Resolute Forest Products Annual Report 2021 Form 10-K (NYSE:RFP) Published: March 1st, 2021 PDF generated by stocklight.com Table of Contents UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549 FORM 10-K (Mark One) ☒ ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2020 ☐ 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: 001-33776 RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS INC. (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter) Delaware 98-0526415 (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) (I.R.S. employer identification number) 111 Robert-Bourassa Boulevard Suite 5000 Montreal Quebec Canada H3C 2M1 (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code) (514) 875-2160 (Registrant’s telephone number, including area code) Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: New York Stock Exchange Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share RFP Toronto Stock Exchange (Title of class) (Trading Symbol) (Name of exchange on which registered) Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐ No ☒ Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No ☒ Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐ Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically 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 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. 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 a 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. ☒ Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes ☐ No ☒ The aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter (June 30, 2020) was $118 million. As of January 29, 2021, there were 80,813,619 shares of Resolute Forest Products Inc. common stock, $0.001 par value, outstanding. DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE Portions of the registrant’s definitive proxy statement to be filed within 120 days of December 31, 2020, are incorporated by reference in this Annual Report on Form 10-K in response to Part III, Items 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14. Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS Part I Item 1. Business 3 Item 1A. Risk Factors 10 Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments 23 Item 2. Properties 23 Item 3. Legal Proceedings 23 Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures 23 Part II Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities 24 Item 6. Selected Financial Data 26 Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations 27 Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk 65 Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 67 Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure 116 Item 9A. Controls and Procedures 116 Item 9B. Other Information 116 Part III Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 117 Item 11. Executive Compensation 117 Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters 118 Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence 118 Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services 118 Part IV Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules 119 Item 16. Form 10-K Summary 123 Signatures 124 Table of Contents CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION AND USE OF THIRD-PARTY DATA Statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K (or, “ Form 10-K”) that are not reported financial results or other historical information of Resolute Forest Products Inc. (with its subsidiaries, either individually or collectively, unless otherwise indicated, referred to as “Resolute Forest Products,” “Resolute,” “we,” “our,” “us,” or the “Company”) are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. They include, for example, statements relating to the impact of the novel coronavirus (or, “ COVID-19”) pandemic and resulting economic conditions on our business, results of operations and market price of our securities, and to our: efforts and initiatives to reduce costs and increase revenues and profitability; business and operating outlook; future pension obligations; assessment of market conditions; growth strategies and prospects, and the growth potential of the Company and the industry in which we operate; liquidity; future cash flows, including as a result of the changes to our pension funding obligations; estimated capital expenditures; and strategies for achieving our goals generally, including the strategies described in Part II, Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Overview – Our Business,” of this Form 10-K. Forward- looking statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as the words “should,” “would,” “could,” “will,” “may,” “expect,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “attempt,” “project,” “estimate,” “guide,” “strive,” “continue,” “create,” “plan,” “see,” “seek,” “improve,” “move,” “position,” “build,” “grow,” “pursue,” and other terms with similar meaning indicating possible future events or potential impact on our business or Resolute Forest Products’ shareholders. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are not guarantees of future performance. These statements are based on management’s current assumptions, beliefs, and expectations, all of which involve a number of business risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. The potential risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual future financial condition, results of operations, and performance to differ materially from those expressed or implied in this Form 10-K include, but are not limited to, the impact of: the COVID-19 pandemic on our business and resulting economic conditions, developments in non-print media, including changes in consumer habits, and the effectiveness of our responses to these developments; intense competition in the forest products industry; any inability to offer products certified to globally recognized forestry management and chain of custody standards; any inability to successfully implement our strategies to increase our earnings power; the possible failure to successfully integrate acquired businesses with ours or to realize the anticipated benefits of acquisitions, such as our entry into wood manufacturing in the U.S., and tissue production and sales, or divestitures or other strategic transactions or projects; uncertainty or changes in political or economic conditions in the U.S., Canada or other countries in which we sell our products; global economic conditions; the highly cyclical nature of the forest products industry; any difficulties in obtaining timber or wood fiber at favorable prices, or at all; changes in the cost of purchased energy and other raw materials; physical, financial and regulatory risks associated with global, regional, and local weather conditions, and climate change; any disruption in operations or increased labor costs due to labor disputes; difficulties in our employee relations, attraction or retention; disruptions to our supply chain, operations, or the delivery of our products; disruptions to our information technology systems including cybersecurity and privacy incidents; risks related to the operation and transition of legacy system applications; negative publicity, even if unjustified; currency fluctuations; any increase in the level of required contributions to our pension plans, including as a result of any increase in the amount by which they are underfunded; our ability to maintain