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INDORAMA VENTURES PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
Changes in laws and regulations relating to beverage containers and packaging could reduce demand for such end use products Legal requirements have been enacted in various jurisdictions in the United States and elsewhere requiring that deposits or certain ecotaxes or fees be charged for the sale, marketing and use of certain nonrefillable beverage containers. Other proposals relating to additional beverage container deposits, recycling, ecotax and/or product stewardship have been or may be introduced in various jurisdictions in the United States and elsewhere. Consumers’ increased concerns and changing attitudes about solid waste streams and environmental responsibility and related publicity could result in the adoption of such legislation or regulations. This has encouraged some of our PET customers to reduce the amount of PET resin they use in their bottle production process. This process, known as light weighting, has reduced the amount of PET resin used in each bottle and has impacted the demand for PX, PTA and PET resin. PET can be recycled, IVL is making investments in PET recycling projects in the USA and Thailand at its existing sites.
Environmental regulations may cause us to incur costs and liabilities. Our operations are subject to environmental laws and regulations by central and local authorities in the countries in which we operate. These include laws and regulations pertaining to pollution, the protection of human health and the environment, air emissions, wastewater discharges, occupational safety and health, and the generation, handling, treatment, remediation, use, storage, release and exposure to hazardous substances and wastes. These requirements are complex, subject to frequent change and have tended to become more stringent over time. We have incurred, and will continue to incur, costs and capital expenditures in complying with these laws and regulations and in obtaining and maintaining all necessary permits. We have procedures in place to allow us to comply with environmental laws and regulations; however, there can be no assurance that we will at all times be in compliance with all of our obligations in the future or that we will be able to obtain or renew all licenses, consents or other permits necessary to allow us to continue to operate our businesses. Any failure by us to comply with such laws and regulations could subject us to fines, penalties and other liabilities.
We have activities in certain countries which are subject to sanctions in the United States and elsewhere and such activities could trigger these sanctions under relevant legislation. The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, administers certain laws and regulations that impose penalties upon U.S. persons and, in some instances, foreign entities, for conducting activities or transacting business with certain countries, governments, entities or individuals subject to U.S. economic sanctions, or U.S. Economic Sanctions Laws. As a globally operating organization, we conduct business with customers (either directly or indirectly through traders and agents) in various countries including Iran, Syria, Myanmar and the Ivory Coast. Our activities with customers in these states, which are predominantly sales of PET resin, polyester fiber and yarn and wool, are insignificant when compared to our entire business. We seek to comply fully with international sanctions to the extent they are applicable to us and will continue to do so.
Our international presence exposes us to macro economic, political, legal and regulatory risks in the markets in which we operate and to other challenges. International operations present challenges related to operating under different business cultures and languages. We may experience increased difficulty in the collection of accounts receivable, including longer collection periods; we may have to comply with inconsistent, or unexpected changes in, foreign laws and regulatory requirements which could negatively impact our operations and ability to manage our global financial resources; export controls or other regulatory restrictions could prevent us from shipping our products into and from some markets; quota requirements, including quotas regulating the composition of our employee base or promoting local sourcing of raw materials, could have an adverse effect on our production costs; changes in currency control, tax regulation and international tax treaties could impact the financial performance of our international operations and their contributions to our overall financial performance. Similarly, events beyond our control, such as political instability or social unrest, could impact consumer demand in general and increase volatility in price of raw materials and other costs.