A substance added to products in small quantities to achieve certain properties or to improve a product (Clariant Business Unit Additives).

Usually solid substances which are able to selectively accumulate certain substances from adjacent gaseous or liquid phases (Clariant Business Unit Functional Minerals).

In 2013 Clariant adjusted its reporting segments and grouped its businesses with similar end-user markets and growth drivers. Today, the company reports in four distinct Business Areas: Care Chemicals, Catalysis, Natural Resources, and Plastics & Coatings.

Economic indicator representing the operational net inflow of cash and cash equivalents during a given period.

A substance that lowers the activation energy, thereby increasing the rate of a chemical reaction without being consumed by the reaction itself (Clariant Business Unit Catalysts).

Clariant Excellence is an initiative launched in March 2009 with the aim of establishing a culture of continuous improvement. The initiative is based on a change in mindset among all employees and at all levels of the company. It aims to improve competitiveness through gains in efficiency and to create added value. The four elements of Clariant Excellence are: Operational, Commercial, People, and Innovation Excellence.

Compliance is a key element of Corporate Governance. It refers to compliance with the law and directives as well as with voluntary codes within the company.

The coupon is the annual interest payment on a bond, expressed as a percentage of the par value.

Earnings before interest and taxes.

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization.

The EBITDA margin is calculated based on the ratio of EBITDA to sales and shows the return generated through operations from sales before depreciation and amortization.

Exceptional items are defined as non-recurring costs or income that have a significant impact on the result, for example expenses related to restructuring measures.

Management body of joint stock companies; at Clariant the Executive Committee currently comprises four members.

Free cash flow is the cash flow from operating activities minus expenditure for property, plant, and equipment, and intangible assets.

Gearing is an indicator of the indebtedness of a company and reflects a company’s ratio of long-term debt to equity capital.

The International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) are international accounting standards.

Joint ventures are all activities in which Clariant is involved with another partner. The accounting method applied for joint ventures depends on the specific conditions of the participation.

These are plastic additives in the form of granules with dyestuffs or other additives used to dye or alter the properties of natural plastic.

Net working capital is the difference between a company’s current assets and its current liabilities.

Pigments are substances used for coloring; they are used in a technical manner, for example in the manufacture of dyes, varnishes, and plastics.

A rating assesses the creditworthiness of a debtor. Ratings are mainly required for the issue of debt instruments and usually determine the level of necessary interest payments, among other things. Clariant currently uses the two rating agencies, Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s, for this purpose.

ROIC is the total return on assets or the return on capital invested by a company. It is calculated as the ratio of earnings before interest expenses, less adjusted taxes and invested capital (total capital employed). ROIC clarifies the return on capital with which a company is working.

A spin-off refers to the creation of an independent company through the divestment of a Business Unit from a company. Clariant was created through the spin-off and subsequent IPO of the Chemicals Division of Sandoz.

Stakeholders are people or groups whose interests are linked in various ways with those of a company. They include shareholders, business partners, employees, neighbors, and the community.

The value chain describes the series of steps in the production process, from raw materials through the various intermediate stages to the finished end product.