufacturers and converters, product substitution, the Company’s ability to implement its business strategies, including strategic acquisitions, the Company's ability to successfully integrate acquisitions, productivity initiatives and cost reduction plans, the Company’s debt level, currency movements and other risks of conducting business internationally, and the impact of regulatory and litigation matters, including those that could impact the Company’s ability to utilize its U.S. federal income tax attributes to offset taxable income or U.S. federal income taxes and those that impact the Company's ability to protect and use its intellectual property. Additional information regarding these and other risks is contained in Part I, Item 1A., Risk Factors. Undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements, as such statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and the Company undertakes no obligation to update such statements, except as may be required by law.

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PART I

ITEM 1.BUSINESS

Overview

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, paper-based 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 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 facilities, 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").

GPI Holding III, LLC, an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company (“GPI Holding”), is the managing member of GPIP.

At the closing of the NACP Combination, GPIP issued 309,715,624 common units or 79.5% of the membership interests in GPIP to GPI Holding and 79,911,591 common units or 20.5% of the membership interests in GPIP to IP. Subject to certain restrictions, the common units held by IP are exchangeable into shares of common stock of GPHC or cash.

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The following diagram illustrates the organization of the Company on January 1, 2018, immediately subsequent to the transactions described above (not including subsidiaries of GPIL):

On January 28, 2020, the Company announced that IP had notified the Company of its intent to begin the process of reducing its ownership interest in GPIP. Per the agreement between the parties, on January 29, 2020, GPIP purchased 15.1 million partnership units from IP for $250 million in cash. As a result, IP’s ownership interest in GPIP decreased to 18.3% as of January 29, 2020.

On August 10, 2020, the Company announced that IP had notified the Company of its intent to exchange additional partnership units. Per the agreement between the parties, on August 13, 2020, GPIP purchased 17.4 million partnership units from IP for $250 million in cash, which included full redemption of the remaining 3.1 million partnership units that were required to be redeemed in cash. As a result, IP's ownership interest in GPIP decreased to 14.5% as of August 13, 2020.

Unless otherwise negotiated by the parties, IP’s next opportunity to exchange its partnership units begins 180 days from the August 13, 2020 purchase date and is limited to the lesser of $250 million or 25% of the units owned immediately following the initial transaction, subject to a minimum. IP will have further opportunities to exchange its partnership units beginning 180 days after each purchase date. The Company may choose to satisfy these exchanges using shares of its common stock, cash, or a combination thereof.

During 2020, 2019 and 2018, GPIP repurchased 44.2 million partnership units from GPI Holding, which distributed the proceeds to GPHC. GPHC used the proceeds from these repurchases to repurchase 44.2 million shares of GPHC's common stock. These partnership unit repurchases increased IP's ownership interest in GPIP, which was 15.0% at December 31, 2020.

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Acquisitions, Closures, and Dispositions

Over the past five years, the Company has successfully completed over ten acquisitions and expects to pursue strategic acquisition opportunities in the future as part of its overall growth strategy.

2020

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. For more information, see Note 4 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included herein under “Item 8., Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.”

In March 2020, the Company made the decision to close the White Pigeon, Michigan CRB mill and to shut down the PM1 containerboard machine in West Monroe, Louisiana. During the second quarter of 2020, the Company closed the White Pigeon, Michigan CRB mill and shut down the PM1 containerboard machine. For more information, see Note 20 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included herein under “Item 8., Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.”

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 facilities across the United States, which are included in the Americas Paperboard Packaging reportable segment. For more information, see Note 4 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included herein under “Item 8., Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.”

In June 2020, the Company made the decision to close certain converting facilities that were acquired from Greif. The Burlington, North Carolina converting facility and the Los Angeles, California converting facility were closed in the third quarter of 2020. For more information, see Note 20 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included herein under “Item 8., Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.”

2019

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 facilities located in Auburn, Indiana and Elgin, Illinois (included in the Americas Paperboard Packaging reportable segment) and one CRB mill located in White Pigeon, Michigan (included in the Paperboard Mills reportable segment). For more information, see Note 4 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included herein under “Item 8., Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.”

During 2019, the Company announced its plan to invest approximately $600 million in a new CRB mill in Kalamazoo, Michigan. In conjunction with the completion of this project, the Company currently expects to close two of its smaller CRB Mills in 2022 in order to remain capacity neutral. For more information, see Note 20 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included herein under “Item 8., Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.”

2018

As mentioned above, on January 1, 2018, the Company completed the NACP Combination. The NACP business produces SBS paperboard and paper-based foodservice products. The NACP business included two SBS mills located in Augusta, Georgia and Texarkana, Texas (included in Paperboard Mills reportable segment), three converting facilities in the U.S. (included in the Americas Paperboard Packaging reportable segment) and one in the United Kingdom ("U.K.") (included in the Europe Paperboard Packaging reportable segment). For more information, see Note 4 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included herein under “Item 8., Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.”

On June 12, 2018, the Company acquired substantially all the assets of PFP, LLC and its related entity, PFP Dallas Converting, LLC (collectively, "PFP"), a converter focused on the production of paperboard based air filter frames. The acquisition included two facilities located in Lebanon, Tennessee and Lancaster, Texas. PFP assets are included in the Americas Paperboard Packaging reportable segment. For more information, see Note 4 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included herein under “Item 8., Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.”

On August 31, 2018, the Company sold its previously closed CRB mill site in Santa Clara, California.

On September 30, 2018, the Company acquired substantially all the assets of the foodservice business of Letica Corporation, a subsidiary of RPC Group PLC ("Letica Foodservice"), a producer of paperboard-based cold and hot cups and cartons. The acquisition included two facilities located in Clarksville, Tennessee and Pittston, Pennsylvania. Letica Foodservice assets are included in the Americas Paperboard Packaging reportable segment. For more information, see Note 4 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included herein under “Item 8., Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.”

The acquisitions of PFP and Letica Foodservice are referred to collectively as the "2018 Acquisitions."

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Share Repurchases and Dividends

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").

The following presents GPHC's share repurchases for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018:



Amount repurchased in millions	Amount Repurchased		Number of Shares Repurchased		Average Price
2020	$	315.6	23,420,010		$	13.48
2019	$	127.9	10,191,257	(a)	$	12.55
2018	$	120.0	10,566,144		$	11.35

(a) Includes 7,400,171 shares under the 2017 share repurchase program thereby completing that program.

At December 31, 2020, GPHC had approximately $146.5 million of share repurchase authority remaining under the 2019 share repurchase program.

During 2020 and 2019, GPHC paid cash dividends of $84.7 million and $88.7 million, respectively.

Products

The Company has three reportable segments as follows:

Americas Paperboard Packaging includes paperboard packaging, primarily folding cartons, sold primarily to Consumer Packaged Goods ("CPG") companies, and cups, lids and food containers sold primarily to foodservice companies and quick-service restaurants ("QSR") serving the food, beverage, and consumer product markets in the Americas.

Europe Paperboard Packaging includes paperboard packaging, primarily folding cartons, sold primarily to CPG companies serving the food, beverage and consumer product markets in Europe.

The Company operates in three geographic areas: the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific.

For reportable segment and geographic area information for each of the last three fiscal years, see Note 16 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included herein under “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data."

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Paperboard Packaging

The Company’s paperboard packaging products deliver brand, marketing, sustainability and performance benefits at a competitive cost. The Company supplies paperboard cartons, carriers and containers designed to protect and hold products while providing:

• Convenience through ease of carrying, storage, delivery, dispensing of product and food preparation for consumers;

• A smooth surface printed with high-resolution, multi-color graphic images that help improve brand awareness and visibility of products on store shelves; and

• Durability, stiffness and wet and dry tear strength; leak, abrasion and heat resistance; barrier protection from moisture, oxygen, oils and greases, as well as enhanced microwave heating performance.

The Company provides a wide range of sustainable paperboard packaging solutions for the following end-use markets:

• Beverage, including beer, soft drinks, energy drinks, teas, water and juices;

• Food, including cereal, desserts, frozen, refrigerated and microwavable foods and pet foods;

• Prepared food and drinks, including snacks, quick-serve food and drinks for restaurants and food service providers;

• Household products, including dishwasher and laundry detergent, health care and beauty aids, and tissues and papers; and

• Air filter frames.

The Company’s packaging applications meet the needs of its customers for:

Strength Packaging. The Company's products provide sturdiness to meet a variety of packaging, handling, and delivery needs, including tear and wet strength, puncture resistance, durability and compression strength (providing the ability to ship products in their own branded carton and stacking strength to meet store display packaging requirements).

Promotional Packaging. The Company offers a broad range of promotional packaging options that help differentiate its customers’ products in the marketplace. These promotional enhancements improve brand awareness and visibility on store shelves.

Convenience and Cooking Packaging. These packaging solutions improve package usage and food preparation:

• Beverage multiple-packaging — multi-packs for beer, soft drinks, energy drinks, teas, water and juices;

• Active microwave technologies — substrates that improve the heating and browning of foods in the microwave; and

• Easy opening and closing features — dispensing features, pour spouts and sealable liners.

Barrier Packaging. The Company provides packages that protect against moisture, temperature (hot and cold), grease, oil, oxygen, sunlight, insects and other potential product-damaging factors.

Paperboard Mills and Folding Carton Facilities

The Company produces paperboard at its mills; prints, cuts, folds, and glues (“converts”) the paperboard into folding cartons and containers at its converting plants; and designs and manufactures specialized, proprietary packaging machines that package bottles and cans and, to a lesser extent, non-beverage consumer products. The Company also installs its packaging machines at customer plants and provides support, service and advanced performance monitoring of the machines.

The Company offers a variety of laminated, coated and printed packaging structures that are produced from its CRB, CUK and SBS mills, as well as other grades of paperboard that are purchased from third-party suppliers.

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Below is the production at each of the Company’s paperboard mills during 2020:


Location	Product	# of Machines	2020 Net Tons Produced
West Monroe, LA	CUK	2	911,520
Macon, GA	CUK	2	712,326
Texarkana, TX	SBS	2	623,207
Augusta, GA	SBS	2	596,821
Kalamazoo, MI	CRB	2	511,852
Battle Creek, MI	CRB	2	215,610
Middletown, OH	CRB	1	175,266
East Angus, Québec	CRB	1	99,754
White Pigeon, MI(a)	CRB	1	34,098
West Monroe, LA(a)	Corrugated Medium	1	60,847

(a) Indicates net tons produced from January to June. For more information, see Note 20 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included herein under “Item 8., Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.”

The Company consumes most of its coated board output in its converting operations, which is an integral part of the customer value proposition. In 2020, approximately 70% of combined mill sales of CRB, CUK and SBS was consumed internally.

CUK Production. The Company is the largest of four worldwide producers of CUK. CUK is manufactured from pine-based wood fiber and is a specialized high-quality grade of coated paperboard with excellent wet and dry tear strength characteristics and printability for high resolution graphics that make it particularly well-suited for a variety of packaging applications. Both wood and recycled fibers are pulped, formed on paper machines, and clay-coated to provide an excellent printing surface for superior quality graphics and appearance characteristics.

SBS Production. The Company is one of the largest North American producers of SBS. SBS is manufactured from bleached pine and hardwood-based wood fiber and is the highest quality paperboard substrate with excellent wet and dry strength characteristics and superior printability for high-end packaging. Both wood and recycled fibers are pulped, formed on paper machines, and clay-coated to provide an excellent printing surface for superior quality graphics and appearance characteristics. SBS is also coated with polyethylene resin for wet strength liquid and food packaging end uses.

CRB Production. The Company is the largest North American producer of CRB. CRB is manufactured entirely from recycled fibers, primarily old corrugated containers (“OCC”), doubled-lined kraft cuttings from corrugated box plants (“DLK”), old newspapers (“ONP”), and box cuttings. The recycled fibers are re-pulped, formed on paper machines, and clay-coated to provide an excellent printing surface for superior quality graphics and appearance characteristics.

Corrugated Medium. The Company exited its corrugated medium production in June of 2020.

The Company converts CRB, CUK and SBS, as well as other grades of paperboard, into cartons and containers at converting plants the Company operates in various locations globally, including a converting plant associated with the Company's joint venture in Japan, contract converters and at licensees outside the U.S. The converting plants print, cut, fold and glue paperboard into cartons and containers designed to meet customer specifications.

Joint Venture

The Company, through its GPIL subsidiary, is a party to a Japanese joint venture, Rengo Riverwood Packaging, Ltd., in which it holds a 50% ownership interest. The joint venture agreement covers CUK supply, use of proprietary carton designs and marketing and distribution of packaging systems.

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Sales and Marketing

The Company markets its products principally to multinational beverage, food, QSR, and other well-recognized consumer product companies. The beverage companies include Anheuser-Busch, Inc., MillerCoors LLC, PepsiCo, Inc. and The Coca-Cola Company, among others. Consumer product customers include Kraft Heinz Company, General Mills, Inc., Nestlé USA, Inc., Kellogg Company, HAVI Global Solutions, LLC and Kimberly-Clark Corporation, among others. QSR customers include McDonald's, Wendy's, Panda Express, Dairy Queen, Chipotle, Panera and KFC, among others. The Company also sells paperboard in the open market to independent and integrated paperboard converters.

Sales of the Company’s principal products is primarily accomplished through sales offices in the U.S., Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, and, to a lesser degree, through broker arrangements with third parties.

During 2020, 2019 and 2018, the Company did not have any one customer that represented 10% or more of its net sales.

Competition

Although a relatively small number of large competitors hold a significant portion of the paperboard packaging market, the Company’s business is subject to strong competition. The Company and WestRock Company ("WestRock") are the two major CUK producers in the U.S. Internationally, The Klabin Company in Brazil and Stora Enso in Sweden produce similar grades of paperboard.

In non-beverage consumer packaging and foodservice, the Company’s paperboard competes with WestRock's CUK, as well as CRB and SBS from numerous competitors, and, internationally, folding boxboard and white-lined chip. There are a large number of producers in the paperboard markets. Suppliers of paperboard compete primarily on the basis of price, strength and printability of their paperboard, quality and service.

In beverage packaging, cartons made from CUK compete with substitutes such as plastics and corrugated packaging for packaging glass or plastic bottles, cans and other primary containers. Although plastics and corrugated packaging may be priced lower than CUK, the Company believes that cartons made from CUK offer advantages over these materials in areas such as distribution, brand awareness, carton designs, package performance, package line speed, sustainability (particularly recyclability) and design flexibility.

Raw Materials

The paperboard packaging produced by the Company comes from pine and hardwood trees and recycled fibers. Pine pulpwood, hardwood pulp, paper and recycled fibers (including DLK, OCC and ONP) and energy used in the manufacture of paperboard, as well as poly sheeting, plastic resins and various chemicals used in the coating of paperboard, represent the largest components of the Company’s variable costs of paperboard production.

For the West Monroe, LA, Macon, GA, Texarkana, TX, and Augusta, GA mills, the Company relies on private landowners and the open market for all of its pine and hardwood pulp and recycled fiber requirements, supplemented by clippings that are obtained from its converting operations. The Company believes that adequate supplies from both private landowners and open market fiber sellers currently are available in close proximity to meet its fiber needs at these mills.

The paperboard grades produced at the Kalamazoo, MI, Battle Creek, MI, Middletown, OH, East Angus, Quebec and White Pigeon, MI mills are made from 100% recycled fiber. The Company procures its recycled fiber from external suppliers and internal converting operations. The market price of each of the various recycled fiber grades fluctuates with supply and demand. The Company’s internal recycled fiber procurement function enables the Company to pay lower prices for its recycled fiber needs given the Company’s highly fragmented supplier base. The Company believes there are adequate supplies of recycled fiber to serve its mills.

In North America, the Company also converts a variety of other paperboard grades, in addition to paperboard that is supplied to its converting operations from its own mills. The Company purchases such paperboard requirements, including additional CRB and SBS, from outside vendors. The majority of external paperboard purchases are acquired through long-term arrangements with other major industry suppliers. The Company's European converting plants consume CUK supplied from the Company's mills and also convert other paperboard grades such as white-lined chip and folding box board purchased from external suppliers.

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Energy

Energy, including natural gas, fuel, oil and electricity, represents a significant portion of the Company’s manufacturing and distribution costs. The Company has entered into contracts designed to manage risks associated with future variability in cash flows and price risk related to future energy cost increases for a portion of its natural gas requirements at its U.S. mills. The Company’s hedging program for natural gas is discussed in Note 10 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included herein under “Item 8., Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.”

Seasonality

The Company’s net sales, income from operations and cash flows from operations are subject to moderate seasonality, with demand usually increasing in the late spring through early fall due to increases in demand for beverage and food products.

Research and Development

The Company’s research and development team works directly with its sales, marketing and consumer insights personnel to understand long-term consumer and retailer trends and create relevant new packaging. These innovative solutions provide customers with differentiated packaging to meet customer needs. The Company’s development efforts include, but are not limited to, developing sustainable packaging to replace plastic packaging, extending the shelf life of customers’ products; reducing production and waste costs; enhancing the heat-managing characteristics of food packaging; improving the sturdiness and compression strength of packaging to allow goods to ship in their own branded container and to meet store display needs; and refining packaging appearance through new printing techniques and materials.

Sustainability represents one of the strongest trends in the packaging industry and the Company focuses on developing more sustainable and eco-friendly products and manufacturing processes. The Company’s strategy is to combine sustainability with innovation to create new packaging solutions for its customers.

For more information on research and development expenses see Note 1 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included herein under “Item 8., Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.”

Patents and Trademarks

As of December 31, 2020, the Company had a large patent portfolio, presently owning, controlling or holding rights to more than 2,400 U.S. and foreign patents, with more than 500 U.S. and foreign patent applications currently pending. The Company’s patent portfolio consists primarily of patents relating to packaging machinery, manufacturing methods, structural carton designs, active microwave packaging technology and barrier protection packaging. These patents and processes are significant to the Company’s operations and are supported by trademarks such as Fridge Vendor™, IntegraPak™, KeelClip™, MicroFlex-Q™, MicroRite™, Quilt Wave™, Qwik Crisp™, Tite-Pak™, and Z-Flute™. The Company takes significant steps to protect its intellectual property and proprietary rights.

Human Capital

We believe that the Company’s greatest asset is our workforce. Solving day-to-day operational and business challenges in order to drive positive results for stakeholders requires attracting, developing, and retaining talented individuals with different skills, ideas, and experiences. Our Vision 2025 outlines how we will be better stewards of our planet, supporters of our people, and allies to our partners, all while generating returns for our stakeholders. Our employees play a crucial role in achieving our Vision 2025 and are guided by our shared values and growth behaviors.

Our people are one of the pillars of our Vision 2025 and we strive to engage employees in a high-performance culture. In order to achieve this, we must attract, develop, and retain our talented workforce by providing opportunities for growth and a conducive atmosphere. Our talent acquisition, development, succession and diversity and inclusion strategies are all critical components of the multi-year plan for our people. We will continue to invest in capability development areas that serve as a competitive advantage for the Company such as GPI University, which is launching in 2021 and will serve as a platform for all employees to access relevant training and development resources on topics related to technical skills and leadership effectiveness. Also, central to capability development and talent management is challenging our team with new experiences that will enhance their leadership skills and technical capabilities. We will also continuously improve our processes and use technology to promote safety, automate our manufacturing processes, and achieve greater efficiencies utilizing processes such as Lean Six Sigma.

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We are evolving the capabilities of our workforce as our business and strategy change. We have invested in innovation, research and development, and digital capabilities to allow us to capture sustainability supported organic growth. As our business continues to change, we will adapt our workforce to ensure that we have the necessary human capital capabilities in place to support our strategy.

As of December 31, 2020, the Company had approximately 18,775 employees worldwide based in over 90 locations in 15 different countries around the world. Approximately 77% of our employees are in the United States and 14% are in Europe. Worldwide, approximately 41% were represented by labor unions and covered by collective bargaining agreements or covered by works councils in Europe. As of December 31, 2020, none of the Company’s employees were working under expired contracts, which are currently being negotiated, and 2,462 were covered under collective bargaining agreements that expire within one year. The Company considers its employee relations to be satisfactory.

Employee Health and Safety

Maintaining a safe work environment is vital to the Company, and we are committed to the health, safety and wellness of our employees. Our Recorded Incident Rate, which is the rate of workplace injuries per 100 full-time employees, is approximately 1%, and we work to maintain a safety performance rating that outperforms the industry average. We seek to achieve an injury-free workplace through various safety initiatives and programs.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we implemented significant changes that we determined were in the best interest of our employees, as well as the communities in which we operate, while continuing to service our customers. We quickly implemented remote working, enhanced safety measures for employees continuing critical, on-site work at our facilities such as walk-through temperature scanners, plexiglass barriers between employees, and other methods of encouraging social distancing, and paid employees during necessary quarantines due to COVID-19. We will continue to monitor local COVID-19 conditions and adjust our practices to ensure the health and safety of our employees. We also demonstrated our commitment to our employees and our communities though one-time aggregate payments of $5.0 million to front-line production employees and contributions of $0.5 million to local food banks in the communities where our manufacturing operations are located.

Diversity and Inclusion

We believe that a diverse and inclusive working environment encourages creativity, innovation, and collaboration and that a diverse and inclusive culture propels our ability to serve our global customers and communities. Our commitment to diversity and inclusion is reflected in the definitions of our core values, which dictate behavioral norms. The Compensation and Management Development Committee of our Board of Directors annually reviews the processes and practices related to workforce diversity and inclusion programs to ensure continued equitable treatment of all employees and a culture of inclusion. Our goal moving forward is to not only mirror the diversity of the communities where we operate, but also to excel in unlocking the potential that a diverse workforce can generate.

Community Engagement

Building connections between our employees, their families, and our communities creates a more meaningful, fulfilling and enjoyable workplace. Our employees around the world dedicate their time and talents to improve the communities in which we live and work. Driven by our core values, making a difference for our customers, our consumers, and our community is at the root of our community engagement strategy. The Company focuses on three pillars that guide the strategy for our community service activities and philanthropic commitments: (1) putting food on the table, (2) preserving the environment, and (3) investing in education.

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Governmental Regulations

The Company is subject to a broad range of foreign, federal, state and local environmental, employee health and safety, and other governmental regulations and employs a team of professionals in order to maintain compliance at each of its facilities. In 2020, the Company spent approximately $8.2 million of capital on projects to maintain compliance with environmental laws, regulations and the Company’s permits granted thereunder. In 2021, 2022, and 2023, the Company estimates it will spend approximately $10 million, $27 million and $20 million, respectively, for such projects, primarily the waste water treatment system upgrades at the Augusta, Georgia and Texarkana, Texas mills. For additional information on such regulation and compliance, see “Environmental Matters” in “Item 7., Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and Note 14 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included herein under “Item 8., Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.”

Available Information

The Company’s website is located at http://www.graphicpkg.com. The Company makes available, free of charge through its website, its Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as soon as reasonably practicable after such materials are electronically filed or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). The Company also makes certain investor presentations and access to analyst conference calls, as well as certain environmental, social, and governance information available through its website. The information contained or incorporated into the Company’s website is not a part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

The SEC maintains an Internet website that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers like the Company that file electronically with the SEC at http://www.SEC.gov.

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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

The following risks could affect (and in some cases have affected) the Company's actual results and could cause such results to differ materially from current estimates or expectations:

Industry Risks

Changes in consumer buying habits and preferences for products could have an effect on our sales volumes.

Changing consumer dietary habits and preferences have impacted sales growth for many of the food and beverage products the Company packages. Preferences are constantly changing based on, among other factors, convenience, cost and health considerations, as well as environmental and social concerns and perceptions. If these trends continue and the Company is unable to adapt to the trends, then the Company’s financial results could be adversely affected.

The Company's financial results could be adversely impacted if there are significant increases in prices for raw materials, energy, transportation and other necessary supplies, and the Company is unable to raise prices, or improve productivity to reduce costs.

Limitations on the availability of, and increases in, the costs of raw materials, including secondary fiber, petroleum-based materials, energy, wood, transportation and other necessary goods and services, could have an adverse effect on the Company's financial results. Because negotiated sales contracts and the market largely determine the pricing for its products, the Company is at times limited in its ability to raise prices and pass through to its customers any inflationary or other cost increases that the Company may incur.

The Company uses productivity improvements to reduce costs and offset inflation. These include global continuous improvement initiatives that use statistical process control to help design and manage many types of activities, including production and maintenance. The Company's ability to realize anticipated savings from these improvements is subject to significant operational, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond the Company's control. If the Company cannot successfully implement cost savings plans, it may not be able to continue to compete successfully against other manufacturers. In addition, any failure to generate the anticipated efficiencies and savings could adversely affect the Company's financial results.

Competition and product substitution could have an adverse effect on the Company's financial results.

The Company competes with other paperboard manufacturers and carton converters, both domestically and internationally. The Company's products compete with those made from other manufacturers' CUK, as well as SBS and CRB, and other board substrates. Substitute products include plastic, shrink film and corrugated containers. In addition, while the Company has long-term relationships with many of its customers, the underlying contracts may be re-bid or renegotiated from time to time, and the Company may not be successful in renewing such contracts on favorable terms or at all. The Company works to maintain market share through efficiency, product innovations and strategic sourcing to its customers; however, pricing and other competitive pressures may occasionally result in the loss of a customer relationship.

Operational Risks

The Company’s financial results could be adversely impacted by global events outside the Company’s control, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic.

As a result of global events such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, there could be unpredictable disruptions to the Company’s operations that could reduce its future revenues and negatively impact the Company’s financial condition. The COVID-19 pandemic may result in supply chain and transportation disruptions to and from our facilities and affected employees could impact the Company’s ability to operate its facilities and distribute products to its customers in a timely fashion. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in extreme volatility and disruptions in the capital and credit markets as well as widespread furloughs and layoffs for workers in the broader economy. This volatility and loss of employment may negatively impact consumer buying habits, which could adversely affect the Company’s financial results.

The Company's future growth and financial results could be adversely impacted if the Company is unable to identify strategic acquisitions and to successfully integrate the acquired businesses.

The Company has made a significant number of acquisitions in recent years, including the NACP Combination, and expects to make additional strategic acquisitions in the future as part of its overall growth strategy. The Company's ability to continue to make strategic acquisitions from time to time and to integrate the acquired businesses successfully, including obtaining anticipated cost savings or synergies and expected operating results within a reasonable period of time, is an important factor in the Company's future growth. If the Company is unable to properly estimate, account for and realize the expected revenue and cash flow growth and other benefits from its acquisitions, the Company may be required to spend additional time or money on integration efforts that would otherwise have been spent on the development and expansion of its business.

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The Company’s information technology systems could suffer interruptions, failures or breaches and our business operations could be disrupted, adversely affecting results of operations and the Company’s reputation.

The Company’s information technology systems, some of which are dependent on services provided by third parties, serve an important role in the operation of the business. These systems could be damaged or cease to function properly due to any number of causes, such as catastrophic events, power outages, security breaches, computer viruses or cyber-based attacks. The Company has contingency plans in place to prevent or mitigate the impact of these events, however, if they are not effective on a timely basis, business interruptions could occur which may adversely impact results of operations.

The Company has been, and likely will continue to be, subject to computer hacking, acts of vandalism or theft, malware, ransomware, computer viruses or other malicious codes, phishing, employee error or malfeasance, catastrophes, unforeseen events or other cyber-attacks. To date, the Company has seen no material impact on our business or operations from these attacks or events. Any future significant compromise or breach of data security, whether external or internal, or misuse of customer, associate, supplier or Company data, could result in significant costs, interrupted operations, lost sales, fines, lawsuits, and damage to the Company's reputation. However, the ever-evolving threats mean the Company and its third-party service providers and vendors must continually evaluate and adapt their respective systems and processes and overall security environment, as well as those of any companies acquired. There is no guarantee that these measures will be adequate to safeguard against all data security breaches, system compromises or misuses of data. In addition, the regulatory environment related to information security, data collection and use, and privacy is becoming increasingly rigorous, with new and constantly changing requirements applicable to the Company's business. Compliance with such requirements could also result in additional costs.

The Company could experience material disruptions at our facilities or increases in the cost of insurance.

Although the Company takes appropriate measures to minimize the risk and effect of material disruptions to the business conducted at our facilities, natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and fires, as well as other unexpected disruptions such as the unavailability of critical raw materials, power outages and equipment breakdowns or failures can reduce production and increase manufacturing costs. These types of disruptions, whether caused by climate change or other events, could materially adversely affect our earnings, depending upon the duration of the disruption and our ability to shift business to other facilities or find other sources of materials or energy. Any losses due to these events may not be covered by our existing insurance policies and insurance coverage may be subject to certain deductibles. The premiums for insurance coverage have recently increased and may continue to increase, along with the level of deductibles. In addition, the availability of some insurance coverage may decline due to insurance company losses from extensive property damage caused by natural disasters and increased cyber security breaches. In addition, given the Company's integrated supply chain, managing board supply and properly planning for mill outages and downtime must be integrated with the converting plants forecast. Any inability to do so could adversely affect the Company's financial results.

The Company may not be able to develop and introduce new products and adequately protect its intellectual property and proprietary rights, which could harm its future success and competitive position.

The Company works to increase market share and profitability through product innovation and the introduction of new products. The inability to develop new or better products that satisfy customer and consumer preferences in a timely manner may impact the Company's competitive position.

The Company's future success and competitive position also depends, in part, upon its ability to obtain and maintain protection for certain proprietary carton and packaging machine technologies used in its value-added products, particularly those incorporating the Fridge Vendor, IntegraPak, KeelClip, MicroFlex-Q, MicroRite, Quilt Wave, Qwik Crisp, Tite-Pak, and Z-Flute technologies. Failure to protect the Company's existing intellectual property rights may result in the loss of valuable technologies or may require it to license other companies' intellectual property rights. It is possible that any of the patents owned by the Company may be invalidated, rendered unenforceable, circumvented, challenged or licensed to others or any of its pending or future patent applications may not be issued within the scope of the claims sought by the Company, if at all. Further, others may develop technologies that are similar or superior to the Company's technologies, duplicate its technologies or design around its patents, and steps taken by the Company to protect its technologies may not prevent misappropriation of such technologies.

The Company's capital spending may not achieve the desired benefits, which could adversely impact future financial results.

The Company invests significant amounts of cash on capital projects each year which have expected returns to the Company. The Company's ability to execute on these projects in order to achieve planned outcomes, including obtaining expected returns and strategic long-term goals within a reasonable period of time, is an important factor in the Company's financial results and commitments to the market. As these investments start up, the Company may experience unanticipated business disruptions and not achieve the desired benefits or timelines. In addition, the Company's acquisitions may require more capital than expected to achieve synergies or expected operating results. Additional spending and unachieved benefits may adversely affect the Company's cash flow and results of operations.

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The Company may face a shortage of a skilled workforce at its facilities.

The Company's ability to maintain or expand its business depends on attracting, training and retaining a skilled workforce. Changing demographics and workforce trends may result in a loss of knowledge and skills as experienced workers retire. Failure to attract and retain a skilled workforce may result in operational inefficiencies or require additional capital investments to reduce reliance on labor, which may adversely impact the Company's results.

The Company is subject to the risks of doing business in foreign countries.

The Company has converting plants and one paper mill in 11 countries outside of the U.S. and sells its products worldwide. For 2020, before intercompany eliminations, net sales from operations outside of the U.S. represented approximately 21% of the Company’s net sales. The Company’s revenues from foreign sales fluctuate with changes in foreign currency exchange rates. The Company pursues a currency hedging program in order to reduce the impact of foreign currency exchange fluctuations on financial results. In addition, at December 31, 2020, approximately 16% of the Company's total assets were denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar.

The Company is also subject to the following significant risks associated with operating in foreign countries:

•Compliance with and enforcement of environmental, health and safety and labor laws and other regulations of the foreign countries in which the Company operates;

•Export compliance;

•Imposition or increase of withholding and other taxes on remittances and other payments by foreign subsidiaries; and

•Imposition of new or increases in capital investment requirements and other financing requirements by foreign governments.

In addition to these general risks, uncertainties surrounding the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union (commonly referred to as “Brexit”) could adversely affect our U.K. business, including potentially the Company's relationships with customers, suppliers and employees.

Financial Risks

The Company's indebtedness may adversely affect its financial condition and its ability to react to changes in its business.

As of December 31, 2020, the Company had an aggregate principal amount of $3,666.6 million of outstanding debt.

Because of the Company's debt level, a portion of its cash flows from operations is dedicated to payments on indebtedness and the Company's ability to obtain additional financing for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions or general corporate purposes may be restricted in the future.

Additionally, the Company’s Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement (as amended by the Incremental Facility Amendment) and the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement (collectively, the “Current Credit Agreement”) and the indentures governing the 4.75% Senior Notes due 2021 (redeemed January 2021), 4.875% Senior Notes due 2022, 4.125% Senior Notes due 2024, 4.75% Senior Notes due 2027, 3.50% Senior Notes due 2028 and 3.50% Senior Notes due 2029 (the “Indentures”) may prohibit or restrict, among other things, the disposal of assets, the incurrence of additional indebtedness (including guarantees), the incurrence of liens, payment of dividends, share repurchases, the making of acquisitions and other investments and certain other types of transactions. These restrictions could limit the Company’s flexibility to respond to changing market conditions and competitive pressures. The debt obligations and restrictions may also leave the Company more vulnerable to a downturn in general economic conditions or its business, or unable to carry out capital expenditures that are necessary or important to its growth strategy and productivity improvement programs.

As of December 31, 2020, approximately 35% of the Company’s debt is subject to variable rates of interest and exposes the Company to increased debt service obligations in the event of increased market interest rates.

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Legal and Regulatory Risks

The Company is subject to environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, and costs to comply with such laws and regulations, or any liability or obligation imposed under new laws or regulations, could negatively impact its financial condition and results of operations.

The Company is subject to a broad range of foreign, federal, state and local environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, including those governing discharges to air, soil and water, the management, treatment and disposal of hazardous substances, the investigation and remediation of contamination resulting from releases of hazardous substances, recycling of packaging, and the health and safety of employees. The Company cannot currently assess the impact that future emission standards, climate control initiatives, regulation changes and enforcement practices will have on the Company's operations and capital expenditure requirements. Environmental liabilities and obligations may result in significant costs, which could negatively impact the Company's financial position, results of operations or cash flows. See Note 14 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included herein under “Item 8., Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.”

ITEM 1B.UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None.

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

Headquarters

The Company leases its principal executive offices in Atlanta, GA.

Operating Facilities

A listing of the principal properties owned or leased and operated by the Company is set forth below. The Company’s buildings are adequate and suitable for the business of the Company and have sufficient capacity to meet current requirements. The Company also leases certain smaller facilities, warehouses and office space throughout the U.S. and in foreign countries from time to time.


Location			Related Products or Use of Facility
Mills:
Augusta, GA			SBS
Battle Creek, MI			CRB
East Angus, Québec			CRB
Kalamazoo, MI			CRB
Macon, GA			CUK
Middletown, OH			CRB
Texarkana, TX			SBS
West Monroe, LA			CUK; Corrugated Medium(a); Research and Development
White Pigeon, MI(a)			CRB

Other:
Atlanta, GA(b)			Headquarters, Research and Development, Packaging Machinery and Design
Concord, NH(b)			Research and Development, Design Center
Crosby, MN			Packaging Machinery Engineering, Design and Manufacturing
Louisville, CO(b)			Research and Development
Menomonee Falls, WI			Foodservice Rebuild Center

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North American Converting Plants:		International Converting Plants:
Atlanta, GA(b)	Monroe, LA(b)	Auckland, New Zealand(b)
Auburn, IN	Monterrey, Mexico(b)	Bremen, Germany(b)
Burlington, NC(c)	New Albany, IN(d)	Bristol, United Kingdom
Carol Stream, IL	Newton, IA	Coalville, United Kingdom(b)
Centralia, IL	North Portland, OR	Gateshead, United Kingdom(b)
Charlotte, NC	Omaha, NE	Hoogerheide, Netherlands
Chicago, IL(b)	Oroville, CA(b)	Igualada, Spain
Clarksville, TN	Pacific, MO	Jundiai, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Cobourg, Ontario(b)	Perry, GA	Leeds, United Kingdom
Elgin, IL	Pineville, NC	Masnieres, France(b)
Elk Grove, IL(b)(d)	Pittston, PA	Melbourne, Australia(b)
Fort Smith, AR(d)	Prosperity, SC	Miliaño, Spain
Gordonsville, TN(b)	Queretaro, Mexico(b)	Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom(b)
Grand Rapids, MI	Randleman, NC	Portlaoise, Ireland(b)
Gresham, OR(b)	Shelbyville, IL	Requejada, Spain
Hamel, MN	Solon, OH	Sneek, Netherlands
Irvine, CA	Staunton, VA	Sydney, Australia(b)
Kalamazoo, MI	St.-Hyacinthe, Québec(b)	Winsford, United Kingdom (b)
Kendallville, IN	Tijuana, Mexico(b)
Kenton, OH	Tuscaloosa, AL
Kingston Springs, TN	Valley Forge, PA
Lancaster, TX	Vancouver, WA(b)
Lawrenceburg, TN	Visalia, CA
Lebanon, TN (b)	Wausau, WI
Los Angeles, CA(b)(c)	Wayne, NJ
Lumberton, NC	West Monroe, LA(d)
Marion, OH	Winnipeg, Manitoba
Mississauga, Ontario(b)(d)	Xenia, OH(b)
Mitchell, SD

Note:


(a)			Closed in the second quarter of 2020.
(b)			Leased facility.
(c)			Closed in third quarter of 2020.
(d)			Multiple facilities in this location.

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ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

The Company is a party to a number of lawsuits arising in the ordinary conduct of its business. Although the timing and outcome of these lawsuits cannot be predicted with certainty, the Company does not believe that disposition of these lawsuits will have a material adverse effect on the Company’s consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows. See Note 14 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included herein under “Item 8., Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.”

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not Applicable.

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EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE REGISTRANT

Pursuant to General Instruction G.(3) of Form 10-K, the following list is included as an unnumbered item in Part I of this Report in lieu of being included in the definitive proxy statement that will be filed within 120 days after December 31, 2020.

Michael P. Doss, 54, is a Director and the President and Chief Executive Officer of Graphic Packaging Holding Company. He was elected to the Board of Directors on May 20, 2015. Prior to January 1, 2016, Mr. Doss held the position of President and Chief Operating Officer from May 20, 2015 through December 31, 2015 and Chief Operating Officer from January 1, 2014 until May 19, 2015. Prior to these positions he served as the Executive Vice President, Commercial Operations of Graphic Packaging Holding Company. Prior to this Mr. Doss held the position of Senior Vice President, Consumer Packaging Division. Prior to March 2008, he had served as Senior Vice President, Consumer Products Packaging of Graphic Packaging Corporation since September 2006. From July 2000 until September 2006, he was the Vice President of Operations, Universal Packaging Division. Mr. Doss was Director of Web Systems for the Universal Packaging Division prior to his promotion to Vice President of Operations. Since joining Graphic Packaging International Corporation in 1990, Mr. Doss has held positions of increasing management responsibility, including Plant Manager at the Gordonsville, TN and Wausau, WI plants.

Stephen R. Scherger, 56, is the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Graphic Packaging Holding Company. From October 1, 2014 through December 31, 2014, Mr. Scherger was the Senior Vice President, Finance. From April 2012 through September 2014, Mr. Scherger served as Senior Vice President, Consumer Packaging Division. Mr. Scherger joined Graphic Packaging Holding Company in April of 2012 from MeadWestvaco Corporation, where he served as President, Beverage and Consumer Electronics. Mr. Scherger was with MeadWestvaco Corporation from 1986 to 2012 and held positions including Vice President, Corporate Strategy; Vice President and General Manager, Beverage Packaging; Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Papers Group, Vice President Asia Pacific and Latin America, Beverage Packaging, Chief Financial Officer Beverage Packaging and other executive-level positions.

Michael Farrell, 54, became the Executive Vice President, Mills Division of Graphic Packaging Holding Company in September 2018. Prior to that, he served as the Senior Vice President, Supply Chain from January to September 2018. Prior to January 2018, Mr. Farrell served as Vice President, Recycled Board Mills of Graphic Packaging International, LLC and its predecessor companies (“GPI”) from January 1, 2013; and Senior Manufacturing Manager of GPI from October 28, 2009 until December 31, 2012. From December 11, 2008 until October 27, 2009, Mr. Farrell was the Manufacturing Manager of the West Monroe, Louisiana mill and from September 1, 2006 until December 10, 2008 he was the General Manager of the Middletown, Ohio mill of GPI.

Jean-Francois Roche, 54, is the Senior Vice President and President, Europe, Middle East and Africa of Graphic Packaging Holding Company. Prior to assuming his current position, Mr. Roche served as Vice President, Global Accounts from October 2018 through December 2019. From April 2015 through December 2019, Mr. Roche also served as the Vice President, Sales, Europe, Middle East and Africa Consumer Products. Mr. Roche joined Graphic Packaging in April 2015 from LGR Packaging where he served as Chief Sales and Marketing Officer. Prior to that Mr. Roche spent 25 years at A&R Packaging, a large Scandinavian-based multinational consumer packaging provider, working in positions of increasing responsibility culminating the position of Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing. Mr. Roche also serves as the President of the European Carton Makers Association, Europe’s folding carton industry association.

Lauren S. Tashma, 54, is the Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Graphic Packaging Holding Company. She joined the Company in February 2014. Previously, Ms. Tashma served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Fortune Brands Home & Security, Inc., where she led the legal, compliance and EHS functions. Prior to that, Ms. Tashma had various roles with Fortune Brands, Inc., including Vice President and Associate General Counsel.

Stacey Valy Panayiotou, 48, is the Executive Vice President, Human Resources of Graphic Packaging Holding Company. She joined the Company on April 22, 2019 from The Coca-Cola Company, where she held a variety of senior Human Resources leadership roles, including Global Vice President of Talent and Development and Vice President, HR, Europe, Middle East and Africa, which consisted of over 120 countries. Prior to her global talent position, Ms. Panayiotou served as Vice President of Talent and Development, Organizational Effectiveness and Diversity and Inclusion and Learning for the Coca-Cola North America Group. Prior to that, she was Vice President of HR for the West business unit of Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc. (CCE) and worked in corporate HR with The Coca-Cola Company. She also led the organization development function for Pactiv Corporation. Ms. Panayiotou was with The Coca-Cola Company from February 2006 through April 2019.

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Joseph P. Yost, 53, is the Executive Vice President, and President, Americas of Graphic Packaging Holding Company. Prior to January 5, 2017, Mr. Yost served as Senior Vice President, Global Beverage and Europe from September 1, 2015 to January 4, 2017, Senior Vice President, Europe from March 1, 2014 to August 31, 2015 and Senior Vice President, European Chief Integration Officer/Chief Financial Officer from February 2013 until February 2014. From 2009 until February 2013, Mr. Yost was the Senior Vice President, Supply Chain of Graphic Packaging Holding Company. From 2006 to 2009, he served as Vice President, Operations Support – Consumer Packaging for Graphic Packaging International, Inc. Mr. Yost has also served in the following positions: Director, Finance and Centralized Services from 2003 to 2006 with Graphic Packaging International, Inc. and from 2000 to 2003 with Graphic Packaging Corporation; Manager, Operations Planning and Analysis – Consumer Products Division from 1999 to 2000 with Graphic Packaging Corporation; and other management positions from 1997 to 1999 with Fort James Corporation.

PART II

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

GPHC’s common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “GPK.”

During 2020 and 2019, GPHC paid cash dividends of $84.7 million and $88.7 million, respectively.

On January 28, 2019, the Company's board of directors authorized an additional share repurchase program to allow the Company to purchase up to $500 million of the Company'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"). The previous $250 million share repurchase program was authorized on January 10, 2017 (the "2017 share repurchase program").

The following presents GPHC's share repurchases for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018:



Amount repurchased in millions	Amount Repurchased		Number of Shares Repurchased		Average Price
2020	$	315.6	23,420,010		$	13.48
2019	$	127.9	10,191,257	(a)	$	12.55
2018	$	120.0	10,566,144		$	11.35

(a) Includes 7,400,171 shares repurchased under the 2017 share repurchase program, thereby completing that program.

During the fourth quarter of 2020, pursuant to the 2019 share repurchase program, GPHC purchased shares of its common stock as follows:

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities


Period (2020)	Total Number of Shares Purchased	Average Price Paid Per Share		Total Number of Shares Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Plans or Programs	Maximum Number of Shares That May Yet Be Purchased Under the Publicly Announced Program (a)
October 1, through October 31,	3,114,123	$	14.10	65,057,961	12,538,057
November 1, through November 30,	1,409,349	$	14.24	66,467,310	9,564,954
December 1, through December 31,	—	$	—	66,467,310	8,650,242
Total	4,523,472

(a) Based on the closing price of GPHC's common stock as of the end of each period.

2020

On March 6, 2020, GPIL completed a private offering of $450 million aggregate principal amount of its 3.50% senior unsecured notes due 2028 (the "2028 Senior Notes"). The 2028 Senior Notes were sold in a private placement in reliance on Rule 144A and Regulation S under the Securities Exchange Act, as amended. The offering was completed pursuant to a purchase agreement between the Company, GPIL and Field Container Queretaro (USA), L.L.C. and BofA Securities, Inc. as representative of the initial purchasers. The Company received net proceeds of the offering of approximately $443 million, after deducting the initial purchasers' discount and other transaction costs. The net proceeds of the offering were used to repay a portion of the outstanding borrowings under GPIL's revolving credit facility under its senior secured credit facility.

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On August 28, 2020, GPIL completed a private offering of $350 million aggregate principal amount of its 3.50% senior unsecured notes due 2029 (the "2029 Senior Notes"). The 2029 Senior Notes were sold in a private placement in reliance on Rule 144A and Regulation S under the Securities Exchange Act, as amended. The offering was completed pursuant to a purchase agreement between the Company, GPIL and Field Container Queretaro (USA), L.L.C. and BofA Securities, Inc. as representative of the initial purchasers. The Company received net proceeds of the offering of approximately $345 million, after deducting the initial purchasers' discount and other transaction costs. The net proceeds of the offering were used to repay a portion of the outstanding borrowings under GPIL's revolving credit facility under its senior secured credit facility.

2019

On June 25, 2019, GPIL completed a private offering of $300 million aggregate principal amount of its 4.75% senior unsecured notes due 2027 (the "2027 Senior Notes"). The 2027 Senior Notes were sold in a private placement in reliance on Rule 144A and Regulation S under the Securities Exchange Act, as amended. The offering was completed pursuant to a purchase agreement between the Company, GPIL and Field Container Queretaro (USA), L.L.C. and BofA Securities, Inc. as representative of the initial purchasers. The Company received net proceeds of the offering of approximately $295 million, after deducting the initial purchasers' discount and other transaction costs. The net proceeds of the offering were used to repay a portion of the outstanding borrowings under GPIL's revolving credit facility under its senior secured credit facility.

On February 2, 2021, there were approximately 1,055 stockholders of record and approximately 36,517 beneficial holders of GPHC's common stock.

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Total Return to Stockholders

The following graph compares the total returns (assuming reinvestment of dividends) of the common stock of Graphic Packaging Holding Company, the Standard & Poor’s (“S&P”) 500 Stock Index and the Dow Jones (“DJ”) U.S. Container & Packaging Index. The graph assumes $100 invested on December 31, 2015 in GPHC’s common stock and each of the indices. The stock price performance on the following graph is not necessarily indicative of future stock price performance.


	12/31/2015		12/31/2016		12/31/2017		12/31/2018		12/31/2019		12/31/2020
Graphic Packaging Holding Company	$	100.00	$	97.65	$	120.89	$	83.25	$	130.28	$	132.55
S&P 500 Stock Index	100.00		111.96		136.40		130.42		171.49		203.04
Dow Jones U.S. Container & Packaging Index	100.00		119.06		141.70		115.56		148.59		179.99

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ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

The selected consolidated financial data set forth below should be read in conjunction with “Item 7., Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the Consolidated Financial Statements of the Company and the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included herein under “Item 8., Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.”


			Year Ended December 31,
In millions, except per share amounts	2020		2019		2018		2017		2016
Statement of Operations Data:
Net Sales	$	6,559.9	$	6,160.1	$	6,029.4	$	4,405.6	$	4,301.0
Income from Operations	524.3		534.1		458.2		327.9		407.4
Net Income	203.3		278.1		294.0		300.2		228.0
Net Income Attributable to Noncontrolling Interests	(36.0)		(71.3)		(72.9)		—		—

Net Income Attributable to Graphic Packaging Holding Company	167.3		206.8		221.1		300.2		228.0

Net Income Attributable to Graphic Packaging Holding Company Per Share Basis:



Basic	$	0.60	$	0.70	$	0.71	$	0.97	$	0.71






Diluted	$	0.60	$	0.70	$	0.71	$	0.96	$	0.71






Balance Sheet Data:
(as of period end)
Cash and Cash Equivalents	$	179.0	$	152.9	$	70.5	$	67.4	$	59.1
Total Assets	7,804.6		7,289.9		7,059.2		4,863.0		4,603.4
Total Debt	3,644.2		2,860.3		2,957.1		2,274.5		2,151.9
Total Equity	1,840.3		2,058.0		2,018.5		1,291.9		1,056.5

Additional Data:
Depreciation and Amortization	$	475.8	$	447.2	$	430.6	$	330.3	$	299.3
Capital Spending, including Packaging Machinery(a)	646.3		352.9		395.2		260.1		294.6
Dividends Declared per Share	0.30		0.30		0.30		0.30		0.225

(a) During 2019, the Company announced its plan to invest approximately $600 million in a new CRB mill in Kalamazoo, Michigan. See Note 20 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included herein under “Item 8., Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.”

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

INTRODUCTION

This management’s discussion and analysis of financial conditions and results of operations is intended to provide investors with an understanding of the Company’s past performance, financial condition and prospects. The following will be discussed and analyzed:

Overview of Business

Overview of 2020 Results

Results of Operations

Financial Condition, Liquidity and Capital Resources

Critical Accounting Policies

New Accounting Standards

Business Outlook

OVERVIEW OF BUSINESS

The Company’s objective is to strengthen its position as a leading provider of sustainable paper-based packaging solutions. To achieve this objective, the Company offers customers its paperboard, cartons, cups, lids, foodservice containers and packaging machines, either as an integrated solution or separately. Cartons, carriers and containers are designed to protect and hold products. Product offerings include a variety of laminated, coated and printed packaging structures that are produced from the Company’s CRB, CUK, and SBS paperboard. Innovative designs and combinations of paperboard, films, foils, metallization, holographics and embossing are customized to the individual needs of the customers.

The Company is implementing strategies (i) to expand market share in its current markets and to identify and penetrate new markets; (ii) to capitalize on the Company’s customer relationships, business competencies, and mills and folding carton assets; (iii) to develop and market innovative, sustainable products and applications that benefit from consumer-led sustainability trends; and (iv) to continue to reduce costs by focusing on operational improvements. The Company’s ability to fully implement its strategies and achieve its objectives may be influenced by a variety of factors, many of which are beyond its control, such as inflation of raw material and other costs, which the Company cannot always pass through to its customers, and the effect of overcapacity in the worldwide paperboard packaging industry.

Significant Factors That Impact the Company’s Business and Results of Operations

COVID-19 Pandemic. Many uncertainties remain regarding the current novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic, including the anticipated duration of the pandemic, and the extent of local and worldwide social, political, and economic disruption it may cause. While the COVID-19 pandemic has not materially impacted the Company's overall business, operations, or financial results to date, it may have far-reaching impacts on many aspects of the Company's operations, including impacts on customer and consumer behaviors, business and manufacturing operations, inventory, accounts receivable, the Company’s employees, and the market generally. The Company will continue to assess the evolving impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and intends to make adjustments to its business accordingly, such as to match the Company's supply with demand by adjusting mill maintenance outages and taking market downtime where appropriate such as the uncoated SBS cupstock paper machine market downtime that the Company took in Q3 of 2020 to reflect reduced demand for paperboard packaging from foodservice customers.

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Impact of Inflation/Deflation. The Company’s cost of sales consists primarily of energy (including natural gas, fuel oil and electricity), pine and hardwood fiber, chemicals, secondary fibers, purchased paperboard, aluminum foil, ink, plastic films and resins, depreciation expense and labor. Costs increased year over year by $29.9 million in 2020 and increased year over year by $79.1 million in 2019. The higher costs in 2020 were due to costs of labor and benefits ($45.1 million), secondary fiber ($22.5 million), freight ($8.7 million), and other costs, net ($1.9 million), partially offset by lower costs of wood ($32.7 million), energy ($9.9 million) and external board ($5.7 million). The higher costs in 2019 were due to costs of labor and benefits ($40.4 million), wood ($39.6 million), external board ($12.1 million), partially offset by lower costs of secondary fiber ($10.5 million), and other costs, net ($2.5 million).

Because the price of natural gas experiences significant volatility, the Company has entered into contracts designed to manage risks associated with future variability in cash flows caused by changes in the price of natural gas. The Company has entered into natural gas swap contracts to hedge prices for a portion of its expected usage for 2021 and 2022. Since negotiated sales contracts and the market largely determine the pricing for its products, the Company is at times limited in its ability to raise prices and pass through to its customers any inflationary or other cost increases that the Company may incur.

Commitment to Cost Reduction. In light of continuing margin pressure throughout the packaging industry, the Company has programs in place that are designed to reduce costs, improve productivity and increase profitability. The Company utilizes a global continuous improvement initiative that uses statistical process control to help design and manage many types of activities, including production and maintenance. This includes a Six Sigma process focused on reducing variable and fixed manufacturing and administrative costs and the use of Lean Sigma principles in manufacturing and supply chain processes.

The Company’s ability to continue to successfully implement its business strategies and to realize anticipated savings and operating efficiencies is subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond the Company’s control. If the Company cannot successfully implement the strategic cost reductions or other cost savings plans it may not be able to continue to compete successfully against other manufacturers. In addition, any failure to generate the anticipated efficiencies and savings could adversely affect the Company’s financial results.

Competition and Market Factors. As some products can be packaged in different types of materials, the Company’s sales are affected by competition from other manufacturers’ CRB, CUK, SBS, folding box board, and recycled clay-coated news. Additional substitute products also include plastic, shrink film and corrugated containers. In addition, while the Company has long-term relationships with many of its customers, the underlying contracts may be re-bid or renegotiated from time to time, and the Company may not be successful in renewing on favorable terms or at all. The Company works to maintain market share through efficiency, product innovation, service and strategic sourcing to its customers; however, pricing and other competitive pressures may occasionally result in the loss of a customer relationship.

In addition, the Company’s sales are driven by consumer buying habits in the markets its customers serve, and recently we have seen net organic sales growth driven by the consumers’ desire for sustainable packaging solutions and increased at home consumption. Changes in consumer dietary habits and preferences, increases in the costs of living, unemployment rates, access to credit markets, as well as other macroeconomic factors, may negatively affect consumer spending behavior. New product introductions and promotional activity by the Company’s customers and the Company’s introduction of new packaging products also impact its sales.

Debt Obligations. The Company had an aggregate principal amount of $3,666.6 million of outstanding debt obligations as of December 31, 2020. This debt has consequences for the Company, as it requires a portion of cash flow from operations to be used for the payment of principal and interest, exposes the Company to the risk of increased interest rates and may restrict the Company’s ability to obtain additional financing. Covenants in the Company’s Current Credit Agreement and Indentures may, among other things, restrict the ability of the Company to dispose of assets, incur guarantee obligations, prepay other indebtedness, repurchase stock, pay dividends, make other restricted payments and make acquisitions or other investments. The Current Credit Agreement also requires compliance with a maximum consolidated leverage ratio and a minimum consolidated interest coverage ratio. The Company’s ability to comply in future periods with the financial covenants will depend on its ongoing financial and operating performance, which in turn will be subject to many other factors, many of which are beyond the Company’s control. See “Covenant Restrictions” in “Financial Condition, Liquidity and Capital Resources” for additional information regarding the Company’s debt obligations.

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The debt and the restrictions under the Current Credit Agreement and the Indentures could limit the Company’s flexibility to respond to changing market conditions and competitive pressures. The outstanding debt obligations and the restrictions may also leave the Company more vulnerable to a downturn in general economic conditions or its business, or unable to carry out capital expenditures that are necessary or important to its growth strategy and productivity improvement programs.

OVERVIEW OF RESULTS

This management’s discussion and analysis contains an analysis of Net Sales, Income from Operations and other information relevant to an understanding of the Company's results of operations. On a consolidated basis:

• Net Sales in 2020 increased by $399.8 million or 6.5%, to $6,559.9 million from $6,160.1 million in 2019 due to organic sales growth, and the Greif, Quad and Artistic acquisitions, partially offset by lower open market volume of our paperboard and unfavorable foreign currency exchange rates.

• Income from Operations in 2020 decreased by $9.8 million or 1.8%, to $524.3 million from $534.1 million in 2019. Transactions recorded in Business Combinations, Shutdown and Other Special Charges and Exit Activities, Net increased $23.4 million driven by higher charges for exit activities, including those related to our announced closures of White Pigeon, Michigan, CRB mill and West Monroe, Louisiana, PM1 containerboard machine, costs related to COVID-19, and increases in estimated liabilities related to the withdrawal from certain multi-employment benefit plans for facilities which have been closed. In addition, Income from Operations was negatively impacted in 2020 as compared to 2019 by non-commodity inflation (primarily labor and benefits), product mix, higher levels of planned maintenance and higher levels of market downtime at the uncoated SBS cupstock paper machine, and higher depreciation and amortization. Income from Operations was positively impacted in 2020 as compared to 2019 by higher volumes from organic sales growth and acquisitions, cost savings from continuous improvement and other programs, and commodity deflation.

Acquisitions, Closures, and Dispositions

•On January 31, 2020, the Company acquired a folding carton facility from Quad, a commercial printing company. The converting facility is located in Omaha, Nebraska and is included in the Americas Paperboard Packaging reportable segment.

•On April 1, 2020, the Company acquired the Consumer Packaging Group business from Greif, a leader in industrial packaging products and services. The acquisition included seven converting facilities across the United States, which are included in the Americas Paperboard Packaging reportable segment.

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

•During 2018, the Company completed the NACP Combination and the 2018 Acquisitions which included PFP and Letica Foodservice, and sold its previously closed CRB mill site in Santa Clara, California.

Share Repurchases and Dividends

•During 2020, GPHC repurchased 23.4 million shares of GPHC's outstanding common stock, for $315.6 million, at an average price of $13.48 per share. At December 31, 2020, GPHC had approximately $146.5 million available for additional repurchases under the 2019 share repurchase program.

•During 2020, GPHC declared cash dividends of $83.0 million and paid cash dividends of $84.7 million.

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RESULTS OF OPERATIONS


	Year Ended December 31,
In millions	2020		2019		2018
Net Sales	$	6,559.9	$	6,160.1	$	6,029.4
Income from Operations	$	524.3	$	534.1	$	458.2
Nonoperating Pension and Postretirement Benefit (Expense) Income	(151.5)		(39.5)		14.9
Interest Expense, Net	(128.8)		(140.6)		(123.7)
Loss on Modification or Extinguishment of Debt	—		—		(1.9)
Income before Income Taxes and Equity Income of Unconsolidated Entity	$	244.0	$	354.0	$	347.5
Income Tax Expense	(41.6)		(76.3)		(54.7)
Income before Equity Income of Unconsolidated Entity	$	202.4	$	277.7	$	292.8
Equity Income of Unconsolidated Entity	0.9		0.4		1.2
Net Income	$	203.3	$	278.1	$	294.0

2020 COMPARED WITH 2019

Net Sales

The components of the change in Net Sales are as follows:


	Year Ended December 31,
			Variances
In millions	2019		Price		Volume/Mix		Foreign Exchange		2020		Increase		Percent Change
Consolidated	$	6,160.1	$	(1.2)	$	408.0	$	(7.0)	$	6,559.9	$	399.8	6.5	%

The Company's Net Sales in 2020 increased by $399.8 million or 6.5%, to $6,559.9 million from $6,160.1 million for the same period in 2019, due to Net Sales of $268.6 million from the Greif, Artistic and Quad Acquisitions and organic sales growth including new product introductions and conversions to our paperboard packaging solutions. These increases were partially offset by lower open market volume of our paperboard, product mix, and unfavorable foreign currency exchange rates, primarily the Brazilian Real, Mexican Peso, and Canadian Dollar as well as lower selling prices. Core converting volumes were up, primarily in global beverage, dry foods, frozen foods, dairy products and cereal, offset by declines in foodservice packaging, including cups. The COVID-19 pandemic had a positive impact on volumes in 2020 for food and beverage packaging offset by a reduction in demand for some foodservice products.

Income from Operations

The components of the change in Income from Operations are as follows:


	Year Ended December 31,
			Variances
In millions	2019		Price		Volume/Mix		Inflation		Foreign Exchange		Other (a)		2020		Decrease		Percent Change
Consolidated	$	534.1	$	(1.2)	$	13.5	$	(29.9)	$	0.3	$	7.5	$	524.3	$	(9.8)	(1.8)	%

(a) Includes the Company's cost reduction initiatives, planned mill maintenance costs, mill market downtime costs, expenses related to acquisitions and integration activities, exit activities, and shutdown and other special charges.

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The Company's Income from Operations for 2020 decreased $9.8 million or 1.8%, to $524.3 million from $534.1 million for the same period in 2019. Transactions recorded in Business Combinations, Shutdown and Other Special Charges and Exit Activities, Net increased $23.4 million driven by higher charges for exit activities, including those related to our announced closures of White Pigeon, Michigan, CRB mill and West Monroe, Louisiana, PM1 containerboard machine, costs related to COVID-19, and increases in estimated liabilities related to the withdrawal from certain multi-employment benefit plans for facilities which have been closed. In addition, Income from Operations was negatively impacted in 2020 as compared to 2019 by non-commodity inflation (primarily labor and benefits), product mix, higher levels of planned maintenance and higher levels of market downtime at the uncoated SBS cupstock paper machine, and higher depreciation and amortization. Income from Operations was positively impacted in 2020 as compared to 2019 by higher volumes from organic sales growth and acquisitions, cost savings from continuous improvement and other programs, and commodity deflation.

Inflation for 2020 increased due to higher costs of labor and benefits ($45.1 million), secondary fiber ($22.5 million), freight ($8.7 million), and other costs, net ($1.9 million), partially offset by lower costs for wood ($32.7 million), energy ($9.9 million) and external board ($5.7 million).

Nonoperating Pension and Postretirement Benefit

Nonoperating Pension and Postretirement Benefit was an expense of $151.5 million in 2020 versus $39.5 million in 2019. The increase was due to a settlement charge of $152.5 million incurred during the first quarter of 2020 associated with the Company's purchase of a group annuity contract that transferred the remaining pension benefit obligation under the largest U.S. Plan of approximately $713 million to an insurance company.

Interest Expense, Net

Interest Expense, Net decreased by $11.8 million to $128.8 million in 2020 from $140.6 million in 2019. Interest Expense, Net decreased due to lower interest rates, partially offset by higher debt balances as compared to prior year. As of December 31, 2020, approximately 35% of the Company’s total debt was subject to floating interest rates.

Income Tax Expense

During 2020, the Company recognized Income Tax Expense of $41.6 million on Income before Income Taxes and Equity Income of Unconsolidated Entity of $244.0 million. During 2019, the Company recognized Income Tax Expense of $76.3 million on Income before Income Taxes and Equity Income of Unconsolidated Entity of $354.0 million. The effective tax rate for 2020 is different than the statutory rate due to the tax effect of income attributable to noncontrolling interests as well as the mix of earnings between foreign and domestic tax jurisdictions. In addition, during 2020, the Company recorded discrete benefits of $7.6 million and $4.1 million related to the release of valuation allowances against the net deferred tax assets of two of its Canadian subsidiaries as a result of a planned internal restructuring and the tax effect of tax credit and other provision to return adjustments related to the 2019 U.S. federal income tax return, respectively. The effective tax rate in 2020 is lower than the effective tax rate in 2019 primarily due to these discrete benefits as compared to 2019. Also during 2019, the Company established a valuation allowance related to the net deferred tax assets of its Australian subsidiaries.

The Company utilized its remaining U.S. federal net operating losses during 2020. However, based on tax benefits associated with planned capital projects, the anticipated reduction of International Paper's investment in GPIP, as well as tax credit carryforwards which are available to offset future U.S. federal income tax, the Company does not expect to be a meaningful U.S. federal cash taxpayer until 2024.

Equity Income of Unconsolidated Entity

Equity Income of Unconsolidated Entity was $0.9 million in 2020 and $0.4 million in 2019 and is related to the Company’s equity investment through its GPIL subsidiary, in the Rengo Riverwood Packaging, Ltd. joint venture.

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2019 COMPARED WITH 2018

Net Sales

The components of the change in Net Sales are as follows:


	Year Ended December 31,
			Variances
In millions	2018		Price		Volume/Mix		Foreign Exchange		2019		Increase		Percent Change
Consolidated	$	6,029.4	$	131.2	$	50.2	$	(50.7)	$	6,160.1	$	130.7	2.2	%

The Company’s Net Sales in 2019 increased by $130.7 million, or 2.2% to $6,160.1 million from $6,029.4 million in 2018 due to higher selling prices and Net Sales of approximately $115 million from the Artistic and 2018 Acquisitions. These increases were partially offset by modestly lower converting volumes in the first half of the year and unfavorable foreign currency exchange rates, primarily the Euro, British Pound and Australian dollar. The higher selling prices are the result of announced price increases which benefit from inflationary pass throughs in the converting business as well as open market sales. Core converting volumes were down, in dry and frozen foods and dairy products, partially offset by higher global beverage volumes and new product introductions.

Income from Operations

The components of the change in Income from Operations are as follows:


	Year Ended December 31,
			Variances
In millions	2018		Price		Volume/Mix		Inflation		Foreign Exchange		Other(a)		2019		Increase		Percent Change
Consolidated	$	458.2	$	131.2	$	(31.2)	$	(79.1)	$	(6.2)	$	61.2	$	534.1	$	75.9	16.6	%

(a) Includes the Company's cost reduction initiatives, expenses related to acquisitions and integration activities, exit activities, gain on sale of assets and shutdown and other special charges.

The Company's Income from Operations for 2019 increased $75.9 million or 16.6%, to $534.1 million from $458.2 million for the same period in 2018 due to the higher selling prices, cost savings through continuous improvement programs, the Augusta, Georgia mill outage in 2018 (approximately $52 million), and benefits from completed capital projects and synergies. These increases were partially offset by higher inflation, product mix, the gain on the sale of the Santa Clara mill site in 2018, costs to dispose of idle and abandoned assets, costs associated with exit activities, start-up costs associated with the Monroe, Louisiana folding carton facility, increased incentive costs and unfavorable foreign currency exchange rates. Inflation for 2019 increased due to labor and benefit costs ($40.4 million), wood ($39.6 million), external board ($12.1 million), partially offset by lower secondary fiber cost ($10.5 million), and other costs, net ($2.5 million).

Nonoperating Pension and Postretirement Benefit

Nonoperating Pension and Postretirement Benefit was an expense of $39.5 million in 2019 versus income of $14.9 million in 2018. The increase in expense was due to a settlement charge of $39.2 million associated with lump sum payments, as well as lower expected return on assets and higher interest costs.

Interest Expense, Net

Interest Expense, Net increased by $16.9 million to $140.6 million in 2019 from $123.7 million in 2018. Interest Expense, Net increased due primarily to higher average debt balances slightly offset by lower average interest rates as compared to the prior year. As of December 31, 2019, approximately 34% of the Company’s total debt was subject to floating interest rates.

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Income Tax Expense

During 2019, the Company recognized Income Tax Expense of $76.3 million on Income before Income Taxes and Equity Income of Unconsolidated Entity of $354.0 million. During 2018, the Company recognized Income Tax Expense of $54.7 million on Income before Income Taxes and Equity Income of Unconsolidated Entity of $347.5 million. The effective tax rate for 2019 is different than the statutory rate primarily due to the tax effect of income attributable to noncontrolling interests as well as the mix and levels of earnings between foreign and domestic tax jurisdictions. In addition, during 2019, the Company recorded discrete expense of $4.8 million for a valuation allowance against the net deferred tax assets of the Company’s subsidiary in Australia. The effective tax rate in 2019 is higher than the effective tax rate in 2018 primarily due to the valuation allowance as compared to 2018. During 2018, the Company released its valuation allowance against the net deferred tax assets of its French subsidiary and recorded discrete benefits related to the true up of the effects of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act enacted in 2017.

Equity Income of Unconsolidated Entity

Equity Income of Unconsolidated Entity was $0.4 million in 2019 and $1.2 million in 2018 and is related to the Company’s equity investment through its GPIL subsidiary in the joint venture, Rengo Riverwood Packaging, Ltd.

Segment Reporting

The Company has three reportable segments as follows:

Paperboard Mills includes the eight North American paperboard mills that produce primarily CRB, CUK, and SBS, which is consumed internally to produce paperboard packaging for the Americas and Europe Packaging segments. The remaining paperboard is sold externally to a wide variety of paperboard packaging converters and brokers. The Paperboard Mills segment Net Sales represents the sale of paperboard only to external customers. The effect of intercompany transfers to the paperboard packaging segments has been eliminated from the Paperboard Mills segment to reflect the economics of the integration of these segments.

Americas Paperboard Packaging includes paperboard packaging, primarily folding cartons, sold primarily to Consumer Packaged Good ("CPG") companies, and cups, lids and food containers sold primarily to foodservice companies and quick-service restaurants ("QSR") serving the food, beverage, and consumer product markets in the Americas.

Europe Paperboard Packaging includes paperboard packaging, primarily folding cartons, sold primarily to CPG companies serving the food, beverage and consumer product markets in Europe.

The Company allocates certain mill and corporate costs to the reportable segments to appropriately represent the economics of these segments. The Corporate and Other caption includes the Pacific Rim and Australia operating segments and unallocated corporate and one-time costs.

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These segments are evaluated by the chief operating decision maker based primarily on Income from Operations, as adjusted for depreciation and amortization. The accounting policies of the reportable segments are the same as those described in Note 1 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included herein under “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data."


	Year Ended December 31,
In millions	2020		2019		2018
NET SALES:
Paperboard Mills	$	988.1	$	1,094.8	$	1,078.1
Americas Paperboard Packaging	4,650.1		4,233.7		4,098.3
Europe Paperboard Packaging	764.6		689.3		695.9

Corporate/Other/Eliminations(a)	157.1		142.3		157.1
Total	$	6,559.9	$	6,160.1	$	6,029.4

(LOSS) INCOME FROM OPERATIONS:
Paperboard Mills(b)	$	(109.9)	$	33.1	$	30.6
Americas Paperboard Packaging	638.5		477.7		420.1
Europe Paperboard Packaging	65.9		60.3		46.1

Corporate and Other(c)	(70.2)		(37.0)		(38.6)
Total	$	524.3	$	534.1	$	458.2

(a) Includes revenue from contracts with customers for the Australia and Pacific Rim operating segments.

(b) Includes accelerated depreciation related to exit activities in 2020 and 2019, excludes $29.6 million related to the Augusta, Georgia mill outage in 2018.

(c) Includes expenses related to business combinations, exit activities, idle and abandoned assets, gain on sale of assets and shutdown and other special charges.

2020 COMPARED WITH 2019

Paperboard Mills - Net Sales decreased from prior year due to customer mix, lower open market volume primarily of containerboard due to the shutdown of the PM1 containerboard machine and CUK as the Company internalized more paperboard tons, and lower selling prices.

Income from Operations decreased due to the lower selling prices, lower open market volume, higher levels of planned maintenance at the mills, higher levels of market downtime at the SBS cupstock paper machine, higher labor and benefits costs, increased depreciation expense including accelerated depreciation related to exit activities, and customer mix of open market volume partially offset by productivity improvements, including benefits from capital projects, and commodity deflation. The commodity deflation was primarily due to lower prices for wood and energy offset by higher prices for secondary fiber.

Americas Paperboard Packaging - Net Sales increased due to higher selling prices, the Greif, Artistic, and Quad acquisitions, organic sales growth including conversions to our paperboard packaging solutions, and new product introductions offset by unfavorable foreign currency exchange rates. Higher volumes in global beverage, dry foods, frozen foods, dairy products and cereal were offset by declines in foodservice packaging, including cups. In beverage, volumes increased in all categories including soft drink, craft and specialty, and big beer. COVID-19 had a positive impact on volumes in 2020 for food and beverage packaging offset by a reduction in demand for some foodservice products.

Income from Operations increased due to higher volumes including from organic sales growth and acquisitions, higher selling prices, cost savings through continuous improvement and other programs, and commodity deflation, partially offset by other inflation (primarily labor and benefits), higher levels of market downtime at the SBS cupstock paper machine, and unfavorable foreign currency exchange rates. The commodity deflation was primarily due to lower prices for wood, energy, and external board offset by higher prices for secondary fiber and freight.

Europe Paperboard Packaging - Net Sales increased due to higher pricing, increased volumes led by beverage, machine sales, and convenience, favorable mix, and favorable foreign currency exchange rates.

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Income from Operations increased due to higher selling prices, increased volumes, commodity deflation, and favorable foreign currency exchange rates partially offset by higher labor and benefits, unfavorable mix, and COVID-19 costs.

2019 COMPARED WITH 2018

Paperboard Mills - Net Sales increased from prior year due to higher selling prices and higher open market volume of SBS and CRB, due to the White Pigeon Mill acquired as part of the Artistic acquisition, partially offset by lower open market volume for CUK. The Company also internalized more CUK and SBS paperboard.

Income from Operations increased due to the higher selling prices and productivity improvements, including benefits from capital projects. These increases were partially offset by product mix, inflation, accelerated depreciation related to exit activities and modest market downtime taken for SBS. The higher inflation was primarily due to wood and labor and benefits, partially offset by lower prices for secondary fiber and energy.

Americas Paperboard Packaging - Net Sales increased due to higher selling prices and the Artistic and 2018 Acquisitions, partially offset by modestly lower converting volumes in the first half of the year. Certain consumer products, primarily dry and frozen foods and dairy products, experienced decreased volume, which was partially offset by increased volume from new product introductions. Beverage volumes rose across all categories except big beer.

Income from Operations increased due to the higher selling prices and productivity improvements partially offset by higher inflation and start-up costs associated with the Monroe, Louisiana folding carton facility. The higher inflation was primarily for labor and benefits and external board.

Europe Paperboard Packaging - Net Sales decreased slightly as unfavorable foreign currency exchange rates were partially offset by increased beverage, consumer product and convenience volumes and higher selling prices. The higher volumes reflect the increase in multi-pack beverage and a shift from plastics into paperboard solutions.

Income from Operations increased due to the higher selling prices, the improved volumes and cost savings through continuous improvement programs, partially offset by inflation, primarily labor and benefits and external board, unfavorable foreign currency exchange rates and higher outsourcing costs.

FINANCIAL CONDITION, LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

The Company broadly defines liquidity as its ability to generate sufficient funds from both internal and external sources to meet its obligations and commitments. In addition, liquidity includes the ability to obtain appropriate debt and equity financing and to convert into cash those assets that are no longer required to meet existing strategic and financial objectives. Therefore, liquidity cannot be considered separately from capital resources that consist of current or potentially available funds for use in achieving long-range business objectives and meeting debt service commitments.

Cash Flows


	Years Ended December 31,
In millions	2020		2019
Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities	$	824.7	$	665.8
Net Cash Used in Investing Activities	$	(647.8)	$	(224.3)
Net Cash Used in Financing Activities	$	(152.0)	$	(360.8)

Effective January 1, 2018, the Company adopted ASU No. 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230); Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments, which required the Company to classify consideration received for beneficial interest obtained for transferring trade receivables as investing activities instead of operating activities.

Net cash provided by operating activities in 2020 totaled $824.7 million, compared to $665.8 million in 2019. The increase was due primarily to the restructuring of certain of the Company's accounts receivable sale and securitization programs as well as improved operations as compared to prior year. Pension contributions in 2020 and 2019 were $19.1 million and $11.3 million, respectively.

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Net cash used in investing activities in 2020 totaled $647.8 million, compared to $224.3 million in 2019. Capital spending was $646.3 million and $352.9 million in 2020 and 2019, respectively. In 2020, the Company paid approximately $41 million and $80 million for the Quad and Greif acquisitions, respectively. Net beneficial interest decreased as a result of the restructuring of certain of the Company's accounts receivable sale and securitization programs. In the prior year, the Company paid $54.5 million, net of cash acquired, for the 2019 Acquisitions. Net cash receipts related to the accounts receivable securitization and sale programs were $127.0 million and $187.7 million in 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Net cash used in financing activities in 2020 totaled $152.0 million, compared to $360.8 million in 2019. Current year activities include a debt offering of $450 million aggregate principal amount of 3.50% senior notes due 2028, and a debt offering of $350 million aggregate principal amount of 3.50% senior notes due 2029. The Company used the net proceeds to repay outstanding borrowings under its senior secured revolving credit facility. The Company also paid $500 million toward the redemption of IP's ownership interest in GPIP. Additionally, the Company made borrowings under revolving credit facilities primarily for capital spending, redemption of IP's ownership interest, repurchase of common stock of $315.6 million and payments on debt of $36.5 million. The Company also paid dividends and distributions of $102.8 million and withheld $9.1 million of restricted stock units to satisfy tax withholding obligations related to the payout of restricted stock units. In the prior year, the Company had a debt offering of $300 million aggregate principal amount of 4.75% senior notes due 2027. The Company also made borrowings under revolving credit facilities primarily for capital spending, repurchase of stock of $128.8 million and payments on debt of $36.5 million. The Company also paid dividends and distributions of $112.7 million and withheld $4.1 million of restricted stock units to satisfy tax withholding payments related to the payout of restricted stock units.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

The Company's liquidity needs arise primarily from the funding of its capital expenditures, debt service on its indebtedness, ongoing operating costs, working capital, share repurchases and dividend payments. Principal and interest payments under the term loan facilities and the revolving credit facilities, together with principal and interest payments on the Company's 4.75% Senior Notes due 2021 (redeemed in January 2021), 4.875% Senior Notes due 2022, 4.125% Senior Notes due 2024, 4.75% Senior Notes due 2027, 3.50% Senior Notes due 2028, and 3.50% Senior Notes due 2029 (the “Notes”), represent liquidity requirements for the Company. Based upon current levels of operations, anticipated cost savings and expectations as to future growth, the Company believes that cash generated from operations, together with amounts available under its revolving credit facilities and other available financing sources, will be adequate to permit the Company to meet its debt service obligations, necessary capital expenditure program requirements and ongoing operating costs and working capital needs, although no assurance can be given in this regard. The Company's future financial and operating performance, ability to service or refinance its debt and ability to comply with the covenants and restrictions contained in its debt agreements (see “Covenant Restrictions” below) will be subject to future economic conditions, including conditions in the credit markets, and to financial, business and other factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control, and will be substantially dependent on the selling prices and demand for the Company's products, raw material and energy costs, and the Company's ability to successfully implement its overall business and profitability strategies.

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.

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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 Expense, Net line item on the Consolidated Statement of Operations. The following table summarizes the activity under these programs for the year ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively:


	Year Ended December 31,
In millions	2020		2019
Receivables Sold and Derecognized	$	2,849.8	$	2,654.2
Proceeds Collected on Behalf of Financial Institutions	2,787.4		2,254.9
Net Proceeds Received From Financial Institutions	54.9		66.5
Deferred Purchase Price at December 31(a)	5.3		0.7
Pledged Receivables at December 31	201.0		177.5

(a) Included in Other Current Assets and represents a beneficial interest in the receivables sold to the financial institutions, which is a Level 3 fair value measure.

The Company has also entered into various factoring and supply chain financing arrangements which also qualify for sale accounting in accordance with the Transfers and Servicing topic of the FASB Codification. For the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, the Company sold receivables of approximately $368 million and $238 million, respectively, related to these factoring arrangements.

Receivables sold under all programs subject to continuing involvement, which consist principally of collection services, were approximately $621 million and $562 million as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Covenant Restrictions

Covenants contained in the Current Credit Agreement and the Indentures may, among other things, limit the ability to incur additional indebtedness, restrict the ability of the Company to dispose of assets, incur guarantee obligations, prepay other indebtedness, repurchase shares, pay dividends and make other restricted payments, create liens, make equity or debt investments, make acquisitions, modify terms of the indentures under which the Notes are issued, engage in mergers or consolidations, change the business conducted by the Company and its subsidiaries, and engage in certain transactions with affiliates. Such restrictions, together with disruptions in the credit markets, could limit the Company's ability to respond to changing market conditions, fund its capital spending program, provide for unexpected capital investments or take advantage of business opportunities.

Under the terms of the Current Credit Agreement, the Company must comply with a maximum Consolidated Total Leverage Ratio covenant and a minimum Consolidated Interest Expense Ratio covenant. The Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, which contains the definitions of these covenants, was filed as an exhibit to the Company's Form 8-K filed on January 2, 2018.

The Current Credit Agreement requires that the Company maintain a maximum Consolidated Total Leverage Ratio of less than 4.25 to 1.00. At December 31, 2020, the Company was in compliance with such covenant and the ratio was 3.07 to 1.00.

The Company must also comply with a minimum Consolidated Interest Expense Ratio of 3.00 to 1.00. At December 31, 2020, the Company was in compliance with such covenant and the ratio was 8.89 to 1.00.

As of December 31, 2020, the Company's credit was rated BB+ by Standard & Poor's and Ba1 by Moody's Investor Services. Standard & Poor's and Moody's Investor Services' ratings on the Company included a stable outlook.

Capital Investment

The Company’s capital investments in 2020 were $651.3 million ($646.3 million was paid), compared to $359.1 million ($352.9 million was paid) in 2019. During 2020, the Company had capital spending of $605.7 million for improving process capabilities, $15.4 million for capital spares and $30.2 million for manufacturing packaging machinery.

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Environmental Matters

Some of the Company’s current and former facilities are the subject of environmental investigations and remediations resulting from historical operations and the release of hazardous substances or other constituents. Some current and former facilities have a history of industrial usage for which investigation and remediation obligations may be imposed in the future or for which indemnification claims may be asserted against the Company. Also, closures or sales of facilities may necessitate further investigation and may result in remediation at those facilities. The Company has established reserves for those facilities or issues where liability is probable and the costs are reasonably estimable.

For further discussion of the Company’s environmental matters, see Note 14 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included herein under “Item 8., Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.”

Contractual Obligations and Commitments

A summary of our contractual obligations and commitments as of December 31, 2020 is as follows:


	Payments Due by Period
In millions	Total		Less than 1 Year		1-3 Years		3-5 Years		More than 5 Years
Debt Obligations	$	3,527.2	$	492.2	$	1,631.3	$	300.5	$	1,103.2
Operating Leases	234.0		64.1		92.0		43.6		34.3
Finance Leases	207.8		12.6		24.6		24.9		145.7
Interest Payable	464.5		98.9		150.0		104.8		110.8
Purchase Obligations(a)	691.8		379.4		157.5		96.1		58.8

Total Contractual Obligations(b)	$	5,125.3	$	1,047.2	$	2,055.4	$	569.9	$	1,452.8

(a) Purchase obligations primarily consist of commitments for the purchase of fiber and chip processing along with commitments associated with building the new CRB paper machine in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

(b) Certain amounts included in this table are based on management’s estimates and assumptions about these obligations. Because these estimates and assumptions are necessarily subjective, the obligations the Company will actually pay in the future periods may vary from those reflected in the table.

International Operations

For 2020, before intercompany eliminations, net sales from operations outside of the U.S. represented approximately 21% of the Company’s net sales. The Company’s revenues from export sales fluctuate with changes in foreign currency exchange rates. At December 31, 2020, approximately 16.0% of the Company’s total assets were denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. The Company has significant operations in countries that use the euro, British pound sterling, the Australian dollar, the Canadian dollar, the Mexico peso or the Japanese yen as their functional currencies. The effect of changes in the U.S. dollar exchange rate against these currencies produced a net currency translation adjustment gain of $17.7 million, which was recorded in Other Comprehensive (Loss) Income for the year ended December 31, 2020. The magnitude and direction of this adjustment in the future depends on the relationship of the U.S. dollar to other currencies. The Company pursues a currency hedging program in order to reduce the impact of foreign currency exchange fluctuations on financial results. See “Financial Instruments” below.

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Financial Instruments

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 also pursues a hedging program that utilizes derivatives designed to manage risks associated with future variability in cash flows and price risk related to future energy cost increases. Under this program, the Company has entered into natural gas swap contracts to hedge a portion of its forecasted natural gas usage for 2021 and 2022. Realized gains and losses on these contracts are included in the financial results concurrently with the recognition of the commodity consumed. In addition, the Company uses interest rate swaps to manage interest rate risks on future interest payments caused by interest rate changes on its variable rate term loan facility. The Company does not hold or issue financial instruments for trading purposes. See “Item 7A., Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosure About Market Risk.”

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

The Company does not have any off-balance sheet arrangements.

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING JUDGEMENTS AND ESTIMATES

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with 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 period. Actual results could differ from these estimates, and changes in these estimates are recorded when known. The critical accounting policies used by management in the preparation of the Company’s consolidated financial statements are those that are important both to the presentation of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations and require significant judgments by management with regard to estimates used. The critical judgments by management relate to pension benefits, future cash flows associated with impairment testing for goodwill and long-lived assets, and deferred income taxes.

• Pension Benefits

The Company sponsors defined benefit pension plans (the “Plans”) for eligible employees in North America and certain international locations. The funding policy for the U.S. qualified defined benefit plans is to, at a minimum, contribute assets as required by the Internal Revenue Code Section 412. Nonqualified defined benefit U.S. plans providing benefits in excess of limitations imposed by the U.S. income tax code are not funded.

The Company’s pension expense for defined benefit pension plans was $167.9 million in 2020 compared to $54.9 million in 2019. The 2020 expense includes a $153.7 million charge associated with the termination and settlement of its largest U.S. plan. The 2019 expense includes a $39.2 million charge associated with lump-sum settlements with certain participants. Pension expense is calculated based upon a number of actuarial assumptions applied to each of the defined benefit plans.

The weighted average expected long-term rate of return on pension fund assets used to calculate pension expense was 4.12% and 4.74% in 2020 and 2019, respectively. The expected long-term rate of return on pension assets was determined based on several factors, including historical rates of return, input from our pension investment consultants and projected long-term returns of broad equity and bond indices. The Company evaluates its long-term rate of return assumptions annually and adjusts them as necessary.

The Company determined pension expense using both the fair value of assets and a calculated value that averages gains and losses over a period of years. Investment gains or losses represent the difference between the expected and actual return on assets. As of December 31, 2020, the net actuarial loss was $105.5 million. These net losses may increase future pension expense if not offset by (i) actual investment returns that exceed the assumed investment returns, or (ii) other factors, including reduced pension liabilities arising from higher discount rates used to calculate pension obligations, or (iii) other actuarial gains, including whether such accumulated actuarial losses at each measurement date exceed the “corridor” determined under the Compensation — Retirement Benefits topic of the FASB Codification. The actuarial loss is amortized over the average remaining life expectancy period of employees expected to receive benefits.

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The discount rate used to determine the present value of future pension obligations at December 31, 2020 was based on a yield curve constructed from a portfolio of high-quality corporate debt securities with maturities ranging from 1 year to 30 years. Each year’s expected future benefit payments were discounted to their present value at the spot yield curve rate thereby generating the overall discount rate for the Company’s pension obligations. The weighted average discount rate used to determine the pension obligations was 2.11% and 2.69% in 2020 and 2019, respectively.

The Company’s pension expense is estimated to be approximately $13.3 million in 2021. The estimate is based on a weighted average expected long-term rate of return of 3.59%, a weighted average discount rate of 2.11% and other assumptions. Pension expense beyond 2020 will depend on future investment performance, the Company’s contribution to the plans, changes in discount rates and other factors related to covered employees in the plans.

If the discount rate assumptions for the Company’s U.S. plans were reduced by 0.25%, pension expense would increase by approximately $1 million and the December 31, 2020 projected benefit obligation would increase approximately $10 million.

The fair value of assets in the Company’s plans was $516.3 million at December 31, 2020 and $1,172.4 million at December 31, 2019. The projected benefit obligations exceed the fair value of plan assets by $76.5 million and $83.0 million as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The accumulated benefit obligation (“ABO”) exceeded the fair value of plan assets by $71.8 million at the end of 2020. At the end of 2019, the ABO exceeded the fair value of plan assets by $77.4 million.

• Goodwill

The Company evaluates goodwill for potential impairment annually as of October 1, as well as whenever events or changes in circumstances suggest that the fair value of a reporting unit may no longer exceed its carrying amount. Potential impairment of goodwill is measured at the reporting unit level by comparing the reporting unit’s carrying amount, including goodwill, to the estimated fair value of the reporting unit. As of October 1, 2020, the Company had seven reporting units, five of which had goodwill.

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. If the results of the qualitative analysis of any of the reporting units is inconclusive, or if significant changes in the business have occurred since the last quantitative impairment assessment, the Company will perform a quantitative analysis for those reporting units.

As of October 1, 2020, the Company performed a quantitative impairment test. The quantitative analysis involves calculating the fair value of each reporting unit by utilizing a discounted cash flow analysis based on the Company’s business plans, discounted using a weighted average cost of capital and market indicators of terminal year cash flows based upon a multiple of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("EBITDA").

Estimating the fair value of the reporting unit involves uncertainties as it requires management to consider a number of factors, including but not limited to, future operating results, business plans, economic projections of revenues and operating margins, estimated future cash flows, and market data and analysis, including market capitalization. Fair value determinations are sensitive to changes in the factors described above. There are inherent uncertainties related to these factors and judgments used to estimate reporting unit fair value and the related analysis of potential goodwill impairment.

The variability of the assumptions that management uses to perform the goodwill impairment test depends on a number of conditions, including uncertainty about future events and cash flows. Accordingly, the Company’s accounting estimates may materially change from period to period due to changing market factors. If the Company had used other assumptions and estimates or if different conditions occur in future periods, future operating results and cash flows could be materially impacted, and judgments and conclusions about the recoverability of goodwill could change. The assumptions used in the goodwill impairment testing process could also be adversely impacted by certain of the risks discussed in “Item 1A., Risk Factors” and thus could result in future goodwill impairment charges.

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The Company performed its annual goodwill impairment tests as of October 1, 2020. The Company concluded that all reporting units with goodwill have a fair value that exceeds their carrying value, and thus goodwill was not impaired. The discount rate used for each reporting unit ranged from 7.0% to 8.0%, and we utilized an EBITDA multiple of 8.5 times to calculate terminal period cash flows. The Foodservice and Australia reporting units had fair values that exceed their respective carrying values by 17% and 37%, respectively, whereas all other reporting units exceeded by more than 45%. If we had concluded that it was appropriate to increase the discount rate we used by 100 basis points to estimate the fair value of our respective reporting units, the fair value of each reporting unit would have continued to exceed its carrying amount. The Foodservice and Australia reporting units had goodwill totaling $42.9 million and $14.7 million, respectively. The Company does not believe it is likely that there will be material changes in the assumptions or estimates used to calculate the reporting unit fair values.

• Recovery of Long-Lived Assets

The Company evaluates the recovery of its long-lived assets by analyzing operating results and considering significant events or changes in the business environment that may have triggered impairment. The Company reviews long-lived assets (including property, plant and equipment and intangible assets) for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such long-lived assets may not be fully recoverable by undiscounted cash flows. Measurement of the impairment loss, if any, is based on the fair value of the asset, which is determined by an income, cost or market approach.

• Deferred Income Taxes and Potential Assessments

According to the Income Taxes topic of the FASB Codification, a valuation allowance is required to be established or maintained when, based on currently available information and other factors, it is more likely than not that all or a portion of a deferred tax asset will not be realized. The FASB Codification provides important factors in determining whether a deferred tax asset will be realized, including whether there has been sufficient taxable income in recent years and whether sufficient income can reasonably be expected in future years in order to utilize the deferred tax asset. The Company has evaluated the need to maintain a valuation allowance for deferred tax assets based on its assessment of whether it is more likely than not that deferred tax benefits would be realized through the generation of future taxable income. Appropriate consideration was given to all available evidence, both positive and negative, in assessing the need for a valuation allowance. In determining whether a valuation allowance is required, many factors are considered, including the specific taxing jurisdiction, the carryforward period, reversals of existing taxable temporary differences, cumulative pretax book earnings, income tax strategies and forecasted earnings for the entities in each jurisdiction.

As of December 31, 2020, the Company has recorded a valuation allowance of $34.4 million against its net deferred tax assets in certain foreign jurisdictions and against domestic deferred tax assets related to certain federal tax credit carryforwards, certain state net operating loss carryforwards and certain state tax credit carryforwards. As of December 31, 2019, a total valuation allowance of $41.1 million was recorded.

As of December 31, 2020, the Company has provided for deferred U.S. income taxes attributable to future withholding tax expense related to the Company's equity investment in the joint venture, Rengo Riverwood Packaging, Ltd. In addition, the Company provided deferred income taxes for future Canadian withholding tax to the extent of excess cash available for distribution after consideration of working capital needs and other debt settlement of its Canadian subsidiary, Graphic Packaging International Canada, ULC. During the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company distributed its remaining paid-up capital in Canada and as a result, the Company expects to incur Canadian withholding tax on future distributions. The Company continues to assert that it is permanently reinvested in the cumulative earnings of its Canadian subsidiary in excess of the amount of cash that is on hand and available for distribution after consideration of working capital needs and other debt settlement. Due to the deemed taxation of all post-1986 earnings and profits required by the Act, the Company has determined that no deferred tax liability should be recorded related to the outside basis difference of its Canadian subsidiary of approximately $51.4 million as of December 31, 2020.

The Company has not provided for deferred U.S. income taxes on outside basis differences of approximately $55 million in its other international subsidiaries because of the Company’s intention to indefinitely reinvest these earnings outside the U.S. The Company’s assertion with respect to these subsidiaries remains unchanged, despite the deemed taxation of all post-1986 earnings and profits required by the Act. The determination of the amount of the unrecognized deferred income tax liability (primarily withholding tax in certain jurisdictions and some state tax) on the unremitted earnings or any other associated outside basis differences is not practicable because of the complexities associated with the calculation.

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The Company has elected to recognize global intangible low-taxed income (“GILTI”) as period cost as incurred, therefore there are no deferred taxes recognized for basis differences that are expected to impact the amount of the GILTI inclusion upon reversal.

NEW ACCOUNTING STANDARDS

For a discussion of recent accounting pronouncements impacting the Company, see Note 1 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included herein under “Item 8., Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.”

BUSINESS OUTLOOK

Total capital investment for 2021 is expected to be in the range of $690 million to $710 million.

The Company also expects the following in 2021:

• Depreciation and amortization expense of approximately $460 million, excluding approximately $5 million of pension amortization and $24 million of accelerated depreciation related to exit activities.

• Pension plan contributions between $10 million and $20 million.

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ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURE ABOUT MARKET RISK

The Company does not trade or use derivative instruments with the objective of earning financial gains on interest or currency rates, nor does it use leveraged instruments or instruments where there are no underlying exposures identified.

Interest Rates

The Company is exposed to changes in interest rates, primarily as a result of its short-term and long-term debt, which include both fixed and floating rate debt. The Company uses interest rate swap agreements effectively to fix the LIBOR rate on certain variable rate borrowings. At December 31, 2020, the Company had active interest rate swap agreements with a notional amount of $200 million expiring in January 2022.

The table below sets forth interest rate sensitivity information related to the Company’s debt.

Long-Term Debt Principal Amount by Maturity-Average Interest Rate


	Expected Maturity Date
In millions	2021			2022			2023			2024			2025			Thereafter			Total		Fair Value
Total Debt
Fixed Rate	$	425.0		$	250.7		$	0.5		$	300.5		$	—		$	1,103.2		$	2,079.9	$	2,173.0
Average Interest Rate	4.75		%	4.86		%	1.73		%	4.12		%	—		%	3.83		%
Variable Rate	$	63.9		$	127.7		$	1,252.4		$	—		$	—		$	—		$	1,444.0	$	1,451.7
	LIBOR + Spread			LIBOR + Spread			LIBOR + Spread			—			—			—			—		—

Total Interest Rate Swaps-Notional Amount by Expiration-Average Swap Rate


	Expected Maturity Date
In millions	2021			2022			2023			2024			2025			Thereafter			Total
Notional	$	—		$	200.0		$	—		$	—		$	—		$	—		$	200.0
Average Pay Rate	—		%	2.87		%	—		%	—		%	—		%	—		%	—		%
Average Receive Rate	—			LIBOR			—			—			—			—			—

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Foreign Exchange Rates

The Company also enters into forward exchange contracts to hedge certain other anticipated foreign currency transactions. The purpose of these contracts is to protect the Company from the risk that the eventual functional currency cash flows resulting from anticipated foreign currency transactions will be adversely affected by changes in exchange rates.

During the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, there were no amounts reclassified to earnings in connection with forecasted transactions that were no longer considered probable of occurring and there was no amount of ineffectiveness related to changes in the fair value of foreign currency forward contracts. Additionally, there were no amounts excluded from the measure of effectiveness during the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019.

Foreign Exchange Rates Contractual Amount by Expected

Maturity-Average Contractual Exchange Rate


	December 31, 2020
In millions	Contract Amount		Fair Value
FORWARD EXCHANGE AGREEMENTS:
Receive $US/Pay Yen	$	18.5	$	(0.2)
Weighted average contractual exchange rate	104.1
Receive $US/Pay Euro	$	53.8	$	(1.6)
Weighted average contractual exchange rate	1.2
Receive $US/Pay GBP	$	29.3	$	(1.1)
Weighted average contractual exchange rate	1.3

Derivatives not Designated as Hedges

The Company enters into forward exchange contracts to effectively hedge substantially all receivables resulting from transactions denominated in foreign currencies. The purpose of these forward exchange contracts is to protect the Company from the risk that the eventual functional currency cash flows resulting from the collection of these receivables will be adversely affected by changes in exchange rates. At December 31, 2020, multiple foreign currency forward exchange contracts existed, with maturities ranging up to two months. Those forward currency exchange contracts outstanding at December 31, 2020, when aggregated and measured in U.S. dollars at December 31, 2020 contractual rates, had net notional amounts totaling $80.0 million. The Company continuously monitors these forward exchange contracts and adjusts accordingly to minimize the exposure.

Natural Gas Contracts

The Company has hedged a portion of its expected natural gas usage for 2021 and 2022. The carrying amount and fair value of the natural gas swap contracts is a net asset of $2.1 million as of December 31, 2020. Such contracts are designated as cash flow hedges and are accounted for by deferring the quarterly change in fair value of the outstanding contracts in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss in Shareholders’ Equity. The resulting gain or loss is reclassified into Cost of Sales concurrently with the recognition of the commodity consumed.

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ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS


			Page
GRAPHIC PACKAGING HOLDING COMPANY
Consolidated Statements of Operations for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2020			44
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2020			45
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2020 and 2019			45
Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Equity for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2020			47
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2020			48
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements			49
Reports of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firms			95

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GRAPHIC PACKAGING HOLDING COMPANY

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS


	Year Ended December 31,
In millions, except per share amounts	2020		2019		2018
Net Sales	$	6,559.9	$	6,160.1	$	6,029.4
Cost of Sales	5,459.7		5,067.5		5,077.0
Selling, General and Administrative	512.6		511.8		472.1
Other Expense, Net	2.0		8.8		7.2
Business Combinations, Shutdown and Other Special Charges, Exit Activities and Gain on Sale of Assets, Net	61.3		37.9		14.9
Income from Operations	524.3		534.1		458.2
Nonoperating Pension and Postretirement Benefit (Expense) Income	(151.5)		(39.5)		14.9
Interest Expense, Net	(128.8)		(140.6)		(123.7)
Loss on Modification or Extinguishment of Debt	—		—		(1.9)
Income before Income Taxes and Equity Income of Unconsolidated Entity	244.0		354.0		347.5
Income Tax Expense	(41.6)		(76.3)		(54.7)
Income before Equity Income of Unconsolidated Entity	202.4		277.7		292.8
Equity Income of Unconsolidated Entity	0.9		0.4		1.2
Net Income	$	203.3	$	278.1	$	294.0
Net Income Attributable to Noncontrolling Interests	(36.0)		(71.3)		(72.9)
Net Income Attributable to Graphic Packaging Holding Company	$	167.3	$	206.8	$	221.1

Net Income Per Share Attributable to Graphic Packaging Holding Company — Basic	$	0.60	$	0.70	$	0.71
Net Income Per Share Attributable to Graphic Packaging Holding Company — Diluted	$	0.60	$	0.70	$	0.71

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

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GRAPHIC PACKAGING HOLDING COMPANY

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME


Year Ended December 31,
2020
In millions	Graphic Packaging Holding Company		Noncontrolling Interest		Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest		Total
Net Income (Loss)	$	167.3	$	39.2	$	(3.2)	$	203.3
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax
Derivative Instruments	3.5		0.7		(0.1)		4.1
Pension and Postretirement Benefit Plans	99.9		29.4		9.5		138.8
Currency Translation Adjustment	16.5		1.7		(0.5)		17.7


Total Other Comprehensive Income, Net of Tax	119.9		31.8		8.9		160.6
Total Comprehensive Income	$	287.2	$	71.0	$	5.7	$	363.9
2019
Net Income	$	206.8	$	55.0	$	16.3	$	278.1
Other Comprehensive (Loss) Income, Net of Tax:
Derivative Instruments	(5.3)		(1.5)		(0.4)		(7.2)
Pension and Postretirement Benefit Plans	7.6		2.3		0.7		10.6
Currency Translation Adjustment	9.8		2.1		0.5		12.4
Total Other Comprehensive Income, Net of Tax	12.1		2.9		0.8		15.8
Total Comprehensive Income	$	218.9	$	57.9	$