NATURE OF BUSINESS AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Nature of Business

Graphic Packaging Holding Company (“GPHC” and, together with its subsidiaries, the “Company”) is a leading provider of paper-based packaging solutions for a wide variety of products to food, beverage and other consumer product companies. The Company is one of the largest producers of folding cartons in the United States ("U.S.") and holds a leading market position in coated unbleached kraft paperboard and coated-recycled boxboard. The Company’s customers include some of the most widely recognized companies in the world. The Company strives to provide its customers with packaging solutions designed to deliver marketing and performance benefits at a competitive cost by capitalizing on its low-cost paperboard mills and converting plants, its proprietary carton and packaging designs, and its commitment to customer service.

GPHC became a new publicly-traded parent company when, on March 10, 2008, the businesses of Graphic Packaging Corporation (“GPC”) and Altivity Packaging, LLC were combined through a series of transactions.

GPHC and GPC conduct no significant business and have no independent assets or operations other than GPHC’s ownership of all of GPC’s outstanding common stock, and GPC’s ownership of all of the outstanding common stock of Graphic Packaging International, Inc. ("GPII"). Effective as of December 31, 2015, GPC was merged into and with GPII, with GPII being the surviving company.

Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation

The Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements include all subsidiaries in which the Company has the ability to exercise direct or indirect control over operating and financial policies. Intercompany transactions and balances are eliminated in consolidation. Certain reclassifications have been made to prior year amounts to conform to current year presentation.

The Company holds a 50% ownership interest in a joint venture called Rengo Riverwood Packaging, Ltd. (in Japan) which is accounted for using the equity method.

Prior to May 30, 2014, the Company held an 87% ownership interest in Graphic Flexible Packaging, LLC ("GFP"), which was consolidated in the Company's financial statements. On May 30, 2014, the Company acquired the remaining 13% of GFP and sold 100% of GFP on June 30, 2014. For more information see Note 14 - Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests. The noncontrolling interest is shown in the Company's financial statements.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of net sales and expenses during the reporting periods. Actual results could differ from these estimates, and changes in these estimates are recorded when known. Estimates are used in accounting for, among other things, pension benefits, retained insurable risks, slow-moving and obsolete inventory, allowance for doubtful accounts, useful lives for depreciation and amortization, future cash flows, discount rates and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (“EBITDA”) multiples associated with impairment testing of goodwill and long-term assets, fair values related to the allocation of purchase price to property, plant and equipment and intangible assets in connection with business combinations, fair value of derivative financial instruments, deferred income tax assets and potential income tax assessments, and loss contingencies.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents include time deposits, certificates of deposit and other marketable securities with original maturities of three months or less.

Accounts Receivable and Allowances

Accounts receivable are stated at the amount owed by the customer, net of an allowance for estimated uncollectible accounts, returns and allowances, and cash discounts. The allowance for doubtful accounts is estimated based on historical experience, current economic conditions and the credit worthiness of customers. Receivables are charged to the allowance when determined to be no longer collectible.

The Company has entered into various factoring and supply chain financing arrangements, which qualify for sale accounting in accordance with the Transfers and Servicing topic of the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") Accounting Standards Codification ("the Codification"). For the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, the Company sold receivables under these programs totaling approximately $129 million and $413 million, respectively.

In 2014, the Company entered into an agreement for the purchasing and servicing of receivables, to sell, on a revolving basis, certain trade accounts receivable balances to a third party financial institution. In 2015, the Company entered into a similar agreement for the purchasing and servicing of receivables in Europe (collectively referred as the “AR Sales Agreements”). Transfers under these agreements meet the requirements to be accounted for as sales in accordance with the Transfers and Servicing topic of the FASB Codification. During 2015, under these agreements, the Company sold and derecognized approximately $1.1 billion of receivables, of which approximately $920 million has been collected on behalf of the financial institution, approximately $154 million has been funded by the financial institution, resulting in deferred proceeds of approximately$51 million as of December 31, 2015. During 2014 under the agreement, the Company sold and derecognized approximately $231 million of receivables, of which approximately $125 million has been collected on behalf of the financial institution, $74 million has been funded by the financial institution, resulting in deferred proceeds of approximately $32 million as of December 31, 2014. Cash proceeds related to the sales are included in cash from operating activities in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows in the Receivables, Net line item. The loss on sale is not material and is included in Other Income, Net line item.

Receivables sold under all programs subject to continuing involvement, which consists principally of collection services, were approximately $282 million and $127 million as of December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

Concentration of Credit Risk

The Company’s cash, cash equivalents, and accounts receivable are potentially subject to concentration of credit risk. Cash and cash equivalents are placed with financial institutions that management believes are of high credit quality. Accounts receivable are derived from revenue earned from customers located in the U.S. and internationally and generally do not require collateral. As of and for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, no customer accounted for more than 10% of net sales.

Inventories

Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or market with cost determined principally by the first-in, first-out (“FIFO”) basis. Average cost basis is used to determine the cost of supply inventories and certain raw materials. Raw materials and consumables used in the production process such as wood chips and chemicals are valued at purchase cost on a FIFO basis upon receipt. Work in progress and finished goods inventories are valued at the cost of raw material consumed plus direct manufacturing costs (such as labor, utilities and supplies) as incurred and an applicable portion of manufacturing overhead. Inventories are stated net of an allowance for slow-moving and obsolete inventory.

Property, Plant and Equipment

Property, plant and equipment are recorded at cost. Betterments, renewals and extraordinary repairs that extend the life of the asset are capitalized; other repairs and maintenance charges are expensed as incurred. The Company’s cost and related accumulated depreciation applicable to assets retired or sold are removed from the accounts and the gain or loss on disposition is included in income from operations.

Interest is capitalized on assets under construction for one year or longer with an estimated spending of $1.0 million or more. The capitalized interest is recorded as part of the asset to which it relates and is amortized over the asset’s estimated useful life. Capitalized interest was $0.8 million, $1.6 million and $3.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

The Company assesses its long-lived assets, including certain identifiable intangibles, for impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset may not be recoverable. To analyze recoverability, the Company projects future cash flows, undiscounted and before interest, over the remaining life of such assets. If these projected cash flows are less than the carrying amount, an impairment would be recognized, resulting in a write-down of assets with a corresponding charge to earnings. The impairment loss is measured based upon the difference between the carrying amount and the fair value of the assets. The Company assesses the appropriateness of the useful life of its long-lived assets periodically.

Depreciation and Amortization

Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method based on the following estimated useful lives of the related assets:



Buildings	40 years
Land improvements	15 years
Machinery and equipment	3 to 40 years
Furniture and fixtures	10 years
Automobiles, trucks and tractors	3 to 5 years

Depreciation expense, including the depreciation expense of assets under capital leases, for 2015, 2014 and 2013 was $227.6 million, $221.6 million and $232.5 million, respectively.

Intangible assets with a determinable life are amortized on a straight-line or accelerated basis over their useful lives. The amortization expense for each intangible asset is recorded in the Consolidated Statements of Operations according to the nature of that asset.

Goodwill is the Company’s only intangible asset not subject to amortization at December 31, 2015 and 2014. The following table displays the intangible assets that continue to be subject to amortization and aggregate amortization expense as of December 31, 2015 and 2014:



	December 31, 2015							December 31, 2014
In millions	Gross Carrying Amount		Accumulated Amortization			Net Carrying Amount		Gross Carrying Amount		Accumulated Amortization			Net Carrying Amount
Amortizable Intangible Assets:
Customer Relationships	$	627.2	$	(269.0	)	$	358.2	$	579.5	$	(226.1	)	$	353.4
Patents, Trademarks and Licenses	119.5		(91.0		)	28.5		115.4		(83.2		)	32.2
Total	$	746.7	$	(360.0	)	$	386.7	$	694.9	$	(309.3	)	$	385.6

The Company recorded amortization expense for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013 of $52.9 million,

$48.4 million and $44.9 million, respectively, relating to intangible assets subject to amortization. The Company expects amortization expense to be approximately $46 million and $43 million for 2016 and 2017, respectively, and approximately $40 million for 2017 through 2019.

Goodwill

The Company tests goodwill for impairment annually as of October 1, as well as whenever events or changes in circumstances suggest that the estimated fair value of a reporting unit may no longer exceed its carrying amount.

The Company tests goodwill for impairment at the reporting unit level, which is an operating segment or a level below an operating segment, which is referred to as a component. A component of an operating segment is a reporting unit if the component constitutes a business for which discrete financial information is available and management regularly reviews the operating results of that component. However, two or more components of an operating segment are aggregated and deemed a single reporting unit if the components have similar economic characteristics.

Potential goodwill impairment is measured at the reporting unit level by comparing the reporting unit’s carrying amount (including goodwill), to the fair value of the reporting unit. The estimated fair value of each reporting unit is determined by utilizing a discounted cash flow analysis based on the Company’s forecasts, discounted using a weighted average cost of capital and market indicators of terminal year cash flows based upon a multiple of EBITDA. If the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its estimated fair value, goodwill is considered potentially impaired. In determining fair value, management relies on and considers a number of factors, including but not limited to, operating results, business plans, economic projections, forecasts including future cash flows, and market data and analysis, including market capitalization. The assumptions we use are based on what we believe a hypothetical market participant would use in estimating fair value. Fair value determinations are sensitive to changes in the factors described above. There are inherent uncertainties related to these factors and judgments in applying them to the analysis of goodwill impairment.

The Company performed a quantitative impairment analysis of goodwill associated with each of its reporting units as of October 1, 2015 and concluded that the fair values were in excess of the carrying values of each of the reporting units and therefore goodwill was not impaired.

The following is a rollforward of goodwill by reportable segment:



In millions	Paperboard Mills		Americas Paperboard Packaging			Europe Paperboard Packaging			Flexible Packaging			Total
Balance at December 31, 2013	$	408.5	$	692.5		$	16.2		$	8.2		$	1,125.4
Disposal of Business	—		(47.2		)	—			(8.2		)	(55.4		)
Acquisition of Businesses	—		—			51.9			—			51.9
Foreign Currency Effects	—		(1.2		)	(2.6		)	—			(3.8		)
Balance at December 31, 2014	$	408.5	$	644.1		$	65.5		$	—		$	1,118.1
Acquisition of Businesses	—		55.6			—			—			55.6
Foreign Currency Effects	—		(1.4		)	(4.5		)	—			(5.9		)
Balance at December 31, 2015	$	408.5	$	698.3		$	61.0		$	—		$	1,167.8

Retained Insurable Risks

It is the Company’s policy to self-insure or fund a portion of certain expected losses related to group health benefits and workers’ compensation claims. Provisions for expected losses are recorded based on the Company’s estimates, on an undiscounted basis, of the aggregate liabilities for known claims and estimated claims incurred but not reported.

Asset Retirement Obligations

Asset retirement obligations are accounted for in accordance with the provisions of the Asset Retirement and Environmental Obligations topic of the FASB Codification. A liability and asset are recorded equal to the present value of the estimated costs associated with the retirement of long-lived assets where a legal or contractual obligation exists and the liability can be reasonably estimated. The liability is accreted over time and the asset is depreciated over the remaining life of the asset. Upon settlement of the liability, the Company will recognize a gain or loss for any difference between the settlement amount and the liability recorded. Asset retirement obligations with indeterminate settlement dates are not recorded until such time that a reasonable estimate may be made.

International Currency

The functional currency of the international subsidiaries is the local currency for the country in which the subsidiaries own their primary assets. The translation of the applicable currencies into U.S. dollars is performed for balance sheet accounts using current exchange rates in effect at the balance sheet date and for revenue and expense accounts using an average exchange rate during the period. Any related translation adjustments are recorded directly to a separate component of Graphic Packaging Holding Company Shareholders’ Equity, unless there is a sale or substantially complete liquidation of the underlying foreign investments.

The Company pursues a currency hedging program which utilizes derivatives to reduce the impact of foreign currency exchange fluctuations on its consolidated financial results. Under this program, the Company has entered into forward exchange contracts in the normal course of business to hedge certain foreign currency denominated transactions. Realized and unrealized gains and losses on these forward contracts are included in the measurement of the basis of the related foreign currency transaction when recorded.

Revenue Recognition

The Company recognizes revenue when all of the following criteria are met: persuasive evidence of an agreement exists, delivery has occurred or services have been rendered, the Company’s price to the buyer is fixed or determinable and collectability is reasonably assured. Delivery is not considered to have occurred until the customer takes title and assumes the risks and rewards of ownership.

The timing of revenue recognition is largely dependent on the location of title transfer which is normally either at our plant (shipping point) or upon arrival at our customer’s plant (destination). The Company recognizes revenues on its annual and multi-year carton supply contracts as the shipment occurs in accordance with the title transfer discussed above.

Discounts and allowances are comprised of trade allowances and rebates, cash discounts and sales returns. Cash discounts and sales returns are estimated using historical experience. Trade allowances are based on the estimated obligations and historical experience. Customer rebates are determined based on contract terms and are recorded at the time of sale.

Shipping and Handling

The Company includes shipping and handling costs in Cost of Sales.

Research and Development

Research and development costs, which relate primarily to the development and design of new packaging machines and products and are recorded as a component of Selling, General and Administrative expenses, are expensed as incurred. Expenses for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013 were $13.8 million, $14.9 million and $16.8 million, respectively.

Restructuring and Other Special Charges, Net

The following table summarizes the transactions recorded in Restructuring and Other Special Charges in the Consolidated Statements of Operations as of December 31:



In millions	2015		2014		2013
Loss (Gain) on Sale or Closure of Certain Assets	$	1.9	$	180.1	$	(17.9	)
Net Charges Associated with Business Combinations	14.0		12.4		29.2
Other Special Charges	6.1		5.1		1.8
Total	$	22.0	$	197.6	$	13.1

On October 1, 2015, the Company acquired the converting assets of Staunton, VA-based Carded Graphics, LLC. ("Carded"), an award winning folding carton producer with a strong regional presence in the food, craft beer and other consumer product markets.

On February 4, 2015, the Company completed the acquisition of certain assets of Cascades Norampac Division ("Cascades") in Canada. Cascades services the food and beverage markets and operates three folding carton converting facilities located in Cobourg, Ontario, Mississauga, Ontario and Winnipeg, Manitoba along with a thermo mechanical pulp mill located in Jonquiere, Quebec and a coated recycled board mill located in East Angus, Quebec. The Jonquiere mill was shutdown in the third quarter of 2015.

On January 2, 2015, the Company acquired Rose City Printing and Packaging Inc. ("Rose City") through the purchase of all of the issued and outstanding stock of its parent company, Rose City Holding Company. Rose City services food and beverage markets and operates two folding carton converting facilities located in Gresham, OR and Vancouver, WA.

The Carded, Cascades, and Rose City transactions are all referred to collectively as the "North American Acquisitions"

and charges associated with the North American Acquisitions are included in Net Charges Associated with Business Combinations in the table above. For more information regarding these acquisitions see Note 4 - Acquisitions.

In connection with the Company's strategy to focus on core assets, on June 30, 2014, the Company completed the sale of its multi-wall bag business. The financial impact of this transaction is reflected in Loss (Gain) on Sale or Closure of Certain Assets in the above table.

On May 23, 2014, the Company completed its acquisition of Benson Box Holdings Limited ("Benson"), a leading food, beverage, and retail packaging company in the United Kingdom. Charges associated with the acquisition are reflected in Net Charges Associated with Business Combinations in the above table. For more information regarding the acquisition of Benson see Note 4 - Acquisitions.

On February 3, 2014, the Company completed the sale of its labels business. The financial impact of this transaction is reflected in Loss (Gain) on Sale or Closure of Certain Assets in the above table.

On September 30, 2013, the Company completed the sale of certain assets related to the flexible plastics business and the sale of its uncoated-recycled board (“URB”) mill. The Company had previously announced the closure of its Brampton, Ontario facility which was also part of the flexible plastics business. This facility was sold in December 2013. The financial impacts of these transactions are reflected as Loss (Gain) on Sale or Closure of Certain Assets in the above table.

Capital Allocation Plan, Equity Offerings and Share Repurchases

Capital Allocation Plan

On February 4, 2015, the Company's board of directors authorized a share repurchase program to allow management to purchase up to $250 million of the Company's issued and outstanding shares of common stock through open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions and Rule 10b5-1 plans. During 2015, the Company repurchased 4.6 million shares, or approximately $63 million, of its common stock under this program at an average price of $13.60.

On February 4, 2015, May 20, 2015, July 30, 2015 and November 19, 2015, the Company's board of directors declared a regular quarterly dividend of $0.05 per common share. During 2015, the Company declared and paid cash dividends of approximately $66 million and $49 million, respectively.

Equity Offerings

During the first and second quarters of 2014, certain shareholders of the Company sold approximately 30 million and 43.7 million shares of common stock in two secondary public offerings at $9.85 and $10.45 per share, respectively. The shares were sold by certain affiliates of TPG Capital, L.P. (the “TPG Entities”), certain Coors family trusts and the Adolph Coors Foundation (the “Coors Family Stockholders”), Clayton, Dubilier & Rice Fund V Limited Partnership (the “CD&R Fund”) and Old Town, S.A. (“Old Town”), (“Old Town”, and together with the TPG Entities, the Coors Family Stockholders, the Adolph Coors Foundation, and the CD&R Fund, the "Selling Stockholders"). Following the completion of the offering in the second quarter, these Selling Stockholders no longer hold shares of the common stock.

Adoption of New Accounting Standards

In November 2015, the FASB issued Accounting Standard Update ("ASU") No. 2015-17, “Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes”, an update to ASC 740, Income Taxes (“Update”). Current GAAP requires an entity to separate deferred income tax assets and liabilities into current and noncurrent amounts in a classified statement of financial position. To simplify the presentation of deferred income taxes, the amendments in this Update require that deferred tax assets and liabilities be classified as noncurrent in a classified statement of financial position. The current requirement that deferred tax assets and liabilities of a tax-paying component of an entity be offset and presented as a single amount is not affected by the amendments in this Update. For public business entities, the amendments in this Update are effective for financial statements issued for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those annual periods. The Board also decided to permit earlier application by all entities as of the beginning of any interim or annual reporting period. The Board further provides that this Update may be applied to all deferred tax assets and liabilities retrospectively to all periods presented. The Company chose to adopt the Update retrospectively for the year ended December 31, 2015 and reclassified $0.1 million and $177.1 million from net current deferred income tax assets to net non-current deferred tax assets and net non-current deferred income tax liabilities, respectively, as of December 31, 2014.

Effective December 31, 2015, the Company adopted ASU No. 2015-03, Interest-Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30): Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs (ASU No. 2015-03). The amendments in this ASU require that debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of that debt liability, consistent with debt discounts. ASU 2015-3 does not change the recognition and measurement requirements for debt issuance costs. The provisions of ASU 2015-03 were applied retrospectively and resulted in the reclassification of $16.6 million of deferred debt issuance costs related to the Company's Senior Notes and Senior Secured Term Loan facilities (see Note 5- Debt) from Other Assets to Long-Term Debt for the years ended December 31,2014. The deferred debt issuance costs associated with the Senior Secured Revolving Credit facilities are recorded in Other Assets.

Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted

On September 28, 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-16, Business Combinations (Topic 805): Simplifying the Accounting for Measurement-Period Adjustments. The amendments in this ASU eliminate the requirement to retrospectively account for provisional amounts recognized in a business combination. The amendments are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2015, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The amendments should be applied prospectively to adjustments to provisional amounts that occur after the effective date with earlier application permitted for financial statements that have not been issued. The adoption will not impact the Company's financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

On July 23, 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-11, Inventory (Topic 330): Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory. This amendment replaces the current method of measuring inventories at lower of cost or market with a lower of cost and net realizable value method. The amendments are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The amendments should be applied prospectively with earlier application permitted as of the beginning of an interim or annual reporting period. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adoption on the Company's financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

On May 28, 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. Adoption of ASU No. 2014-09 requires that an entity recognize revenue to depict the transfer of goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. On July 9, 2015, the FASB deferred the effective date by one year to December 15, 2017 for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after that date and permitted early adoption of the standard but not before the original effective date of December 15, 2016. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adoption on the Company's financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

On June 19, 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-12, Accounting for Share-Based Payments When the Terms of an Award Provide That a Performance Target Could Be Achieved after the Requisite Service Period. The amendments in the ASU clarify the proper method of accounting for share-based payments when the terms of an award provide that a performance target could be achieved after the requisite service period. ASU 2014-12 is effective for all entities for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2015 and interim period within those annual periods and early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adoption on the Company's financial position, results of operations and cash flows.