Albemarle 10-K 2024-12-31
Filed 2025-02-12. 24 sections, 801K characters. Original on sec.gov · Markdown · JSON
Cover and table of contents
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, 2024
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 001-12658
ALBEMARLE CORPORATION
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| Virginia | 54-1692118 | |||||||
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
4250 Congress Street, Suite 900
Charlotte, North Carolina 28209
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (980) - 299-5700
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of each class | Trading Symbol | Name of each exchange on which registered | ||||||||||||
| COMMON STOCK, $.01 Par Value | ALB | New York Stock Exchange | ||||||||||||
| DEPOSITARY SHARES, each representing a 1/20th interest in a share of 7.25% Series A Mandatory Convertible Preferred Stock | ALB PR A | New York Stock Exchange |
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 at least the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) 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, 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 | ☐ | |||||||||||||||||
| Non-accelerated filer | ☐ | 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. ☒
If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒
The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was approximately $11.2 billion based on the last reported sale price of common stock on June 28, 2024, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second quarter.
Number of shares of common stock outstanding as of February 5, 2025: 117,573,461
Documents Incorporated by Reference
Portions of Albemarle Corporation’s definitive Proxy Statement for its 2025 Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
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Index to Form 10-K
Year Ended December 31, 2024
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PART I
Item 1. Business.
Albemarle Corporation was incorporated in Virginia in 1993. Our principal executive offices are located at 4250 Congress Street, Suite 900, Charlotte, North Carolina 28209. Unless the context otherwise indicates, the terms “Albemarle,” “we,” “us,” “our” or “the Company” mean Albemarle Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries.
Albemarle is a world leader in transforming essential resources into critical ingredients for mobility, energy, connectivity, and health. Our purpose is to enable a more resilient world. We partner to pioneer new ways to move, power, connect, and protect. The end markets we serve include grid storage, automotive, aerospace, conventional energy, electronics, construction, agriculture and food, pharmaceuticals and medical devices. We believe that our world-class resources with reliable and consistent supply, our leading process chemistry, high-impact innovation, customer centricity and focus on people and planet will enable us to maintain a leading position in the industries in which we operate.
We and our joint ventures currently operate more than 25 production and research and development (“R&D”) facilities, as well as a number of administrative and sales offices, around the world. As of December 31, 2024, we served approximately 1,900 customers in approximately 70 countries. For information regarding our unconsolidated joint ventures, see Note 8, “Investments,” to our consolidated financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this report.
Effective November 1, 2024, we transitioned our operating structure from two core global business units - Energy Storage and Specialties - to a fully integrated functional model designed to increase agility, deliver significant cost savings and maintain long-term competitiveness. In addition, our Ketjen business continues to be operated under a separate, wholly-owned subsidiary. We will continue to report results across three existing operating segments: Energy Storage, Specialties and Ketjen.
Business Segments
During 2024, we managed and reported our operations under three reportable segments: Energy Storage, Specialties and Ketjen. The segments are organized based on their similar markets, customers, economic characteristics and production processes. Financial results and discussion about our segments included in this report are organized according to these categories except where noted.
For financial information regarding our reportable segments and geographic area information, see Note 25, “Segment and Geographic Area Information,” to our consolidated financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this report.
Energy Storage Segment
Our Energy Storage business enables better lithium use through reliable supply and consistent quality. We develop and manufacture a broad range of basic lithium compounds, including lithium carbonate, lithium hydroxide, and lithium chloride. Lithium is a key component in products and processes used in a variety of applications and industries, which include lithium batteries used in consumer electronics and electric vehicles, power grids and solar panels, high performance greases, specialty glass used in consumer appliances and electronics, organic synthesis processes in the areas of steroid chemistry and vitamins, various life science applications, as well as intermediates in the pharmaceutical industry, among other applications.
In addition to developing and supplying lithium compounds, we provide technical services, including the handling and use of reactive lithium products. We also offer our customers recycling services for lithium-containing by-products resulting from synthesis with organolithium products, lithium metal and other reagents. We plan to continue to focus on the development of new products and applications.
Competition
The global lithium market is highly competitive and growing very rapidly. It is characterized by aggressive expansion and entry from existing and new players, including automotive OEMs, commodity traders, junior miners, and large, well-capitalized diversified miners. Producers are primarily located in the Americas, Africa, Asia and Australia. Major competitors in lithium compounds include Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile S.A., Sichuan Tianqi Lithium, Jiangxi Ganfeng Lithium, Rio Tinto plc, Pilbara Minerals, Arcadium Lithium, Tesla and a large number of additional Chinese companies. Competition in the global lithium market is increasingly based on index-based market pricing and differentiated via product quality, product diversity, reliability of supply and customer service.
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Raw Materials and Significant Supply Sources
We obtain lithium: (a) by purchasing lithium concentrate from our 49%-owned joint venture, Windfield Holdings Pty. Ltd. (“Windfield”), which directly owns 100% of the equity of Talison Lithium Pty. Ltd., a company incorporated in Australia (“Talison”) that owns the Greenbushes mine, and from our 50%-owned unincorporated joint venture, MARBL Lithium Joint Venture (“MARBL”) in Western Australia, which owns the Wodgina hard rock lithium mine project (“Wodgina”); and (b) through solar evaporation of our ponds at the Salar de Atacama, in Chile, and in Silver Peak, Nevada. In addition, we hold mineral rights in defined areas of Kings Mountain, North Carolina with available lithium resources and we own undeveloped land with access to a lithium resource in Antofalla, within the Catamarca Province of Argentina. See Item 2. Properties, for additional disclosures of our lithium mineral properties.
Specialties Segment
Our Specialties business optimizes our portfolio of bromine and highly specialized lithium solutions. Our Specialties business serves a variety of industries, including energy, mobility, connectivity, and health. Specialty products are essential in both internal combustion and electric vehicles, from high-voltage cables and powertrains to airbags and tires. We enable digital innovation focused on safety and reliability, including fire safety compounds. Our fire safety technology enables the use of plastics in high performance, high heat applications by enhancing the flame resistant properties of these materials. End market products that benefit from our fire safety technology include plastic enclosures for consumer electronics, printed circuit boards, wire and cable products, electrical connectors, textiles and foam insulation. In energy, infrastructure for renewable grid and electrified transport is enabled by our fire safety solutions. In health, our lithium specialties products are precursors for many pharmaceuticals, while bromine specialties are used to help ensure safer food and water supplies. Other bromine-based specialty chemicals products include elemental bromine, alkyl bromides, inorganic bromides, brominated powdered activated carbon and a number of bromine fine chemicals. Our value-added lithium specialties products include butyllithium and lithium aluminum hydride. We also develop and manufacture cesium products for the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, and zirconium, barium and titanium products for various pyrotechnical applications, including airbag initiators. A number of customers of our Specialties business operate in cyclical industries, including the consumer electronics and oil field industries. As a result, demand from our customers in such industries is also cyclical.
Competition
Our Specialties business serves markets in the Americas, Asia, Europe and the Middle East, each of which is highly competitive. Product performance and quality, price and contract terms are the primary factors in determining which qualified supplier is awarded a contract. R&D, product and process improvements, specialized customer services, the ability to attract and retain skilled personnel and maintenance of a good safety record have also been important factors to compete effectively in the marketplace. Our most significant competitors are Lanxess AG, Israel Chemicals Ltd and Arcadium Lithium, as well as producers in India and China.
Raw Materials and Significant Supply Sources
The bromine we use is originally sourced from two locations: Arkansas and the Dead Sea. Our bromine production operations in Arkansas are supported by an active brine rights leasing program. In addition, through our 50% interest in Jordan Bromine Company Limited (“JBC”), a consolidated joint venture established in 1999 with operations in Safi, Jordan, we acquire bromine that is originally sourced from the Dead Sea. JBC processes the bromine at its facilities into a variety of end products. See Item 2. Properties, for additional disclosures for our mineral properties. The lithium concentrate used in our lithium specialties products are originally sourced from the same sources as the Energy Storage lithium concentrate noted above.
Ketjen Segment
Our three main product lines in this segment are (i) Clean Fuels Technologies (“CFT”), which is primarily composed of hydroprocessing catalysts (“HPC”) together with isomerization and alkylation catalysts; (ii) fluidized catalytic cracking (“FCC”) catalysts and additives; and (iii) performance catalyst solutions (“PCS”), which is primarily composed of organometallics and curatives.
We offer a wide range of HPC products, which are applied throughout the oil refining industry. Their application enables the upgrading of oil fractions to clean fuels and other usable oil feedstocks and products by removing sulfur, nitrogen and other impurities from the feedstock. In addition, they improve product properties by adding hydrogen and in some cases improve the performance of downstream catalysts and processes. We continuously seek to add more value to refinery operations by offering HPC products that meet our customers’ requirements for profitability and performance in the very demanding refining market.
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We provide our customers with customized FCC catalyst systems, which assist in the high yield cracking of refinery petroleum streams into derivative, higher-value products such as transportation fuels and petrochemical feedstocks like propylene. Our FCC additives are used to reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide in FCC units and to increase liquefied petroleum gas olefins yield, such as propylene, and to boost octane in gasoline. Ketjen offers unique refinery catalysts to crack and treat the lightest to the heaviest feedstocks while meeting refinery yield and product needs.
Within our PCS product line, we manufacture organometallic co-catalysts (e.g., aluminum, magnesium, and zinc alkyls) used in the manufacture of alpha-olefins (e.g., hexene, octene, decene), polyolefins (e.g., polyethylene and polypropylene), and electronics. Our curatives include a range of curing agents used in polyurethanes, epoxies and other engineered resins.
There were more than 700 refineries world-wide as of December 31, 2024. We expect to continue to see some less profitable, typically smaller, refineries shutting down and, over the long-term, being replaced by larger scale and more complex refineries, with growth concentrated in the Middle East, India and South-East Asia. Advances in sustainable aviation fuels, petroleum products and renewable diesel are expected to continue. We estimate that there are currently approximately 600 FCC units being operated globally, each of which requires a constant supply of FCC catalysts. In addition, we estimate that there are approximately 4,000 HPC units being operated globally, each of which typically requires replacement HPC catalysts once every one to four years.
Competition
Our Ketjen segment serves the global market including the Americas, Asia, Europe and the Middle East, each of which is highly competitive. Competition in these markets is driven by a variety of factors. Product performance, quality, price, contract terms, product and process improvements, specialized customer services, the ability to attract and retain skilled technical support, and the maintenance of a good safety record are the primary factors to compete effectively in the catalysts marketplace. In addition, through our research and development programs, we strive to differentiate our business by developing value-added products based on proprietary technologies.
Our major competitors in the CFT catalysts market include Shell Catalysts & Technologies, Advanced Refining Technologies and Haldor Topsoe. Our major competitors in the FCC catalysts market include W.R. Grace & Co. and BASF Corporation. In the PCS market, our major competitors include Nouryon, Lanxess AG and Arxada.
Raw Materials and Significant Supply Sources
The major raw materials we use in our Ketjen operations include sodium silicate, sodium aluminate, kaolin, aluminum, ethylene, alpha-olefins, isobutylene, toluene and metals, such as lanthanum, molybdenum, nickel and cobalt, most of which are readily available from numerous independent suppliers and are purchased or provided under contracts at prices we believe are competitive. The cost of raw materials is generally based on market prices, although we may use contracts with price caps or other tools, as appropriate, to mitigate price volatility.
Human Capital
Our main human capital management objectives are to attract, retain and develop the highest quality talent and ensure they feel safe, supported and empowered to do the best work they can do. We believe providing an inclusive workplace facilitates opportunities for innovation, fosters good decision-making practices, and promotes employee engagement and high productivity across our organization.
As of December 31, 2024, we had approximately 8,300 employees, including employees of our consolidated joint ventures, of whom 3,300, or 39%, are employed in the U.S. and the Americas; 2,900, or 35%, are employed in Asia Pacific; 1,500, or 19%, are employed in Europe; and 600, or 7%, are employed in the Middle East or other areas. Approximately 28% of these employees are represented by unions or works councils. We strive to foster positive relationships with our employees and their representatives.
Health and Safety
The health and safety of our employees is a part of our core values at Albemarle and is integral to how we conduct business. Our employees, contractors, and visitors are instructed to follow a comprehensive set of written health and safety policies and procedures at both corporate and local sites. Our internal incident and issues management system gives all employees the ability to report incidents anonymously without fear of retaliation, and allow us to be more proactive in developing safety programs that address at-risk conditions or behaviors, which could lead to an incident. We routinely audit ourselves against our policies, procedures and standards, using internal and third-party resources. We also include health and safety metrics in our annual incentive plan to further incentivize our employees’ commitment to safety. In 2024, we maintained
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our Occupational Safety and Health Act (“OSHA”) occupational injury and illness incident rate of 0.13 for our employees and nested contractors, compared to 0.14 in 2023. In addition, we provide all employees and their dependents with access to our Employee Assistance Program, which provides free mental and behavioral health resources.
Talent and Culture
Investing in talent is a critical process for Albemarle because it allows us to be proactive and anticipate key organizational needs for talent and capabilities. This enables us to efficiently and effectively ensure that we have the right talent pipeline to drive Albemarle’s success into the future. We also provide leadership development through performance coaching, comprehensive feedback, plant training including health, safety and environmental topics, and experiential development and mentoring. Our leadership development is a cornerstone to our talent management strategy. We also invest in our people through enhanced training and development opportunities and by seeking to foster an equitable workplace and an inclusive culture that enables employees to feel a sense of belonging and reach their full potential.
It is important for us to have a workforce of highly engaged employees who understand how their work connects to Albemarle’s purpose and values. We have measured employee engagement through an empowerment survey, which tracks job satisfaction and how likely an employee is to recommend Albemarle to people they know. In addition, we are committed to empowering and supporting the next generation of talent in their career development by engaging in various initiatives to attract people from all backgrounds to our internship, co-op and rotational development programs.
Our incentive program is designed to provide incentives and rewards for achieving Albemarle’s annual goals and objectives. The Executive Compensation and Talent Development Committee of the Board has the overall responsibility of evaluating the performance of the CEO and approving the compensation structure for senior management and other key employees. The Executive Compensation and Talent Development Committee determines performance goals under our incentive program annually to ensure our executive officers execute on short-term financial and strategic initiatives that drive our business strategy and long-term shareholder value.
We develop holistic inclusion and belonging initiatives to foster a values-driven workplace where all individuals feel a sense of belonging as they grow in their professions. We continue to pursue strategies and partnerships to attract highly qualified applicants from all backgrounds, offer cross-cultural learning sessions for our employees, and assess promotion, retention, and turnover data to identify potential opportunities for greater inclusion efforts.
We seek to provide employees with a desirable workplace that will enable us to attract and retain top talent. We believe employees should be fairly compensated through wages and benefits, based on experience, expertise, performance, and the criticality of their roles in the Company. We also perform an annual review of our pay practices to ensure that they are fair and equitable. In addition, we have established employee resource groups, known as Connect groups, to promote an atmosphere of inclusion and encouragement in which every employee’s voice can be heard. These Connect groups provide opportunities for employees to share their backgrounds and experiences, and to use them to benefit others through mentoring and volunteering in the local community, among other activities.
Human Rights
Albemarle is guided by its Code of Conduct, which sets forth the high ethical standards we have for all employees and encourages a ‘Speak Up’ culture. We understand our responsibility to uphold the human rights of our employees, workers in our supply chain, members of our communities and other stakeholders. We recognize the human rights of our stakeholders as expressed in the International Bill of Human Rights and the International Labor Organization’s (ILO) Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. We acknowledge the human rights of Indigenous Peoples in culturally sensitive locations, such as Chile and Western Australia, where our sites are located on Indigenous Peoples’ lands through clear policy commitments, due diligence initiatives, formal community agreements and accessible grievance mechanisms for reporting concerns.
Albemarle offers multiple avenues for employees and stakeholders to raise concerns. We maintain internal investigation standards to thoroughly review and address concerns that may arise. We take measures to maintain confidentiality, protect the integrity of all investigations, and prevent retaliation against those who speak up in good faith. In conducting investigations, we are committed to the U.N. Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
Sales, Marketing and Distribution
We have an international strategic account program that uses cross-functional teams to serve large global customers. This program emphasizes creative strategies to improve and strengthen strategic customer relationships with emphasis on creating
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value for customers and promoting post-sale service. Complementing this program are regional Albemarle sales and technical personnel who serve our global customer base. We also utilize sales representatives and specialists in specific market areas when necessary or required by law.
Research and Development
We believe that in order to generate revenue growth, maintain our margins and remain competitive, we must continually invest in research and development, product and process improvements and specialized customer services. Our research and development efforts support each of our business segments. The objective of our research and development efforts is to develop innovative chemistries and technologies with applications relevant within targeted key markets through both process and new product development. Through research and development, we continue to seek increased margins by introducing value-added products and proprietary processes and innovative green chemistry technologies. Our green chemistry efforts focus on the development of products in a manner that minimizes waste and the use of raw materials and energy, avoids the use of toxic reagents and solvents and utilizes safe, environmentally friendly manufacturing processes. Green chemistry is encouraged with our researchers through periodic focus group discussions and special rewards and recognition for outstanding new green developments.
Intellectual Property
Our intellectual property, including our patents, licenses and trade names, is an important component of our business. As of December 31, 2024, we owned more than 1,650 active patents and more than 400 pending patent applications in key strategic markets worldwide. We also have acquired rights under patents and inventions of others through licenses, and we license certain patents and inventions to third parties. The Company believes the duration of its intellectual property rights is adequate relative to the expected lives of its products and services.
Regulation
Our business is subject to a broad array of employee health and safety laws and regulations, including those under the OSHA. We also are subject to similar state laws and regulations as well as local laws and regulations for our non-U.S. operations. We devote significant resources and have developed and implemented comprehensive programs to promote the health and safety of our employees, and we maintain an active health, safety and environmental program. We finished 2024 with an OSHA occupational injury and illness incident rate of 0.13 for Albemarle employees and nested contractors, compared to 0.14 in 2023.
Our business and our customers are subject to significant requirements under the European Community Regulation for the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (“REACH”). REACH imposes obligations on European Union manufacturers and importers of chemicals and other products into the European Union to compile and file comprehensive reports, including testing data, on each chemical substance, and perform chemical safety assessments. Additionally, substances of high concern, as defined under REACH, are subject to an authorization process. Authorization may result in restrictions in the use of products by application or even banning the product. REACH regulations impose significant additional responsibilities on chemical producers, importers, downstream users of chemical substances and preparations, and the entire supply chain. Our significant manufacturing presence and sales activities in the European Union require significant compliance costs and may result in increases in the costs of raw materials we purchase and the products we sell. Increases in the costs of our products could result in a decrease in their overall demand; additionally, customers may seek products with lower regulatory compliance requirements, which could also result in a decrease in the demand of certain products subject to the REACH regulations.
The Toxic Substances Control Act (“TSCA”), as amended in June 2016, requires chemicals to be assessed against a risk-based safety standard and calls for the elimination of unreasonable risks identified during risk evaluation. This regulation and other pending initiatives at the U.S. state level, as well as initiatives in Canada, Asia and other regions, will potentially require toxicological testing and risk assessments of a wide variety of chemicals, including chemicals used or produced by us. These assessments may result in heightened concerns about the chemicals involved and additional requirements being placed on the production, handling, labeling or use of the subject chemicals. Such concerns and additional requirements could also increase the cost incurred by our customers to use our chemical products and otherwise limit the use of these products, which could lead to a decrease in demand for these products.
Historically, there has been scrutiny of certain brominated fire safety solutions by regulatory authorities, legislative bodies and environmental interest groups in various countries. We manufacture a broad range of brominated fire safety solution products, which are used in a variety of applications. Concern about the impact of some of our products on human health or the environment may lead to regulation or reaction in our markets independent of regulation.
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Environmental Regulation
We are subject to numerous foreign, federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations, including those governing the discharge of pollutants into the air and water, the management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes and the cleanup of contaminated properties. Ongoing compliance with such laws and regulations is an important consideration for us. Key aspects of our operations are subject to these laws and regulations. In addition, we incur substantial capital and operating costs in our efforts to comply with them.
We use and generate hazardous substances and wastes in our operations and may become subject to claims for personal injury and/or property damage relating to the release of such substances into the environment. In addition, some of our current properties are, or have been, used for industrial purposes, which could contain currently unknown contamination that could expose us to governmental requirements or claims relating to environmental remediation, personal injury and/or property damage. Liabilities associated with the investigation and cleanup of hazardous substances, as well as personal injury, property damages or natural resource damages arising from the release of, or exposure to, such hazardous substances, may be imposed in many situations without regard to violations of laws or regulations or other fault, and may also be imposed jointly and severally (so that a responsible party may be held liable for more than its share of the losses involved, or even the entire loss). Such liabilities also may be imposed on many different entities with a relationship to the hazardous substances at issue, including, for example, entities that formerly owned or operated the property affected by the hazardous substances and entities that arranged for the disposal of the hazardous substances at the affected property, as well as entities that currently own or operate such property. We are subject to such laws, including the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, commonly known as CERCLA or Superfund, in the U.S., and similar foreign and state laws. We may have liability as a potentially responsible party (“PRP”) with respect to active off-site locations under CERCLA or state equivalents. We have sought to resolve our liability as a PRP at these sites through indemnification by third parties and settlements, which would provide for payment of our allocable share of remediation costs. Because the cleanup costs are estimates and are subject to revision as more information becomes available about the extent of remediation required, and in some cases we have asserted a defense to any liability, our estimates could change. Moreover, liability under CERCLA and equivalent state statutes may be joint and several, which could require us to pay in excess of our pro rata share of remediation costs. Our understanding of the financial strength of other PRPs has been considered, where appropriate, in estimating our liabilities. Accruals for these matters are included in the environmental reserve. Our management is actively involved in evaluating environmental matters and, based on information currently available to us, we have concluded that our outstanding environmental liabilities for unresolved waste sites currently known to us should not have a material effect on our operations.
See “Safety and Environmental Matters” in Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for further details.
Climate Change and Natural Resources
The growing concerns about climate change and the related increasingly stringent regulations may provide us with new or expanded business opportunities. We provide solutions to companies pursuing alternative fuel products and technologies (such as renewable fuels), pollution control technologies (including mercury emissions), alternative transportation vehicles and energy storage technologies and other similar solutions. As demand for, and legislation mandating or incentivizing the use of, alternative fuel technologies that limit or eliminate greenhouse gas emissions increase, we continue to monitor the market and offer solutions where we have appropriate technology and believe we are well positioned to take advantage of opportunities that may arise from such demand or legislation.
In addition to potential business opportunities, we acknowledge our responsibility to address the impact of our operations on the environment. We are investing in technology and people to reduce energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and air emissions. Albemarle supports the goals of the Paris Agreement to avoid climate change by limiting global warming. Our ambition is to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. We have established greenhouse gas emission targets for each of our businesses, including reducing the scope 1 and 2 carbon-intensity of our Specialties and Ketjen businesses by 35% by 2030 (from a 2019 baseline), and growing our Energy Storage business in a carbon-intensity neutral manner through 2030.
Water is a critical input to Albemarle’s production operations. As water is a scarce resource, we understand the need to responsibly manage our water consumption not only for the preservation of the environment, but also for the viability of our local communities. We are investing in new process technologies to reduce our water footprint and expand capacity sustainably in locations with high water risk. Our goal is to reduce our intensity of freshwater usage by 25% by 2030 (from a 2019 baseline) in areas of high or extremely high water risk, such as Chile and Jordan, as defined by the World Resources Institute.
Our businesses are dependent on the availability and responsible management of natural resources. We manage our natural resources to operate efficiently and preserve the environment for our local communities and the world. Our natural
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resource management includes mineral resource transparency with local communities, governments, regulators and other key stakeholders, as well as leveraging industry best practices in lithium production for the assurance of responsible mining. We attempt to maximize the recovery of our extracted minerals and recycle or reuse by-products where possible. In addition, we work with local communities, regulatory agencies and wildlife organizations to preserve and restore land and biodiversity before, during and after all operations commence.
Recent Acquisitions, Joint Ventures and Divestitures
The following is a summary of our significant acquisitions and joint venture agreement restructurings over the last three years.
On October 18, 2023, the Company closed on the restructuring of the MARBL joint venture with Mineral Resources Limited (“MRL”). Under the amended agreements, Albemarle acquired the remaining 40% ownership of the Kemerton lithium hydroxide processing facility in Australia that was jointly owned with MRL through the MARBL joint venture. Following this restructuring, Albemarle and MRL each own 50% of Wodgina, and MRL operates the Wodgina mine on behalf of the joint venture. During the fourth quarter of 2023, Albemarle paid MRL approximately $380 million in cash, which includes $180 million of consideration for the remaining ownership of Kemerton as well as a payment for the economic effective date of the transaction being retroactive to April 1, 2022.
On October 25, 2022, the Company completed the acquisition of all of the outstanding equity of Guangxi Tianyuan New Energy Materials Co., Ltd. (“Qinzhou”), for approximately $200 million in cash. Qinzhou’s operations include a recently constructed lithium processing plant strategically positioned near the Port of Qinzhou in Guangxi, which began commercial production in the first half of 2022. The plant has a designed annual conversion capacity of up to 25,000 metric tons of lithium carbonate equivalent (“LCE”) and produces battery-grade lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide.
These transactions reflect our commitment to investing in future growth of our high priority businesses.
Available Information
Our website address is www.albemarle.com. We make available free of charge through our website our 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 amended (“Exchange Act”), as well as beneficial ownership reports on Forms 3, 4 and 5 filed pursuant to Section 16 of the Exchange Act, as soon as reasonably practicable after such documents are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The information on our website is not, and shall not be deemed to be, a part of this report or incorporated into any other filings we make with the SEC. The SEC also maintains a website at www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy statements and other information regarding SEC registrants, including Albemarle.
Our Corporate Governance Guidelines, Code of Conduct and the charters of the Audit and Finance, Capital Investment, Sustainability, Safety and Public Policy, Executive Compensation and Talent Development, and Nominating and Governance Committees of our Board of Directors are also available on our website and are available in print to any shareholder upon request by writing to Investor Relations, 4250 Congress Street, Suite 900, Charlotte, North Carolina 28209, or by calling (980) 299-5700.
Item 1A. Risk Factors.
Risk Factor Summary
The following is a summary of some of the principal risks that could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. This summary should be read together with the more detailed description of each risk contained below.
Risks Related to Our Business
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Our substantial international operations subject us to risks of doing business in foreign countries, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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Our inability to secure key raw materials, or to pass through increases in costs and expenses for other raw materials and energy, on a timely basis or at all, including due to climate change, could have an adverse effect on the margins of our products and our results of operations.
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Competition within our industry may place downward pressure on the prices and margins of our products and may adversely affect our businesses and results of operations.
| Albemarle Corporation and Subsidiaries | ||||||||
-
Our research and development efforts may not succeed in addressing changes in our customers’ needs, and our competitors may develop more effective or successful products.
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The development of non-lithium battery technologies could adversely affect us.
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Development projects are inherently risky and may require more capital than anticipated, which could adversely affect our business. The development of our mines and operations are also subject to other project specific risks.
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Downturns in our customers’ industries, which may be cyclical or affected by changes in governing administrations, could adversely affect our sales and profitability.
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Our results are subject to fluctuation because of irregularities in the demand for our HPC catalysts and certain of our agrichemicals.
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Regulation, or the threat of regulation, of some of our products could have an adverse effect on our sales and profitability.
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We could be subject to damages based on claims brought against us by our customers or lose customers as a result of the failure of our products to meet certain quality specifications.
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Our business is subject to hazards common to chemical and natural resource extraction businesses, any of which could injure our employees or other persons, damage our facilities or other properties, interrupt our production and adversely affect our reputation and results of operations.
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Our business could be adversely affected by environmental, health and safety laws and regulations.
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Our operations could be adversely affected by local communities and/or other stakeholders.
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We may be subject to indemnity claims and liable for other payments relating to properties or businesses we have divested.
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We could be adversely affected by violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar foreign anti-corruption laws, and in the past have paid fines in order to resolve self-reported potential violations of such laws.
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We are subject to extensive foreign government regulation that can negatively impact our business.
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Our inability to protect our intellectual property rights, or being accused of infringing on intellectual property rights of third parties, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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Our inability to acquire or develop additional lithium reserves that are economically viable could have a material adverse effect on our future profitability.
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There is risk to the growth of lithium markets.
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Demand and market prices for lithium will greatly affect the value of our investment in our lithium resources and conversion plants and our revenues and profitability generally.
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If we are unable to retain key personnel or attract new skilled personnel, it could have an adverse effect on our business.
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Some of our employees are unionized, represented by works councils or are employed subject to local laws that are less favorable to employers than the laws of the U.S.
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Our joint ventures may not operate according to their business plans if our partners fail to fulfill their obligations, which may adversely affect our results of operations and may force us to dedicate additional resources to these joint ventures.
Risks Related to Our Financial Condition
-
Our required capital expenditures can be complex, may experience delays or other difficulties, and the costs may exceed our estimates.
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We will need a significant amount of cash to service our indebtedness and our ability to generate cash depends on many factors beyond our control.
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Because a significant portion of our operations is conducted through our subsidiaries and joint ventures, our ability to service our debt may be dependent on our receipt of distributions or other payments from our subsidiaries and joint ventures.
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Restrictive covenants in our debt instruments may adversely affect our business.
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Changes in credit ratings issued by nationally recognized statistical rating organizations could adversely affect our cost of financing, the market price of our securities and our debt service obligations.
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Write-offs or impairment of our goodwill, intangible assets or long-lived assets can result in significant charges to earnings.
| Albemarle Corporation and Subsidiaries | ||||||||
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Our business could suffer if we are not successful in executing our strategy and initiatives in connection with our comprehensive review of our cost and operating structure.
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We are exposed to fluctuations in currency exchange rates, which may adversely affect our operating results and net income.
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Significant or prolonged periods of higher interest rates may have an adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
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Inflationary trends in the price of our input costs, such as raw materials, transportation and energy, could adversely affect our business and financial results.
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Changes in, or the interpretation of, tax legislation or rates throughout the world could materially impact our results.
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Future events may impact our deferred tax asset position and U.S. deferred federal income taxes on undistributed earnings of international affiliates that are considered to be indefinitely reinvested.
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Our business and financial results may be adversely affected by various legal and regulatory proceedings.
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Although our pension plans currently meet minimum funding requirements, events could occur that would require us to make significant contributions to the plans and reduce the cash available for our business.
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We may not be able to consummate future acquisitions or integrate acquisitions into our business, which could result in unanticipated expenses and losses.
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We may continue to expand our business through acquisitions and we may incur additional indebtedness, including indebtedness related to acquisitions.
General Risk Factors
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Adverse conditions in the economy, and volatility and disruption of financial markets can negatively impact our customers, suppliers and other business partners and therefore have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
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Our business and operations could suffer in the event of cybersecurity breaches, information technology system failures, or network disruptions.
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The occurrence or threat of extraordinary events, including domestic and international terrorist attacks, may disrupt our operations and decrease demand for our products.
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National or international disputes, political instability, terrorism war or armed hostilities, could impact our results of operations.
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Natural disasters or other unanticipated catastrophes could impact our operations and could have a
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Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.
NONE
Item 1C. Cybersecurity.
Albemarle recognizes the importance of maintaining the security and integrity of our information systems and the data we collect, process, and store. We have implemented a comprehensive cybersecurity program based on the National Institute of Standards and Technology Cybersecurity Framework (“CSF”). As such, we map the CSF to corresponding legal, regulatory, and industry security practices, which guide our global policies and procedures to prevent, identify, protect, detect, respond, and recover from cybersecurity threats and incidents. Our cybersecurity program is managed by our Cybersecurity Director and is overseen by our Chief Information Officer (“CIO”), who assumes responsibility for the Chief Information Security Officer (“CISO”) role. The cybersecurity program is integrated into our overall enterprise risk management framework and thus is factored into our long-term strategy and business continuity plans. Our Cybersecurity Director brings extensive experience in cybersecurity, including service in U.S. Army Cyber Operations, and has led initiatives in threat management, risk mitigation, and security architecture to strengthen enterprise resilience. His expertise in incident response and security strategy ensures our cybersecurity program remains aligned with industry best practices and evolving cyber threats.
The Audit and Finance Committee (“AFC”) of our Board of Directors oversees information security matters and the Company’s cybersecurity program. Our CIO reports on cybersecurity related matters, including the status of ongoing initiatives, incident reporting, compliance with regulatory requirements and industry standards, and emerging threats in global cybersecurity, on an as needed basis, but at least annually, to the AFC and executive leadership. The AFC and executive leadership offer guidance on certain matters and approval for material initiatives. In addition, the full Board of Directors is updated on cybersecurity matters as needed depending on the nature and materiality of a cybersecurity matter.
All information assets are inventoried, classified, prioritized, and protected based on the respective risk, with appropriate cybersecurity controls applied to each. We have also implemented and maintain a documents management program which governs the classification, protection, and use of sensitive company data within the Albemarle environment.
All business-requested technologies and third-party service providers must successfully complete a thorough cybersecurity and contract review before being approved for use, after which they are continuously monitored as part of our supply chain risk management program. Cybersecurity risks and potential costs are evaluated as a part of business operations, and the respective business impacts are continuously assessed to address evolving threats and vulnerabilities. We engage a third-party global firm to conduct an annual cyber assessment using the CSF, and we engage external vendors to validate our security controls and procedures through periodic penetration tests.
| Albemarle Corporation and Subsidiaries | ||||||||
We follow a zero-trust architecture approach and enforce the use of multi-factor authentication and virtual private network technologies for all external access to provide secure support for our remote workers. Information security training is part of our compliance program, and includes mandatory security training for new hires, mandatory yearly security training for all staff, and periodic phishing tests to raise awareness and response actions.
Our team of cybersecurity professionals are responsible for maintaining a global information systems environment that focuses on least privilege, least functionality, and network segmentation throughout the landscape using a layered approach (i.e. a defense-in-depth strategy). This includes a security operations center and cybersecurity analysts who provide 24/7 network monitoring.
As further discussed in Item 1A. Risk Factors, a material cybersecurity incident could significantly increase the cost of doing business or otherwise adversely impact our financial results and condition. To date we have not had a cybersecurity incident that has had, or is reasonably likely to have, a material effect on our financial results or business operations; however, we monitor and work to continuously improve our cybersecurity program as threats become more frequent and sophisticated.
Our manufacturing sites have formal business continuity plans that address site-specific priority responses, each determined through business impact analyses that integrate within our overall corporate crisis management response plan and enterprise risk management program. We conduct an annual incident response tabletop exercise as well as periodic exercises of formalized site business continuity plans. Lessons learned from the outcomes of these exercises are then assessed and used to inform and improve our formal cyber response procedures and business continuity plans.
In the event of, or the reasonably likely threat of, a cybersecurity incident, our cyber response procedures outline the tasks and timeline for the escalation of the incident to key members of the organization, including the information technology team, business unit management, and Albemarle executives and other key management. These individuals would participate in a special event management plan activation meeting to gain an understanding as to how the incident was detected and analysis of the incident. Each member of management involved would be responsible for assessing the risks, impact, and necessary response as determined by their role. The procedures include key considerations each manager should consider in their assessment as well as their responsibility for involvement in remediation efforts and post-incident strategic reviews. Specific legal and executive role procedures include the assessment of necessary internal communication and external reporting. The Chief Executive Officer, with the support of other executive officers, is responsible for approval of incident reporting and informing and updating the Board of Directors.
Item 2. Properties.
We operate globally, with our principal executive offices located in Charlotte, North Carolina and regional shared services offices located in Budapest, Hungary and Dalian, China. Each of these properties are leased. We and our affiliates also operate regional sales and administrative offices in various locations throughout the world, which are generally leased.
We believe that our production facilities, research and development facilities, and sales and administrative offices are generally well maintained, effectively used and are adequate to operate our business. During 2024, the Company’s manufacturing plants operated at approximately 78% capacity, in the aggregate.
Set forth below is information regarding our production facilities operated by us and our affiliates. Additional details regarding our significant mineral properties can be found below the table.
| Location | Principal Use | Owned/Leased | ||||||||||||||||||
| Energy Storage | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Chengdu, China | Production of technical and battery-grade lithium hydroxide | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||
| Greenbushes, Australia(a) | Production of lithium spodumene minerals and lithium concentrate | Owned(c) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Kemerton, Australia | Production of technical and battery-grade lithium hydroxide | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||
| Kings Mountain, NC | Production of technical and battery-grade lithium hydroxide, lithium salts and battery-grade lithium metal products | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||
| La Negra, Chile | Production of technical and battery-grade lithium carbonate | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||
| Meishan, China | Production of technical and battery-grade lithium hydroxide | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||
| Qinzhou, China | Production of lithium carbonate and technical and battery-grade lithium hydroxide | Owned |
| Albemarle Corporation and Subsidiaries | ||||||||
| Location | Principal Use | Owned/Leased | ||||||||||||||||||
| Salar de Atacama, Chile(a) | Production of lithium brine and potash | Owned(d) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Silver Peak, NV(a) | Production of lithium brine, technical-grade lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||
| Wodgina, Australia(a) | Production of lithium spodumene minerals and lithium concentrate | Owned and leased(c) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Xinyu, China | Production of technical and battery-grade lithium hydroxide | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||
| Specialties | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Baton Rouge, LA | Research and product development activities, and production of fire safety solutions | Leased | ||||||||||||||||||
| Langelsheim, Germany | Production of butyllithium, lithium chloride, specialty products, lithium hydrides, cesium and special metals | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||
| Magnolia, AR(a) | Production of fire safety solutions, bromine, inorganic bromides, agricultural intermediates and tertiary amines | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||
| New Johnsonville, TN | Production of butyllithium and specialty products | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||
| Safi, Jordan(a) | Production of bromine and derivatives and fire safety solutions | Owned and leased(c) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Taichung, Taiwan | Production of butyllithium | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||
| Twinsburg, OH | Production of bromine-activated carbon | Leased | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ketjen**(b)** | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Amsterdam, the Netherlands | Production of refinery catalysts, research and product development activities | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||
| Bayport, TX | Production of refinery catalysts, research and product development activities | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||
| Niihama, Japan | Production of refinery catalysts | Leased(c) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Pasadena, TX | Production of variety of chemical products, including aluminum and magnesium alkyls and alkyltes | Owned | ||||||||||||||||||
| Santa Cruz, Brazil | Production of catalysts, research and product development activities | Owned(c) | ||||||||||||||||||
(a) See below for further discussion of these significant mineral extraction facilities.
(b) Immaterial production facilities owned by unconsolidated joint ventures are not listed.
(c) Owned or leased by joint venture.
(d) Ownership will revert to the Chilean government once we have sold all remaining amounts under our contract with the Chilean government pursuant to which we obtain lithium brine in Chile.
Mineral Properties
Set forth below are details regarding our mineral properties operated by us and our affiliates, which have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of subpart 1300 of Regulation S-K issued by the SEC. The following terms used in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are defined and used in accordance with subpart 1300 of Regulation S-K:
Mineral resource - a concentration or occurrence of material of economic interest in or on the Earth's crust in such form, grade or quality, and quantity that there are reasonable prospects for economic extraction.
Measured mineral resource - that part of a mineral resource for which quantity and grade or quality are estimated on the basis of conclusive geological evidence and sampling. The level of geological certainty associated with a measured mineral resource is sufficient to allow a qualified person to apply modifying factors in sufficient detail to support detailed mine planning and final evaluation of the economic viability of the deposit.
Indicated mineral resource - that part of a mineral resource for which quantity and grade or quality are estimated on the basis of adequate geological evidence and sampling. The level of geological certainty associated with an indicated mineral resource is sufficient to allow a qualified person to apply modifying factors in sufficient detail to support mine planning and evaluation of the economic viability of the deposit.
Inferred mineral resource - that part of a mineral resource for which quantity and grade or quality are estimated on the basis of limited geological evidence and sampling. The level of geological uncertainty associated with an inferred mineral resource is too high to apply relevant technical and economic factors likely to influence the
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Item 3. Legal Proceedings.
We are involved in litigation incidental to our business and are a party to a number of legal actions and claims, various governmental proceedings and private civil lawsuits, including, but not limited to, those related to environmental and hazardous material exposure matters, product liability and breach of contract. Some of the legal proceedings include claims for compensatory as well as punitive damages. While the final outcome of these matters cannot be predicted with certainty, considering, among other things, the legal defenses available and liabilities that have been recorded along with applicable insurance, it is currently the opinion of management that none of these pending items will have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.
In addition, the information set forth under Note 15, “Commitments and Contingencies – Litigation” to the Consolidated Financial Statements of this Annual Report on Form 10-K is incorporated herein by reference.
An unexpected adverse resolution of one or more of these items, however, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or liquidity in that particular period.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.
NONE
| Albemarle Corporation and Subsidiaries | ||||||||
Executive Officers of the Registrant.
The names, ages and biographies of our executive officers, as of February 12, 2025, are set forth below. The term of office of each officer is until the meeting of the Board of Directors following the next annual shareholders’ meeting in May 2025.
| Name | Age | Position | ||||||||||||
| J. Kent Masters | 64 | Chairman and Chief Executive Officer | ||||||||||||
| Neal R. Sheorey | 48 | Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer | ||||||||||||
| Melissa H. Anderson | 60 | Executive Vice President, Chief People and Transformation Officer | ||||||||||||
| Netha N. Johnson | 54 | Executive Vice President, Chief Operations Officer | ||||||||||||
| Eric W. Norris | 58 | Executive Vice President, Chief Commercial Officer | ||||||||||||
| Stacy G. Grant | 37 | Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary and Chief Compliance Officer | ||||||||||||
| Cynthia R. Lima | 63 | Senior Vice President, Chief External Affairs and Communications Officer | ||||||||||||
| Mark R. Mummert | 57 | Senior Vice President, Chief Capital, Resources and Supply Chain Officer | ||||||||||||
| Michael J. Simmons | 61 | President, Ketjen Global Business Unit | ||||||||||||
| Donald J. LaBauve, Jr. | 58 | Vice President, Corporate Controller and Chief Accounting Officer |
J. Kent Masters has served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Albemarle since April 2020. He joined the Albemarle board of directors in 2015 as part of the Company’s Rockwood Holdings Inc. acquisition and served as lead independent director from 2018 until April 2020. Before joining Albemarle, Mr. Masters served as operating partner of Advent International, an international private equity group. Prior to Advent, he was chief executive officer of Foster Wheeler AG, a global engineering and construction contractor and power equipment supplier, from 2011 to 2014. He is also a former member of the executive board of Linde AG, a global leader in manufacturing and sales of industrial gases. He serves on the board of directors of Vibrantz Technologies, a global technology leader in color solutions, functional coatings and specialty minerals. He is also a member of the Charlotte Executive Leadership Council.
Neal R. Sheorey joined Albemarle in November 2023 as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining Albemarle, Mr. Sheorey served for more than 20 years in progressive leadership roles in finance, business and corporate organizations for The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”), a global materials science company. He served as vice president of Dow’s Coatings and Performance Monomers business unit, where he was responsible for the group’s strategy, profitability and growth initiatives. Previously, Mr. Sheorey served as Dow’s vice president of investor relations, senior director of corporate development and global finance director for the Chemicals business group.
Melissa Anderson joined Albemarle Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer in January of 2021. In November 2024, she assumed responsibility for enterprise transformation. In this role, she is responsible for leading the transition to a fully integrated functional model along with execution of the Human Resources’ strategic plan and key initiatives. Prior to joining Albemarle, Ms. Anderson served as executive vice president, administration and chief human resources officer for Duke Energy, an American electric power holding company, from January 2015 to August 2020. Previously, she served in senior leadership roles at Domtar Corporation, The Pantry, Inc. and with IBM Corporation. She serves on the board of directors of Vulcan Materials and as a member of the advisory board of the HR Policy Association. Ms. Anderson is a member of the advisory board for the Center for Executive Succession at the University of South Carolina’s Darla Moore School of Business. She also serves on the board of directors for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), previously serving as its chair.
Netha N. Johnson joined the company in 2018 as president of Albemarle’s Bromine Specialties business and was appointed Chief Operations Officer in November 2024. Prior to joining Albemarle, Mr. Johnson served in several progressive leadership roles with 3M Company. He served as vice president and general manager, Electrical Markets Division, where he was directly responsible for 3M’s electrical and renewable energy solutions. Prior to that, he served as 3M’s vice president, Advanced Materials Division. Mr. Johnson has more than 25 years of diverse leadership experience, with extensive work experience in Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Japan and Germany. Preceding his business career, he served as a U.S. Naval Officer. Mr. Johnson is a member of the board of directors of Xcel Energy, where he serves as a member of the Finance Committee and the Operations, Nuclear, Environmental and Safety Committee.
| Albemarle Corporation and Subsidiaries | ||||||||
Eric Norris is Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer for Albemarle. He joined Albemarle in January 2018 as chief strategy officer and was appointed president of the lithium global business (now Energy Storage) in August 2018. In his current role, Mr. Norris is responsible for enterprise sales, commercial excellence, field and digital marketing, as well as product management. Prior to joining Albemarle, Mr. Norris served as president of Health and Nutrition for FMC Corporation. Following FMC’s announcement to acquire DuPont Agricultural Chemical assets, he led the divestiture of FMC Health and Nutrition to DuPont. Previously, Mr. Norris served as vice president and global business director for FMC Health and Nutrition, and vice president and global business director for FMC Lithium. During his 16-year FMC career, he served in additional leadership roles in investor relations and corporate development and was director of FMC Healthcare Ventures. Prior to FMC, Mr. Norris founded and led an internet-based firm offering formulation and design tools to the chemical industry. He started his career in a range of leadership roles with the Rohm and Haas Company. Mr. Norris is a member of the board of directors of Communities in Schools of Charlotte-Mecklenburg.
Stacy G. Grant joined Albemarle in May of 2023 as vice president and deputy general counsel, global corporate affairs and has more than 10 years of broad legal experience, navigating complex legal and regulatory landscapes. She led the legal team’s support for mergers and acquisition work, as well as issues regarding supply chain, labor and employment, capital projects and IT. Prior to Albemarle, she served as Honeywell International’s vice president and general counsel – M&A and ventures. In this role, Ms. Grant was the chief transactional legal advisor across the corporation with a focus on standardizing processes, advising internal stakeholders and transaction execution. In addition to her corporate experience, she held roles within the law firms of Moore & Van Allen PLLC, King & Spalding and Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP.
Cynthia Lima joined Albemarle in February 2023 as Chief Communications Officer. Prior to joining Albemarle, Ms. Lima founded a communications and public affairs consultancy and held senior positions at domestic and global public relations agencies. Ms. Lima also served at the U.S. Department of State as a principal media advisor to the secretary of state and as a senate-confirmed presidential appointee at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Ms. Lima is a founding member and chair of the board of directors for The Heather Abbott Foundation. She also serves on the board of directors for the Albemarle Foundation and the board of trustees for the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance.
Mark R. Mummert joined Albemarle in 2019 as chief operating officer for the Energy Storage business before being appointed as Senior Vice President, Chief Capital, Resources and Supply Chain Officer in November 2024. Before joining Albemarle, Mr. Mummert held progressive leadership roles in supply chain and global operations at FMC Corporation. His industry experience also includes 20 years with Rohm and Haas Company in various manufacturing and engineering roles. Additionally, Mr. Mummert spent time with Dow where he improved S&OP in supply chain and embedded operational excellence principles at manufacturing sites. Mr. Mummert serves on the board of directors for Talison Spodumene Mine at Greenbushes, Western Australia.
Michael J. Simmons joined Albemarle as President, Ketjen global business unit in June 2023. Mr. Simmons has more than 30 years of experience as an operating executive, including serving as a senior partner at Vantage Consulting, a business advisory service specializing in strategy, execution and leadership for energy, financial, and medical clients, from January 2018 to June 2023, and serving as a group president at Shawcor from 2012 to 2017. He served as a private equity partner for Q Investments from 2006 to 2021. He began his career at GE, becoming chief executive officer of the PII Pipeline Solutions unit of GE Oil & Gas from 2005 to 2007.
Donald J. LaBauve, Jr. was appointed Albemarle’s Corporate Controller and Chief Accounting Officer in November 2024. Mr. LaBauve served as the chief financial officer of the lithium global business (now Energy Storage) since November 2019. He previously served as vice president, corporate controller and chief accounting officer from February 2014 to November 2019 after having previously served as vice president, finance - business operations. Since joining Albemarle in 1990, Mr. LaBauve has held various staff and leadership positions of increasing responsibility within the finance function.
PART II
Item 5. Market for the Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.
Our common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the symbol “ALB.” There were 117,573,461 shares of common stock held by 1,930 shareholders of record as of February 5, 2025. On each of February 22, 2024 and May 7, 2024, we declared a dividend of $0.40 per share and on each of July 16, 2024 and October 28, 2024, we declared a dividend of $0.405 per share. In each quarter of 2023, we declared a dividend of $0.40 per share and, in each quarter of 2022, we declared a dividend of $0.395 per share. We expect to continue to declare and pay comparable dividends to our
| Albemarle Corporation and Subsidiaries | ||||||||
shareholders in the future, however, dividends are declared solely at the discretion of our Board of Directors and there is no guarantee that the Board of Directors will continue to declare dividends in the future.
Stock Performance Graph
The graph below shows the cumulative total shareholder return assuming the investment of $100 in our common stock on December 31, 2019 and the reinvestment of all dividends thereafter. The information contained in the graph below is furnished and therefore not to be considered “filed” with the SEC, and is not incorporated by reference into any document that incorporates this Annual Report on Form 10-K by reference.

Item 6. [Reserved]
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
Forward-looking Statements
Some of the information presented in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including the documents incorporated by reference herein, may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations, which are in turn based on assumptions that we believe are reasonable based on our current knowledge of our business and operations. We have used words such as “ambition,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “goal,” “intend,” “may,” “should,” “would,” “will” and variations of such words and similar expressions to identify such forward-looking statements.
These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions, which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control. There can be no assurance that our actual results will not differ materially from the results and expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the outlook expressed or implied in any forward-looking statement include, without limitation, information related to:
-
changes in economic and business conditions;
-
product development;
-
changes in financial and operating performance of our major customers and industries and markets served by us;
-
the timing of orders received from customers;
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the gain or loss of significant customers;
-
fluctuations in lithium market pricing, which could impact our revenues and profitability particularly due to our increased exposure to index-referenced and variable-priced contracts for battery grade lithium sales;
-
inflationary trends in our input costs, such as raw materials, transportation and energy, and their effects on our business and financial results;
| Albemarle Corporation and Subsidiaries | ||||||||
-
changes with respect to contract renegotiations;
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potential production volume shortfalls;
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competition from other manufacturers;
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changes in the demand for our products or the end-user markets in which our products are sold;
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limitations or prohibitions on the manufacture and sale of our products;
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availability of raw materials;
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increases in the cost of raw materials and energy, and our ability to pass through such increases to our customers;
-
technological change and development;
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changes in our markets in general;
-
fluctuations in foreign currencies;
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changes in laws and government regulation impacting our operations or our products;
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the occurrence of regulatory actions, proceedings, claims or litigation (including with respect to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and foreign anti-corruption laws);
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the occurrence of cyber-security breaches, terrorist attacks, industrial accidents or natural disasters;
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the effects of climate change, including any regulatory changes to which we might be subject;
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hazards associated with chemicals manufacturing;
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the inability to maintain current levels of insurance, including product or premises liability insurance, or the denial of such coverage;
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political unrest affecting the global economy, including adverse effects from terrorism or hostilities;
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political instability affecting our manufacturing operations or joint ventures;
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changes in accounting standards;
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the inability to achieve results from our global manufacturing cost reduction initiatives as well as our ongoing continuous improvement and rationalization programs;
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changes in the jurisdictional mix of our earnings and changes in tax laws and rates or interpretation;
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changes in monetary policies, inflation or interest rates that may impact our ability to raise capital or increase our cost of funds, impact the performance of our pension fund investments and increase our pension expense and funding obligations;
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the ability to apply for and obtain government funding to to support new operations;
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volatility and uncertainties in the debt and equity markets;
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technology or intellectual property infringement, including cyber-security breaches, and other innovation risks;
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decisions we may make in the future;
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future acquisition and divestiture transactions, including the ability to successfully execute, operate and integrate acquisitions and divestitures and incurring additional indebtedness;
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expected benefits and expenses related to our new operating structure and asset optimization activities;
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timing of active and proposed restructuring and cost optimization projects;
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impact of any future pandemics;
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impacts of the situation in the Middle East and the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and the global response to it;
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performance of our partners in joint ventures and other projects;
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changes in credit ratings; and
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the other factors detailed from time to time in the reports we file with the SEC.
We assume no obligation to provide any revisions to any forward-looking statements should circumstances change, except as otherwise required by securities and other applicable laws. The following discussion should be read together with our consolidated financial statements and related notes included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
The following is a discussion and analysis of our results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022. A discussion of our consolidated financial condition and sources of additional capital is included under a separate heading “Financial Condition and Liquidity.”
| Albemarle Corporation and Subsidiaries | ||||||||
Overview
We are a world leader in transforming essential resources into critical ingredients for mobility, energy, connectivity, and health. Our purpose is to enable a more resilient world. We partner to pioneer new ways to move, power, connect, and protect. The end markets we serve include grid storage, automotive, aerospace, conventional energy, electronics, construction, agriculture and food, pharmaceuticals and medical devices. We believe that our world-class resources with reliable and consistent supply, our leading process chemistry, high-impact innovation, customer centricity and focus on people and plant will enable us to maintain a leading position in the industries in which we operate.
Secular trends favorably impacting demand within the end markets that we serve combined with our diverse product portfolio, cost discipline, broad geographic presence and customer-focused solutions will continue to be key drivers of our future earnings. We continue to build upon our existing green solutions portfolio and our ongoing mission to provide innovative, yet commercially viable, clean energy products and services to the marketplace to contribute to our sustainability-based revenue. For example, our Energy Storage business contributes to the growth of clean miles driven with electric vehicles and more efficient use of renewable energy through grid storage; Specialties enables the prevention of fires starting in electronic equipment, greater fuel efficiency from rubber tires and the reduction of emissions from coal fired power plants; and our Ketjen business enhances the efficiency of natural resources through more usable products from a single barrel of oil, enables safer, greener production of alkylates used to produce more environmentally-friendly fuels, and reduced emissions through cleaner transportation fuels. We believe our disciplined cost reduction efforts and ongoing productivity improvements, among other factors, position us well to take advantage of strengthening economic conditions as t
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Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.
The primary currencies to which we have foreign currency exchange rate exposure are the Chinese Renminbi, Euro and Australian Dollar. In response to greater fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates in recent periods, we have increased the degree of exposure risk management activities to minimize the potential impact on earnings.
We manage our foreign currency exposures by balancing certain assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies and through the use, from time to time, of foreign currency forward contracts. The principal objective of such contracts is to minimize the financial impact of changes in foreign currency exchange rates. The counterparties to these contractual agreements are major financial institutions with which we generally have other financial relationships. We are exposed to credit loss in the event of nonperformance by these counterparties. However, we do not anticipate nonperformance by the counterparties. We do not utilize financial instruments for trading or other speculative purposes.
The primary method we use to reduce foreign currency exposure is to identify natural hedges, in which the operating activities denominated in respective currencies across various subsidiaries balance in respect to timing and the underlying exposures. In the event a natural hedge is not available, we may employ a forward contract to reduce exposure, generally expiring within one year. While these contracts are subject to fluctuations in value, such fluctuations are intended to offset the changes in the value of the underlying exposures being hedged. In the fourth quarter of 2019, we entered into a foreign currency forward contract to hedge the cash flow exposure of non-functional currency purchases during the construction of the Kemerton plant in Australia. This contract has been designated as an effective hedging instrument. As a result of the actions taken at Kemerton Trains 3 and 4 during 2024, the Company dedesignated the remaining hedged foreign currency forward contracts. The Company recorded a loss in Other income, net of $26.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2024 from the reclassification of the hedged balance from Accumulated other comprehensive loss. The balance of the settled hedged foreign currency forward contracts associated with the construction of Kemerton Trains 1 and 2 assets placed in service will be reclassified to earnings over the life of the related assets. All other gains and losses on foreign currency forward contracts not designated as an effective hedging instrument are recognized in Other income, net, and generally do not have a significant impact on results of operations.
At December 31, 2024, our financial instruments subject to foreign currency exchange risk primarily consisted of foreign currency forward contracts with an aggregate notional value of $6.9 billion and with a fair value representing a net liability position of $7.0 million. Fluctuations in the value of these contracts are intended to offset the changes in the value of the underlying exposures being hedged. We conducted a sensitivity analysis on the fair value of our foreign currency hedge portfolio assuming an instantaneous 10% change in select foreign currency exchange rates from their levels as of December 31, 2024, with all other variables held constant. A 10% appreciation of the U.S. Dollar against foreign currencies that we hedge would result in an increase of approximately $102.9 million in the fair value of our foreign currency forward contracts. A 10% depreciation of the U.S. Dollar against these foreign currencies would result in a decrease of approximately $103.0 million in the fair value of our foreign currency forward contracts. The sensitivity of the fair value of our foreign currency hedge portfolio represents changes in fair values estimated based on market conditions as of December 31, 2024, without reflecting the effects of underlying anticipated transactions. When those anticipated transactions are realized, actual effects of changing foreign currency exchange rates could have a material impact on our earnings and cash flows in future periods.
We are exposed to changes in interest rates that could impact our results of operations and financial condition. We manage global interest rate and foreign exchange exposure as part of our regular operational and financing strategies. We had variable interest rate borrowings of $27.5 million and $650.2 million outstanding at December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. These borrowings represented 1% and 15% of total outstanding debt and bore average interest rates of 0.33% and 5.76% at December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. A hypothetical 100 basis point increase in the average interest rate applicable to these borrowings would change our annualized interest expense by approximately $0.3 million as of December 31, 2024. We may enter into interest rate swaps, collars or similar instruments with the objective of reducing interest rate volatility relating to our borrowing costs.
| Albemarle Corporation and Subsidiaries | ||||||||
Our raw materials are subject to price volatility caused by weather, supply and demand conditions, political and economic variables and other unpredictable factors. Historically, we have not used futures, options or swap contracts to manage the volatility related to the above exposures. However, the refinery catalysts business has used financing arrangements to provide long-term protection against changes in natural gas and metals prices. We seek to limit our exposure by entering into long-term contracts when available, and we seek price increase limitations through contracts. These contracts do not have a significant impact on our results of operations.
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Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.
MANAGEMENT’S REPORT ON INTERNAL CONTROL OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f). Our internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. Our internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of assets; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, and that receipts and expenditures of the Company are being made only in accordance with management’s and our directors’ authorizations; and (iii) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2024. In making this assessment, management used the criteria for effective internal control over financial reporting described in the Internal Control—Integrated Framework 2013 set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). Based on the assessment, management concluded that, as of December 31, 2024, our internal control over financial reporting was effective to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States. The concept of reasonable assurance is based on the recognition that there are inherent limitations in all systems of internal control. Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
The effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2024 has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report, which is included herein.
| /S/ J. KENT MASTERS | ||||||||
| J. Kent Masters | ||||||||
| Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer | ||||||||
| (principal executive officer) | ||||||||
| February 12, 2025 |
| Albemarle Corporation and Subsidiaries | ||||||||
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Board of Directors and Shareholders of Albemarle Corporation
Opinions on the Financial Statements and Internal Control over Financial Reporting
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Albemarle Corporation and its subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, and the related consolidated statements of (loss) income, of comprehensive (loss) income, of changes in equity and of cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2024, including the related notes (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). We also have audited the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2024, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).
In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2024 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Also in our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2024, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the COSO.
Basis for Opinions
The Company's management is responsible for these consolidated financial statements, for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting, and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express opinions on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and on the Company's internal control over financial reporting based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud, and whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects.
Our audits of the consolidated financial statements included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audits also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinions.
Definition and Limitations of Internal Control over Financial Reporting
A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, a
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Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure.
NONE
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures.
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act), as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based on this evaluation, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer concluded that, as of the end of the period covered by this report, our disclosure controls and procedures are effective to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act, is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Management’s report on internal control over financial reporting and the independent registered public accounting firm’s report are included in Item 8 under the captions entitled “Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting” and “Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm” and are incorporated herein by reference.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
No changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(f)) occurred during the fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2024 that materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
Item 9B. Other Information.
NONE
Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions That Prevent Inspections.
NONE
PART III
| Albemarle Corporation and Subsidiaries | ||||||||
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.
The information regarding Directors under the heading “Proposal 1 - Election of Directors,” and under the subheadings “Process for Selecting Directors” and “Director Candidate Recommendations and Nominations by Shareholders” under the heading “Corporate Governance”; the information under the subheading “Delinquent Section 16(a) Reports” under the heading “Share Ownership”; and the information regarding the Audit Committee under the subheading “Committees of the Board of Directors” under the heading “Corporate Governance” in the Company’s 2025 Proxy Statement are incorporated herein by reference. See “Executive Officers of the Registrant” appearing after Item 4 in Part I of this Annual Report for information regarding executive officers of the Company.
Code of Conduct
We have adopted a code of conduct and ethics for directors, officers and employees, known as the Albemarle Code of Conduct. The Albemarle Code of Conduct is available on our website, www.albemarle.com. Shareholders may also request a free copy of the Albemarle Code of Conduct from: Albemarle Corporation, Attention: Investor Relations, 4250 Congress Street, Suite 900, Charlotte, North Carolina 28209. We will disclose any amendments to, or waivers from, a provision of our Code of Conduct that applies to the principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller, or persons performing similar functions that relates to any element of the Code of Conduct as defined in Item 406 of Regulation S-K by posting such information on our website.
New York Stock Exchange Certifications
Because our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”), our Chief Executive Officer is required to make, and he has made, an annual certification to the NYSE stating that he was not aware of any violation by us of the corporate governance listing standards of the NYSE. Our Chief Executive Officer made his annual certification to that effect to the NYSE as of May 20, 2024. In addition, we have filed, as exhibits to this Annual Report on Form 10-K, the certifications of our principal executive officer and principal financial officer required under Sections 906 and 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding the quality of our public disclosure.
Additional information will be contained in the Proxy Statement and is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 11. Executive Compensation.
The information under the heading “Director Compensation” and the information under the headings “Compensation Discussion and Analysis”; “Compensation Committee Report”; “Compensation Tables and Other Information”; and “Pay Ratio Disclosure” under the principal heading “Compensation”; and the information under the subheading “Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation” under the heading “Corporate Governance” in the Company’s 2025 Proxy Statement is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.
The information under the subheading “Equity Plan Compensation Information” under the heading “Compensation Tables and Other Information” and the information under “Share Ownership” in the Company’s 2025 Proxy Statement is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence.
The information under the subheading “Director Independence” under the principal heading “Corporate Governance” and under the heading “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions” in the Company’s 2025 Proxy Statement is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services.
The information under the subheadings “Fees Billed by PwC” and “Audit & Finance Committee Pre-Approval Policy” under the heading “Proposal 3 - Ratification of Appointment of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm” in the Company’s 2025 Proxy Statement is incorporated herein by reference.
| Albemarle Corporation and Subsidiaries | ||||||||
| NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS |
PART IV
Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.
(a)(1) The following consolidated financial and informational statements of the registrant are included in Part II Item 8 on pages 80 to 131:
Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID 238)
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2024 and 2023
Consolidated Statements of (Loss) Income, Comprehensive (Loss) Income, Changes in Equity and Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
(a)(2) No financial statement schedules are provided in accordance with Item 15(a)(2) as the information is either not applicable, not required or has been furnished in the Consolidated Financial Statements or Notes thereto.
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| 104* | Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101). |
| # | Management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement. | ||||
| * | Included with this filing. | ||||
(c) In accordance with Regulation S-X Rule 3-09, the financial statements of Windfield Holdings Pty. Ltd. (“Windfield”) for the year ended December 31, 2024, Windfield’s fiscal year end, will be filed by amendment to this Annual Report on Form 10-K on or before June 30, 2025.
Item 16. Form 10-K Summary.
NONE
| Albemarle Corporation and Subsidiaries | ||||||||
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
| ALBEMARLE CORPORATION (Registrant) | ||||||||
| By: | /S/ J. KENT MASTERS | |||||||
| (J. Kent Masters) | ||||||||
| Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer |
Dated: February 12, 2025
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities indicated as of February 12, 2025.
| Signature | Title | |||||||
| /S/ J. KENT MASTERS | Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer (principal executive | |||||||
| (J. Kent Masters) | officer) | |||||||
| /S/ NEAL R. SHEOREY | Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer (principal financial | |||||||
| (Neal R. Sheorey) | officer) | |||||||
| /S/ DONALD J. LABAUVE | Vice President, Corporate Controller and Chief Accounting Officer (principal accounting officer) | |||||||
| (Donald. J. LaBauve) | ||||||||
| /S/ M. LAUREN BRLAS | Director | |||||||
| (M. Lauren Brlas) | ||||||||
| /S/ RALF H. CRAMER | Director | |||||||
| (Ralf H. Cramer) | ||||||||
| /S/ GLENDA J. MINOR | Director | |||||||
| (Glenda J. Minor) | ||||||||
| /S/ JAMES J. O’BRIEN | Director | |||||||
| (James J. O’Brien) | ||||||||
| /S/ DIARMUID B. O’CONNELL | Director | |||||||
| (Diarmuid B. O’Connell) | ||||||||
| /S/ DEAN L. SEAVERS | Director | |||||||
| (Dean L. Seavers) | ||||||||
| /S/ GERALD A. STEINER | Director | |||||||
| (Gerald A. Steiner) | ||||||||
| /S/ HOLLY A. VAN DEURSEN | Director | |||||||
| (Holly A. Van Deursen) | ||||||||
| /S/ ALEJANDRO D. WOLFF | Director | |||||||
| (Alejandro D. Wolff) |