Seagate 2009 Annual Report Download - page 17

Table of Contents
We have established environmental management systems and continually update our environmental policies and standard operating
procedures for our operations worldwide. We believe that our operations are in material compliance with applicable environmental laws,
regulations and permits. We budget for operating and capital costs on an ongoing basis to comply with environmental laws. If additional or more
stringent requirements are imposed on us in the future, we could incur additional operating costs and capital expenditures.
Some environmental laws, such as the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (as amended, the
"Superfund" law) and its state equivalents, can impose liability for the cost of cleanup of contaminated sites upon any of the current or former
site owners or operators or upon parties who sent waste to these sites, regardless of whether the owner or operator owned the site at the time of
the release of hazardous substances or the lawfulness of the original disposal activity. We have been identified as a potentially responsible party
at several sites. At each of these sites, we have an assigned portion of the financial liability based on the type and amount of hazardous
substances disposed of by each party at the site and the number of financially viable parties. We have fulfilled our responsibilities at some of
these sites and remain involved in only a few at this time.
While our ultimate costs in connection with these sites is difficult to predict with complete accuracy, based on our current estimates of
cleanup costs and our expected allocation of these costs, we do not expect costs in connection with these sites to be material.
We may be subject to various state, federal and international laws and regulations governing the environment, including those restricting the
presence of certain substances in electronic products. For example, the European Union ("EU") enacted the Restriction of the Use of Certain
Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment, which prohibits the use of certain substances, including lead, in certain products,
including disk drives, put on the market after July 1, 2006. Similar legislation has been or may be enacted in other jurisdictions, including in the
United States, Canada, Mexico, China and Japan.
If we or our suppliers fail to comply with the substance restrictions, recycle requirements or other environmental requirements as they are
enacted worldwide, it could have a materially adverse effect on our business.
Employees
At July 2, 2010, we employed approximately 52,600 employees, temporary employees and contractors worldwide, of which approximately
45,000 employees were located in our Asian operations. We believe that our future success will depend in part on our ability to attract and retain
qualified employees at all levels. We believe that our employee relations are good.
Financial Information
Financial information for our reportable business segment and about geographic areas is set forth in "Item 8. Financial Statements and
Supplementary Data—Note 12, Business Segment and Geographic Information."
Corporate Information
We were formed in 2000 as an exempted company incorporated with limited liability under the laws of the Cayman Islands. On July 3,
2010, we consummated our previously announced reorganization pursuant to which Seagate Technology public limited company, a public
limited company organized under the laws of Ireland, became the publicly traded parent of the Seagate corporate family.
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