Company: CLH
Filing Date: 2025-02-19
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0000822818-25-000007
Chunk: 23

Company: CLEAN HARBORS INC
Filing Date: 2025-02-19
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1
Chunk 23
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 employees, customers, shareholders and the public at large. In recognition of our Human Rights Policy and our intrinsic values of diversity and inclusion, we promote equal opportunity and respect in our workplaces. Our seven employee resource groups were developed to encourage belonging, inclusion and collaboration among our employees at Clean Harbors. 

Resources

We have invested significantly in the development of proprietary technologies and also to establish and maintain an extensive knowledge of leading technologies, including the incorporation of artificial intelligence platforms and robotic process automation. We incorporate these technologies into the services we offer and provide to our customers to enhance the service quality and value received by our customers, reducing the time to perform and increasing the safety of such services. For 

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example, our internally developed proprietary software system, Waste Information Network, not only allows us and our customers to track each step taken by any particular load of waste in our business, but also the technology aids in better burn plans, more safe packaging of materials, and incorporates artificial intelligence to optimize route efficiency and handle waste efficiently and safely.

As of December 31, 2024, we held a total of 45 U.S. and 16 foreign issued or granted patents (which will expire between 2025 and 2042), four U.S. and three foreign pending patent applications, 98 U.S. and 70 foreign trademark registrations, three U.S. pending trademark registrations and four foreign trademark registrations. We also license software and other intellectual property from various third-parties. We enter into confidentiality agreements with certain of our employees, consultants and corporate partners, and control access to software documentation and other proprietary information. We believe that we hold adequate rights to all intellectual property used in our business and that we do not infringe upon any intellectual property rights held by other parties.

We must obtain and maintain permits and licenses for transportation and industrial needs throughout our business. We are required to obtain federal, state, provincial and local permits or approvals for each of our hazardous waste facilities. Such permits are difficult to obtain and, in many instances, extensive studies, tests and public hearings are required before the approvals can be issued. Our compliance programs are paramount in maintaining these permits and licenses.

Management of Risks

We adhere to a program of risk management policies and practices designed to reduce potential liability, as well as to manage customers' ongoing environmental exposures. This program includes installation of risk management systems at our facilities, such as fire suppression, employee training, environmental consciousness, auditing and policy decisions restricting the types of waste handled. We evaluate all revenue opportunities and decline those