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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D. C. 20549

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FORM 10-K

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☒ ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

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For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022

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☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

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For the transition period from                                  to                                 

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Commission File Number 001-07349

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Ball Corporation

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Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (303) 469-3131

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

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Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: NONE

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Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. YES ⌧ NO ◻

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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 ⌧

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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 ◻

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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 during the preceding 12 months. YES ☒ NO ◻

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

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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. ☐

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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. ☒

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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. ◻

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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). ◻

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

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The aggregate market value of voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was $21.6 billion based upon the closing market price and common shares outstanding as of June 30, 2022.

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Number of shares and rights outstanding as of the latest practicable date.

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DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

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Ball Corporation

ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K

For the year ended December 31, 2022

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PART I.

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Item 1. Business

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Ball Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries (collectively, Ball, the company, we or our) is one of the world’s leading suppliers of aluminum packaging for the beverage, personal care and household products industries. The company was organized in 1880 and incorporated in the state of Indiana, United States of America (U.S.), in 1922. Our sustainable, aluminum packaging products are produced for a variety of end uses and are manufactured in facilities around the world. We also provide aerospace and other technologies and services to governmental and commercial customers within our aerospace segment. In 2022, our total consolidated net sales were $15.35 billion. Our packaging businesses were responsible for 87 percent of our net sales, with the remaining 13 percent contributed by our aerospace business.

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Our largest product line is aluminum beverage containers and we also produce extruded aluminum aerosol containers, recloseable aluminum bottles across multiple consumer categories, aluminum slugs and aluminum cups.

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We sell our aluminum packaging products globally to large multinational beverage, personal care and household products companies with which we have developed long-term relationships. This is evidenced by our high customer retention and large number of long-term supply contracts. While we have a diversified customer base, we sell a significant portion of our packaging products to major companies and brands, as well as to numerous regional customers. Our significant customers include top consumer packaging and beverage companies.

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Our aerospace business is a leader in delivering solutions ranging from entire missions to contributing component level expertise through the design, development and manufacture of innovative systems for intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance, civil, commercial and national security aerospace markets. It produces spacecraft, instruments and sensors, radio frequency systems and components, data exploitation solutions and a variety of advanced technologies and products that enable weather prediction and climate change monitoring as well as deep space missions.

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We are headquartered in Westminster, Colorado, and our stock is listed for trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol BALL.

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Our Strategy

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Our Drive for 10 vision defines our overall business strategy. At its highest level, Drive for 10 is a mindset around perfection, with a greater sense of urgency around our future success. Launched in 2011, Drive for 10 encompasses five strategic levers that are key to growing our businesses and achieving long-term success. These five levers are:

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We also maintain a clear and disciplined financial strategy focused on improving shareholder returns by:

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The cash generated by our businesses is used primarily: (1) to finance the company’s operations, (2) to fund growth capital investments, (3) to service the company’s debt and (4) to return value to our shareholders via stock buybacks and dividend payments. From time to time, we have evaluated and expect to continue to evaluate possible transactions that we believe will benefit the company and our shareholders, which may include strategic acquisitions, divestitures of parts of our company or equity investments. At any time, we may be engaged in discussions or negotiations with respect to possible transactions or may have entered into non-binding letters of intent. There can be no assurance if or when we will enter into any such transactions or the terms of such transactions. The compensation of many of our employees is tied directly to the company’s performance through our EVA®-based incentive programs.

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Sustainability and Circularity

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At Ball Corporation, we believe in our people, our culture and our ability to deliver value to our stakeholders. Like uncompromising integrity and customer focus, sustainability and circularity are part of our Drive for 10 vision and have been a part of who we are since our founding in 1880.

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Our triple bottom-line approach to sustainability – environmental, economic and social – has evolved over the past 20 years and, together with our objective of providing truly circular economic solutions for our customers, is the lens through which we continue to conduct business at every level of our organization. Sustainability and circularity constitute a key part of our business strategy and influence how we manage and operate our businesses, serve our customers, care for the environment and our communities, secure profits and drive long-term prosperity.

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We focus our sustainability and circularity efforts on environmental, social and governance (ESG) impacts through the lenses of product stewardship and social impacts, exhibited through our commitment to achieve a science-based 55 percent reduction in our greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint by 2030 and net zero carbon emissions prior to 2050, as well as human capital management, including diversity and inclusion, and community engagement. In our manufacturing operations around the world, we work on continuous improvement of employee safety and engagement, energy and water efficiency, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, waste reduction and recycling. Our commitment extends beyond our walls and includes purchasing aluminum from certified sustainable sources and reducing value chain emissions in order to facilitate achievement of Ball’s and its customers’ GHG reduction objectives.

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Today’s consumers are choosing brands based on their sustainability and circularity credentials. Ball customers understand this growing priority and their unique position in impacting the environment, especially through the packaging materials they use. Infinitely recyclable aluminum unlocks the full potential of packaging to help customers convey their values and purpose to consumers. We are committed to moving toward a truly circular economy, where materials can be – and actually are – used again and again.

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Aluminum cans, bottles and cups are an attractive option for sustainability-conscious brands with commitments to real world recyclability and increasing their usage of recycled materials in consumer packaging. Unlike plastic, glass, cartons or compostable containers, aluminum containers are designed to be recycled infinitely without losing quality and retain a high economic value, pushing aluminum collection, sorting and recycling rates to the highest of any beverage packaging material. That is why 75 percent of all aluminum ever produced is still in use today. In addition, growing sustainability compliance costs for substrates with less favorable circularity credentials continue to see their costs of ownership rise in several regions.

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Aluminum beverage packaging is the leader in real recycling, where the package is collected and then transformed into an item of equal value (product-to-product or material-to-material recycling). In the case of aluminum cans, bottles or cups, which are monomaterial, the aluminum can be recycled and made back into the same product in as little as 60 days. In contrast, only 10 percent of all plastic ever produced has been recycled and is mostly only downcycled. Downcycled products, including but not limited to when plastic is converted to become part of a sneaker or fibers in a carpet, are not sustainable because eventually those products end up in landfills. Real recycling happens when the value of the product being recycled is maintained from one use to another.

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Because recycling aluminum saves resources and uses significantly less energy than primary aluminum production, we are innovating and collaborating with our customers, supply chain, industry groups and other public and private partners to establish and financially support initiatives to increase recycling rates around the world. We work together to create effective collection and recycling systems and educate consumers about the sustainability and circularity benefits of aluminum packaging. During 2022 the company proactively supported further expansion of Deposit Return Systems

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(DRS) and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs in several regions. For example, Colorado signed an EPR program into law in 2022 requiring companies who sell packaging products to fund a statewide recycling system to recycle those materials.

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Our aerospace business plays a role in sustainability as well. More and more, our systems are measuring key elements of the physical environment and supporting environmental monitoring and operational weather forecasting programs, as well as providing environmental intelligence on weather, the Earth's climate system, precipitation, drought, GHG emissions and air pollution, as well as wildlife, vegetation and other biodiversity measurements. The data captured through Ball built instruments and satellites enable and enhance understanding of the Earth’s ecosystem and help scientists to pinpoint more accurately what type of GHGs and pollutants are being emitted, where they are coming from, and a precise idea of where they are moving.

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At Ball our sustained long-term success depends not only on our products and our operations, but on an engaged workforce. We continue to invest in recruiting to ensure we have the right people with the right skills in the right roles, and in developing our employees at every level and providing them with opportunities to advance their careers. We also are committed to embracing diversity and providing an inclusive environment where employees can thrive. A focus on diversity among individuals and teams helps to unleash ideas and fuel innovation, which drives growth and economic value throughout our global organization.

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A healthy and sustainable business also depends on thriving communities. Ball’s commitment to the communities where we live and operate is an integral part of our corporate culture, as we continue to support organizations, programs and civic initiatives that advance sustainable livelihoods. Community engagement is how our company and our employees enrich the places where we live and work beyond providing jobs, benefits and paying local taxes. Through the Ball Foundation, corporate giving, employee giving and volunteerism, we invest in the future of the communities that sustain us. In 2022 Ball and its employees donated over $8 million supporting more than 2,800 non-profit organizations and logged more than 30,000 hours of volunteer service to non-profit organizations centered on building sustainable communities through recycling, education, and disaster preparedness and relief initiatives.

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The company’s focus towards sustainability has been recognized by external organizations. For the fourth year in a row, Ball received an A- score in CDP’s climate change program. In addition, Ball maintained a MSCI AA ESG rating, was included on the 2022 Dow Jones Sustainability Index, and was recognized as one of America’s Most Responsible Companies by Newsweek.

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Human Capital and Employees

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Ball Corporation’s people are its greatest asset and we are proud to outline the material aspects of our human capital program. At the end of 2022, the company and its subsidiaries employed approximately 21,000 employees, including approximately 10,300 employees in the U.S. Details of collective bargaining agreements are included within Item 1A, Risk Factors of this annual report.

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Our Culture

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Embracing our rich 143-year history, we “know who we are,” a company that respects and values each of our employees and their collective desire to deliver value to all our stakeholders. We embrace our diversity and are “one Ball” in valuing:

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Diversity and Inclusion

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Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) is embedded in our Drive for 10 vision and is key to the sustained success of our business. We established a dedicated D&I function in 2015 to build on our longstanding commitment to D&I across the company and included D&I as an integral part of our goals for sustainability. Over the past seven years, we have made meaningful

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progress on D&I, which has been recognized by external organizations, including Forbes, which recognized Ball among “America’s Best Employers for Diversity” in 2019, the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), which recognized Ball as a best place to work for disability inclusion on the 2022 Disability Equality Index, and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, which listed Ball among the “Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality” in five out of the last six years, including a perfect score on its Corporate Equality Index list in 2021 and 2022. Our dedicated D&I function reports directly to our Chief Human Resources Officer, and we understand that the key to success is shared accountability rather than designating a single owner for this critical area. Our focus to date has been on providing unconscious bias training for our global workforce, continuing to expand our Ball Network and Interest Groups (BNIs) in terms of quantity and geography and increasing awareness about the importance of D&I and each employee’s role in ensuring that we have a culture where people can bring their authentic selves to work and thrive. While we are proud of our progress, we know there is more work to do.

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As we move forward, we are accelerating our D&I efforts with a sense of urgency. In June 2020, we instituted a new global cloud-based human capital management platform that has – among many other talent-focused features – enabled us to more fully understand employee demographics and identify how we can better enhance our diversity around the world. Going into 2023, we plan to introduce tools for inclusion in our learning management system to enhance the unconscious bias training we provide to our global workforce. We will also enhance the purpose and mission of our BNIs to better serve overall business objectives and will be preparing to launch an Inclusion Council led by our Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion and sponsored by our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Human Resources Officer. We continue to evolve our talent acquisition process and focus on diversity for internships, candidate slates, interview panels, talent reviews and succession planning. Each of our business segment leaders has committed to help drive further D&I progress during 2023 and beyond. Currently, 67 percent of our board of directors is either gender or ethnically diverse, including five female board members, and 44 percent of our company’s executive leadership team is either gender or ethnically diverse.

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Talent

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We seek to attract, develop and retain the best talent throughout the company. During the past decade, we established and expanded our talent management organization with dedicated talent acquisition and development functions that have implemented rigorous hiring and development processes, including standardized assessments for candidate selection, and an embedded “Inspire, Connect, Achieve” leadership framework, which details clear behaviors that we expect from our people leaders to ensure they align with our culture. We have also strengthened our succession planning through a holistic approach to developing key managers that includes challenging assignments, formal development plans and professional coaching.

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Training and Development

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Our global human capital management platform enables rigorous identification, analysis and development of talent around the world. In conjunction with that platform, the company utilizes an approach to performance management focused on development and continuous improvement. This approach emphasizes ongoing performance conversations between managers and employees and a focus on mitigating bias in performance conversations, resulting in an enhanced employee developmental experience and data points for our talent discussions. Additionally, all employees have access to create a personal development plan and we have resources to support employees in their personal and professional development, including:

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Employee Engagement

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As part of our Drive for 10 vision, we seek to ensure that everyone at Ball is motivated to perform their best work every day. To further that objective, our engagement approach focuses on clear communication and recognition. We communicate through quarterly employee town hall meetings, at both the corporate and operating division levels, with business and market updates and information on production, safety, quality and other operating metrics. We also communicate company information through news releases, executive communications, digital signage and our weekly Ball eNews through the new BallConnect intranet, which are available to all employees. We have many recognition-oriented awards throughout our company, including our corporate and divisional awards of excellence, the Living Well Cup and global operations plant sustainability awards. We conduct regular company-wide engagement surveys, as well as periodic pulse surveys, which have generally indicated high levels of engagement and trust in Ball’s leadership, key strategies and initiatives.

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Total Rewards

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We have steadily upgraded our total rewards function over the past decade with the ongoing objective of acquiring, rewarding and retaining the best talent by providing total rewards that are competitive and performance based. Our compensation programs, including our long-standing EVA® based incentive plans, reflect our commitment to a pay-for-performance philosophy that drives shareholder value. Total direct compensation is positioned in a competitive range of the applicable market median in each jurisdiction, differentiated based on tenure, skills and performance, and designed to attract and retain the best talent.

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Health, Safety and Wellness

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The health, safety and wellness of all employees is a top priority at Ball. Our environmental, health and safety function and our operations executives partner to consistently reinforce policies and procedures that are designed to reduce workplace risks and ensure safe methods of plant production, including through regular training and reporting on injuries and lost-time incidents. Over the past 15 years, we have sponsored a variety of health and wellness programs designed to enhance the physical and mental well-being of our employees around the world. During 2020, the company expanded access to its existing Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to our entire global workforce. The EAP provides employees and their families access to mental health, stress management and other support resources essential to navigating life changes and challenges.

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Additional information on our human capital programs can be found in the Ball Corporation Combined Report, which is available at www.ball.com/sustainability.

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Our Reportable Segments

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Ball Corporation reports its financial performance in four reportable segments: (1) beverage packaging, North and Central America; (2) beverage packaging, Europe, Middle East and Africa (beverage packaging, EMEA); (3) beverage packaging, South America and (4) aerospace. Ball also has investments in the U.S., Guatemala, Panama and Vietnam that are accounted for using the equity method of accounting and, accordingly, those results are not included in segment sales or earnings. Additional financial information related to each of our segments is included in Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, and in Note 3 to the consolidated financial statements within Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K (annual report).

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Beverage Packaging, North and Central America, Segment

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Beverage packaging, North and Central America, is Ball’s largest segment, accounting for 44 percent of consolidated net sales in 2022. Aluminum beverage containers are primarily sold under multi-year supply contracts to fillers of carbonated soft drinks, beer, energy drinks and other beverages.

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Aluminum beverage containers and ends are produced at 18 manufacturing facilities in the U.S., one in Canada and two in Mexico. The beverage packaging, North and Central America, segment also includes interests in three investments that are accounted for using the equity method. In the third quarter of 2022, Ball announced the permanent closure of its aluminum beverage can manufacturing facilities in Phoenix, Arizona, and St. Paul, Minnesota. The Phoenix facility ceased production in the fourth quarter of 2022, and the St. Paul facility ceased production in the first quarter of 2023.

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According to publicly available information and company estimates, the North American beverage container industry represents approximately 140 billion units. Five companies manufacture substantially all of the aluminum beverage containers in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Ball shipped approximately 52 billion aluminum beverage containers in North and Central America in 2022, which represented approximately 37 percent of the aggregate shipments in these countries. Historically, sales volumes of metal beverage containers in North America tend to be highest during the period from April through September. All of the beverage containers produced by Ball in the U.S., Canada and Mexico are made of aluminum. In North and Central America, a diverse base of no fewer than ten global suppliers provide almost all of our aluminum can and end sheet requirements.

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Beverage containers are sold based on price, quality, service, innovation and sustainability in a highly competitive market, which is relatively capital intensive and characterized by facilities that run more or less continuously in order to operate profitably. In addition, the aluminum beverage container competes aggressively with other packaging materials which include meaningful industry positions by the glass bottle in the packaged beer industry and the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle in the carbonated soft drink and water industries.

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We limit our exposure to changes in the cost of aluminum as a result of the inclusion of provisions in most of our aluminum beverage container sales contracts to pass through aluminum price changes, as well as through the use of derivative instruments.

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Beverage Packaging, EMEA, Segment

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The beverage packaging, EMEA, segment accounted for 25 percent of Ball’s consolidated net sales in 2022. Our EMEA region operations include 17 facilities throughout Europe and one facility each in Cairo, Egypt, and Manisa, Turkey. In the third quarter of 2022, Ball completed the sale of its aluminum beverage packaging business located in Russia, which included three aluminum beverage can manufacturing facilities. For the countries in which we currently operate, not including Russia, the beverage container market is approximately 90 billion containers, and we are the largest producer with an estimated 39 percent of shipments in this region. The regions served by our beverage packaging, EMEA, segment, including Egypt and Turkey, are highly regional in terms of sales growth rates and packaging mix. Four companies manufacture substantially all of the metal beverage containers in EMEA. Our EMEA beverage facilities, not including Russia, shipped 35 billion beverage containers in 2022, all of which were made from aluminum. The company has announced plans to construct additional plants in Pilsen, Czech Republic, and Northamptonshire, U.K. Both facilities are expected to begin production in the first half of 2023.

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Historically, sales volumes of metal beverage containers in EMEA tend to be highest during the period from May through August, with a smaller increase in demand leading up to the winter holiday season in the U.K. Much like in other parts of the world, the aluminum beverage container competes aggressively with other packaging materials used by the beer and carbonated soft drink industries. The glass bottle is heavily utilized in the packaged beer industry, while the PET container is utilized in the carbonated soft drink, beer, juice and water industries. These trends are evolving, however, as customers, regulators and non-governmental organizations continue to press for more sustainable packaging in the wake of the global pollution crisis. More and more brands are choosing aluminum beverage packaging because of its infinite recyclability and other sustainability credentials. Using a new calculation implemented by the European Union (EU) in 2022, the overall recycling rate for aluminum beverage cans in the EU, Switzerland, Norway and Iceland was approximately 73 percent in 2020.

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Raw material supply contracts in this region generally have longer term agreements. Six aluminum suppliers provide almost all of our aluminum can and end sheet requirements. The company minimizes its exchange rate risk using derivative and supply contracts in local currencies. We limit our exposure to changes in the cost of aluminum as a result of the inclusion of provisions in our aluminum beverage container sales contracts to pass through aluminum price changes, as well as through the use of derivative instruments.

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Beverage Packaging, South America, Segment

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The beverage packaging, South America, segment accounted for 14 percent of Ball’s consolidated net sales in 2022. Our operations consist of 12 facilities—9 in Brazil and one each in Argentina, Chile and Paraguay. In the third quarter, Ball permanently ceased operations at its aluminum beverage can manufacturing facility in Santa Cruz, Brazil, and temporarily reduced production across its remaining Brazilian beverage can manufacturing footprint. For the countries where we operate, the South American beverage container market is approximately 40 billion containers, and we are the largest producer in this region with an estimated 46 percent of South American shipments in 2022. Four companies currently manufacture substantially all of the aluminum beverage containers in Brazil.

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The company’s South American beverage facilities shipped approximately 19 billion aluminum beverage containers in 2022. Historically, sales volumes of beverage containers in South America tend to be highest during the period from September through December. In South America, two suppliers provide virtually all our aluminum can and end sheet requirements with certain requirements also being imported from Asia.

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We limit our exposure to changes in the cost of aluminum as a result of the inclusion of provisions in our aluminum beverage container sales contracts to pass through aluminum price changes, as well as through the use of derivative instruments.

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Aerospace Segment

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Ball’s aerospace segment, which accounted for 13 percent of consolidated net sales in 2022, includes national defense hardware, antenna and video tactical solutions, civil and operational space hardware and systems engineering services. The segment develops spacecraft, sensors and instruments, radio frequency systems and other advanced technologies for the civil, commercial and national security aerospace markets. The majority of the aerospace business involves work under contracts, generally from one to five years in duration, as a prime contractor or subcontractor for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and other U.S. government agencies. The company competes against both large and small prime contractors and subcontractors for these contracts. Contracts funded by the various agencies of the federal government represented 98 percent of segment sales in 2022.

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Intense competition and long operating cycles are key characteristics of both the company’s business and the aerospace and defense industry. It is common in the aerospace and defense industry for work on major programs to be shared among a number of companies. A company competing to be a prime contractor may, upon ultimate award of the contract to a competitor, become a subcontractor for the ultimate prime contracting company. It is not unusual to compete for a contract award with a peer company and, simultaneously, perform as a supplier to or a customer of that same competitor on other contracts, or vice versa.

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Geopolitical events and shifting executive and legislative branch priorities have resulted in an increase in opportunities over the past decade in areas matching our aerospace segment’s core capabilities in space hardware. The businesses include hardware and services sold primarily to U.S. customers, with emphasis on space science and exploration, climate monitoring, weather prediction, environmental and earth sciences, and defense and intelligence applications. Major activities frequently involve the design, manufacture and testing of satellites, remote sensors and ground station control hardware and software, as well as related services such as launch vehicle integration and satellite operations.

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Other hardware activities include target identification, warning and attitude control systems and components; cryogenic systems for reactant storage, and associated sensor cooling devices; star trackers, which are general-purpose stellar attitude sensors; and fast-steering mirrors.

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Backlog represents the estimated transaction prices on performance obligations to our customers for which work remains to be performed. Backlog in the aerospace segment was $2.97 billion and $2.47 billion at December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, and consisted of the aggregate contract value of firm orders, excluding amounts previously recognized as revenue. The 2022 backlog includes $1.52 billion expected to be recognized in revenues during 2023, with the remainder expected to be recognized in revenues in the years thereafter. Amounts included in backlog for certain firm government orders, which are subject to annual funding, were $1.61 billion and $1.05 billion at December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Year-over-year comparisons of backlog are not necessarily indicative of the trend of future operations, revenues and earnings due to the nature of varying delivery and milestone schedules on contracts, funding of programs and the uncertainty of timing of future contract awards. Uncertainties in the federal government budgeting process could delay the funding, or even result in cancellation of certain programs currently in our reported backlog.

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Other

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Other consists of a non-reportable operating segment (beverage packaging, other) that manufactures and sells aluminum beverage containers in India, Saudi Arabia and Myanmar; a non-reportable operating segment that manufactures and sells extruded aluminum aerosol containers, recloseable aluminum bottles across multiple consumer categories and slugs (aerosol packaging); a non-reportable operating segment that manufactures and sells aluminum cups (aluminum cups); undistributed corporate expenses; intercompany eliminations and other business activities.

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Beverage Packaging, Other

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Our aluminum beverage packaging operations in the beverage packaging, other, segment consist of four facilities – two in India and one each in Saudi Arabia and Myanmar. Our aluminum can and end sheet requirements are provided by several suppliers. Our manufacturing facility in Saudi Arabia, Ball United Arab Can Manufacturing Company, is an investment 51 percent owned by Ball and consolidated in our results. Additionally, Ball has ownership interests in an equity method investment in Vietnam. During 2021, Ball sold its minority-owned investment in South Korea. For additional details, refer to Note 4 to the consolidated financial statements within Item 8 of this annual report

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Aerosol Packaging

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Our aluminum aerosol packaging operations manufacture and sell extruded aluminum aerosol containers, recloseable aluminum bottles across multiple consumer categories and aluminum slugs, which represented less than 5 percent of Ball’s consolidated net sales in 2022. There are 9 manufacturing facilities that manufacture these products – four in Europe and one each in the U.S., Canada, Brazil, Mexico and India. The aerosol packaging market in these countries shipped approximately 6.6 billion aluminum aerosol units in 2022 and we are one of the major producers in this combined area with shipments of 1.4 billion aluminum aerosol packaging containers, representing approximately 21 percent of total shipments in these markets. Our aluminum aerosol requirements are provided by several suppliers. In 2021, our aerosol business operations launched a new extruded, recloseable aluminum bottle line to provide a circular solution to plastic bottle pollution in personal care and other product categories.

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Aluminum Cups

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The Ball aluminum cups business serves the growing demand for innovative, sustainable beverage packaging among customers and consumers. Aligned with our Drive for 10 vision, the aluminum cups business leverages our years of experience and specialized expertise to provide another environmentally friendly offering to our industry-leading portfolio of aluminum packages. Sturdy, durable and cool to the touch, the infinitely recyclable Ball aluminum cup is produced at a dedicated manufacturing facility in Rome, Georgia. Ball plans to introduce additional offerings to round out its cups portfolio and intends to expand adoption of the cups to drinking establishments, parks and recreation, colleges and universities, hospitality, restaurants, retail, business and industry.

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Patents

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In the opinion of the company’s management, none of our active patents or groups of patents is material to the successful operation of our business as a whole. We manage our intellectual property portfolio to obtain the durations necessary to achieve our business objectives.

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Research and Development

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Research and development (R&D) efforts in our packaging segments are primarily directed toward packaging innovation, specifically the development of new features, sizes, shapes and types of containers, as well as new uses for existing containers. Other R&D efforts in these segments seek to improve manufacturing efficiencies and the overall sustainability of our products. Our packaging R&D activities are primarily conducted in a technical center located in Westminster, Colorado.

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In our aerospace business, we continue to focus our R&D activities on the design, development and manufacture of innovative aerospace products and systems. This includes the production of spacecraft, instruments and sensors, radio frequency and system components, data exploitation solutions and a variety of advanced aerospace technologies and products that enable deep space missions. Our aerospace R&D activities are conducted at various locations in the U.S.

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Additional information regarding company R&D activity is contained in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements within Item 8 of this annual report, as well as in Item 2, Properties.

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Where to Find More Information

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Ball Corporation is subject to the reporting and other information requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (Exchange Act). Reports and other information filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) pursuant to the Exchange Act may be inspected and copied at the public reference facility maintained by the SEC in Washington, D.C. The SEC maintains a website at www.sec.gov containing our reports, proxy materials and other items. The company also maintains a website at www.ball.com/investors on which it provides a link to access Ball’s SEC reports free of charge, under the link “Financials.”

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The company has established written Ball Corporation Corporate Governance Guidelines; a Ball Corporation Executive Officers and Board of Directors Business Ethics Statement; a Business Ethics Code of Conduct; and charters for its Audit Committee, Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee, Human Resources Committee and Finance Committee. These documents are available on the company’s website at www.ball.com/investors, under the link “Corporate Governance.” A copy may also be obtained upon request from the company’s corporate secretary. The company’s combined report and updates on Ball’s sustainability progress are available at www.ball.com/sustainability.

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The company intends to post on its website the nature of any amendments to the company’s codes of ethics that apply to executive officers and directors, including the chief executive officer, chief financial officer and controller, and the nature of any waiver or implied waiver from any code of ethics granted by the company to any executive officer or director. These postings will appear on the company’s website at www.ball.com/investors, under the link “Corporate Governance.”

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Nothing on our website, including postings to the “Corporate Governance” and “Financials” pages, or the Ball Corporation Sustainability Report, or sections thereof, shall be deemed incorporated by reference into this annual report.

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Item 1A. Risk Factors

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Any of the following risks could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.

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General Risks

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If we do not effectively manage change and growth, our business could be adversely affected.

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Our future revenue and operating results will depend on our ability to effectively manage the anticipated growth of our business. We have experienced fluctuations in the growth in demand for our products and services in recent years and are rebalancing our operations, managing our headcount and developing new and innovative product offerings to balance our supply positions with our customers’ requirements in each region. These circumstances have placed significant demands on our management as well as our financial and operational resources, and present several challenges, including:

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Our business, operating results and financial condition are subject to particular risks in certain regions of the world.

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We may experience an operating loss in one or more regions of the world for one or more periods, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results or financial condition. Moreover, overcapacity, which often leads to lower prices, may develop over time in certain regions in which we operate even if demand continues to grow. More generally, supply and demand fluctuations could make it difficult for us to forecast and meet certain customers’ needs. Our ability to manage such operational fluctuations and to maintain adequate long-term strategies in the face of such developments will be critical to our continued growth and profitability.

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The loss of a key customer, or a reduction in its requirements, could have a significant negative impact on our sales.

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We sell a majority of our packaging products to a relatively limited number of major beverage, personal care and household product companies, some of which operate in multiple geographical markets we serve.

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Although the majority of our customer contracts are long-term, these contracts, unless they are renewed, expire in accordance with their respective terms and are terminable under certain circumstances, such as our failure to meet quality, volume or market pricing requirements. Because we depend on a relatively limited number of major customers, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be adversely affected by the loss of any of these customers, a reduction in the purchasing levels of these customers, a strike or work stoppage by a significant number of these customers’ employees or an adverse change in the terms of the supply agreements with these customers.

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The primary customers for our aerospace segment are U.S. government agencies or their prime contractors. Our contracts with these customers are subject to several risks, including funding cuts and delays, technical uncertainties, budget changes, government shutdowns, competitive activity and changes in scope.

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We have a significant level of debt that could have important consequences for our business and any investment in our securities.

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The company had $9.00 billion of interest-bearing debt at December 31, 2022. Such indebtedness could have significant consequences for our business and any investment in our securities, including:

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We face competitive risks from many sources that may negatively impact our profitability.

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Competition within the packaging and aerospace industries is intense. Increases in productivity, combined with potential surplus capacity in the industry, have maintained competitive pricing pressures. The principal methods of competition in the general packaging industry are price, innovation, sustainability, service and quality. In the aerospace industry, they are technical capability, cost and schedule. Some of our competitors may have greater financial, technical and marketing resources, and some may currently have excess capacity. Our current or potential competitors may offer products at a lower price or products that are deemed superior to ours. The global economic environment has resulted in reductions in demand for our products in some instances, which, in turn, could increase these competitive pressures.

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We are subject to competition from alternative products, which could result in lower profits and reduced cash flows.

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Our aluminum packaging products are subject to significant competition from substitute products, particularly plastic carbonated soft drink bottles made from PET, single serve and returnable beer bottles and other beverage containers made of glass, cardboard or other materials. Competition from plastic carbonated soft drink bottles is particularly intense in the U.S. and Europe, and competition from glass beer bottles has recently increased in Brazil. Certain of our aerospace products are also subject to competition from alternative products and solutions. There can be no assurance that our products will successfully compete against alternative products, which could result in a reduction in our profits or cash flows.

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Our packaging businesses have a narrow product range, and our business would suffer if usage of our products decreased or if decreases occur in the demand for the beverages and other goods filled in our products.

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The majority of our consolidated net sales were from the sale of beverage containers, and we expect to derive a significant portion of our future revenues and cash flows from the sale of beverage containers. Our business would suffer if the use of beverage containers decreased. Accordingly, broad acceptance by consumers of aluminum containers for a wide variety of beverages is critical to our future success. If demand for glass and PET bottles increases relative to aluminum containers, or the demand for aluminum containers does not develop as expected, our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.

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Our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations are subject to risks resulting from broader geographic operations.

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We derived approximately 45 percent of our consolidated net sales from outside of the U.S. for the year ended December 31, 2022. The sizeable scope of operations inside and outside of the U.S. may lead to more volatile financial results and make it more difficult for us to manage our business. Reasons for this include, but are not limited to, the following:

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We are exposed to exchange rate fluctuations.

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The company’s financial results are exposed to currency exchange rate fluctuations and a significant proportion of assets, liabilities and earnings denominated in non-U.S. dollar currencies. The company presents its financial statements in U.S. dollars and has a significant proportion of its net assets, debt and income in non-U.S. dollar currencies, primarily the euro, as well as the currencies of Argentina, Egypt, Turkey and other emerging markets. The company’s financial results and capital ratios are therefore sensitive to movements in currency exchange rates.

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We manage our exposure to currency fluctuations, particularly our exposure to fluctuations in the euro to U.S. dollar exchange rate to attempt to mitigate the effect of cash flow and earnings volatility associated with exchange rate changes. We primarily use derivative instruments to manage our currency exposures and, as a result, we experience gains and losses on these derivative positions which are offset, in part, by the impact of currency fluctuations on existing assets and liabilities.

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We are vulnerable to fluctuations and disruptions in the supply and price of raw materials.

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We purchase aluminum and other raw materials and packaging supplies, including dunnage, from several sources. While all such materials and supplies are available from independent suppliers, they are subject to fluctuations in price and availability attributable to a number of factors, including general economic conditions, commodity price fluctuations (particularly aluminum on the London Metal Exchange), the demand by other industries for the same raw materials and the availability of complementary and substitute materials. Although we enter into commodities purchase agreements from time to time and sometimes use derivative instruments to seek to manage our risk, we cannot ensure that our current suppliers of raw materials will be able to supply us with sufficient quantities at reasonable prices. Economic, financial, and operational factors, including strikes or labor shortages, as well as governmental action, could impact our suppliers, thereby causing supply shortages. Increases in raw material costs, including potential increases due to tariffs, sanctions, or other trade actions, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. Global supply chain disruptions can negatively impact our results. In the Americas, Europe and Asia, some contracts do not allow us to pass along increased raw material costs and we generally use derivative agreements to seek to manage this risk. Our hedging procedures may be insufficient and our results could be materially impacted if costs of materials increase. Due to the fixed-price contracts, increased prices could decrease our sales volume over time. The delayed timing in recovering the pass-through of increasing raw material costs may also impact our short-term profitability and certain costs due to price increases or supply chain inefficiencies may be unrecoverable, which would also impact our profitability. In addition, in view of recent increases in our raw material and other production costs, we initiated a comprehensive cost pass-through program across all our businesses beginning in the second half of 2021, which is ongoing, to seek to recover from our customers the full amount of those cost increases over time.

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We use estimates in accounting for many of our programs in our aerospace business, and changes in our estimates could adversely affect our future financial results.

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We account for sales and profits on a portion of long-term contracts in our aerospace business in accordance with the percentage-of-completion method of accounting, using the cost-to-cost method to account for updates in estimates. The percentage-of-completion method of accounting involves the use of various estimating techniques to project revenues and costs at completion and various assumptions and projections related to the outcome of future events, including the quantity and timing of product deliveries, future labor performance and rates, and material and overhead costs. These assumptions involve various levels of expected performance improvements. Under the cost-to-cost method, the impact of updates in our estimates related to units shipped to date or progress made to date is recognized immediately. Given the significance of the judgments and estimates described above, it is likely that we could record materially different amounts if we used different assumptions or if the underlying circumstances or estimates were to change.

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Our backlog includes both cost-type and fixed-price contracts. Cost-type contracts generally have lower profit margins than fixed-price contracts. Our earnings and margins may vary depending on the types of government contracts undertaken, the nature of the work performed under those contracts, the costs incurred in performing the work, the achievement of other performance objectives and their impact on our ability to receive fees. The fixed-price contracts could subject us to losses if we have cost overruns or if increases in our costs exceed the applicable escalation rate.

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Net earnings and net assets could be materially affected by an impairment of goodwill.

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We have a significant amount of goodwill recorded on our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2022. We are required at least annually to test the recoverability of goodwill. The recoverability test of goodwill is based on the current fair value of our identified reporting units. Fair value measurement requires assumptions and estimates of many critical factors, including revenue and market growth, operating cash flows and discount rates. If general market conditions deteriorate in portions of our business, we could experience a significant decline in the fair value of our reporting units. This decline could lead to an impairment of all or a significant portion of the goodwill balance, which could materially affect our U.S. GAAP net earnings and net assets.

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If the investments in Ball’s pension plans, or in the multi-employer pension plans in which Ball participates, do not perform as expected, we may have to contribute additional amounts to the plans, which would otherwise be available for other general corporate purposes.

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Ball maintains defined benefit pension plans covering substantially all of its employees in the United States and a significant number of United Kingdom deferred and retired participants, which are funded based on certain actuarial assumptions. The plans’ assets consist primarily of common stocks, fixed-income securities and, in the U.S., alternative investments. Market declines, longevity increases or legislative changes, such as the Pension Protection Act in the U.S., could result in a prospective decrease in our available cash flow and net earnings over time, and the recognition of an increase in our pension obligations could result in a reduction to our shareholders’ equity. Additional risks exist related to the company’s participation in multi-employer pension plans. Assets contributed to a multi-employer pension plan by one employer may be used to provide benefits to employees of other participating employers. If a participating employer in a multi-employer pension plan stops contributing to the plan, the unfunded obligations of the plan may be borne by the remaining participants. This could result in increases to our contributions to the plans as well as pension expense.

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Restricted access to capital markets could adversely affect our short-term liquidity and prevent us from fulfilling our obligations under the notes issued pursuant to our bond indentures.

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A reduction in global market liquidity could:

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If market interest rates increase, our variable-rate debt will create higher debt service requirements, which adversely affects our cash flows. While we sometimes enter into agreements limiting our exposure, any such agreements may not offer complete protection from this risk.

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The global credit, financial and economic environment could have a negative impact on our results of operations, financial position or cash flows.

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The overall credit, financial and economic environment could have significant negative effects on our operations, including:

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Changes in U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (U.S. GAAP) and SEC rules and regulations could materially impact our reported results.

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U.S. GAAP and SEC accounting and reporting changes are common. These changes could have significant effects on our reported results when compared to prior periods and other companies and may even require us to retrospectively adjust prior periods. Additionally, material changes to the presentation of transactions in the consolidated financial statements could impact key ratios that investors, analysts and credit rating agencies use to assess or rate Ball’s performance and could ultimately impact our ability to access the credit markets in an efficient manner.

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A material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting could, if not remediated, result in material misstatements in our financial statements.

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Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Securities Exchange Act. A material weakness is defined as a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. If a material weakness is identified, management could conclude that internal control over financial reporting is not effective based on criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organization of the Treadway Commission in “Internal Control—An Integrated Framework (2013).” If a material weakness is identified, a remediation plan would be designed to address the material weakness. If remedial measures are insufficient to address the material weakness, or if additional material weaknesses in internal control are discovered or occur in the future, our consolidated financial statements may contain material misstatements and we could be required to restate our financial results. As of December 31, 2022, the company had no material weaknesses.

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We face risks related to health epidemics, pandemics and other outbreaks, including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which could adversely affect our business.

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The circumstances of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and responses thereto continue to evolve. The products produced and services provided by Ball have been deemed essential and, as a result, relevant governments around the world have allowed our operations to continue through the pandemic. COVID-19 and its related variants, or another different future pandemic, could give rise to circumstances that cause one or more of the following risk factors to occur:

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Because the COVID-19 pandemic is far-reaching and its impacts cannot be completely anticipated, additional risks may arise that could materially impact the company’s financial results and liquidity.

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The company has or may implement actions to minimize the risks and associated negative effects from COVID-19, which do not guarantee the prevention or mitigation of material impacts on our business. Some of these actions may include, and are not limited to:

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Governmental and regulatory risks

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Changes in laws and governmental regulations may adversely affect our business and operations.

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We and our customers and suppliers are subject to various federal, state, provincial and local laws and regulations, which have been increasing in number and complexity. Each of our, and their, facilities is subject to federal, state, provincial and local licensing and regulation by health, environmental, workplace safety and other agencies in multiple jurisdictions. Requirements of worldwide governmental authorities with respect to manufacturing, manufacturing facility locations within the jurisdiction, product content and safety, climate change, workplace safety and health, environmental, expropriation of assets and other standards could adversely affect our ability to manufacture or sell our products, and the ability of our customers and suppliers to manufacture and sell their products. In addition, we face risks arising from compliance with and enforcement of numerous and complex federal, state, provincial and local laws and regulations.

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Enacted regulatory developments regarding the reporting and use of “conflict minerals” mined from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and adjoining countries could affect the sourcing, availability and price of minerals used in the manufacture of certain of our products. As a result, there may only be a limited pool of suppliers who provide conflict-free materials, and we cannot give assurance that we will be able to obtain such products in sufficient quantities or at competitive prices. Also, because our supply chains are complex, we may face reputational challenges with our customers and other stakeholders if we are unable to sufficiently verify the origins of all materials used in the products that we sell. The compliance and reporting aspects of these regulations may result in incremental costs to the company. While deposit systems and other container-related legislation have been adopted in some jurisdictions, similar legislation has been defeated in public referenda and legislative bodies in many others. We anticipate that continuing efforts will be made to consider and adopt such legislation in the future. The packages we produce are widely used and perform well in U.S. states, Canadian provinces and European countries that have deposit systems, as well as in other countries worldwide.

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While deposit systems and other container-related legislation have been adopted in some jurisdictions, similar legislation has been defeated in public referenda and legislative bodies in many others. We anticipate that continuing efforts will be made to consider and adopt such legislation in the future. The packages we produce are widely used and perform well in U.S. states, Canadian provinces and European countries that have deposit systems, as well as in other countries worldwide.

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Significant environmental, employment-related and other legislation and regulatory requirements exist and are also evolving. The compliance costs associated with current and proposed laws and potential regulations could be substantial, and any failure or alleged failure to comply with these laws or regulations could lead to litigation or governmental action, all of which could adversely affect our financial condition or results of operations.

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Our aerospace segment is subject to certain risks specific to that business.

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In our aerospace business, U.S. government contracts are subject to reduction or modification in the event of changes in requirements, and the government may also terminate contracts at its convenience pursuant to standard termination provisions. In such instances, Ball may be entitled to reimbursement for allowable costs and profits on authorized work that has been performed through the date of termination.

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In addition, budgetary constraints and government shutdowns may result in further reductions to projected spending levels by the U.S. government. In particular, government expenditures are subject to the potential for automatic reductions, generally referred to as “sequestration.” Sequestration may occur in any given year, resulting in significant additional reductions to spending by various U.S. government defense and aerospace agencies on both existing and new contracts, as well as the disruption of ongoing programs. Even if sequestration does not occur, we expect that budgetary constraints and ongoing concerns regarding the U.S. national debt will continue to place downward pressure on agency spending levels. Due to these and other factors, overall spending on various programs could decline, which could result in significant reductions to revenue, cash flows, net earnings and backlog primarily in our aerospace segment.

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As a U.S. government contractor, we could be adversely affected by changes in regulations or any negative findings from a U.S. government audit or investigation.

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Our aerospace business operates in a highly regulated environment and is routinely audited and reviewed by the U.S. government and its agencies, such as the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) and Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA). These agencies review performance under our contracts, our cost structure and our compliance with applicable laws, regulations and standards, as well as the adequacy of, and our compliance with, our internal control systems and policies. Business systems that are subject to review under the DoD Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) are purchasing, estimating, material management and accounting, as well as property and earned value management. Any costs ultimately found to be unallowable or improperly allocated to a specific contract will not be reimbursed or must be refunded if already reimbursed. If an audit uncovers improper or illegal activities, we may be subject to civil and criminal penalties, sanctions or suspension or debarment from doing business with the U.S. government. Whether or not illegal activities are alleged, the U.S. government also has the ability to decrease or withhold certain payments when it deems systems subject to its review to be inadequate. If such actions were to result in suspension or debarment, this could have a material adverse effect on our business.

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Our business faces the potential of increased regulation on some of the raw materials utilized in our packaging operations.

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Our operations are subject to federal, state, provincial and local laws and regulations in multiple jurisdictions relating to some of the raw materials, including epoxy-based coatings utilized in our container making process. Epoxy-based coatings may contain Bisphenol-A (BPA). Scientific evidence evaluated by regulatory agencies in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand has consistently shown these coatings to be safe for food contact at current levels, and these regulatory agencies have stated that human exposure to BPA from epoxy-based container coatings is well below safe exposure limits set by government bodies worldwide. A significant change in these regulatory agency statements, adverse information concerning BPA or other chemicals present in our coatings, or rulings made within certain federal, state, provincial and local jurisdictions could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. Ball recognizes that significant interest exists in non-epoxy based coatings, and we have been proactively working with coatings suppliers and our customers to transition to alternative coatings. In addition, various U.S. states have passed or are contemplating legislation restricting, and the EU is reviewing a proposal to restrict, the use of materials that contain intentionally added per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which may require the company to continue to incur costs to convert existing coatings to accommodate PFAS-free coatings. To mitigate these risks, the Company is working with its suppliers to require them to remove PFAS-containing coatings from our products.

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Earnings and cash flows can be impacted by changes in tax laws.

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As a U.S.-based multinational business, the company is subject to income tax in the U.S. and numerous jurisdictions outside the U.S., including recent OECD, European Commission and other trans-national initiatives that seek to impose minimum tax thresholds on most multi-national companies. The relevant tax rules and regulations are complex, often changing and, in some cases, are interdependent. If these or other tax rules and regulations should change, the company’s earnings and cash flows could be impacted.

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The company’s worldwide provision for income taxes is determined, in part, through the use of significant estimates and judgments. Numerous transactions arise in the ordinary course of business where the ultimate tax determination is uncertain. The company undergoes tax examinations by various worldwide tax authorities on a regular basis. While the company believes its estimates of its tax obligations are reasonable, the final outcome after the conclusion of any tax examinations and any litigation could be materially different from what has been reflected in the company’s historical financial statements.

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Technological risks

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Decreases in our ability to develop or apply new technology and know-how may affect our competitiveness.

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Our success depends partially on our ability to improve production processes and services. We must also introduce new products and services to meet changing customer needs. If we are unable to implement better production processes or to develop new products through research and development or licensing of new technology, we may not be able to remain competitive with other manufacturers. As a result, our business, financial condition, cash flows or results of operations could be adversely affected.

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Increased information technology (IT) security threats and more sophisticated and targeted computer crime could pose a risk to our systems, networks, products, solutions and services, as well as those of our suppliers and customers.

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The company’s IT systems, or any third party’s system on which the company relies, as well as those of our suppliers and customers, could fail on their own accord or may be vulnerable to a variety of interruptions or shutdowns, including interruptions or shutdowns due to natural disasters, power outages or telecommunications failures, terrorist attacks or failures during the process of upgrading or replacing software or hardware. Increased global IT security threats and more sophisticated and targeted computer crime also pose a risk to the security of our systems and networks and the confidentiality, availability and integrity of our data, as well as to the security and data of our suppliers and customers. As a provider of products and services to government and commercial customers, our aerospace business in particular may be the target of cyber-attacks, including attempts to gain unauthorized access to classified or sensitive information and networks. The company has a number of shared service centers where many of the company’s IT systems are concentrated and any disruption at such a location could impact the company’s business within the operating zones served by the impacted service center. Certain IT-related risks may be heightened due to the transitional support we are providing to the Russian beverage packaging business since its sale to Russian owners in September 2022.

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While we attempt to mitigate all of these risks to our networks, systems and data by employing a number of measures, including employee training, comprehensive monitoring of our networks and systems, and maintenance of backup and protective systems, our systems, networks, products, solutions and services remain potentially vulnerable to advanced persistent threats or other IT disruptions. Depending on their nature and scope, such threats could potentially lead to the compromise of confidential information, improper use of our systems and networks, manipulation and destruction of data, defective products, harm to individuals or property, contractual or regulatory actions and fines, penalties and potential liabilities, production downtimes and operational disruptions, which in turn could adversely affect our reputation, competitiveness and results of operations. Data privacy and protection laws are evolving and present increasing compliance challenges, which may increase our costs, affect our competitiveness and could expose us to substantial fines or other penalties. In addition, a security breach that involves classified or other sensitive government information could subject us to civil or criminal penalties and could result in the loss of our secure facility clearance and other accreditation, loss of our government contracts, loss of access to classified information or debarment as a government contractor.

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Human capital risks

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If we fail to retain key management and personnel, we may be unable to implement our key objectives.

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We believe our future success depends, in part, on our experienced management team. Unforeseen losses of key members of our management team without appropriate succession and/or compensation planning could make it difficult for us to manage our business and meet our objectives.

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Prolonged work stoppages at facilities with union employees could jeopardize our financial position.

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As of December 31, 2022, 9 percent of our North American employees and 38 percent of our European employees were covered by collective bargaining agreements. These collective bargaining agreements have staggered expirations during the next several years. Although we consider our employee relations to be generally good, a prolonged work stoppage or strike at any facility with union employees could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, cash flows or results of operations. In addition, we cannot ensure that upon the expiration of existing collective bargaining agreements, new agreements will be reached without union action or that any such new agreements will be on terms satisfactory to us.

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Environmental risks

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Adverse weather and climate changes may result in lower sales.

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We manufacture packaging products primarily for beverages. Unseasonable weather can reduce demand for certain beverages packaged in our containers. Climate change and the increasing frequency of severe weather events could have various effects on the demand for our products, our supply chain and the costs of inputs to our production and delivery of products in different regions around the world. Our plants’ production may be prevented or curtailed due to severe or unanticipated weather and climate events.

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Our business is subject to substantial environmental remediation and compliance costs.

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Our operations are subject to federal, state, provincial and local laws and regulations in multiple jurisdictions relating to environmental hazards, such as emissions to air, discharges to water, the handling and disposal of hazardous and solid wastes and the clean-up of hazardous substances. We have been designated, along with numerous other companies, as a potentially responsible party for the clean-up of several hazardous waste sites. Additionally, there is increased focus on the regulation of greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental issues worldwide. We strive to mitigate such risks related to environmental issues, including through the purchase of renewable energy, the adoption of sustainable practices, and by positioning ourselves as a sustainability leader in our industry.

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Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments

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There were no matters required to be reported under this item.

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Item 2. Properties

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The company’s properties described below are well maintained, and management considers them to be adequate and utilized for their intended purposes.

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Ball’s corporate headquarters are located in Westminster, Colorado, U.S. and our aerospace segment management offices are located in Broomfield, Colorado, U.S. The operations of the aerospace segment occupy a variety of company-owned and leased facilities in Colorado, U.S., which comprise office, laboratory, research and development, engineering and test and manufacturing space. Other aerospace operations carry on business in smaller company owned and leased facilities in other U.S. locations outside of Colorado.

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Ball’s manufacturing locations for significant packaging operations, which are owned or leased by the company, are set forth below. Facilities in the process of being constructed, or that have permanently ceased production, have been excluded from the list. In addition to the facilities listed, the company leases other warehousing space.

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Beverage packaging, North and Central America, locations:

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Beverage packaging, EMEA, locations:

Beverage packaging, South America, locations:

Beverage packaging, Other, locations:

Aerosol packaging locations:

Aluminum cups location:

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Item 3. Legal Proceedings

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Details of the company’s legal proceedings are included in Note 22 to the consolidated financial statements within Item 8 of this annual report.

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Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures

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Not applicable.

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Part II.

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Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.

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Ball Corporation common stock is listed for trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol BALL. There were 6,739 common shareholders of record on February 16, 2023.

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Common Stock Repurchases

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The following table summarizes the company’s repurchases of its common stock during the quarter ended December 31, 2022.

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Shareholder Return Performance

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The line graph below compares the annual percentage change in Ball Corporation’s cumulative total shareholder return on its common stock with the cumulative total return of the Dow Jones Containers & Packaging Index and the S&P Composite 500 Stock Index for the five-year period ended December 31, 2022. The graph assumes $100 was invested on December 31, 2017, and that all dividends were reinvested. The Dow Jones Containers & Packaging Index total return has been weighted by market capitalization.

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Total Return Analysis

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Source: Bloomberg L.P.® Charts

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Item 6.  [Reserved]

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Removing and reserving Item 6 of Part II.

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Item 7.  Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

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Management’s discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K (annual report), which include additional information about our accounting policies, practices and the transactions underlying our financial results. The preparation of our consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (U.S. GAAP) requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts in our consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes, including various claims and contingencies related to lawsuits, taxes, environmental and other matters arising during the normal course of business. We apply our best judgment, our knowledge of existing facts and circumstances and actions that we may undertake in the future in determining the estimates that affect our consolidated financial statements. We evaluate our estimates on an ongoing basis using our historical experience, as well as other factors we believe appropriate under the circumstances, such as current economic conditions, and adjust or revise our estimates as circumstances change. As future events and their effects cannot be determined with precision, actual results may differ from these estimates. Ball Corporation and its subsidiaries are referred to collectively as “Ball Corporation,” “Ball,” “the company,” “we” or “our” in the following discussion and analysis.

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OVERVIEW

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Business Overview and Industry Trends

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Ball Corporation is one of the world’s leading aluminum packaging suppliers. Our packaging products are produced for a variety of end uses, are manufactured in facilities around the world and are competitive with other substrates, such as plastics and glass. In the aluminum packaging industry, sales and earnings can be increased by reducing costs, increasing prices, developing new products, expanding volumes and making strategic acquisitions. We also provide aerospace and other technologies and services to governmental and commercial customers, including national defense hardware, antenna and video tactical solutions, civil and operational space hardware and system engineering services.

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We sell our aluminum packaging products mainly to large, multinational beverage, personal care and household products companies with which we have developed long-term relationships. This is evidenced by our high customer retention and our large number of long-term supply contracts. While we have a diversified customer base, we sell a significant portion of our packaging products to major companies and brands, as well as to numerous regional customers. The overall global aluminum beverage and aerosol container industries are growing and are expected to continue to grow in the medium to long term. The primary customers for the products and services provided by our aerospace segment are U.S. government agencies or their prime contractors.

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We purchase our raw materials from relatively few suppliers. We also have exposure to inflation, in particular the rising costs of raw materials, as well as other direct cost inputs. We mitigate our exposure to the changes in the costs of aluminum through the inclusion of provisions in contracts covering the majority of our volumes to pass through aluminum price changes, as well as through the use of derivative instruments. The pass-through provisions generally result in proportional increases or decreases in sales and costs with a greatly reduced impact, if any, on net earnings; however, there may be timing differences of when the costs are passed through. Because of our customer and supplier concentration, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected by the loss, insolvency or bankruptcy of a major customer or supplier or a change in a supply agreement with a major customer or supplier, although our contract provisions generally mitigate the risk of customer loss, and our long-term relationships represent a known, stable customer base.

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The majority of our aerospace business involves work under contracts, generally from one to five years in duration, as a prime contractor or subcontractor for various U.S. government agencies. Intense competition and long operating cycles are key characteristics of the company’s aerospace and defense industry where it is common for work on major programs to be shared among a number of companies. A company competing to be a prime contractor may, upon ultimate award of the contract to a competitor, become a subcontractor for the ultimate prime contracting company.

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Corporate Strategy

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Our Drive for 10 vision encompasses five strategic levers that are key to growing our business and achieving long-term success. Since launching Drive for 10 in 2011, we have made progress on each of the levers as follows:

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