Company: ZEUS
Filing Date: 2025-02-21
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0001437749-25-004742
Chunk: 122

Company: OLYMPIC STEEL INC
Filing Date: 2025-02-21
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1
Chunk 122
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 change may result in the imposition of additional regulations or restrictions to which we may become subject. A number of governments or governmental bodies have introduced or are contemplating regulatory changes in response to climate change, including regulating greenhouse gas emissions. The outcome of new legislation or regulation in the United States may result in new or additional requirements, additional charges to fund energy efficient activities, and fees or restrictions on certain activities. Compliance with these climate change initiatives may also result in additional costs to us, including, among other things, increased production costs, additional taxes, reduced emission allowances or additional restrictions on production or operations. Any adopted future climate change regulations could also negatively impact our ability to compete with companies situated in areas not subject to such limitations. Even without such regulation, increased public awareness and adverse publicity about potential impacts on climate change emanating from us or our industry could harm us. We may not be able to recover the cost of compliance with new or more stringent laws and regulations, which could adversely affect our results of operations, cash flow or financial condition.

Expectations relating to environmental, social and governance considerations expose us to potential liabilities, increased costs, reputational harm and other adverse effects on our business.

Many governments, regulators, investors, employees, customers and other stakeholders are increasingly focused on environmental, social and governance and sustainability considerations relating to businesses, including climate change and greenhouse gas emissions, data privacy, artificial intelligence, human capital and diversity, equity and inclusion. We make statements about our environmental, social and governance targets, goals and initiatives through information provided on our website, press statements and other communications. Responding to these environmental, social and governance considerations and implementation of these goals and initiatives, including those described in our Corporate Responsibility Report, involves risks and uncertainties, requires investments, which could be material, and are impacted by factors that may be outside of our control. In addition, some stakeholders may disagree with our goals and initiatives and the focus of stakeholders may change and evolve over time. We may also amend, abandon or replace our targets, goals and initiatives due to a change in strategy, reduced relevance of such targets, goal and initiatives or changing market conditions, and we may take certain actions that stakeholders or regulators view as contrary to such targets, goals and initiatives. Stakeholders also may have very different views on where our focus on environmental, social and governance and sustainability issues should be placed, including differing views of regulators in various jurisdictions in which we operate. Any failure, or perceived failure, by us to achieve our targets or goals, further our