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FLEXIBLE SOLUTIONS INTERNATIONAL INC

For the period ended Dec 31, 2023. Filed Apr 1, 2024.

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About this filing

A company's yearly report to the SEC, with audited financial statements. It is the fullest account a company gives of its business, its finances and the risks it sees.

FY2023 · Filed Apr 1, 2024

FSI$6.15+0.2%Stored close · as of Nov 6, 2026
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Contents

Item 1. Description of Business

We were incorporated as Flexible Solutions Ltd., a British Columbia corporation on January 26, 1991. On May 12, 1998, we merged Flexible Solutions Ltd. into Flexible Solutions International, Inc., a Nevada corporation. In connection with this merger, we issued 7,000,000 shares of common stock to the former shareholders of Flexible Solutions Ltd. in exchange for all of the outstanding shares of Flexible Solutions Ltd.

In June 2004 we purchased 52 U.S. and 139 International Patents (“IP”), as well as a 56,780 sq. ft. manufacturing plant near Chicago, Illinois from the bankruptcy estate of Donlar Corporation (“Donlar”) for $6.15 million. The IP we acquired from Donlar relates to water-soluble chemicals (“TPAs”) which prevent corrosion and scaling in water pipes used in the petroleum, chemical, utility and mining industries. TPAs are also used to enhance fertilizers and improve crop yields and as additives for household laundry detergents, consumer care products and pesticides. These assets are held in our wholly owned subsidiary, NanoChem Solutions Inc. (“NanoChem”), which has become our largest revenue generator.

In October 2018, we purchased 65% of ENP Investments, LLC, amanufacturing and distribution company active in the areas of golf, turf and ornamental agriculture products.

In January 2019, wepurchased 50% of a Florida based limited liability company engaged in international sales of fertilizer additives. This purchase is accounted for as an equity accounted investment.

In 2019, we changed our corporate domicile from Nevada to Alberta, Canada.

In January 2020, ENP Realty, LLC became a wholly owned subsidiary of ENP Investments, LLC and was renamed to ENP Mendota, LLC. ENP Mendota owns a building that the Company occupies.

In June 2022, ENP Peru Investments, LLC became a wholly owned subsidiary with NanoChem owning 91.67% and ENP Investments, LLC owning 8.33%. of ENP Peru. In 2023, NanoChem purchased the remaining 8.33% of shares to become sole owner. ENP Peru was previously accounted for under the equity method however, from 2022 it is consolidated into the financial statements from the date control was obtained. ENP Peru owns a building the Company occupies.

In June 2023, 317 Mendota LLC (“317 Mendota”) was created to purchase real estate and the Company has 80% ownership with an unrelated party (NCI) owning the remaining 20%. The Company occupies part of the building currently owned by 317 Mendota and intends to rent out the remaining portion of the building. For financial reporting purposes, the assets, liabilities and earnings of 317 Mendota are consolidated into these financial statements. The NCI’s ownership interest in 317 Mendota is recorded in non-controlling interests in these consolidated financial statements.

We operate through a number of wholly-owned subsidiaries which are further discussed in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements included as part of this report. Unless otherwise indicated, all references to our business include the operations of these subsidiaries.

Our website is www.flexiblesolutions.com

Our Products

Thermal Polyaspartates (“TPAs”)

We manufacture TPAs in our Peru, Illinois plant using a thermal polymerizing process. The multiple variants produced are optimized for individual market verticals and sold for end use or through distribution.

TPAs for Oilfields. TPAs are used to reduce scale and corrosion in various “topside” water systems. They are used in place of traditional phosphonate and other products when biodegradability is required by environmental regulations. We have the ability to custom manufacture TPAs depending on the specific water conditions associated with any oil well. TPAs are also used in fracking fluids to reduce the toxicity while maintaining equal function.

TPAs for the Agricultural Industry. TPAs have the ability to reduce fertilizer crystallization before, during and after application and can also delay crystal formation between fertilizer and minerals present in the soil. Once crystallized, fertilizer and soil minerals are not able to provide plant nourishment. As a result, in select conditions the use of TPAs either blended with fertilizer or applied directly to crops can increase yields significantly. TPAs are designated for crop nutrient management programs and should not be confused with crop protection and pesticides or other agricultural chemical applications. Depending on the application, TPA products are marketed under a variety of brands including EX-10TM, AmisorbTM, LYNXTM, MAGNETTM, AmGroTM and VOLTTM. Markets of significance include corn, wheat, soybeans, rice, potatoes, sugar beets, cotton, tomatoes, almonds and other high value per acre crops.

TPAs for Irrigation. The crystallization prevention ability of TPAs can also be useful in select irrigation conditions. By reducing calcium carbonate scale propagation, TPAs can prevent early plugging of drip irrigation ports, reduce maintenance costs and lengthen the life of equipment. TPAs compete with acid type scale removers, but have the advantage of a positive yield effect on the plant, as well as an easier deployment formulation with liquid fertilizers when used as part of a “fertigation” program. Our TPAs for drip irrigation scale prevention are marketed and sold through the same channels as TPAs used by the agricultural industry.

TPAs in Cleaning Products. TPA can replace polyacrylates in cleaning products which is valuable because TPA is biodegradable while polyacrylates are not. In a cleaning product formulation, TPA prevents the re-deposition of dirt onto the surfaces to be cleaned allowing dirt to be rinsed away.

Nitrogen Conservation Products for Agriculture. We manufacture and sell two conservation products and mixtures used for slowing nitrogen loss from fields. One significant loss route for nitrogen fertilizer is enzymatic degradation by bacteria naturally present in soil. Our product, SUN 27TM inhibits the bacterial action and keeps the nitrogen fertilizer available for plant growth. The second significant nitrogen loss mechanism is de-nitrification. This is also caused by bacterial activity in soil resulting in oxygen being stripped from the fertilizer leaving nitrogen gas. The gas can’t be used by the plants and escapes into the atmosphere. Our N Savr 30TM product uses the most effective active ingredients available to combat this cause of fertilizer loss. We sell SUN 27TM and N Savr 30TM through distributors in North and South America under our trade names and under private labels.

Food and Nutritional Materials

We have installed custom equipment used to produce food and nutritional materials. All the ingredients we produce are custom products for specific clients and are confidential. We anticipate that this market vertical will grow over time.

HEATSAVR®

Our studies indicate that approximately 70% of the energy lost from a swimming pool occurs through water evaporation. HEATSAVR® is a chemical product for use in swimming pools and spas that forms a thin, transparent layer on the water’s surface. The transparent layer slows the evaporation of water, allowing the water to retain a higher temperature for a longer period of time and thereby reducing the energy required to maintain the desired temperature of the water. We have received reports from our commercial customers documenting energy savings of between $2,400 and $6,000 per year when using HEATSAVR®.

In outdoor pools, the HEATSAVR® also provides convenience compared to pool blankets. It is often inconvenient to use conventional pool blankets since a pool blanket must be removed and stored before the pool can be used. Pool blankets do not provide any energy savings when not on the pool. Conversely, HEATSAVR® eliminates the need to install, remove and store the blanket and works 24 hours a day. In addition, the use of HEATSAVR® in an indoor pool results in even greater energy savings since indoor pool locations use energy not only to heat the pool water, but also to air condition the pool environment. By slowing the transfer of heat and water vapor from the pool to the atmosphere of the pool enclosure, less energy is required to maintain a pool at the desired temperature and there is a reduced load on the air-conditioning system. We also manufacture and sell products which automatically dispense HEATSAVR® into commercial size swimming pools or spas at the rate of one ounce per 400 sq. ft. of water surface per day.

WATERSAVR®

This product utilizes a patented variation of our HEATSAVR technology to reduce water evaporation in reservoirs, potable water storage tanks, livestock watering ponds, aqueducts, canals and irrigation ditches. WATERSAVR may also be used for lawn and turf care and potted and bedding plants.

WATERSAVR® is sold in granulated form and can be applied by hand, by fully automated scheduled metering, or by an automatic dispenser.

Tests have indicated that WATERSAVR®:

●Reduces daily water evaporation as much as 54%;
●Reduces monthly water evaporation as much as 37%;
●Is odorless;
●Has no effect on invertebrates or vertebrates;
●Has no anticipated effect on any current drinking water treatment processes; and
●Is biodegradable.

We have one part-time employee involved in the sales and marketing of WATERSAVR®.

Principal Customers

The table below presents our revenue resulting from purchases by our major customers for the periods presented.

Year Ended December 31,
20232022
Company A$6,811,083$6,677,815
Company B$10,260,870$12,938,735
Company C$3,410,845$8,159,066

Customers with balances greater than 10% of our receivable balances as of each of the fiscal year ends presented are shown in the following table:

Year Ended December 31,
20232022
Company A$4,225,028$3,634,083
Company B$2,073,8132,423,285

Competition

*TPAs:*Our TPA products have direct competition with Lanxess AG (spun out of Bayer AG) (“Lanxess”), a German manufacturer of TPAs, which uses a patented process different from ours. We have cross-licensed each other’s processes and either company can use either process for the term of the patents involved. We believe that Lanxess has approximately the same production capacity and product costs as we do. We believe that we can compete effectively with Lanxess by offering excellent customer service in oilfield sales, superior distributor support in the agricultural marketplace and flexibility due to our relative size. In addition, we intend to continue to seek market niches that are not the primary targets of Lanxess. There are other competitors based in Asia.

Our TPA products face indirect competition from other chemicals in every market in which we are active. For purposes of oilfield scale prevention, phosphonates, phosphates and molibdonates provide the same effect. For crop enhancement, increased fertilizer levels can serve as a substitute for TPAs. In irrigation scale control, acid washes are our prime competitor. Notwithstanding the above, we believe our competitive advantages include:

●Biodegradability compared to competing oil field chemicals;
●Cost-effectiveness for crop enhancement compared to increased fertilizer use; and
●Environmental considerations, ease of formulation and increased crop yield opportunities in irrigation scale markets.

*HEATSAVR®:*Although we are aware of two other companies that manufacture products that compete with HEATSAVR®, we believe our products are more effective and safer. We maintain fair pricing equal to or lower than our competitors and protect our intellectual property carefully. Our products are expected to maintain market share in the competitive pool market. HEATSAVR® also competes with plastic pool blanket products. However, we believe that HEATSAVR® is more effective and convenient than pool blankets.

*WATERSAVR®:*WATERSAVR® competes with solid and floating covers. We believe our WATERSAVR® product is superior for the following reasons: it is less expensive, requires little capital expenditure to deploy and can be started and stopped as water scarcity escalates or declines. As water conservation is an important priority throughout the world, numerous researchers are working to develop solutions that may compete with, or be superior to, WATERSAVR.

Manufacturing

Our 56,780 sq. ft. facility in Peru, Illinois manufactures our TPA products. Raw materials for TPA production are sourced from various manufacturers throughout the world and we believe they are available in sufficient quantities for any increase in sales. Raw materials are, however, derived from crude oil and are subject to price fluctuations related to world oil prices.

Our HEATSAVR® products and dispensers are made from chemicals, plastics and other materials and parts that are readily available from multiple suppliers. We have never experienced any shortage in the availability of raw materials and parts for these products and we do not have any long term supply contracts for any of these items. We have these products made by outside parties without long term contracts.

Our WATERSAVR® products are manufactured by a third party. We are not required to purchase any minimum quantity of this product.

In January 2020, ENP Investments, LLC acquired a 100% interest in ENP Realty, LLC and the 14,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility in Mendota, Illinois owned by this entity.

Government Regulations

*TPAs:*In the industrial oil field and agricultural markets, we have received government approval for all TPAs currently sold.

*Nitrogen Conservation Products:*We have obtained all government approvals for the markets in which we sell these products.

*HEATSAVR®:*Chemical products for use in swimming pools are covered by a variety of governmental regulations in all countries where we sell these products. These regulations cover packaging, labeling, and product safety. We believe our products are in compliance with these regulations.

*WATERSAVR®:*Our WATERSAVR® product is subject to regulation in most countries, particularly for agricultural and drinking water uses. We do not anticipate that governmental regulations will be an impediment to marketing WATERSAVR® because the components in WATERSAVR® have historically been used in agriculture for many years for other purposes. Nevertheless, we may require county or state approval on a case by case basis to sell WATERSAVR® in the United States for agricultural and drinking water uses. We have received National Sanitation Foundation approval for the use of WATERSAVR® in drinking water in the United States.

Proprietary Rights

Our success is dependent, in part, upon our proprietary technology. We rely on a combination of patent, copyright, trademarks, trade secrets and nondisclosure agreements to protect our proprietary technology. We hold several US patents with various expiry dates. We have applied for additional patents in new areas of invention and may extend these patents, if granted to other jurisdictions. There can be no assurance that our patent applications will be granted or that any issued patent will be upheld as valid or prevent the development of competitive products, which may be equivalent to or superior to our products. We have not received any claims alleging infringement of the intellectual property rights of others, but there can be no assurance that we may not be subject to such claims in the future.

Research and Development

We spent $158,246 during the year ended December 31, 2023 and $99,275 during year ended December 31, 2022 on research and development. This work relates primarily to the development of our water and energy conservation products, as well as new research in connection with our TPA products.

Employees

As of December 31, 2023, we had 46 employees, including one officer, 15 sales and customer support personnel, and 30 manufacturing personnel. None of our employees are represented by a labor union and we have not experienced any work stoppages to date.

ContentsView on SEC.gov

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