ITEM 1. BUSINESS

Overview of Business

The Clorox Company is a leading multinational manufacturer and marketer of consumer and professional products with fiscal year 2024 net sales of $7.1 billion and about 8,000 employees worldwide as of June 30, 2024. The Company has operations in approximately 25 countries or territories and sells its products in more than 100 markets, primarily through mass retailers; grocery outlets; warehouse clubs; dollar stores; home hardware centers; drug, pet and military stores; third-party and owned e-commerce channels; and distributors. Clorox markets some of the most trusted and recognized consumer brand names, including its namesake bleach, cleaning and disinfecting products; Pine-Sol® and Tilex® cleaners; Liquid-Plumr® clog removers; Poett® home care products; Glad® bags and wraps; Fresh Step® cat litter; Kingsford® grilling products; Hidden Valley® dressings, dips, seasonings and sauces; Brita® water-filtration products; Burt’s Bees® natural personal care products; and Natural Vitality®, RenewLife®, NeoCell® and Rainbow Light® vitamins, minerals and supplements. The Company also markets industry-leading products and technologies for professional customers, including those sold under the CloroxPro™ and Clorox Healthcare® brand names. About 80% of the Company’s sales are generated from brands that hold the No. 1 or No. 2 market share positions in their categories. The Company was founded in Oakland, California, in 1913 and is incorporated in Delaware.

The Company's IGNITE strategy accelerates innovation in key areas of the business to drive growth and deliver value for all Company stakeholders. IGNITE focuses on four strategic choices aimed at fueling long-term, profitable growth; innovating consumer experiences; reimagining how the company and its people work; and continuously evolving the product portfolio. In addition, integrated environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals help drive long-term value for the Company and its stakeholders.

Business Performance

Guided by its IGNITE strategy and underpinned by its enduring values, the Company remained focused on making significant investments in its strong brands, strategic digital capabilities and streamlined operating model to drive long-term value creation.

The Company entered fiscal year 2024 having delivered strong execution against its IGNITE goals during the prior fiscal year. In August 2023, a cyberattack created significant disruption to the Company's operations. Together with factors such as continued inflation, a consumer who remains under pressure and economic volatility in certain geographic markets, this created a dynamic operating environment as the Company continued its efforts to drive growth, rebuild margin and deliver transformation.

Despite these headwinds, in fiscal year 2024 the Company has recovered from the cyberattack while advancing its goals to build a stronger, more resilient company. While net sales decreased mainly due to the disruptions caused by the cyberattack, the Company rebuilt gross margin primarily due to the benefit of pricing actions and continued positive returns from its trademark cost savings program. Diluted net earnings per share (EPS) increased 88% compared to the year-ago period, largely driven by a lapping noncash impairment charge in the Better Health Vitamins, Minerals and Supplements (VMS) business from the year-ago period, partially offset by the loss relating to the divestiture of the Argentina business, continued investments in the Company's long-term strategic digital capabilities and productivity enhancements and charges relating to implementation of the Company's streamlined operating model.

The Company also launched numerous innovations and new products in fiscal year 2024, including seven new Hidden Valley Ranch flavors, a new lineup of Pine-Sol concentrated multi-surface cleaners, new Scentiva Disinfecting Mist and Toilet Bowl Cleaning Gel, Clorox Toilet Bomb Foaming Toilet Bowl Cleaner, Kingsford High Heat and Low and Slow charcoal briquettes and the Brita Refillable Water Filtration System.

In March of 2024, the Company completed the divestiture of its Argentina business, which consisted of its production plants in Argentina as well as the rights to the Company's brands in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. The transaction is in support of the Company's IGNITE strategy and the commitment to evolve its portfolio to increase focus on its core business to drive more consistent, profitable growth.

The Company's transformation efforts continued throughout fiscal year 2024. As announced in August 2021, the Company plans to invest in transformative technologies and processes over a five-year period. This investment began in fiscal year 2022, and includes replacement of the Company's enterprise resource planning system and transitioning to a cloud-based platform as well as the implementation of a suite of other digital technologies. The total incremental transformational investment is expected to be $560 to $580 million, compared to the previous estimate of approximately $500 million. The increased estimate includes impacts from delays as a result of the cyberattack. The implementation timeline is unchanged. It is expected that these implementations will generate efficiencies and transform the Company's operations in the areas of supply chain, digital commerce, innovation, brand building and more over the long term.

In fiscal year 2024, the Company completed the implementation of its streamlined operating model to help meet its objectives of driving growth and productivity. The streamlined operating model is expected to enhance the Company's ability to respond more quickly to changing consumer behaviors and innovate faster. The implementation of this new model resulted in the reduction of certain staffing levels and is expected to achieve cost savings of approximately $100 million annually.

Clorox continued to work toward its environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals, which are embedded into the IGNITE strategy and throughout the business. The Company prioritizes greenhouse gas emission reductions and reducing plastic and other waste. Clorox continues to invest in talent development initiatives across all levels and functions. Through both funding and employee volunteering, The Clorox Company Foundation extends Clorox’s people-centered impact by promoting well-being and inclusivity within communities. The Foundation works to support communities on important matters including health and safety, education and racial justice.

The Company has been broadly recognized throughout fiscal year 2024 for its integrated ESG efforts. For the second consecutive year, Clorox earned the top ranking on Barron’s 100 Most Sustainable U.S. Companies list, which considers a number of metrics, including activities in support of sustainability, employee experience, inclusive representation and corporate governance structure. The Company was also recognized by Fortune as One of America's Most Innovative Companies and listed as One of The Most Trustworthy Companies in America by Newsweek. Clorox was also named to Wall Street Journal's 250 Best Managed Companies and Newsweek's America's Most Responsible Companies and America's Greenest Companies lists.

Clorox also continued its longtime commitment to providing value to shareholders through regular dividends. During fiscal year 2024, the Company paid $595 million in dividends to shareholders. In July 2024, Clorox announced an increase of 2% in its quarterly dividend — the 22nd consecutive year it has done so.

For fiscal year 2025, Clorox will continue to invest in its brands and capabilities to build a stronger, more resilient company that delivers consistent, profitable growth over time.

For additional information on recent business developments, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” in Exhibit 99.1, incorporated herein by reference.

Financial Information about Operating Segments and Principal Products

The Company operates through strategic business units (SBUs) which are organized into operating segments. Operating segments are then aggregated into four reportable segments: Health and Wellness, Household, Lifestyle and International.Operating segments not aggregated into a reportable segment are reflected in Corporate and Other. The four reportable segments consist of the following:

• Health and Wellness consists of cleaning, disinfecting and professional products marketed and sold in the United States. Products within this segment include home care cleaning and disinfecting products and laundry additives, primarily under the Clorox, Clorox2, Pine-Sol, Scentiva, Tilex, Liquid-Plumr and Formula 409 brands; professional cleaning and disinfecting products under the CloroxPro and Clorox Healthcare brands; and professional food service products under the Hidden Valley brand.

• Household consists of bags and wraps, cat litter and grilling products marketed and sold in the United States. Products within this segment include bags and wraps under the Glad brand; cat litter primarily under the Fresh Step and Scoop Away brands; and grilling products under the Kingsford brand.

• Lifestyle consists of food, water-filtration and natural personal care products marketed and sold in the United States. Products within this segment include dressings, dips, seasonings and sauces, primarily under the Hidden Valley brand; water-filtration products under the Brita brand; and natural personal care products under the Burt’s Bees brand.

• International consists of products sold outside the United States. Products within this segment include laundry additives; home care products; bags and wraps; cat litter; water-filtration products; professional cleaning and disinfecting products; natural personal care products; food; grilling products and digestive health products marketed primarily under the Clorox, Glad, Poett, Brita, Burt's Bees, Pine-Sol, Ever Clean, Clorinda, Chux and Fresh Step Brands.

The Company’s products are marketed and sold globally. The following table provides the Company’s global product lines, which were sold in the United States (including products sold in the Professional Products SBU) and internationally, that accounted for 10% or more of consolidated net sales for the fiscal years ended June 30:

	2024		2023		2022
Cleaning products	43	%	42	%	42	%
Bags and wraps	15	%	16	%	16	%
Food products	11	%	11	%	11	%
Cat litter products	10	%	10	%	9	%

Principal Markets and Methods of Distribution

In the United States, most of the Company’s products are nationally advertised and sold to mass retailers, grocery outlets, warehouse clubs, dollar stores, home hardware centers, military stores and other retail outlets primarily through a direct sales force; to grocery stores and grocery wholesalers primarily through a combination of direct sales teams and a network of brokers; and through e-commerce retailers. The Company also sells many of its products through alternative retail channels. Some brands are sold using the direct-to-consumer model. The Company sells institutional, janitorial, food-service and healthcare products through a direct sales force and a network of brokers to distributors and redistributors. Outside the United States, the Company sells products to the retail trade through subsidiaries, licensees, distributors and joint-venture arrangements with local partners.

Sources and Availability of Raw Materials

The Company purchases raw materials from numerous unaffiliated U.S. and international suppliers, some of which are sole source or single-source suppliers. Interruptions in the delivery of these materials could adversely impact the Company. Key raw materials used by the Company include resin, non-woven fabrics for wipes products, sodium hypochlorite, corrugated cardboard, soybean oil, solvent, derivatives of amines and other chemicals and agricultural commodities. Raw materials were generally available during fiscal year 2024 with minimal constraints. While the Company does not expect supply constraints in fiscal year 2025, supply risk may result from external factors outside of the Company's control.

The Company generally utilizes supply contracts to help ensure availability and a number of forward-purchase contracts to help reduce the volatility of the pricing of raw materials needed in its operations. However, the Company is highly exposed to changes in the prices of commodities and transportation used in manufacturing and shipping of its products. For further information regarding the impact of changes in commodity prices, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Exhibit 99.1, “Risk Factors – Volatility and increases in the costs of raw materials,

energy, transportation, labor and other necessary supplies or services have negatively impacted, and may continue to negatively impact, the Company’s net earnings and cash flow” and “Risk Factors – Supply chain issues can result in product shortages or disruptions to the Company’s business” in Item 1.A.

Patents and Trademarks

Most of the Company’s brand name consumer products are protected by registered trademarks. The Company’s brand names and trademarks are highly important to its business, and the Company vigorously protects its trademarks from apparent infringements. Maintenance of brand equity value is critical to the Company’s success. The Company’s patent rights are also material to its business and are asserted, where appropriate, against apparent infringements.

Seasonality

Most sales of the Company’s grilling products occur during the months of March through Septembereach calendar year. The volume and sales of grilling products may be affected by weather conditions.

Customers

Net sales to the Company’s largest customer, Walmart Stores, Inc. and its affiliates, were 25%, 26% and 25% of consolidated net sales for each of the fiscal years ended June 30, 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively, and occurred across all of the Company’s reportable segments. No other individual customer accounted for 10% or more of the Company’s consolidated net sales in any of these fiscal years. The Company’s five largest customers accounted for nearly half of the Company’s consolidated net sales for each of the fiscal years 2024, 2023 and 2022.

Competition

The markets for consumer products are highly competitive. The Company’s products compete with other nationally advertised brands and with “private label” brands within each category. Competition comes from similar and alternative products, some of which are produced and marketed by major multinational or national companies having financial resources greater than those of the Company. In addition, the Company faces competition from retailers, including club stores, grocery stores, drugstores, dollar stores, mass merchandisers, e-commerce retailers and subscription services. Furthermore, heightened competitive activity is expected as inflation continues to increase and consumers experience reduced purchasing power. The Company’s products generally compete on the basis of product performance, brand reputation and recognition, image and price. A newly introduced consumer product (whether improved or newly developed) usually encounters intense competition requiring substantial expenditures for advertising, sales promotion and trade merchandising support. If a product gains consumer acceptance, it typically requires continued advertising and promotional support and ongoing product innovation to maintain its relative market position. For further information regarding the intense competition the Company faces, see “Risk Factors – The Company faces intense competition in its markets, which could lead to reduced net sales, net earnings and cash flow” in Item 1.A.

Environmental Matters

For information regarding noncapital expenditures related to environmental matters, see the discussions below under “Risk Factors – Environmental matters create potential liabilities that could adversely affect the Company’s financial condition and results of operations” in Item 1.A. No material capital expenditures relating to environmental compliance are presently anticipated.

HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT

Purpose and Values

The Clorox Company is led by its purpose to champion people to be well and thrive every single day, including employees, consumers and communities served around the world.

Clorox employees are committed to making a meaningful, positive impact through their work and to authentically living the Company’s values: to do the right thing, put people at the center and play to win. These foundational values underpin everything the Company does and are essential to achieving long-term success.

The Company’s purpose and values also are fully embedded in its IGNITE strategy, which accelerates innovation in key areas of the business to drive growth and deliver value for all Company stakeholders. IGNITE focuses on four strategic choices aimed at fueling long-term, profitable growth; innovating consumer experiences; reimagining how the Company and its people work; and continuously evolving the product portfolio. In addition, integrated goals for ESG performance promote healthy lives, a clean world and thriving communities, all supported by strong corporate governance.

Workforce

As of June 30, 2024, the Company employed about 8,000 people worldwide, with 76% in the United States and 24% working outside the United States. Clorox's U.S. workforce includes 47% nonproduction employees and 53% production employees, while the workforce outside the United States includes 62% nonproduction employees and 38% production employees. The number of employees during fiscal year 2024 was impacted by the divestiture of the Company's Argentina business and the implementation of the streamlined operating model.

Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Allyship (IDEA)

People are essential to Clorox's efforts to drive growth and deliver value for all stakeholders. One of the ways the Company puts people at the center is through its continued commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity and allyship. This work builds a workplace that values diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives to create stronger teams, unlock more innovation and – ultimately – contribute to greater success both individually and collectively.

In fiscal year 2024, Clorox continued to make strides on its IDEA journey by prioritizing three focus areas - building teams comprised of diverse backgrounds and perspectives, fostering inclusion and allyship to establish a culture where people can be their best selves, and engaging with the Company's multicultural consumer base through purposeful brands.

Clorox continues to conduct annual pay equity analyses for non-production employees in addition to monitoring pay trends throughout the year. This effort proactively identifies potential discrepancies and helps to ensure each employee is compensated fairly, regardless of race, ethnicity or gender.

More than a dozen employee resource groups (ERGs) help drive inclusion within Clorox and foster belonging, in part through greater understanding of different backgrounds and perspectives. These groups are an important forum for talent recruiting and retention, professional development and open dialog that strengthens the Company’s workplace culture and, through regular volunteer opportunities, the communities employees call home. The ERGs also serve the business by serving as internal focus groups, inspiring product innovations, accelerating product placement plans and deepening knowledge of the Company's multicultural consumer base.

The Company was named by Forbes to its 2023 list of The World’s Top Companies for Women and as One of America’s Best Employers for Diversity.

Workforce diversity. As of June 30, 2024, people of color represented 42% of Clorox's total U.S. workforce, 24% of U.S. senior executives, 35% of U.S. managers, 51% of other U.S. nonproduction employees and 44% of U.S. production employees. Women made up 36% of the Company's global workforce, 48% of global senior executives, 50% of global managers, 57% of other global nonproduction employees and 19% of global production employees.

Board and leadership diversity. As of June 30, 2024, the Clorox Executive Committee was composed of 54% women, including Chair and Chief Executive Officer Linda Rendle, and 15% people of color. Additionally, 50% of the board are women and 25% are people of color, with the Nominating, Governance and Corporate Responsibility Committee (NGCRC) and the Audit Committee chaired by people of color. The Company's NGCRC chair is also a woman.

Hiring and Development

Clorox looks to continuously attract, develop and retain the best talent to deliver against its strategy and commitments, prioritizing career growth and leadership development to establish a strong foundation for long-term success. Company investments include a suite of training and education for people managers to help them become effective coaches and leaders; mentoring programs and initiatives to help build a pipeline of diverse talent; and summer internship, co-op and rotational programs for college hires. In addition, the Company works closely with ERGs and establishes partnerships with external organizations focused on advancing equity and opportunity for the communities they represent. Clorox also conducts a robust talent review and leader succession planning process to ensure a strong pipeline for key roles.

Additionally, supported by its strategic investment in digital transformation and related productivity enhancements, the Company continues to strengthen new ways of working, such as hybrid work experiences as well as implementing new tools and technologies that allow employees to collaborate more effectively, work smarter and make faster, more informed decisions.

Management defines people of color (POC) as any race that is not White (Asian, Black, Latino, Native American, Native Hawaiian, or two or more races). Gender and ethnicity information is provided by employees on a voluntary, self-identification basis. To the extent that the employees do not voluntarily report, the data would not be included in the respective calculation.

Management defines manager as an employee at Grade 26 through 31 for U.S. employees and Grade 25 through 31 for employees outside of the United States with regards to the Company’s compensation structure. “Senior Executive” is defined as an employee at Grade 32 or Grade EX.

Finally, in order to attract key prospective talent and continue to advance Clorox as an employer of choice, the Company continues to invest in its employer value proposition and career development and talent acquisition strategies.

Employee Engagement and Retention

In support of its efforts to actively listen to its workforce, engage in effective two-way dialog and embrace continuous improvement, Clorox conducts both annual and periodic pulse surveys. The Company surveys its employees to assess their perception of Clorox as a place to work as well as their views of leadership, the Company's IGNITE strategy and related transformation, sense of inclusion and more. In fiscal year 2024, just over 82% of employees said they feel engaged at Clorox, which was consistent with the Company's fiscal year 2023 results and above the 50th percentile for Fortune 500 and industry benchmarks. Company leadership then uses the engagement survey results to develop and deploy related action plans aimed at addressing employee feedback, strengthening the overall workplace culture and, importantly, retaining top talent.

Employee Safety and Well-Being

As a health and wellness company dedicated to helping people be well and thrive every single day, Clorox takes a holistic approach to caring for its employees, with benefits and programs designed to support physical, mental and financial well-being.

Consistent with its core value of putting people at the center, the Company invests in workplace safety through a combination of education, training and related policies, while operating in compliance with applicable regulations, including Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines in the United States. In fiscal year 2024, the Company’s reportable incident rate (RIR) was 0.47. This was significantly lower than the 3.2 average RIR for goods-producing manufacturing companies in 2022, which is the latest available data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Company has continued to prioritize the mental health of its employees, partnering with external vendors to provide free and confidential mental health and lifestyle services as well as other related resources, tools and forums to employees and their families.

The Company also provides parents with support such as paid parental leave, adoption resources, family-forming benefits and subsidized childcare.

To support employees' financial well-being, the Company provides competitive compensation – including short- and long-term incentives – to attract and retain top talent. In addition, Clorox supports its employees' retirement readiness by contributing up to 10% of an employee's annual salary to their 401(k) plan each year and offering third-party financial planning services.

Societal Well-Being

In fiscal year 2024, The Clorox Company Foundation continued to support the Company’s purpose of championing people to be well and thrive every single day by focusing on programs in three key areas: community wellness, disease prevention and disaster relief and preparedness.

Since its inception in 1980, the Foundation has awarded cash grants to nonprofit organizations, schools and colleges across the globe. The Foundation provides cash grants (including matching employee donations) to support communities on important matters including health and safety, education and racial justice. The Company also provides product donations while implementing cause marketing programs to nonprofit organizations in support of causes that are consistent with the Company's brands' purposes. The Company continues to embrace and support employee volunteerism, recognizing the value it brings to the communities it serves and in fostering a culture of giving back. For every hour employees spend volunteering outside of work, they receive $10, allowing them to contribute up to $300 annually to the nonprofit organization of their choice.

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

Clorox has continued to work toward its ESG goals, which are embedded in the IGNITE strategy and throughout the business. Its IGNITE environmental goals prioritize taking climate action and reducing plastic and other waste by reducing virgin plastic and fiber packaging; increasing recyclable, reusable or compostable packaging; increasing post-consumer recycled plastic in packaging; and reducing waste to landfill in our global facilities and plants.

Employee engagement surveys may vary across companies on a year-to-year basis.

The Company's fiscal year 2024 RIR of 0.47 means that for every 100 full-time equivalent Clorox employees globally, the Company averaged less than one reportable incident during the past year. The criteria used to determine RIR follows the U.S. Department of Labor’s OSHA guidelines and is applied globally. The RIR does not include workers at offices with fewer than 10 employees, but it does include remote workers.

As part of its climate action goals, the Company set science-based targets to reduce scopes 1 and 2, and elements of scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 from a 2020 baseline year, which have been approved by the Science Based Targets initiative, and committed to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. To contribute to its scopes 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emission reduction goal, which the Company achieved, the Company has committed to maintain 100% electricity from renewable energy for its U.S. and Canada operations. The Company entered into two virtual power purchase agreements as an integral part of that commitment.

Available Information

The Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Sections 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act are available on the Company’s website, free of charge, as soon as reasonably practicable after the reports are electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC. These reports are available at TheCloroxCompany.com under Investors/Financial Information/SEC Filings. Additionally, the Company routinely posts additional important information, including press releases, on its website and recognizes its website as a channel of distribution to reach public investors and as a means of disclosing material non-public information for complying with disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Accordingly, investors should monitor our website in addition to our SEC filings and public webcasts. These items are available at TheCloroxCompany.com under Investors/Investor News and Events.

Information relating to corporate governance at Clorox, including the Company's Code of Conduct, the Clorox Company Board of Directors Governance Guidelines and Board Committee charters for the Management Development and Compensation Committee, the Audit Committee, and the Nominating, Governance and Corporate Responsibility Committee, is available at TheCloroxCompany.com under Company/Corporate Governance or https://www.thecloroxcompany.com/company/corporate-governance/. The Company will provide any of the foregoing information without charge upon written request to Corporate Communications, The Clorox Company, 1221 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612-1888. The information contained on the Company's website is not included as a part of, or incorporated by reference into, this Report.

CLX - Clorox Co /de/

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