SCHN 2021 Form 10-K

60 / Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc. Form 10-K 2021 Note 1 - Nature of Operations Founded in 1906, Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc., an Oregon corporation, is one of North America’s largest recyclers of ferrous and nonferrous metal, including end-of-life vehicles, and a manufacturer of finished steel products. Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries, together, are referred to as the Company. The Company acquires and recycles ferrous and nonferrous scrap metal for sale to foreign and domestic metal producers, processors, and brokers, and it procures salvaged vehicles and sells serviceable used auto parts from these vehicles through a network of self-service auto parts stores. Most of these auto parts stores supply the Company’s shredding facilities with auto bodies that are processed into saleable recycled metal products. In addition to the sale of recycled metal products processed at its facilities, the Company provides a variety of recycling and related services. The Company also produces a range of finished steel long products at its electric arc furnace (“EAF”) steel mill using recycled ferrous metal sourced internally from its recycling and joint venture operations and other raw materials. As of August 31, 2021, all of the Company’s facilities were located in the United States (“U.S.”) and its territories and Canada. Note 2 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Basis of Presentation The Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc. and its majority-owned and whollyowned subsidiaries. The equity method of accounting is used for investments in joint ventures over which the Company has significant influence but does not have effective control. All significant intercompany account balances, transactions, profits, and losses have been eliminated. All transactions and relationships with variable interest entities are evaluated to determine whether the Company is the primary beneficiary of the entities, therefore requiring consolidation. The Company does not have any variable interest entities requiring consolidation. Segment Reporting The accounting standards for reporting information about operating segments define an operating segment as a component of an enterprise that engages in business activities from which it may earn revenues and incur expenses for which discrete financial information is available that is evaluated regularly by the chief operating decision-maker in deciding how to allocate resources and in assessing performance. Prior to the first quarter of fiscal 2021, the Company’s internal organizational and reporting structure included two operating and reportable segments: the Auto and Metals Recycling (“AMR”) business and the Cascade Steel and Scrap (“CSS”) business. In the first quarter of fiscal 2021, in accordance with its plan announced in April 2020, the Company completed its transition to a new internal organizational and reporting structure reflecting a functionally-based, integrated model. The Company consolidated its operations, sales, services, and other functional capabilities at an enterprise level reflecting enhanced focus by management on optimizing the Company’s vertically integrated value chain. This change resulted in a realignment of how the Chief Executive Officer, who is considered the Company’s chief operating decision-maker, reviews performance and makes decisions on resource allocation, supporting a single segment. The Company began reporting on this new single-segment structure in the first quarter of fiscal 2021. Accounting Changes As of the beginning of the first quarter of fiscal 2020, the Company adopted an accounting standards update that requires a lessee to recognize a lease liability and a lease right-of-use asset on its balance sheet for all leases greater than 12 months, including those classified as operating leases. The Company adopted the new lease accounting standard using the modified retrospective transition method, whereby it applied the new requirements by recognizing a cumulative-effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings as of September 1, 2019. Such cumulative-effect adjustment for the Company was less than $1 million, which is presented separately in the Consolidated Statements of Equity. Adoption using the modified retrospective transition method did not have an impact on any prior period earnings of the Company, and no comparative prior periods were adjusted for the new guidance. See Note 5 - Leases for the disclosures required under the new standard. As of the beginning of the first quarter of fiscal 2019, the Company adopted an accounting standards update that clarifies the principles for recognizing revenue from contracts with customers. The Company adopted the accounting standard using the modified retrospective approach and recorded no cumulative-effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings as of September 1, 2018. See Note 11 - Revenue for the disclosures required under the new standard.

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTIzOTM0