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 COMMISSION FILE NUMBER DECEMBER 31, 2017 1-9608 NEWELL BRANDS INC. (EXACT NAME OF REGISTRANT AS SPECIFIED IN ITS CHARTER) DELAWARE 36-3514169 (State or other jurisdiction of (I.R.S. Employer incorporation or organization) Identification No.) 221 River Street Hoboken, New Jersey 07030 (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code) Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (201) 610-6600 Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: TITLE OF EACH CLASS NAME OF EACH EXCHANGE ON WHICH REGISTERED Common Stock, $1 par value per share New York Stock Exchange Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☒ No ☐ Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No ☒ Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐ Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 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 if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§ 229.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of Registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. ☐ Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or 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. Large Accelerated Filer ☒ Accelerated Filer ☐ Non-Accelerated Filer ☐ (Do not check if a smaller reporting company) 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 is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes ☐ No ☒ There were 485.2 million shares of the Registrant’s Common Stock outstanding (net of treasury shares) as of January 31, 2018. The aggregate market value of the shares of Common Stock (based upon the closing price on the New York Stock Exchange on June 30, 2017) beneficially owned by non-affiliates of the Registrant was approximately $25.7 billion. For purposes of the foregoing calculation only, which is required by Form 10-K, the Registrant has included in the shares owned by affiliates those shares owned by directors and officers of the Registrant, and such inclusion shall not be construed as an admission that any such person is an affiliate for any purpose. * * * DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE Portions of the Registrant’s Definitive Proxy Statement for its Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS PART I ITEM 1. BUSINESS 3 ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS 8 ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS 18 ITEM 2. PROPERTIES 18 ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS 19 ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES 19 SUPPLEMENTARY ITEM — EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE REGISTRANT PART II ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES 20 ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA 23 ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS 25 ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK 44 ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA 45 ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE 86 ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES 86 ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION 87 PART III ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE 88 ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION 88 ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS 88 ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE 88 ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES 88 PART IV ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES 89 ITEM 16. FORM 10-K SUMMARY 94 SIGNATURES 95 Table of Contents PART I ITEM 1. BUSINESS “Newell Brands” or the “Company” refers to Newell Brands Inc. (formerly, Newell Rubbermaid Inc.) alone or with its wholly owned subsidiaries, as the context requires. When this report uses the words “we,” “us” or “our,” it refers to the Company and its subsidiaries unless the context otherwise requires. The Company was founded in Ogdensburg, New York in 1903 and is incorporated in Delaware. The Company’s principal executive office is located at 221 River Street, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030, and the Company’s telephone number is 201-610-6600. Website Access to Securities and Exchange Commission Reports The Company makes available free of charge on or through its website its annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 as soon as practicable after the Company files them with, or furnishes them to, the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company’s Internet website can be found at www.newellbrands.com . The information on the Company’s website is not incorporated by reference into this annual report on Form 10-K. GENERAL Newell Brands is a global marketer of consumer and commercial products that help people make life better every day, where they live, learn, work and play. Our products are marketed under a strong portfolio of leading brands, including Paper Mate ® , Sharpie ® , Dymo ® , EXPO ® , Parker ® , Elmer’s ® , Coleman ® , Jostens ® , Marmot ® , Rawlings ® , Oster ® , Sunbeam ® , FoodSaver ® , Mr. Coffee ® , Rubbermaid Commercial Products ® , Graco ® , Baby Jogger ® , NUK ® , Calphalon ® , Rubbermaid ® , Contigo ® , First Alert ® , Waddington and Yankee Candle ® . The Company sells its products in nearly 200 countries around the world and has operations on the ground in nearly 100 of these countries. During 2017, the Company continued to execute the Growth Game Plan, the multi-year strategy that was updated in late 2016 for the new broader portfolio. The Growth Game Plan enables the simplification of the organization and frees up resources to invest in growth initiatives and strengthened capabilities in support of the Company’s brands. The changes being implemented in the execution of the Growth Game Plan are considered key enablers to building a more profitable and cash flow generative company, with global reach. As part of the Growth Game Plan, the Company has transformed from a holding company to an operating company, consolidating its 32 business units into 16 global divisions while investing to extend its design, innovation, brand development and E-commerce capabilities across a broader set of categories. The new global divisions are the key commercial nodes in the Company, including a Global E-commerce division with responsibility for all E-commerce activity across the enterprise. The divisions generally align to the four areas of strategic focus for the Company of Live, Learn, Work, and Play. The new structure became effective January 1, 2017. During 2017, the Company acquired Smith Mountain, a leading provider of premium home fragrance products, sold primarily under the WoodWick ® Candle brand; Sistema Plastics, a leading provider of food storage and beverage containers in Australia, New Zealand, U.K, and parts of Europe; and Chesapeake Bay Candle, a leading developer, manufacturer and marketer of premium candles and other home fragrance products, focused on consumer wellness and natural fragrance. During 2016, the Company committed to plans to divest several other businesses and brands to strengthen the portfolio to better align and focus the portfolio for growth and margin development. To that end, during 2017 the Company sold its Tools business, its Rubbermaid ® consumer storage totes business, its stroller business under the Teutonia ® brand, its Lehigh business, its firebuilding business, its triathlon apparel business under the Zoot ® and Squadra ® brands and its Winter Sports business. In January 2018, Newell Brands announced that it will explore a series of strategic initiatives to accelerate its transformation plan, improve operational performance, reduce debt and leverage and enhance shareholder value. The Company is planning on