3M CO (MMM) Business

Item 1. Business

3M Company was incorporated in 1929 under the laws of the State of Delaware to continue operations begun in 1902. The Company’s ticker symbol is MMM. As used herein, the term “3M” or “Company” includes 3M Company and its subsidiaries unless the context indicates otherwise. In this document, for any references to Note 1 through Note 20, refer to the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8.

Available Information: The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) maintains a website that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers, including the Company, that file electronically with the SEC. The public can obtain any documents that the Company files with the SEC at https://www.sec.gov. The Company files annual reports, quarterly reports, proxy statements and other documents with the SEC under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Exchange Act).

3M also makes available free of charge through its website (https://investors.3M.com) the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and, if applicable, amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to the Exchange Act as soon as reasonably practicable after the Company electronically files such material with, or furnishes it to, the SEC.

General: 3M is a diversified technology company with a global presence in the following businesses: Safety and Industrial; Transportation and Electronics; and Consumer. 3M is among the leading manufacturers of products for many of the markets it serves. Most 3M products involve expertise in product development, manufacturing and marketing, and are subject to competition from products manufactured and sold by other technologically oriented companies.

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Business Segments: 3M manages its continuing operations in three business segments. The reportable segments are Safety and Industrial, Transportation and Electronics, and Consumer. 3M’s business segments bring together common or related 3M technologies, enhancing the development of innovative products and services and providing for efficient sharing of business resources. Refer to segment descriptions summarized below (Financial information and other disclosures relating to 3M’s business segments and operations in major geographic areas are provided in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements):

Distribution: 3M products are sold through numerous distribution channels, including directly to users and through a wide range of e-commerce and traditional wholesalers, retailers, jobbers, distributors, and dealers in a wide variety of trades in many countries around the world. Management believes that the confidence of these partners in 3M and its products — a confidence developed through long association with skilled marketing and sales representatives — has contributed significantly to 3M’s position in the marketplace and to its growth. As part of 3M's ongoing commercial excellence initiative, the Company is focused on further strengthening and optimizing this go‑to‑market channel, enhancing partner engagement, and improving overall channel performance to support continued growth.

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Resources

Human Capital: On December 31, 2025, the Company employed approximately 60,500 people (full-time equivalents), with approximately 22,500 employed in the United States and 38,000 employed internationally. The ability to recruit, retain, develop, protect, and fairly compensate its global workforce are enablers of 3M’s success. This includes five general categories of focus: Health and Safety; Performance Culture; Development; People and Community; and Compensation and Benefits.

Health and Safety:

3M is committed to the safety, health, and well-being of its employees. The Company continuously evaluates opportunities to raise safety and health standards, training site leaders and conducting site visits to identify and manage environmental health and safety risks; evaluating compliance with regulatory requirements and 3M policy; and maintaining a global security operation for the protection of facilities and people on 3M sites. 3M also promotes a culture of health and well-being through disease prevention programs, on-site clinical services, employee assistance programs, and comprehensive health care benefits.

Performance Culture:

3M’s performance culture is grounded in five behavioral expectations that apply consistently across all levels of the organization: Deliver Results, Challenge the Status Quo, Instill Rigor and Accountability, Energize the Team to Act, and Act Responsibly and Respectfully. These behaviors guide how the Company evaluates, rewards, recognizes and develops its people to support a high-performance environment. Through clear communications to candidates and employees, these expectations serve as a foundation for how work gets done at 3M. Development programs for executive leaders, people leaders, and individual contributors are aligned to help ensure employees have the capabilities needed to demonstrate them effectively. 3M’s performance enablement process emphasizes clear goal setting, regular coaching, and feedback, and differentiated performance rewards to reinforce the Company’s “pay for performance” approach.

Development:

Developing employees contributes to growing 3M’s business. 3M maintains talent and succession planning processes, including regular reviews by the Company’s chief executive officer (CEO) and reporting up through the Board of Directors. The Company provides leadership development experiences through enterprise leadership development programs, job-based or project-based assignments, assessment and coaching, and targeted skill-development where leaders are given the opportunity to learn, apply, and share their skills. 3M also provides opportunities for all employees to learn, in addition to regular coaching and support from their supervisor. With the Company’s global online employee learning platform, employees are able to access unique, just-in-time development resources in over 15 languages to support their career aspirations and advance their skills.

People and Community:

3M is committed to developing a skilled, engaged, and innovative workforce and to strengthening the communities in which it operates. The Company supports its people through talent practices that attract, develop, and retain employees with a wide variety of expertise and experiences, and fosters a work environment that promotes collaboration, respect, and high performance. 3M also advances STEM and skilled‑trade readiness through volunteerism, charitable giving, and strategic community partnerships.

Compensation and Benefits:

3M invests in a professional and flexible work environment that promotes innovation, well-being, and rewards performance. 3M’s total compensation for employees includes a variety of components that support sustainable employment and the ability to build a strong financial future, including competitive market-based pay and comprehensive benefits. In addition to earning a base salary, eligible employees are compensated for their contributions to the Company’s goals with both short-term incentives and long-term incentives. Through its global pay philosophy, principles and consistent implementation, 3M is committed to providing fair and equitable pay for employees. Eligible full-time employees in the United States also have access to medical, dental, and vision plans; savings and retirement plans; a 3M employee stock purchase plan; and other resources. Some of these benefits can also be available to regular part-time employees who work at least 20 hours a week. Programs and benefits differ internationally for a variety of reasons, such as local legal requirements, market practices, and negotiations with works councils, trade unions, and other employee representative bodies.

Raw Materials: In 2025, persistent pricing pressure, tariffs and geopolitical uncertainty prompted producers to adjust capacity and restructure operations. Overall, these market conditions caused supply constraints and inflation, but were offset via negotiated supply contracts and leveraging scale across the supply base.

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Patents, Trademarks and Licenses: The Company’s products are sold around the world under various trademarks. The Company also owns, or holds licenses to use, numerous U.S. and foreign patents. The Company’s research and development activities generate a steady stream of inventions that are covered by new patents or trade secrets. Patents applicable to specific products extend for varying periods according to the date of patent application filing or patent grant and the legal term of patents in the various countries where patent protection is obtained. The actual protection afforded by a patent, which can vary from country to country, depends upon the type of patent, the scope of its coverage and the availability of legal remedies in the country.

The Company believes that its trademarks, patents, and trade secrets provide an important competitive advantage in many of its businesses, particularly in connection with new product introductions in markets around the world. In general, no single patent or group of related patents is in itself essential to the Company as a whole or to any of the Company’s business segments.

Government Regulation and Environmental Law Compliance: The Company’s business operations are subject to various governmental regulations in the U.S. and internationally, including, among others, those related to product liability; securities and corporate governance; antitrust and competition; intellectual property; environmental, health, and safety; tax; the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and other anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws; international import and export requirements and trade sanctions compliance; laws and regulations that apply to industries served by the Company, including the False Claims Act, anti-kickback laws, and the Sunshine Act; and other matters.

3M’s manufacturing operations are affected by national, state and local environmental laws and regulations around the world. The Company places consistent emphasis on environmental responsibility. 3M has made and will continue to make, necessary expenditures, including capital expenditures, for compliance with these applicable laws and regulations. 3M is also involved in remediation actions relating to environmental matters from past operations at certain sites (refer to “Environmental Matters and Litigation” in Note 17, Commitments and Contingencies).

Environmental expenditures relating to existing conditions caused by past operations that do not contribute to current or future revenues are expensed. Reserves for liabilities for anticipated remediation costs are recorded on an undiscounted basis when they are probable and reasonably estimable, generally no later than the completion of feasibility studies, the Company’s commitment to a plan of action, or approval by regulatory agencies. Environmental expenditures for capital projects that contribute to current or future operations generally are capitalized and depreciated over their estimated useful lives. 3M cannot predict with certainty whether future costs of compliance with government regulations (including environmental regulations) will have a material effect on its capital expenditures, earnings or competitive position.

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Information about our Executive Officers: Following is a list of the executive officers of 3M, and their age, present position, the year elected to their present position and other positions they have held during the past five years. No family relationships exist among any of the executive officers named, nor is there any undisclosed arrangement or understanding pursuant to which any person was selected as an officer. This information is presented in the table below as of the date of the 10-K filing (February 3, 2026).

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Cautionary Note Concerning Factors That May Affect Future Results

This Annual Report on Form 10-K, including “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Part II, Item 7, contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company may also make forward-looking statements in other reports filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), in materials delivered to shareholders and in press releases. In addition, the Company’s representatives may from time to time make oral forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements relate to future events and typically address the Company’s expected future business and financial performance. Words such as “plan,” “expect,” “aim,” “believe,” “project,” “target,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “estimate,” “will,” “should,” “could,” "would," “forecast,” "future," "outlook," "guidance" and other words and terms of similar meaning, typically identify such forward-looking statements. In particular, these include, among others, statements relating to:

•worldwide economic, political, regulatory, international trade, geopolitical, capital markets and other external conditions and other factors beyond the Company's control, including inflation; recession; military conflicts; trade restrictions such as sanctions, tariffs, reciprocal and retaliatory tariffs, and other tariff-related measures; regulatory requirements, legal actions, or enforcement; and natural and other disasters or climate change affecting the operations of the Company or its customers and suppliers,

•foreign currency exchange rates and fluctuations in those rates,

•liabilities and the outcome of contingencies related to certain fluorochemicals known as "PFAS," including liabilities related to claims, lawsuits, and government regulatory proceedings concerning various PFAS-related products and chemistries, as well as risks related to the Company's exit of PFAS manufacturing and work to discontinue use of PFAS across its product portfolio,

•risks related to the class-action settlement (“PWS Settlement”) to resolve claims by public water suppliers in the United States regarding PFAS, as well as risks related to ongoing PFAS-related settlements and claims,

•legal proceedings, including significant developments that could occur in the legal and regulatory proceedings described in the Company's reports on Form 10-K, 10-Q, and 8-K, as well as compliance risks related to legal or regulatory requirements, government contract requirements, policies and practices, or other matters that require or encourage the Company or its customers, suppliers, vendors, or channel partners to conduct business in a certain way,

•competitive conditions and customer preferences,

•the timing and market acceptance of new product and service offerings,

•the availability and cost of purchased components, compounds, raw materials and energy due to shortages, increased demand and wages, tariffs, supply chain interruptions, or natural or other disasters,

•unanticipated problems or delays when implementing new business systems and solutions, including with the phased implementation of a global enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, or security breaches and other disruptions to the Company's information or operational technology infrastructure,

•the impact of acquisitions, strategic alliances, divestitures, and other strategic events resulting from portfolio management actions and other evolving business strategies,

•operational execution, including the extent to which the Company can realize the benefits of planned productivity improvements, as well as the impact of organizational restructuring activities,

•financial market risks that may affect the Company's funding obligations under defined benefit pension and postretirement plans,

•the Company’s credit ratings and its cost of capital,

•tax-related external conditions, including changes in tax rates, laws, or regulations,

•matters relating to the spin-off of the Company's Health Care business, including the risk that the expected benefits will not be realized; the risk that the costs or dis-synergies will exceed the anticipated amounts; potential impacts on the Company's relationships with its customers, suppliers, employees, regulators and other counterparties; the ability to realize the desired tax treatment; risks under the agreements and obligations entered into in connection with the spin-off, and

•matters relating to Combat Arms Earplugs (“CAE”) and related products.

The Company assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. Changes in such assumptions or factors could produce significantly different results.

Forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions and expectations of future events and trends that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual future results and trends may differ materially from historical results or those reflected in any such forward-looking statements depending on a variety of factors. Important information as to these factors can be found in this document, including, among others, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” under the headings of “Overview,” “Financial Condition and Liquidity” and annually in “Critical Accounting Estimates.” Discussion of these factors is incorporated by reference from Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors,” of this document, and should be considered an integral part of Part II, Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” For additional information concerning factors that may cause actual results to vary materially from those stated in the forward-looking statements, see our reports on Form 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K filed with the SEC from time to time.