Company: DHR
Filing Date: 2025-02-20
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0000313616-25-000043
Chunk: 131

Company: DANAHER CORP /DE/
Filing Date: 2025-02-20
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1A
Chunk 131
---
, supply chains, distribution systems and information technology systems are subject to catastrophic loss due to fire, flood, cyber-attack, earthquake, hurricane, power shortage or outage, public health crisis (including epidemics and pandemics) and the reaction thereto, war, terrorism, riot, public protest or other natural or man-made disasters, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the damage caused to our facilities by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico in 2017.  If any of these facilities, supply chains or systems were to experience a catastrophic loss, it could disrupt our operations, delay production and shipments, result in defective products or services, diminish demand, damage customer relationships and our reputation and result in legal exposure and significant repair or replacement expenses.  The third-party insurance coverage that we maintain varies from time to time in both type and amount depending on cost, availability and our decisions regarding risk retention, and may be unavailable or insufficient to protect us against such losses.

Climate change, legal or regulatory measures to address climate change and other sustainability topics and any inability on our part to address stakeholder expectations relating to climate change and other sustainability topics may negatively affect us.

Climate change resulting from increased concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere presents risks to our operations.  Physical risk resulting from acute changes (such as hurricane, tornado, wildfire or flooding) or chronic changes (such as droughts, heat waves or sea level changes) in climate patterns can adversely impact our facilities and operations and disrupt our supply chains and distribution systems.  Concern over climate change can also result in new or additional legal, regulatory or quasi-regulatory requirements designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, mitigate the effects of climate change on the environment (such as taxation of, or caps on the use of, carbon-based energy) and/or increase disclosures with respect thereto.  Any such new or additional requirements relating to climate change or other sustainability topics may increase the costs associated with, or disrupt, sourcing, manufacturing and distribution of our products, which may adversely affect our business and financial statements.  In addition, any failure to adequately address regulatory requirements (such as the new regulations certain jurisdictions have adopted relating to false or misleading claims about a company’s sustainability practices, and recent changes in U.S. federal law and policy related to diversity practices) or stakeholder expectations with respect to sustainability matters may result in penalties, loss of business, adverse reputational impacts, diluted market valuations and challenges in attracting and retaining customers and employees.  For example, our ability to achieve our current and future