Apart from the legally required social security schemes, the Group has numerous independent pension plans. The assets are principally held externally. For certain Group companies however, no independent assets exist for the pension and other non-current employee benefit obligations. In these cases the related liability is included in the balance sheet as part of the non-current liabilities.

Defined benefit post-employment plans. Defined benefit pensions and termination plans cover the majority of the Group’s employees. Future obligations and the corresponding assets of those plans considered as defined benefit plans under IAS 19 are reappraised annually and reassessed at least every three years by independent actuaries. Assets are valued at fair value.

Pension assets for funded defined benefit pension plans are managed according to local rules and legislation in each country.

The actual asset allocation is determined by current and expected economic and market conditions and in consideration of specific asset class risks in the risk profile. For this purpose Asset Liability Matching studies are conducted by third party experts on a regular basis to ensure that investment strategies for pension assets are in line with the structure of the plan members of the pension plan concerned.

In all countries with funded defined benefit plans the body governing the investment policy is constituted in accordance with local legal requirements. To the extent legally permitted Clariant Corporate exercises influence to ensure that the investment policy is set in a way to serve best the needs of the pension plan and its members.

The largest defined benefit plans are operated in Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany. These plans make up 93.7% of the total defined benefit obligation.

The most important German plan is unfunded and covers the supplementary pension liabilities for plan members whose salaries exceed the level of the German mandatory social security coverage. Contributions are made primarily by the employer and vary depending on the salary level of the plan members. Benefits are paid out as annual pensions amounting to 20% of total contributions. Lump sum payments to employees are possible to the extent of the voluntary contributions. For employees having joined or joining in 2011 and later there exists a funded pension plan. Contributions are primarily paid into the plan by the employer and vary depending on the income of the individual plan member. Employees contribute to the plan up to 2% of pensionable earnings on a voluntary basis, to which the employer contributes an equal amount on top of the regular contributions. Pensions paid by this plan are principally based on the return on plan assets (contributions paid in plus interest), apart from a minimal interest. In addition there exists a smaller, similarly structured funded defined benefit plan for former employees of the Süd-Chemie group, acquired in 2011. All other pension liabilities regarding German staff members are covered by a funded multi-employer plan which is accounted for as a defined contribution plan.

The defined benefit obligation in the United Kingdom is a funded plan covering the pension liabilities of UK employees who joined the company before 31 December 2001 and was closed to further accruals in April 2016. All staff members are now covered by a defined contribution plan. The defined benefit pension plan is fully funded according to legal requirements. Yet, in view of the high number of non-active plan members, additional contributions may be necessary in future years.

In the United States Clariant operates a funded defined benefit pension plan covering the pension liabilities of employees who joined the company before 31 December 2000. Contributions are paid by the employer exclusively. Benefits are paid out as lifetime pensions determined on the basis of a final/career average calculation. Staff members who joined on 1 January 2001 or later are covered by a defined contribution plan. For members of Management whose annual salaries exceed the amount of CHF 275 000 an additional pension scheme is in place in the form of an unfunded defined benefit obligation, which covers the part exceeding this amount. The US pension plan is currently underfunded according to local legal requirements. Additional funding measures in the amount of up to CHF 24 million are scheduled over the next four years.

US-employees transferred to Clariant with the Hoechst Specialty Chemicals business remain insured with Hoechst for their pension claims incurred prior to 30 June 1997.

In Switzerland, Clariant operates a funded defined benefit pension plan that covers the pension liabilities of all employees of the Swiss Clariant companies up to a salary level of CHF 200 000. Both the employer and the employees contribute to the plan, the employer paying two thirds of the total contributions. The pension plan provides lifetime pensions determined based on cumulative savings of the individual plan member and converted into an annual pension at a fixed conversion rate. Lump sum payments are possible to up to 100 percent of the total individual cumulative savings. The Swiss pension plan is marked by a shrinking operating basis, and as a result, an increasing share of retired members. Additional funding measures in the amount of CHF 21 million are therefore scheduled over the next six years.

For members of Management whose annual salaries exceed the amount of CHF 200 000, an additional pension scheme is in place in the form of a funded defined benefit obligation. Any shortfalls in funded provisions for pension commitments to members of the Executive Committee are accounted for as an unfunded defined benefit obligation.

Mortality tables

The following mortality tables were used to determine the defined pension obligation of the most important pension plans:

Post-employment medical benefits. The Group operates a number of post-employment medical benefit schemes in the United States, Canada and France. The method of accounting for the liabilities associated with these plans is largely equal to the one used for defined benefit pension schemes. These plans are not externally funded, but are recognized as provisions in the balance sheets of the Group companies concerned.

Expenses for net benefits are recorded in the same line and function in which the personnel costs are recorded.

Changes in the present value of defined benefit obligations are as follows:

Changes in the fair value of plan assets are as follows:

As at 31 December 2019 and 2018, the pension plan assets did not include any directly held registered shares or bonds issued by Clariant Ltd.

The amounts recognized in the balance sheets are as follows:

Thereof recognized in:

The amounts recognized in the income statement and in other comprehensive income are as follows:

The fair value of the plan assets is split into the major assets categories as follows:

The principal actuarial assumptions at the balance sheet dates in percent are as follows:

A one percentage-point change in health care cost trend rates would have the following effects on the obligation for post-employment medical benefits:

A 25 basis-point change in discount rate would have the following effects on the obligation for pension plans:

If life expectancy increased by one year, the defined benefit obligation would increase by CHF 92 million (2018: CHF 98 million).

Defined contribution post-employment plans. In 2019, CHF 28 million were charged to the income statement as contributions to defined contribution plans (2018: CHF 26 million).

In Germany, approximately 4 900 Clariant employees are insured in a defined benefit plan which is a multi-employer plan and as such is accounted for as a defined contribution plan. The reason for this accounting practice is that the plan exposes the participating Clariant companies to actuarial risks associated with the current and former employees of other companies which are members of the same pension plan. There is no consistent or reliable basis for allocating the obligation, plan assets and cost to individual companies participating in the plan.

Based on the statutory actuarial calculation of 2019, the pension fund’s obligations are fully funded. Also for 2020, it is anticipated that the pension plan liabilities are covered by the respective assets.

In the case where the multi-employer plan faces a situation in which the pension plan liabilities exceed the assets, this can be remedied either by increasing the employer’s contributions to the pension plan or by reducing the benefits paid out to the entitled parties. In the case of a reduction of the benefits this must be compensated by the employer according to German legislation. If the pension plan were unwound the remaining funds would be distributed among the plan members. In case there are no plan members left, the remaining funds would be transferred to social institutions.

If Clariant withdrew from the pension fund, all rights and obligations of the employer against the pension plan would remain in force as long as the pension plan continues to render pension services to the group’s plan members. Based on the number of plan members (active and passive) Clariant’s share in the pension plan amounts to approximately 8 percent.

Clariant’s contribution to this pension plan amounted to CHF 20 million in 2019 (CHF 16 million in 2018) and is expected to be CHF 20 million in 2020.

The multi-employer plan originates in the pension plan scheme of the German companies of the former Hoechst group, to which a part of the activities of Clariant pertained until 1997. Several of the companies which were formerly part of the Hoechst Group continue to participate in this multi-employer plan.