v3.26.1
CONTINGENT LIABILITIES AND OTHER MATTERS
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2026
Loss Contingency [Abstract]  
CONTINGENT LIABILITIES AND OTHER MATTERS
11.
CONTINGENT LIABILITIES AND OTHER MATTERS
The Company may be involved in various legal and regulatory proceedings relating to employment, antitrust, tax, product liability, environmental, contracts, intellectual property and other matters (collectively, “Proceedings”). The Company regularly reviews the status of such Proceedings along with legal counsel. Liabilities for such Proceedings are recorded when it is probable that the liability has been incurred and when the amount of the liability can be reasonably estimated. Liabilities are adjusted when additional information becomes available. Except as set forth below under “Litigation and Regulatory Proceedings,” management believes that the amount of any reasonably possible losses in excess of any amounts accrued, if any, with respect to such Proceedings or any other known claim, including the matters described below under the caption Environmental Matters (the “Environmental Matters”), are not material to the Company’s financial statements. While the likelihood is remote, the disposition of the Proceedings and Environmental Matters could have a material impact on the results of operations, cash flows or liquidity in any given reporting period.
Litigation and Regulatory Proceedings
The Company is involved in litigation and regulatory proceedings from time to time in the regular course of its business. The Company believes that adequate provisions for resolution of all contingencies, claims and pending matters have been made for probable losses that are reasonably estimable.
During the second quarter of 2023, the Company's subsidiary, Paroc Group OY (“Paroc”), which the Company acquired in 2018, notified the appropriate European maritime regulatory authorities that specific products in its marine insulation product line may not meet certain fire safety requirements in accordance with their certifications. Paroc voluntarily withdrew these specific products from the market, issued recalls and suspended distribution and sales of these products (the "Recalled Products"). As of March 31, 2026 we have included a liability within Other current liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets in the amount of $83 million to cover the costs of the remediation associated with the Recalled Products. We do not expect to incur further material charges related to the Recalled Products.
Due to the discovery of these nonconformances, the Company reviewed the Paroc insulation product portfolio. That review has concluded. The review included the Company's assessment of potential nonconformances related to certain ventilation duct and steel beam insulation products. Paroc suspended sales of these affected insulation products but has not issued any recalls. While we expect to incur costs associated with the resolution of the identified ventilation duct and steel beam insulation products, the amount or range of any potential loss cannot be reasonably estimated at this time.
Environmental Matters
The Company has established policies and procedures designed to ensure that its operations are conducted in compliance with all relevant laws and regulations and that enable the Company to meet its high standards for corporate sustainability and environmental stewardship. Our manufacturing facilities are subject to numerous foreign, federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to the presence of hazardous materials, pollution and protection of the environment, including emissions to air, reductions of greenhouse gases, discharges to water, management of hazardous materials, handling and disposal of solid wastes, use of chemicals in our manufacturing processes and remediation of contaminated sites. All Company manufacturing facilities are either ISO 14001 certified or deploy environmental management systems based on ISO 14001 principles. The Company’s 2030 Sustainability Goals include significant global reductions in energy use, water consumption, waste to landfill, and emissions of greenhouse gases, fine particulate matter, and volatile organic air emissions and protection of biodiversity.
Owens Corning is involved in remedial response activities and is responsible for environmental remediation at a number of sites, including certain of its currently owned or formerly owned plants. These responsibilities arise under a number of laws, including, but not limited to, the Federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, and similar state or local laws pertaining to the management and remediation of hazardous materials and petroleum. The Company has also been named a potentially responsible party under the U.S. Federal Superfund law, similar state or local laws pertaining to the management and remediation of hazardous materials and petroleum. The Company became involved in these sites as a result of government action or in connection with business acquisitions. As of March 31, 2026, the Company was involved with a total of 27 sites worldwide, including 12 Superfund and state or country equivalent sites and 15 owned or formerly owned sites. None of the liabilities for these sites are individually significant to the Company.
Remediation activities generally involve a potential range of activities and costs related to soil, groundwater and sediment contamination. This can include pre-cleanup activities such as fact-finding and investigation, risk assessment, feasibility studies, remedial action design and implementation (where actions may range from monitoring to removal of contaminants, to installation of longer-term remediation systems). A number of factors affect the cost of environmental remediation, including the number of parties involved in a particular site, the determination of the extent of contamination, the length of time the remediation may require, the complexity of environmental regulations, variability in clean-up standards, the need for legal action and changes in remediation technology. Taking these factors into account, Owens Corning reasonably estimates the costs of remediation to be paid over a period of years. The Company accrues an amount on an undiscounted basis, when a liability is probable and reasonably estimable. Actual cost may differ from these estimates for the reasons mentioned above. Changes in required remediation procedures or timing of those procedures, or discovery of contamination at additional sites, could result in material increases to the Company’s environmental obligations.
Other Matters
As a result of the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in February 2026, the Company may be entitled to a refund of tariffs previously paid on certain imported products under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The Company estimates that approximately $50 million of tariff payments may be eligible for refund as a result of the decision. As of March 31, 2026, the Company has not recorded an asset related to this matter. The Company continues to evaluate the matter and will recognize a refund when the right to receive such amounts becomes realized or realizable in accordance with ASC 450, Contingencies.