MERCER INTERNATIONAL INC

Our operations are subject to a wide range of environmental laws and regulations, dealing primarily with:

•

air, water and land;

•

solid and hazardous waste management;

•

waste disposal;

•

remediation and contaminated sites; and

•

chemical usage.

Compliance with these laws and regulations generally involves capital expenditures as well as additional operating costs. We cannot easily quantify the future amounts of capital expenditures we might have to make to comply with these laws and regulations or the effects on our operating costs because in some instances compliance standards have not been developed, have not become final or definitive or may be amended in the future. In addition, it is difficult to isolate the environmental component of most manufacturing capital projects.

We devote significant management and financial resources to comply with all applicable environmental laws and regulations. In particular, the operation of our plants is subject to permits, authorizations and approvals and we must comply with prescribed emission limits. Compliance with these requirements is monitored by local authorities and non-compliance may result in administrative orders, fines or closures of the non-compliant mill. Our total capital expenditures on environmental projects at our mills were approximately $3.9 million in 2024 and approximately $2.8 million in 2023. In 2025, capital expenditures for environmental projects are expected to be approximately $7.0 million.

Environmental responsibility is a priority for our operations. To ensure compliance with environmental laws and regulations, we regularly monitor emissions at our mills and periodically perform environmental audits of operational sites and procedures both with our internal personnel and outside consultants. These audits identify opportunities for improvement and allow us to take proactive measures at the mills as considered appropriate.

We believe we have obtained all required environmental permits, authorizations and approvals for our operations. We believe our operations are currently in material compliance with the requirements of all applicable environmental laws and regulations and our respective operating permits.

Under German state environmental rules relating to effluent discharges, industrial users are required to pay wastewater fees based upon the amount of pollutants they discharge in their effluent. These rules also provide that an industrial user who undertakes environmental capital expenditures and lowers certain effluent pollutants to prescribed levels may offset the amount of these expenditures against the wastewater fees that they would otherwise be required to pay. We expect capital investment programs and other environmental initiatives at our German mills will offset the wastewater fees that are payable if we demonstrate the reduced wastewater emissions and we believe they will ensure that our operations continue in substantial compliance with prescribed standards.

(22)

In Canada, in addition to existing provincial air quality regulations, an air quality management system, referred to as “AQMS”, outlines a comprehensive national approach for improving air quality in Canada. Under the AQMS, all levels of government are to work collaboratively to respond to different air quality challenges across the country. The AQMS includes four elements:

•

Canadian Ambient Air Quality Standards (CAAQS), meant to drive local air quality improvements. They provide the basis for provincial territorial governments to determine the level of action needed.

•

A framework for regional and local air quality management through air zones and regional airsheds.

•

Base-level Industrial Emissions Requirements (BLIERs) for certain major industries.

•

Improved intergovernmental collaboration to reduce emissions from the transportation sector.

In 2016, Environment Canada released the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change. The framework put in place a national, sector-based greenhouse gas reduction program applicable to a number of industries. In addition, various provincial governments, including British Columbia and Alberta, have introduced legislation and standards with the intention of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by, among other things, implementing greenhouse gas emissions benchmarks and reporting regulations, carbon taxes and carbon offsets.

In 2019, the Canadian federal government began phasing in a federal carbon tax pricing system which has two parts: a regulatory charge on fossil fuels like gasoline and natural gas (the “fuel charge”) and a performance-based system for industries (the output-based pricing system or “OBPS”). Under the OBPS, industrial emitters will be taxed at current rates on any emissions emitted above the performance standard or receive carbon credits if they are below the standard. As of January 1, 2025, the federal fuel charge applies to Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as the territories of Nunavut and the Yukon, while the OBPS applies to British Columbia, Manitoba and Prince Edward Island, as well as the territories of Nunavut and the Yukon.

We believe that these water and air emission measures in Germany and Canada have not had, and in 2025 will not have, a significant effect on our operations. Although these measures could have a material adverse effect on our operations in the future, we expect that we will not be disproportionately affected by these measures as compared with owners of comparable operations. We also expect that these measures will not significantly disrupt our planned operations.

Future regulations or permits may place lower limits on allowable types of emissions, including air, water, waste and hazardous materials, and may increase the financial consequences of maintaining compliance with environmental laws and regulations or conducting remediation. Our ongoing monitoring and policies have enabled us to develop and implement effective measures to maintain emissions in substantial compliance with environmental laws and regulations to date in a cost-effective manner. However, there can be no assurance that this will be the case in the future.