COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
During the ordinary course of business, the Company is from time to time threatened with, or may become a party to, legal actions and other proceedings such as product liability claims, employee claims, workers’ compensation claims and class action lawsuits. Insurance may cover some of the costs associated with these claims and proceedings. While the Company is currently involved in certain legal proceedings, it believes the results of these proceedings will not have a material adverse effect on its financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.
Environmental Liabilities Our operations and facilities are subject to a number of federal, state, local and foreign environmental laws and regulations that govern, among other things, discharges of pollutants into the air and water, the generation, handling, storage and disposal of hazardous materials and wastes, the remediation of contamination and the health and safety of our employees. Environmental laws and regulations may require that the Company investigate and remediate the effects of the release or disposal of materials at sites associated with past and present operations. Certain facilities and third-party sites utilized by the Company have been identified as potentially responsible parties under the federal superfund laws and comparable state laws. The Company is currently involved in the investigation and remediation of a number of sites under applicable laws.
Estimates of the Company’s environmental liabilities are based on current facts, laws, regulations and technology. These estimates take into consideration the Company’s prior experience and professional judgment of the Company’s environmental advisors. Estimates of the Company’s environmental liabilities are further subject to uncertainties regarding the nature and extent of site contamination, the range of remediation alternatives available, evolving remediation standards, imprecise engineering evaluations and cost estimates, the extent of corrective actions that may be required and the number and financial condition of other potentially responsible parties, as well as the extent of their responsibility for the remediation.
Accordingly, as investigation and remediation proceed, it is likely that adjustments in the Company’s accruals will be necessary to reflect new information. The amounts of any such adjustments could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations or cash flows in a given period. Based on currently available information, however, the Company does not believe that future environmental costs in excess of those accrued with respect to sites for which the Company has been identified as a potentially responsible party are likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition or results of operations.
Environmental liabilities are recorded when the liability is probable and the costs are reasonably estimable, which generally is not later than at completion of a feasibility study or when the Company has recommended a remedy or has committed to an appropriate plan of action. The Company also takes into consideration the estimated period of time in which payments will be required. The liabilities are reviewed periodically and, as investigation and remediation proceed, adjustments are made as necessary. Liabilities for losses from environmental remediation obligations do not consider the effects of inflation and anticipated expenditures are not discounted to their present value. The liabilities are not offset by possible recoveries from insurance carriers or other third parties, but do reflect anticipated allocations among potentially responsible parties at federal superfund sites or similar state-managed sites, third party indemnity obligations, and an assessment of the likelihood that such parties will fulfill their obligations at such sites.
The Company’s consolidated balance sheets includes current environmental remediation obligations at both September 30, 2025 and 2024 of $5 million classified as a component of accrued and other current liabilities, respectively, and non-current environmental remediation obligations at September 30, 2025 and 2024 of $33 million and $36 million classified as a component of other non-current liabilities, respectively.

Historical Timeline

Fiscal YearFiled
2025Nov 12, 2025Showing above
2024Nov 7, 2024
2023Nov 9, 2023
2022Nov 10, 2022
2021Nov 16, 2021
2020Nov 12, 2020
2019Nov 19, 2019

About Commitments Disclosures

Commitments and contingencies disclosures catalog a company's off-balance-sheet obligations and legal exposures — purchase commitments, guarantee arrangements, pending litigation, and regulatory proceedings. These items represent potential future cash outflows that may not appear as liabilities on the balance sheet until they become probable and estimable.

Key signals: litigation reserves and disclosed loss ranges quantify management's estimate of legal exposure, but unquantified "reasonably possible" losses often represent the larger risk. Watch for changes in language around pending cases — shifts from "remote" to "reasonably possible" or increases in estimated loss ranges signal deteriorating outcomes. Unconditional purchase obligations and take-or-pay contracts create fixed cost structures that reduce operational flexibility. Guarantee arrangements for subsidiaries or joint ventures can create cascading obligations. Compare the total commitment schedule against projected free cash flow to assess whether the company can meet its obligations without additional financing.