7. Derivative Instruments

The Company has certain derivative assets and liabilities which consist of natural gas forwards and foreign exchange option and forward contracts. The Company uses an income approach to value these contracts. Natural gas forward rates and foreign exchange rates are the significant inputs into the valuation models. These inputs are observable in active markets over the terms of the instruments the Company holds, and accordingly, the Company classifies its derivative assets and liabilities as Level 2 in the hierarchy. The Company also evaluates counterparty risk in determining fair values.

Commodity Forward Contracts Designated as Cash Flow Hedges

In several regions, the Company enters into commodity forward contracts related to forecasted natural gas requirements, the objectives of which are to limit the effects of fluctuations in the future market price paid for natural gas and the related volatility in cash flows. In North America, the majority of its customer contracts contain provisions that pass the price of natural gas to its customers. In certain of these contracts, the customer has the option of fixing the natural gas price component for a specified period of time. To limit the effects of fluctuations in cash flows resulting from these customer contracts, the Company enters into commodity forward contracts related to forecasted natural gas requirements. In Asia Pacific, the Company implemented a hedging program in 2016, which included the execution of commodity forward contracts for certain contracted natural gas requirements. At December 31, 2017 and 2016, the Company had entered into commodity forward contracts covering approximately 8,800,000 MM BTUs and 12,300,000 MM BTUs, respectively.

The Company accounts for the above forward contracts as cash flow hedges at December 31, 2017 and recognizes them on the balance sheet at fair value. The effective portion of changes in the fair value of a derivative that is designated as, and meets the required criteria for, a cash flow hedge is recorded in the Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income component of share owners’ equity (“OCI”) and reclassified into earnings in the same period or periods during which the underlying hedged item affects earnings. An unrecognized gain of $3 million at December 31, 2017 and an unrecognized gain of $6 million at December 31, 2016 related to the commodity forward contracts was included in Accumulated OCI, and will be reclassified into earnings in the period when the commodity forward contracts expire. Any material portion of the change in the fair value of a derivative designated as a cash flow hedge that is deemed to be ineffective is recognized in current earnings. The ineffectiveness related to these natural gas hedges for the year ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 was not material.

The effect of the commodity forward contracts on the results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015 is as follows:


						Amount of gain (loss) Reclassified from
Amount of gain (loss) Recognized in OCI on						Accumulated OCI into Income
Commodity Forward Contracts						(reported in cost of goods sold)
(Effective Portion)						(Effective Portion)
2017		2016		2015		2017		2016		2015
$	6	$	7	$	(4)	$	—	$	—	$	(1)

Foreign Exchange Derivative Contracts and not Designated as Hedging Instruments

The Company may enter into short-term forward exchange or option agreements to purchase foreign currencies at set rates in the future. These agreements are used to limit exposure to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates for significant planned purchases of fixed assets or commodities that are denominated in currencies other than the subsidiaries’ functional currency. The Company may also use foreign exchange agreements to offset the foreign currency risk for receivables and payables, including intercompany receivables, payables, and loans, not denominated in, or indexed to, their functional currencies. The Company records these short-term foreign exchange agreements on the balance sheet at fair value and changes in the fair value are recognized in current earnings.

At December 31, 2017 and 2016, the Company had outstanding foreign exchange and option agreements denominated in various currencies covering the equivalent of approximately $460 million and $490 million, respectively, related primarily to intercompany transactions and loans.

The effect of the foreign exchange derivative contracts on the results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015 is as follows:


	Amount of Gain (Loss)
Location of Gain (Loss)	Recognized in Income on
Recognized in Income on	Foreign Exchange Contracts
Foreign Exchange Contracts	2017		2016		2015
Other expense, net	$	10	$	6	$	10

Hedges of Multiple Risks

The Company has variable-interest rate borrowings denominated in currencies other than the functional currency of the borrowing subsidiaries. As a result, the Company is exposed to fluctuations in both the underlying variable interest rate and the currency of the borrowing against the subsidiaries’ functional currency. The Company uses derivatives to manage these exposures and designates these derivatives as cash flow hedges of both interest rate and foreign exchange risks. The effective portion of changes in the fair value of derivatives designated and that qualify as cash flow hedges of both interest rate risk and foreign exchange risk is recorded in Accumulated OCI and is subsequently reclassified into earnings in the period for which the hedged forecasted transaction affects earnings. If there is an ineffective portion of the change in fair value of the derivative it is recognized directly in earnings.

During the second quarter of 2017, one of the Company’s Euro-functional subsidiaries entered into a cross-currency interest rate swap to manage its exposure to fluctuations in the variable interest rate and the U.S. dollar-Euro exchange rate arising from a U.S. dollar denominated borrowing. This swap involves exchanging fixed rate Euro interest payments for floating rate U.S. dollar interest receipts both of which will occur at the forward exchange rates in effect upon entering into the instrument. This instrument, which settled in the third quarter of 2017, had a pay fixed notional amount of €81 million and a receive floating notional amount of $90 million. There was no ineffectiveness related to these cross-currency interest rate swaps for the year ended December 31, 2017.

During the fourth quarter of 2017, one of the Company’s Euro-functional subsidiaries entered into a series of cross-currency interest rate swaps to manage its exposure to fluctuations in the Euro-U.S dollar exchange rate arising from a U.S. dollar denominated borrowing. These swaps involve exchanging fixed rate Euro interest payments for fixed rate U.S. dollar interest receipts both of which will occur at the forward exchange rates in effect upon entering into the instrument. An unrecognized loss of less than $1 million at December 31, 2017 related to these cross-currency interest rate swaps was included in Accumulated OCI, and will be reclassified into earnings within the next twelve months. These instruments, in the aggregate, have a pay fixed notional amount of €263 million and a receive notional amount of $310 million and reach final maturity in 2023. There was no ineffectiveness related to these cross-currency interest rate swaps for the year ended December 31, 2017.

Interest Rate Swaps Designated as Fair Value Hedges

During the third and fourth quarters of 2017, the Company entered into a series of interest rate swap agreements with a total notional amount of €725 million that reach final maturity in 2024. The swaps were executed in order to maintain a capital structure containing appropriate amounts of fixed and floating-rate debt and to reduce net interest payments and expense in the near-term.

The Company’s fixed-to-variable interest rate swaps were accounted for as fair value hedges. The relevant terms of the swap agreements match the corresponding terms of the notes and therefore there is no hedge ineffectiveness. The Company recorded the net of the fair market values of the swaps as a long-term liability and short-term asset along with a corresponding net decrease in the carrying value of the hedged debt.

Under the swaps, the Company receives fixed rate interest amounts (equal to the interest on the corresponding hedged note) and pays interest at a six-month Euribor rate (set in arrears) plus a margin spread (see table below). The interest rate differential on each swap is recognized as an adjustment of interest expense during each six-month period over the term of the agreement.

The valuation of these instruments is determined using widely accepted valuation techniques, including discounted cash flow analysis on the expected cash flows of each derivative. This analysis reflects the contractual terms of the derivatives, including the period to maturity, and uses observable market-based inputs, including interest rate curves and implied volatilities. The fair values of interest rate swaps are determined using the market standard methodology of netting the discounted future fixed cash receipts (or payments) and the discounted expected variable cash payments (or receipts). The variable cash payments (or receipts) are based on an expectation of future interest rates (forward curves) derived from observable market interest rate curves. The Company has determined that the majority of the inputs used to value these derivatives fall within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy.

The following selected information relates to fair value swaps at December 31, 2017:


	Amount Hedged		Receive Rate		Average Spread
Senior Notes due 2024	€	725	3.125	%	2.6	%

Balance Sheet Classification

The Company records the fair values of derivative financial instruments on the balance sheet as follows: (a) receivables if the instrument has a positive fair value and maturity within one year, (b) deposits, receivables, and other assets if the instrument has a positive fair value and maturity after one year, (c) other accrued liabilities or other liabilities (current) if the instrument has a negative fair value and maturity within one year, and (d) other accrued liabilities or other liabilities if the instrument has a negative fair value and maturity after one year.

The following table shows the amount and classification (as noted above) of the Company’s derivatives as of December 31, 2017 and 2016:


	Fair Value
	Balance Sheet
	Location	2017		2016
Asset Derivatives:
Derivatives designated as hedging instruments:
Commodity futures contracts	b	$	3	$	6
Interest rate swaps designated as fair value hedges	a		6
Hedges of multiple risks designated as cash flow hedges	a		4
Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments:
Foreign exchange derivative contracts	a	$	4	$	9
Total asset derivatives		$	17	$	15
Liability Derivatives:
Derivatives designated as hedging instruments:
Commodity futures contracts	c	$	—	$	—
Interest rate swaps designated as fair value hedges	d		13
Hedges of multiple risks designated as cash flow hedges	d		10
Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments:
Foreign exchange derivative contracts	d		1		5
Total liability derivatives		$	24	$	5