SEC Form 10-K filed by Planet Green Holdings Corp.

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

☒ ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended: December 31, 2023

☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 or 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from ____________to ____________

Commission File Number: 001-34449

PLANET GREEN HOLDINGS CORP.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

130-30 31^st Ave, Suite 512
Flushing, NY 11354

(Address of principal executive office and zip code)

(718) 799-0380
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the issuer was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to § 240.10D-1(b). ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒

The aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share, held by non-affiliates of the registrant (using the NYSE American closing price of $0.505 as of June 30, 2023, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter) was approximately $28.85 million.

APPLICABLE ONLY TO CORPORATE REGISTRANTS

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the registrant’s classes of common stock (ordinary shares), as of the latest practicable date: As of April 1, 2024, there were 72,081,930 common stock issued and outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

List hereunder the following documents if incorporated by reference and the Part of the Form 10-K (e.g., Part I, Part II, etc.) into which the document is incorporated:

TABLE OF CONTENT

PART I

Use of Certain Defined Terms

In this annual report on Form 10-K:

This report contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”), including, without limitation, statements regarding our expectations, beliefs, intentions or future strategies that are signified by the words “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “believe,” or similar language. All forward-looking statements included in this document are based on information available to us on the date hereof, and the Company assume no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Our business and financial performance are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

Overview of Our Business

Planet Green Holdings Corp. (the “Planet Green”), headquartered in Flushing, NY, is not an operating company in the PRC but a Nevada holding company with its operations conducted through its subsidiaries in the PRC, U.S., Hong Kong and Canada (the “Subsidiaries”) and through contractual arrangements with its variable interest entity, Jilin Chuanyuan (the “VIE”), which is a company incorporated in the PRC. Planet Green is engaged in a number of diverse business activities, including consumer products, chemical products, and online advertising and mobile game. The VIE is consolidated for accounting purpose only and Planet Green does not own any equity interest in the VIE. Investors may never directly hold equity interests in the VIE. The VIE structure is used to provide investors with exposure to foreign investment in China-based companies where Chinese law prohibits or limits direct foreign investment in the operating companies. However, our contractual arrangements with the VIE are not equivalent of an investment in the VIE. Investors of our securities thus are not purchasing equity interest in the VIE and their subsidiaries in China but instead are purchasing equity interest in a Nevada holding company. Such VIE arrangement is not identical to owning such entities directly, and investors will own shares in a holding company with contracts with the VIE and will not have any equity ownership of such VIE itself. The VIE arrangement may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing us with control over the VIE. Direct ownership would allow us, for example, to directly or indirectly exercise our rights as a shareholder to effect changes in the boards of directors, which, in turn, could affect changes, subject to any applicable fiduciary obligations at the management level. However, under the VIE arrangement, as a legal matter, if the VIE or its shareholders fail to perform their respective obligations under the VIE arrangement, we may have to incur substantial costs and expend significant resources to enforce those arrangements and resort to litigation or arbitration and rely on legal remedies under PRC laws. These remedies may include seeking specific performance or injunctive relief and claiming damages, any of which may not be effective. In the event we are unable to enforce these VIE Agreements or we experience significant delays or other obstacles in the process of enforcing the VIE arrangement, we may lose control over the assets owned by the VIE.

Our corporate structure is subject to risks relating to our contractual arrangements with our VIE and its shareholders. Such contractual arrangements have not been tested in any of the PRC courts. There are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current and future PRC laws, regulations, and rules relating to these contractual arrangements. If the PRC government finds these contractual arrangements non-compliant with the restrictions on direct foreign investment in the relevant industries, or if the relevant PRC laws, regulations, and rules or the interpretation thereof change in the future, we could be subject to severe penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in the VIE or forfeit our rights under the contractual arrangements. We and investors face uncertainty about potential future actions by the PRC government, which could affect the enforceability of our contractual arrangements with our VIE and consequently, significantly affect the financial condition and results of operations of us. If we are unable to claim our right to control the assets of the VIE, our common stock may decline in value or become worthless. The PRC government could even disallow the VIE structure completely, which would likely result in a material adverse change in our operations and our common stock may significantly decline in value or become worthless.

Under our corporate structure, our ability to pay dividends and to service any debt we may incur and pay our operating expenses principally depends on dividends paid by our PRC subsidiaries and VIE. Cash is transferred through our organization in the manner as follows: (1) we may transfer funds to our WFOEs through our Hong Kong subsidiaries, Promising Prospect HK Limited, and Bless Chemical Co., Ltd. (HK) by additional capital contributions or shareholder loans, as the case may be; (2) the VIE may pay service fees to our PRC subsidiaries for services rendered by our PRC subsidiaries; (3) our PRC subsidiaries may pay service fees to the VIE for services rendered by the VIE; and (4) our PRC subsidiaries may make dividends or other distributions to the Planet Green. We do not have cash management policies dictating how funds are transferred throughout our organization. We may encounter difficulties in our ability to transfer cash between PRC subsidiaries and non-PRC subsidiaries largely due to various PRC laws and regulations imposed on foreign exchange. If we intend to distribute dividends to the Planet Green, our WFOEs will transfer the dividends to our Hong Kong subsidiaries in accordance with the laws and regulations of the PRC, and then our Hong Kong subsidiaries will transfer the dividends to the Planet Green, and the dividends can be distributed from the Planet Green to all shareholders respectively in proportion to the shares they hold, regardless of whether the shareholders are U.S. investors or investors in other countries or regions. However, there can be no assurance that the PRC government will not intervene or impose restrictions on the Company’s ability to transfer cash out of China. In 2023, our PRC subsidiaries did not receive any cash benefits from the VIE for services rendered to the VIE and its subsidiaries. As of December 31, 2023, the VIE owns $2,823,782 to our WFOE. As of December 31, 2023, we were not subject to any actual foreign exchange restrictions. The foregoing cash flows include all distributions and transfers between Planet Green, our PRC subsidiaries and the VIE as of the date of this annual report. As of the date of this annual report, none of our subsidiaries have ever issued any dividends or made other distributions to the Planet Green nor have Planet Green ever paid dividends or made other distributions to U.S. investors. We currently intend to retain all future earnings to finance the VIE’s and our subsidiaries’ operations and to expand their business. As a result, we do not expect to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Any limitation on the ability of our subsidiaries to distribute dividends to us or on the ability of the VIE to make payments to us may restrict our ability to satisfy our liquidity requirements. To the extent cash or assets in the business is in the PRC or Hong Kong or in a PRC or Hong Kong entity, and may need to be used to fund operations outside of the PRC or Hong Kong, the funds and assets may not be available to fund operations or for other uses outside of the PRC or Hong Kong due to interventions in or the imposition of restrictions and limitations by the government on our subsidiaries’ or the VIE’s ability to transfer cash and assets.

We face various legal and operational risks and uncertainties related to being based in and having significant operations in mainland China. The PRC government has significant authority to exert influence on the ability of a China-based company, such as us, to conduct its business, accept foreign investments or list on U.S. or other foreign exchanges. For example, we face risks associated with regulatory approvals of offshore offerings, oversight on cybersecurity and data privacy, as well as the lack of inspection by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the “PCAOB”) on our auditors. Such risks could result in a material change in our operations and/or the value of the common stock or could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer common stock and/or other securities to investors and cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or be worthless. These regulatory risks and uncertainties could become applicable to our Hong Kong subsidiaries if regulatory authorities in Hong Kong adopt similar rules and/or regulatory actions.

Because our operations are primarily located in the PRC and Hong Kong through our subsidiaries and VIE, we are subject to certain legal and operational risks associated with our operations in China and Hong Kong, including changes in the legal, political and economic policies of the Chinese government, the relations between China and the United States, or Chinese or United States regulations may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. PRC laws and regulations governing our current business operations are sometimes vague and uncertain, and therefore, these risks may result in a material change in our operations and the value of our common stock, or could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer our securities to investors and cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or be worthless. Recently, the PRC government initiated a series of regulatory actions and statements to regulate business operations in China with little advance notice, including cracking down on illegal activities in the securities market, enhancing supervision over China-based companies listed overseas using a variable interest entity structure, adopting new measures to extend the scope of cybersecurity reviews, and expanding the efforts in anti-monopoly enforcement. We do not believe that our subsidiaries and VIE are directly subject to these regulatory actions or statements, as we have not implemented any monopolistic behavior and our business does not involve the collection of user data or implicate cybersecurity. As of the date of this annual report, no relevant laws or regulations in the PRC explicitly require us to seek approval from the China Securities Regulatory Commission (the “CSRC”), Cyberspace Administration of China (the “CAC”) or any other PRC governmental authorities for our offering, nor has our Nevada holding company or any of our subsidiaries or our VIE received any inquiry, notice, warning or sanctions regarding our offering from the CSRC or any other PRC governmental authorities. However, since these statements and regulatory actions by the PRC government are newly published and official guidance and related implementation rules have not been issued, it is highly uncertain how soon legislative or administrative regulation making bodies will respond and what existing or new laws or regulations or detailed implementations and interpretations will be modified or promulgated, if any, and the potential impact such modified or new laws and regulations will have on our daily business operation, the ability to accept foreign investments and list on an U.S. or other foreign exchange. The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, or the SCNPC, or other PRC regulatory authorities may in the future promulgate laws, regulations or implementing rules that requires our company or any of our subsidiaries to obtain regulatory approval from Chinese authorities before offering in the U.S. In other words, although the Company is currently not required to obtain permission from any of the PRC central or local government to obtain such permission and has not received any denial to list on the U.S. exchange, our operations could be adversely affected, directly or indirectly; our ability to offer, or continue to offer, securities to investors would be potentially hindered and the value of our securities might significantly decline or be worthless, by existing or future laws and regulations relating to its business or industry or by intervene or interruption by PRC governmental authorities, if we or our subsidiaries (i) do not receive or maintain such permissions or approvals, (ii) inadvertently conclude that such permissions or approvals are not required, (iii) applicable laws, regulations, or interpretations change and we are required to obtain such permissions or approvals in the future, or (iv) any intervention or interruption by PRC governmental with little advance notice.

As of the date of this annual report, the two Hong Kong subsidiaries of Planet Green do not have any material operation in Hong Kong and they have not collected, stored, or managed any personal information in Hong Kong. Therefore, we have concluded that currently it does not expect that laws and regulations in Mainland China on data security, data protection, cybersecurity or anti-monopoly to be applied to its Hong Kong subsidiaries or that the oversight of the Cyberspace Administration of China will be extended to its operations outside of Mainland China.

In order to operate our business, in addition to the required regular business licenses, Jingshan Sanhe is required to obtain Permit for Hazardous Chemical Products, Jilin Chuangyuan is required to obtain Safe Production License, and Shandong Yunchu is required to obtain Permit for Food Products. As of the date of this annual report, our subsidiaries, WFOEs and VIE have received from PRC authorities all requisite licenses, permissions, and approvals needed to engage in the businesses currently conducted in the PRC, and no permission or approval has been denied.  However, we cannot assure you that any of these entities will be able to receive clearance of such compliance requirements in a timely manner, or at all in the future. Any failure of these entities to fully comply with such compliance requirements may cause our PRC subsidiaries or the PRC operating entities to be unable to begin their new businesses or operations in the PRC, subject them to fines, relevant new businesses or operations suspension for rectification, or other sanctions.

As advised by our PRC counsel, Hubei Kaicheng Law Offices, as of the date of this annual report, our subsidiaries, WFOEs and VIE, (i) are not required to obtain additional permissions or approvals to operate their current business, (ii) are not required to obtain permission from the CSRC, the CAC, or any other Chinese authorities to issue our securities to foreign investors based on PRC laws and regulations currently in effect, and (iii) have not received or were denied such permission by any Chinese authorities. However, we cannot assure you that the PRC regulatory agencies, including the CAC or the CSRC, would take the same view as we do, and there is no assurance that the VIE and its subsidiaries are always able to successfully update or renew the licenses or permits required for the relevant business in a timely manner or that these licenses or permits are sufficient to conduct all of their present or future business. If the VIE, WFOEs or any of its subsidiaries (i) does not receive or maintain required permissions or approvals, (ii) inadvertently concludes that such permissions or approvals are not required, or (iii) applicable laws, regulations, or interpretations change and the VIE or any of its subsidiaries is required to obtain such permissions or approvals in the future, it could be subject to fines, legal sanctions, or an order to suspend their relevant services, which may materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations and cause our securities to significantly decline in value or become worthless.

In light of the recent statements and regulatory actions by the PRC government, such as those related to the use of variable interest entities, data security, and anti-monopoly concerns, Planet Green may be subject to the risks of uncertainty of any future actions of the PRC government in this regard, and if Chinese regulatory authorities disallow the VIE structure, that may result in a material change in our operations and/or value of our securities, including that the value of our securities to significantly decline or become worthless. Planet Green may also be subject to penalties and sanctions imposed by the PRC regulatory agencies, including the CSRC, if it fails to comply with such rules and regulations, which could adversely affect the ability of Planet Green to continue to be listed for trading on NYSE American or another foreign exchange, which may cause the value of Planet Green’s securities to significantly decline or become worthless. The Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (the “HFCA Act”) and related regulations call for additional and more stringent criteria to be applied to emerging market companies upon assessing the qualification of their auditors and could add uncertainties to Planet Green’s offering that trading in Planet Green’s securities may be prohibited under the HFCA Act. Planet Green’s auditor, YCM CPA Inc., is headquartered in California and has been inspected by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (the “PCAOB”) on a regular basis. Our auditor is not included in the list of PCAOB Identified Firms of having been unable to be inspected or investigated completely by the PCAOB in the PCAOB Determination Report issued in December 2021. On June 22, 2021, the U.S. Senate passed the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, which, if enacted, would reduce the number of consecutive non-inspection years required for triggering the prohibitions under the HFCA Act from three years to two. On December 29, 2022, the President signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, which, among other things, amended the HFCAA to reduce the number of consecutive years an issuer can be identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer before the Commission must impose an initial trading prohibition on the issuer’s securities from three years to two years. Therefore, once an issuer is identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer for two consecutive years, the Commission is required under the HCFAA to prohibit the trading of the issuer’s securities on a national securities exchange and in the over-the-counter market. Although we believe that the HFCA Act and the related regulations do not currently affect us, we cannot assure you that there will not be any further implementations and interpretations of the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act or the related regulations, which might pose regulatory risks to and impose restrictions on us because of our operations in mainland China.

Planet Green is engaged in a number of diverse businesses, including consumer products, chemical products, advertising and mobile game.

Consumer Products Business

The Company’s consumer products business is conducted through two subsidiaries: Shandong Yunchu and Xianning Bozhuang.

Shandong Yunchu imports and distributes animal proteins, mainly beef products in Chinese market. It markets and transports the best beef products from the world’s major agricultural regions. Shandong Yunchu has the mature global purchasing network and has gained the trust and authority of many international brands with more than 8 years of development and accumulation. Beef products are marketed domestically to food retailers, foodservice distributors, restaurant operators, hotel chains and other food processors. Over the past few years, Yunchu develops into a professional integrated company, which can manage import, storage, whole sale, retail and distribution.

Xianning Bozhuang produces and distributes a variety of Chinese tea leaves broadly categories including Cyan brick tea, black tea and green tea in China.

Competition

Shandong Yunchu mainly purchased frozen beef from six countries: Uruguay, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand and 25 factories are involved. The top ten suppliers include: Marrig, Minerva S.A., G & K O’Connor Pty Ltd, Frigorifico matadero Pando ontilcor S.A., Las Moras, Frigorifico de Osorno S.A., Ersinal S.A. ecoparks S.A., lorsinal S.A., and Minerva S.A. The Company has established a stable long term cooperative relationship with these beef and mutton manufacturers. The stable supply provides competitive advantage for Company to procure various various beef products with high quality and low price to meet the needs of domestic customers.

Our food products compete with those of other food producers and processors and certain prepared food manufacturers. We seek to achieve a leading market position for our products via our principal marketing and competitive strategy, which includes:

Past efforts indicate customer demand can be increased and sustained through application of our marketing strategy, as supported by our distribution systems. The principal competitive elements are price, product safety and quality, brand identification, innovation, breadth and depth of product offerings, availability of products, customer service and credit terms.

Black tea is produced in Guangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Hunan, Hubei, Shanxi and Anhui provinces in China. Our black tea products are processed in our factory in Hubei province and distributed nationwide. There are few large players on the market but we face fierce competition from numerous small black tea manufactures and distributors. However, as our brand has over hundreds of year’s history, we have accumulated loyal consumers and gained favorable market reputation over years.

Chemical Business

Jilin Chuangyuan is a leading chemical enterprise integrating R & D, production and sales. It is a large-scale enterprise in the production of formaldehyde and urea formaldehyde glue in Chinese northeast provinces and it is the only enterprise in Jilin province to produce and sell formaldehyde. The main products are sold to wood-based panel, chemical, pharmaceutical and construction enterprises in Jilin and Liaoning provinces. Jilin Chuangyuan has two formaldehyde production lines, eight rubber production units, one methylal production line and one clean fuel oil production line, which produces 270,000 tons of chemical products every year. Its products include mainly Industrial formaldehyde, E1 grade, E0 grade and UF resin for waterproof particleboard.

Jingshan Sanhe has four production lines on an 11,000-square-meter facility and capacities to complete manufacturing, labeling, and packaging. Jingshan Sanhe researches, manufactures and distributes ethanol fuel products in China.

Competition

The specialty chemical industry comprises a number of companies similar in size to the Jilin Chuangyuan, as well as companies larger and smaller than Jilin Chuangyuan. The Company cannot readily determine its precise competitive position in every industry it serves. However, the Company estimates it holds a leading regional position in the market for production of formaldehyde and urea formaldehyde glue in Chinese northeast provinces. Competition in the industry is based primarily on the ability to supply products that meet the needs of the customer and to a lesser extent, on price. Since its inception, the company has developed rapidly relying on advanced enterprise management and safe, effective, exclusive patented products and strong marketing strength. The production scale of formaldehyde is ranking top three among provinces in northeast China. The production scale of urea-formaldehyde glue attains the first place in China. Our enterprise comprehensive strength is considered first tier among all companies in northeast China.

There are many other companies operating in the renewable energy. Evolving consumer preferences, regulatory conditions, ongoing industry trends, and project economics have a strong effect on the competitive landscape. The clean energy markets are heavily fragmented. We believe we are in a strong position to compete for new project development and supply opportunities. Competition for such opportunities, however, including the prices being offered for fuel supply, affect the profitability of the opportunities we pursue, and may make opportunities unsuitable to pursue. Jingshan Sanhe is one of the top ten private enterprises in the region of Jingshan with 12 patents, 17 sets of professional laboratory equipment and 2 advanced and complete production lines.

The market for vehicle fuels is highly competitive. The biggest competition for alcohol-based high clean fuel used as a vehicle fuel is gasoline and diesel because most vehicles in our key markets are powered by these fuels. Many established businesses are in the market for alcohol-based high clean fuels and other alternatives for use as vehicle fuel, including alternative vehicle and alternative fuel companies, refuse collectors, industrial gas companies, truck stop and fuel station owners, fuel providers, utilities and their affiliates and other organizations.

If the alternative vehicle fuel market grows then the number and type of participants in this market and their level of capital and commitments to alternative vehicle fuel programs will increase. We compete for vehicle fuel users based on demand for the type of fuel, which may be affected by a variety of factors, including, among others, cost, supply, availability, quality, cleanliness, and safety of the fuel; cost, availability and reputation of vehicles and engines; convenience and accessibility of fueling stations; regulatory mandates and other requirements; and recognition of the brand. We believe we compare favorably with our competitors based on these factors; however, some of our competitors have substantially greater financial, marketing, and other resources than we have. As a result, these competitors may be able to respond more quickly to changes in customer preferences, legal requirements or other industry or regulatory trends; devote greater resources to the development, promotion and sale of their products; adopt more aggressive pricing policies, dedicate more effort to infrastructure and systems development in support of their business or product development activities; implement more robust or creative initiatives to advance consumer acceptance of their products; or exert more influence on the regulatory landscape that impacts the vehicle fuels market.

Advertising Business and Mobile Game Business

Fast Approach is a North America demand side platform that directly connects to Chinese market without middleman and is supported by world class data science researchers among some well-respected universities in North America. A demand-side platform is a system that allows buyers of digital advertising inventory to manage multiple ad exchange and data exchange through one interface. Fast Approach builds full audience scale model, extracts audience features, optimizes advertising campaign strategies.

Allinyson is an entrepreneurial game company which has the capacity to conduct independent research, development, and operations, aiming to create the most popular and world-class influential game products. The company adheres to the team building concept of “Small but Precise” and carries out the development and operation of game business with the core R&D and operation backbone. It has developed and operated several fun and relaxing games which ranked top in the Philippines in terms of downloads and users. Block Puzzle is the crown jewel among all the games with its top ranking in the overall APP ranking in the Philippines.

Competition

The Trade Desk is the largest, independent programmatic advertising DSP for digital media buyers in the world. The Trade Desk launched its programmatic ad buying platform in China, in 2019 facilitating access to Chinese media companies, such as Alibaba, Tencent and Baidu Exchange Services. The Trade Desk is the major competitor in north American.

The market for mobile game is fragmental and competitive. We only provide limited number of mobile games which are recognized in Philippine mobile game market.

Raw Materials

Our business depends on obtaining a reliable supply of various products, including tea, refined methanol, methanol, formaldehyde, polymer emulsion and beef products. Because of the diversity of available sources of these raw materials, we believe that our raw materials are currently in adequate supply.

We obtain our raw materials primarily from domestic procurement for our tea production, formaldehyde and methanol products.

Shandong Yunchu carries out our beef products business. It mainly purchased frozen beef from six countries: Uruguay, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand and 25 factories are involved. The top ten suppliers include: Marrig, Minerva S.A., G & K O’Connor Pty Ltd, Frigorifico matadero Pando ontilcor S.A., Las Moras, Frigorifico de Osorno S.A., Ersinal S.A. ecoparks S.A., lorsinal S.A., and Minerva S.A. The Company has established a stable long term cooperative relationship with these beef and mutton manufacturers. The stable supply provides competitive advantage for Company to procure various various beef products with high quality and low price to meet the needs of domestic customers.

We select suppliers based on price and product quality. We typically rely on numerous domestic suppliers, including some with whom we have a long-term relationship. Our suppliers generally include wholesale agricultural product companies, food production companies, tea bag processing companies and chemical products wholesale company.

Our Customers

Our products are sold both in Chinese domestic market. Shandong Yunchu distributes beef products in China including several major beef products providers and distributors in China, such as: Henan Hengdu Food Co., Ltd, Shanxi Pingyao Beef Group, Shandong Delis Food Co., Ltd and Heilongjiang Binxi Group. When it comes to manufacturing and sales of synthetic fuel products, we do business through direct sales, constructing refuel facilities and conducting technical cooperation with other companies.

Our Sales and Marketing Efforts

We have not spent a significant amount of capital on advertising in the past, and our advertising budget continues to be limited. In 2023, our marketing and branding efforts mainly focus on internet advertising and long-term customers.

Organizational Structure

Planet Green was incorporated in Nevada on February 4, 1986 and effective on November 12, 2009, Planet Green reincorporated in Nevada from Delaware. Planet Green was formerly known as American Lorain Corporation.

The following diagram illustrates our corporate structure including our subsidiaries and our VIE.

Subsidiaries

On May 9, 2019, the Company and Shanghai Xunyang Internet Technology Co., Ltd. (the “Shanghai Xunyang”), a subsidiary of the Company, entered into a Share Exchange Agreement with Xianning Bozhuang, and each of the shareholders of Xianning Bozhuang, pursuant to which, among other things and subject to the terms and conditions contained therein, Shanghai Xunyang agreed to effect an acquisition of Xianning Bozhuang by acquiring from the Sellers all of the outstanding equity interests of Xianning Bozhuang. On May 14, 2019, the Company closed the acquisition transaction and Shanghai Xunyang entered into a series of VIE agreements with Xianning Bozhuang and its shareholders. For company internal restructure purpose, on December 20, 2019, Xianning Bozhuang terminated the VIE agreements with Shanghai Xunyang and entered into similar series of VIE agreements with Jiayi Technologies on the same day. On August 2, 2021, as part of the internal restructure efforts to remove VIE arrangement, the Company and its subsidiary terminated series of VIE agreements and acquired 100% equity ownership of Xianning Bozhuang. 

On June 5, 2020, the Company entered into a share exchange agreement with Fast Approach to acquire all outstanding shares of Fast Approach, a corporation incorporated under the laws of Canada and in the business of operating a demand side platform. Upon completing the transaction, Fast Approach became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. Fast Approach owns 100% equity of Shanghai Shuning.

On January 4, 2021, through Jiayi Technologies, the Company entered into a series of VIE agreements with Jingshan Sanhe as well as its shareholders. The Company is considered the primary beneficiary of Jingshan Sanhe and it consolidates its accounts as VIE. On September 10, 2021, as part of the internal restructure efforts to remove VIE arrangement, Hubei Bulaisi acquired 85% equity ownership of Jingshan Sanhe and Jiayi Technologies terminated the VIE agreements with Jingshan Sanhe on the same date.

On September 14, 2022, the Company and Hubei Bulaisi, a subsidiary of the Company, entered into a Share Purchase Agreement with a shareholder of Jingshan Sanhe Luckysky acquiring the remaining 15% of the outstanding equity interests of Jingshan Sanhe Luckysky. Upon closing of the transaction, Hubei Bulaisi, acquired 100% equity ownership of Jingshan Sanhe Luckysky.

On December 9, 2021, the Company and Jiayi Technologies, a subsidiary of the Company, entered into a Share Exchange Agreement with Shandong Yunchu and each of shareholders of Shandong Yunchu. Upon closing of the transaction, Jiayi Technologies acquired 100% equity ownership of Shandong Yunchu.

On April 8, 2022, the Company entered into a Share Purchase Agreement with Allinyson Ltd. and each of shareholders of Allinyson. Upon closing of the transaction, the Company acquired 100% equity ownership of Allinyson.

VIE Arrangements

We currently have Jilin Chuangyuan as VIE under its corporate structure. The Company is considered the primary beneficiary of the VIE only for accounting purpose.

On March 9, 2021, through Jiayi Technologies, the Company entered into a series of VIE agreements with Jilin Chuangyuan as well as its shareholders. The ordinary shares of Jilin Chuangyuan are currently owned by Yongsheng Chen and Xiaodong Cai.

On July 15, 2021, through Jiayi Technologies, the Company entered into a series of VIE agreements with Anhui Ansheng, as well as its shareholders. The ordinary shares of Anhui Ansheng are currently owned by Xiaodong Cai.

On December 16, 2022, Jiayi Technologies, a subsidiary of the Company, terminated the VIE agreements with Anhui Ansheng, a former VIE of Planet Green.

Each of the VIE Agreements is described in detail below:

Consultation and Service Agreement. Pursuant to the Consultation and Service Agreement, WFOE has the exclusive right to provide consultation and services to the operating entities in China in the area of business management, human resource, technology and intellectual property rights. WFOE exclusively owns any intellectual property rights arising from the performance of this Consultation and Service Agreement. The amount of service fees and payment term can be amended by the WFOE and operating companies’ consultation and the implementation. The term of the Consultation and Service Agreement is 20 years. WFOE may terminate this agreement at any time by giving 30 day’s prior written notice.

Business Cooperation Agreement. Pursuant to the Business Cooperation Agreement, WFOE has the exclusive right to provide complete technical support, business support and related consulting services, including but not limited to technical services, business consultations, equipment or property leasing, marketing consultancy, system integration, product research and development, and system maintenance. WFOE exclusively owns any intellectual property rights arising from the performance of this Business Cooperation Agreement. The rate of service fees may be adjusted based on the services rendered by WFOE in that month and the operational needs of the operating entities. The Business Cooperation Agreement shall maintain effective unless it was terminated or was compelled to terminate under applicable PRC laws and regulations. WFOE may terminate this Business Cooperation Agreement at any time by giving 30 day’s prior written notice.

Equity Pledge Agreements. Pursuant to the Equity Pledge Agreements among WFOE, operating entities and each of operating entities’ shareholder, shareholders of the operating entities pledge all of their equity interests in the operating entities to WFOE to guarantee their performance of relevant obligations and indebtedness under the Technical Consultation and Service Agreement and other control agreements. In addition, shareholders of the operating entities are in the process of registering the equity pledge with the competent local authority.

Equity Option Agreements. Pursuant to the Equity Option Agreements, WFOE has the exclusive right to require each shareholder of the operating companies to fulfill and complete all approval and registration procedures required under PRC laws for WFOE to purchase, or designate one or more persons to purchase, each shareholder’s equity interests in the operating companies, once or at multiple times at any time in part or in whole at WFOE’s sole and absolute discretion. The purchase price shall be the lowest price allowed by PRC laws. The Equity Option Agreements shall remain effective until all the equity interest owned by each operating entities shareholder has been legally transferred to WFOE or its designee(s).

Voting Rights Proxy Agreements. Pursuant to the Voting Rights Proxy Agreements, each shareholder irrevocably appointed WFOE or WFOE’s designee to exercise all his or her rights as the shareholders of the operating entities under the Articles of Association of each operating entity, including but not limited to the power to exercise all shareholder’s voting rights with respect to all matters to be discussed and voted in the shareholders’ meeting. The term of each Voting Rights Proxy Agreement is 20 years. WFOE has the right to extend each Voting Proxy Agreement by giving written notification.

As discussed above, we operate a portion of business in China through the VIE and its subsidiaries, and rely on contractual arrangements among our WFOEs, the VIE, and their respective shareholders to exert influence on the business operations of the VIE. The VIE structure provides our business operations in China with contractual exposure to foreign investment. However, our contractual arrangements with the VIE are not equivalent of an investment in the VIE. Investors are purchasing equity securities of our ultimate Nevada holding company rather than purchasing equity securities of the VIE. Chinese regulatory authorities could disallow this structure, which would likely result in a material change in our and/or the VIE’s operations and/or a material change in the value of the securities we are registering for sale, including that it could cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or become worthless. If the PRC government deems that the contractual arrangements with the consolidated VIE domiciled in China do not comply with PRC regulatory restrictions on foreign investment in the relevant industries, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change or are interpreted differently in the future, we, our subsidiaries and the VIE could be subject to severe penalties or be forced to relinquish their interests in those operations. It is uncertain whether any new PRC laws or regulations relating to variable interest entity structures will be adopted or if adopted, what they would provide. In addition, to the extent cash is located in the PRC or within a PRC domiciled entity and may need to be used to fund operations outside of the PRC, the funds may not be available due to limitations placed on us, our subsidiaries and the VIE by the PRC government. To the extent cash or assets in the business is in the PRC or Hong Kong or in a PRC or Hong Kong entity, and may need to be used to fund operations outside of the PRC or Hong Kong, the funds and assets may not be available to fund operations or for other uses outside of the PRC or Hong Kong due to interventions in or the imposition of restrictions and limitations by the government on us, our subsidiaries’ or the VIE’s ability to transfer cash and assets.

Cash Flows through Our Organization:

Planet Green is a holding company with no material operations of its own. We currently conduct our operations through our subsidiaries including our WFOEs, the VIE and their respective subsidiaries. Cash is transferred through our organization in the manner as follows: (1) we may transfer funds to our WFOEs through our Hong Kong subsidiaries, Promising Prospect HK Limited, and Bless Chemical Co., Ltd. (HK) by additional capital contributions or shareholder loans, as the case may be; (2) the VIE may pay service fees to our PRC subsidiaries for services rendered by our PRC subsidiaries; (3) our PRC subsidiaries may pay service fees to the VIE for services rendered by the VIE; and (4) our PRC subsidiaries may make dividends or other distributions to Planet Green. We do not have cash management policies dictating how funds are transferred throughout our organization. We may encounter difficulties in our ability to transfer cash between PRC subsidiaries and non-PRC subsidiaries largely due to various PRC laws and regulations imposed on foreign exchange. If we intend to distribute dividends through Planet Green, our WFOEs will transfer the dividends to our Hong Kong subsidiaries in accordance with the laws and regulations of the PRC, and then our Hong Kong subsidiaries will transfer the dividends to the Planet Green, and the dividends will be distributed from the Planet Green to all shareholders respectively in proportion to the shares they hold, regardless of whether the shareholders are U.S. investors or investors in other countries or regions. There can be no assurance the PRC government will not intervene or impose restrictions on the Company’s ability to transfer cash out of China. In 2023 our PRC subsidiaries did not receive any cash benefits from the VIEs for services rendered to the VIEs and their subsidiaries. As of December 31, 2023, our VIE owned $2,823,782 to our WOEFs as loan. As of December 31, 2023, we were not subject to any actual foreign exchange restrictions.

We have no present plans to distribute earnings or settle amounts owed under the VIE agreements which it plans to retain the retained earnings to continue to grow the business. No dividends or distribution has been declared to paid to Planet Green from subsidiaries or its VIEs and no dividends or distribution was made to any U.S. investors.

Effects of PRC foreign exchange regulations on our ability to transfer assets within our organization

Current foreign exchange and other regulations in the PRC may restrict our PRC subsidiaries and VIE in their ability to transfer their net assets to Planet Green and its subsidiaries and to investors. The PRC government imposes controls on the convertibility of the Renminbi into foreign currencies and, in certain cases, the remittance of currency out of China. Under our current corporate structure, Planet Green as the holding company may rely on dividend payments from its subsidiaries to fund any cash and financing requirements Planet Green may have. Under existing PRC foreign exchange regulations, payments of current account items, including profit distributions, interest payments and trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, can be made in foreign currencies without prior approval of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (the “SAFE”) by complying with certain procedural requirements. Specifically, under the existing exchange restrictions, without prior approval of SAFE, cash generated from the operations of our PRC subsidiaries in China may be used to pay dividends to Planet Green. However, approval from or registration with appropriate government authorities is required where Renminbi is to be converted into foreign currency and remitted out of China to pay capital expenses such as the repayment of loans denominated in foreign currencies. As a result, we need to obtain SAFE approval to use cash generated from the operations of our PRC subsidiaries and VIE to pay off their respective debt in a currency other than Renminbi owed to entities outside China, or to make other capital expenditure payments outside China in a currency other than Renminbi.

In light of the flood of capital outflows of China in 2016 due to the weakening Renminbi, the PRC government has imposed more restrictive foreign exchange policies and stepped up scrutiny of major outbound capital movement including overseas direct investment. More restrictions and substantial vetting process are put in place by SAFE to regulate cross-border transactions falling under the capital account. If any of Planet Green’s shareholders regulated by such policies fail to satisfy the applicable overseas direct investment filing or approval requirement timely or at all, it may be subject to penalties from the relevant PRC authorities. The PRC government may at its discretion further restrict access in the future to foreign currencies for current account transactions. If the foreign exchange control system prevents Planet Green from obtaining sufficient foreign currencies to satisfy Planet Green’s foreign currency demands, Planet Green may not be able to pay dividends in foreign currencies to its shareholders.

Recent Regulatory Development

As we conduct substantially all of our operations in China, we are subject to legal and operational risks associated with having substantially all of our operations in China, including changes in the legal, political and economic policies of the Chinese government, the relations between China and the United States, or Chinese or United States regulations may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. PRC laws and regulations governing our current business operations are sometimes vague and uncertain, and therefore, these risks may result in a material change in our operations and the value of our common stock or could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer our securities to investors and cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or be worthless. Recently, the PRC government initiated a series of regulatory actions and made a number of public statements on the regulation of business operations in China with little advance notice, including cracking down on illegal activities in the securities market, enhancing supervision over China-based companies listed overseas, adopting new measures to extend the scope of cybersecurity reviews, and expanding efforts in anti-monopoly enforcement. We have relied on the opinion of our PRC counsel, Hubei Kaicheng Law Office, that as of the date of this Annual Report, we are not directly subject to these regulatory actions or statements, as we have not implemented any monopolistic behavior and our business does not involve large-scale collection of user data, implicate cybersecurity, or involve any other type of restricted industry. As further advised by our PRC counsel, Hubei Kaicheng Law Office, as of the date of this Annual Report, no relevant laws or regulations in the PRC explicitly require us to seek approval from the China Securities Regulatory Commission (the “CSRC”) or any other PRC governmental authorities for our overseas listing or securities offering plans, nor has our company or any of our subsidiaries received any inquiry, notice, warning or sanctions regarding our offering of securities from the CSRC or any other PRC governmental authorities. However, since these statements and regulatory actions by the PRC government are newly published and official guidance and related implementation rules have not been issued, it is highly uncertain what potential impact such modified or new laws and regulations will have on our daily business operations, or ability to accept foreign investments and list on a U.S. or other foreign exchange. The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (the “SCNPC”) or other PRC regulatory authorities may in the future promulgate laws, regulations or implementing rules that require our company or any of our subsidiaries to obtain regulatory approval from Chinese authorities before offering securities in the U.S. In other words, although the Company is currently not required to obtain permission from any of the PRC central or local government and has not received any denial to list on the U.S. exchange, our operations could be adversely affected, directly or indirectly; our ability to offer, or continue to offer, securities to investors would be potentially hindered and the value of our securities might significantly decline or be worthless, by existing or future laws and regulations relating to its business or industry or by intervene or interruption by PRC governmental authorities, if we or our subsidiaries (i) do not receive or maintain such permissions or approvals, (ii) inadvertently conclude that such permissions or approvals are not required, (iii) applicable laws, regulations, or interpretations change and we are required to obtain such permissions or approvals in the future, or (iv) any intervention or interruption by PRC governmental with little advance notice.

Enforcement of Civil Liabilities

Currently all our directors and majority of senior executive officers either are physically reside in China for a significant portion of each year, and/or are PRC nationals. As a result, it may be difficult for you to effect service of process upon us or those persons inside mainland China. In addition, there is uncertainty as to whether the PRC courts would recognize or enforce judgments of U.S. courts against us or such persons predicated upon the civil liability provisions of U.S. securities laws or those of any U.S. state.

The recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments are provided for under the PRC Civil Procedures Law. PRC courts may recognize and enforce foreign judgments in accordance with the requirements of the PRC Civil Procedures Law based either on treaties between China and the country where the judgment is made or on principles of reciprocity between jurisdictions. China does not have any treaties or other forms of written arrangement with the U.S. that provide for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments. In addition, according to the PRC Civil Procedures Law, the PRC courts will not enforce a foreign judgment against us or our directors and officers if they decide that the judgment violates the basic principles of PRC laws or national sovereignty, security, or public interest. As a result, it is uncertain whether and on what basis a PRC court would enforce a judgment rendered by a court in the U.S.

It may also be difficult for you or overseas regulators to conduct investigations or collect evidence within China. For example, in China, there are significant legal and other obstacles to obtaining information needed for shareholder investigations or litigation outside China or otherwise with respect to foreign entities. Although the authorities in China may establish a regulatory cooperation mechanism with its counterparts of another country or region to monitor and oversee cross-border securities activities, such regulatory cooperation with the securities regulatory authorities in the U.S. may not be efficient in the absence of a practical cooperation mechanism. Furthermore, according to Article 177 of the PRC Securities Law, or “Article 177,” which became effective in March 2020, no overseas securities regulator is allowed to directly conduct investigations or evidence collection activities within the territory of the PRC. Article 177 further provides that Chinese entities and individuals are not allowed to provide documents or materials related to securities business activities to foreign agencies without prior consent from the securities regulatory authority of the PRC State Council and the competent departments of the PRC State Council. While detailed interpretation of or implementing rules under Article 177 have yet to be promulgated, the inability for an overseas securities regulator to directly conduct an investigation or evidence collection activities within China may further increase difficulties faced by you in protecting your interests.

Our Manufacturing Facilities

General

We currently manufacture our products and provide services in Meihekou City of Jilin Province, Jingshan City and Xianning City of Hubei Province, Qingdao City of Shandong Province, and Toronto in Canada.

The following table indicates the year that operations commenced at each of the facilities and the size of the facilities.

Production Lines

We currently manufacture our products using production lines.

The production process for our cyan brick tea products involves, primary processing of fresh leaves, piling and fermenting, storing and aging, picking, pressing, and baking. The production process for our black tea products involves selecting and sorting the fresh leaves, withering, rolling, fermenting, baking and drying, grading according to color, prompting fragrance, packing and warehousing. The production process for our green tea products involves selecting and sorting the fresh leaves, airing, fixating, cooling, rolling, stir drying, selecting and grading, prompting fragrance, packing and warehousing.

The production process for our formaldehyde products is illustrated as follows. The raw material methanol, after being injected into the high position tank, enters the methanol evaporator through the filter, mixes with the air from the roots blower to form the binary mixture, and then adds steam to form the ternary mixture, which is heated by the superheater to 120 ℃ and enters the oxidizer, carries out oxidation and dehydrogenation reaction through the silver catalyst to form the formaldehyde gas, and then absorbs the formaldehyde solution through the first absorption tower and the second absorption tower. The excess waste gas is burned out by the exhaust gas boiler.

The production process for our methyl starting with the raw materials methanol and formaldehyde are pumped into the reaction distillation tower according to the proportion. At the bottom of the tower, formaldehyde and methanol are indirectly heated by steam. The reaction liquid vapor from the tower upwards through the catalyst reaction to produce methyl acetal, and then through the distillation tower separation, cooling, the final product methyl acetal.

The production process for our urea-formaldehyde glue is demonstrated as follows. Formaldehyde is pumped from the formaldehyde workshop into the tank of formaldehyde storage, and then pumped into the metering tank through the feed pump of formaldehyde. After the PH value is adjusted by adding alkali, it is sent into the reaction kettle. At the same time, urea is also added into the kettle according to the corresponding proportion, heating the reaction kettle. After heating up the kettle, melamine is added, so that the material can undergo addition reaction in the kettle. After the PH value is adjusted by dropping formic acid in the kettle, the material is sent into the condensation kettle through the transfer pump. Urea and additives are added into the condensation kettle according to a certain proportion for condensation reaction, and the finished product is formed after cooling treatment.

The production process for our clean fuel oil is illustrated as follows. The self-control design of the facilities for storage of raw materials and addition of additives shall, in accordance with the requirements of the process, conduct centralized indication and adjustment of the temperature, flow rate and liquid level of the raw oil tanks, raw oil metering tanks, product oil allocation tanks and finished oil tanks during the fuel blending process; realize remote monitoring of the whole fuel production process, and conduct on-the-spot indication of pressure and partial flow rate.

The production process for our construction rubber powder (re-dispersible latex powder) is demonstrated as follows. Using polymer emulsion (VAE emulsion) as raw material, all kinds of additives are added, and then transported to the reaction kettle through diaphragm pump to warm up and mix evenly, and then transported to the mixing kettle with additives through diaphragm pump to mix evenly, then transported to the high-speed reactor through diaphragm pump to emulsify, emulsified and then transported to the spare material tank through the diaphragm pump, and then transported to the spray drying tower through the spare material tank through the diaphragm pump to form polymer powder after spray drying, and the polymer powder and various additives are mixed and screened through the mixer to be packed into the warehouse.

The following table shows the number and types of production lines, the types of products produced and the production capacity as of the date of this report:

We operate our production lines year-round.

Raw Materials

Our Supply Sources

Our business depends on obtaining a reliable supply of various products, including tea, refined methanol, methanol, formaldehyde, polymer emulsion and beef products. Because of the diversity of available sources of these raw materials, we believe that our raw materials are currently in adequate supply.

We obtain our raw materials primarily from domestic procurement for our tea production, formaldehyde and methanol products. When it comes to our beef products, we rely on overseas suppliers to import the raw materials.

Shandong Yunchu carries out our beef products business. It mainly purchased frozen beef from six countries: Uruguay, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand and 25 factories are involved. The top ten suppliers include: Marrig, Minerva S.A., G & K O’Connor Pty Ltd, Frigorifico matadero Pando ontilcor S.A., Las Moras, Frigorifico de Osorno S.A., Ersinal S.A. ecoparks S.A., lorsinal S.A., and Minerva S.A. The Company has established a stable long term cooperative relationship with these beef and mutton manufacturers. The stable supply provides competitive advantage for Company to procure various beef products with high quality and low price to meet the needs of domestic customers.

We select suppliers based on price and product quality. We typically rely on numerous domestic suppliers, including some with whom we have a long-term relationship. Our suppliers generally include wholesale agricultural product companies, food production companies, tea bag processing companies and chemical products wholesale company.

Our Customers

Our products are sold in Chinese domestic market.

As to our formaldehyde products, vehicles gasoline and diesel products, we are a leading regional chemical products provider in north-eastern China area, and we are the sole provider of formaldehyde in Jilin Province, China.

When it comes to manufacturing and sales of synthetic fuel products, we do business through direct sales, constructing refuel facilities and conducting technical cooperation with other companies.

Shandong Yunchu distributes beef products in China including several major beef products providers and distributors in China, such as Henan Hengdu Food Co., Ltd., Shanxi Pingyao Beef Group, Shandong Delis Food Co., Ltd. and Heilongjiang Binxi Group.

Our Sales and Marketing Efforts

We have not spent a significant amount of capital on advertising in the past, and our advertising budget continues to be limited. In 2023, our marketing and branding efforts mainly focus on internet advertising and long-term customers.

Intellectual Property

Patents

The company vigorously implements scientific and technological innovation. Jingshan Sanhe obtains 12 practical patent certificates from the State Intellectual Property Office of the PRC, which includes a diesel exhaust cleaner and its preparation method, a kind of automobile exhaust cleaner and preparation method, a kind of filtering device for exhaust port of cleaning liquid production plant, a kind of automobile cleaner dispensing device, a kind of liquid dispensing equipment, a kind of mixing and stirring tank, a kind of cleaning brush for cleaning agent storage tank, a kind of reactor for producing auto cleaner, a kind of cleaning brush for cleaning agent mixing kettle, a kind of mixing tank, a cleaning tool for cleaning the reactor for detergent production and a kind of mixing and defoaming tank. The company will give full play to the advantages of independent intellectual property rights, continue to innovate, maintain the leading technology and enhance the core competitiveness of the company.

We take reasonable steps to protect our proprietary information and trade secrets, such as limiting disclosure of proprietary plans, methods and other similar information on a need-to-know basis and requiring employees with access to our proprietary technology to enter into confidentiality arrangements. We believe that our proprietary technology and trade secrets are adequately protected.

Our Employees

As of December 31, 2023, we had a total of 143 employees. Approximately 143 of our full-time employees are directly employed by our subsidiaries and VIE.

The following table sets forth the allocation of employees, both direct and leased, by job function.

We have not experienced any significant problems or disruption to our operations due to labor disputes, nor have we experienced any difficulties in recruitment and retention of experienced staff.

We compensate our production line employees by unit produced (piece work) and compensate other employees with a base salary and bonus based on performance. We also provide training for our staffs from time to time to enhance their technical and product knowledge, including knowledge of industry quality standards.

Our employees participate in state pension scheme and various types of social insurance organized by municipal and provincial governments. Outsourcing agents are responsible for contributions on behalf of the leased employees. 

Our Research and Development Activities

We have research and development staffs at each of our facilities. In total, 5 employees are dedicated to research and development.

Jingshan Sanhe owns a professional laboratory which includes 17 sets of professional experimental equipment operated by 2 high-end scientific research experts to ensure the high quality of raw materials and products.

Jilin Chuanyuan was jointly awarded by Jilin Provincial Department of education and Jilin Provincial Department of industry and information technology as Jilin University enterprise joint technology innovation laboratory by 3 high-end scientific research experts. The company currently carries out a project of transformation of scientific and technological achievements with Beihua University. Specifically, it is a kind of urea formaldehyde resin adhesive with ultra-low formaldehyde emission and its preparation process, ZL 201510055885x. At the same time, as a participant, the project is applying for the national science and technology progress award. Beihua University has set up a teaching and research practice base in our company. On top of that, the company also successfully developed the urea formaldehyde resin for E1 grade waterproof particleboard, E0 grade and F grade particleboard, as well as the UF resin for E0 grade and F grade particleboard with UFC.

We rely heavily on customer feedback to assist us in the modification and development of our products. We also utilize customer feedback to assist us in the development of new products.

The amount we spent on research and development activities during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 was not a material portion of our total expenses for those years.

Government Regulation

As a company that continuously strives to create new value, we have been doing business in five areas: tea product cultivation, packaging, and sales; manufacturing and sales of synthetic fuel products, formaldehyde products, vehicles gasoline and diesel products; manufacturing of insulation type explosion-proof skid-mounted refueling equipment and SF double-layer buried type storage tank products business; importing and distribution of beef products and multimedia design, advertising business.

Our tea product cultivation, packaging, and sales business is subject to regulations of China’s Agricultural Ministry and Ministry of Health. This regulatory scheme governs the manufacture (including composition and ingredients), labeling, packaging and safety of food. It also regulates manufacturing practices, including quality assurance programs, for foods through its current manufacturing practice regulations, and specifies the standards of identity for certain foods. We have obtained approvals from Chinese authorities for products that requires the approval under regulations, including quality safety approval from government.

Our manufacturing and sales of chemical products business is subject to multiple regulations under PRC law. We have complete certificates, including the work safety license, production license and emission license. We have passed the environmental assessment acceptance and currently works on the promotion to the second level of work safety standardization from the third level. Our operation meets the requirements of relevant national laws, regulations, standards and specifications, as well as other the requirements of national management departments at all levels.

Our importing and distribution of beef products business is carried out by Shandong Yunchu and we have obtained relevant certifications including the record registration form of foreign trade operators and food business license.

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

As a smaller reporting company, we are not required to include risk factors in this Annual Report. Investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully all of the risks described on the Registration Statement on Form S-3 filed by the Company on September 17, 2021, and as subsequently amended, together with the other information contained in this report, before making a decision to invest in our units. If any of the events descripted in the risk factors occur, our business, financial condition and operating results may be materially adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment.

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None.

ITEM 1C. CYBERSECURITY

We do not consider that we face significant cybersecurity risk and have not adopted any cybersecurity risk management program or formal processes for assessing cybersecurity risk. We depend on the digital technologies of third parties, and any sophisticated and deliberate attacks on, or security breaches in, systems or infrastructure or the cloud that we utilize, including those of third parties, could lead to corruption or misappropriation of our assets, proprietary information and sensitive or confidential data and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or reputation. Because of our reliance on the technologies of third parties, we also depend upon the personnel and the processes of third parties to protect against cybersecurity threats, and we have no personnel or processes of our own for this purpose. As a company without significant investments in data security protection, we may not be sufficiently protected against such occurrences. We also lack sufficient resources to adequately protect against, or to investigate and remediate any vulnerability to, cyber incidents. It is possible that any of these occurrences, or a combination of them, could have material adverse consequences on our business and lead to financial loss.

Our board of directors is generally responsible for the oversight of risks from cybersecurity threats, if there is any. Our management will promptly report to the board of directors on incidents of material cybersecurity risks facing us and any third parties and the measures that may be taken to mitigate such risks. As of the date of this annual report, we have not encountered any cybersecurity incidents that have materially affected, or that we believe are reasonably likely to materially affect, us, including our business strategy, results of operations or financial condition. We do, however, face risks from cybersecurity threats.

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

Our primary facilities, which are owned except where otherwise indicated, are as follows:

In the aggregate, we currently have land use rights to, or lease, 4 properties with approximately 104,219.16 square meters, consisting of manufacturing facilities and office buildings for future expansion. We believe our current facilities provide adequate capacity for our current and projected needs. 

All land in China is owned by the government. Individuals and companies are permitted to acquire land use rights for specific purposes. In the case of land used for industrial purposes, the land use rights are granted for a period of up to 50 years. This period may be renewed at the expiration of the initial and any subsequent terms. Granted land use rights are transferable and may be used as security for borrowings and other obligations. 

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

On July 27, 2023, Daqi Cui, a former employee, filed a complaint against the Company in Queens County, the Supreme Court of the State of New York, asserting claims of breach of employment contract, seeking $609,145.05 in damages as well as attorneys’ fees and costs. On November 6, 2023, the Company filed a motion to move the case to the United States District Courthouse, Eastern District of New York for an Order to dismiss with prejudice.  

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not applicable.

PART II

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES.

Market for our Common Stock

Our common stock is quoted on the NYSE American under the symbol “PLAG”.

Approximate Number of Holders of Our Common Stock

As of December 31, 2023, there were 322 stockholders of record of our common stock. This does not include the holders whose shares are held in a depository trust in “street” name.

Dividend

We have not declared or paid cash dividends other than the payment of a dividend in April 2007 in connection with our reverse merger. Any future decisions regarding dividends will be made by our Board of Directors. We currently intend to retain and use any future earnings for the development and expansion of our business and do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future.

Issuances of Unregistered Securities

On May 9, 2019, we and Shanghai Xunyang entered into a share exchange agreement with Xianning Bozhuang and each of the original shareholders of Xianning Bozhuang. Such transaction closed on May 14, 2019. Pursuant to the share exchange agreement, we issued an aggregate of 1,080,000 shares of common stock of the Company to the Sellers in exchange for the transfer of all of the equity interest of Xianning Bozhuang to Shanghai Xunyang.

On June 17, 2019, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement, pursuant to which five individuals residing in the PRC agreed to purchase an aggregate of 1,300,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share, for an aggregate purchase price of $5,460,000, representing a purchase price of $4.20 per share. The transaction closed on June 19, 2019.

On January 26, 2021, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement, pursuant to which three individuals residing in the PRC agreed to purchase an aggregate of 2,700,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share, for an aggregate purchase price of $6,750,000, representing a purchase price of $2.50 per share. The transaction closed on January 29, 2021.

On March 9, 2021, the Company entered into a share exchange agreement with Jilin Chuangyuan and each of the original shareholders of Jilin Chuangyuan. Pursuant to the share exchange agreement, we issued an aggregate of 3,300,000 shares of common stock of the Company to the Sellers in exchange for the transfer of 75% of the equity interest of Jilin Chuangyuan.

On April 24, 2021, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement, pursuant to which three individuals residing in the PRC agreed to purchase an aggregate of 4,000,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share, for an aggregate purchase price of $7,600,000, representing a purchase price of $1.90 per share. The transaction closed on May 20, 2021.

On July 15, 2021, the Company entered into a share exchange agreement with Anhui Ansheng and each of the original shareholders of Anhui Ansheng. Pursuant to the share exchange agreement, we issued an aggregate of 4,800,000 shares of common stock of the Company to the Sellers in exchange for the transfer of 66% of the equity interest of Anhui Ansheng.

On December 9, 2021, the Company entered into a share exchange agreement with Shandong Yunchu and each of the original shareholders of Shandong Yunchu. Pursuant to the share exchange agreement, we issued an aggregate of 5,900,000 shares of common stock of the Company to the Sellers in exchange for the transfer of all of the equity interest of Shandong Yunchu.

On January 13, 2022, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement, pursuant to which three individuals residing in the PRC agreed to purchase an aggregate of 7,000,000 shares of the Company’s common stock for an aggregate purchase price of $7,000,000, representing a purchase price of $1.00 per share. The transaction closed on January 14, 2022.

On April 8, 2022, the Company enterted into a share exchange agreement with Allinyson and each of the orginial shareholders of Allinyson. including its wholly-owned subsidiary Baokuan Technology (Hongkong) Limited.Pursuant to the share exchange agreement, we issued an aggregate of 7,500,000 shares of common stock of the Company to the Sellers in exchange for the transfer of all of the equity interest of Allinyson.

On May 19, 2022, the Company entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with two investors residing in the People’s Republic of China, pursuant to which the purchasers agreed to invest an aggregate of $4,100,000 in the Company in exchange for an aggregate of 10,000,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, representing a purchase price of $0.41 per share. The transaction closed on May 27, 2022.

On July 15, 2022, the Company enerted into a share exchange agreement with Xiangtian Energy and the the shareholder of Xiantian Energy. Pursuant to the Share Exchange Agreement, in exchange for the acquisition of the 30% equity interest of Xiangtian Energy, the Company issued an aggregate of 12,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, of the Company to the Seller.

Securities Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation Plans

We did not issue any shares under our equity compensation plan in the fiscal year of 2023.

ITEM 6. RESERVED

Not applicable.

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

We are headquartered in Flushing, New York. After a series of acquisitions and dispositions in 2023 and 2022, our primary business, which is carried out by Shandong Yunchu, Jingshan Sanhe, Jilin Chuangyuan, Fast Approach Inc and Xianning Bozhuang, is:

Results of Operations

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the company’s audited consolidated financial statement for the years ended December 31, 2023, and 2022 and related notes to that.

Net Revenues. Our net revenues for the fiscal year ending on December 31, 2023 amounted to $27.12 million, reflecting a decline of approximately $17.64 million or 39% compared to the previous year’s figure of $44.76 million (ending on December 31, 2022). In the previous fiscal year, 50% of our total revenue was generated from the sale of a diverse range of food products to restaurants. However, this segment has been significantly impacted by the adverse effects of COVID-19, leading to a decline in sales from $23.34 million in 2022 to $14.32 million in 2023. The residual decrease was attributable to disposal of certain subsidiaries in late 2022.

Cost of Revenues. During the year ended December 31, 2023, we experienced a decrease in cost of revenue of $14.72 million or 36%, in comparison to the year ended December 31, 2022, from approximately $40.41 million to $25.69 million. This change was mainly due to a decrease in sales of revenue, as discussed above, and disposal of certain subsidiaries in late 2022.

Gross Profit. Our gross profit declined by $2.92 million, representing a decrease of 67% to $1.43 million for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 compared to $4.35 million for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022. This decline can be primarily attributed to the aforementioned factors, namely a decrease in sales revenue and the divestiture of certain subsidiaries towards the end of 2022. Additionally, another contributing factor was a slight increase in the average combined cost per unit of our products. The gross profit margin decreased from 10.77% in 2022 to 5.57% in 2023, representing a decrease of 5.2%. This decline is primarily attributed to the significant reduction in sales of cold chain food mentioned earlier, as well as a notable increase in associated warehousing costs.

Operating Expenses

Selling and Marketing Expenses. Our selling and marketing expenses decreased by $1.27 million, or 59%, to $0.90 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 from $2.17 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. This decrease was mainly due to the aforementioned reasons, attributable to a decrease in sales of revenue and the disposal of certain subsidiaries in 2022. 

General and Administrative Expenses. Our general and administrative expenses for the year ended December 31, 2023 increased by $1.98 million, or 28%, to $9.04 million compared to the previous year’s $7.06 million. After adjusting for the impact of $1.10 million from last year’s General and Administrative Expenses generated by the disposed subsidiary, the increase in fiscal 2023 is approximately $3.03 million. The primary reason for this increase is attributed to inadequate inventory management, resulting in a loss of inventory of approximately $1.97 million and an expected credit loss of $2.76 million on trade receivables, partially offset by a decrease of $1.70 million attributed to cost control during 2023.

Net Loss

Our net loss decreased by $5.09 million, or 20%, to a net loss of $20.84 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 from $25.94 million in net loss for the year ended December 31, 2022. This decrease was mainly due to the aforementioned reasons, attributable to a decrease in sales of revenue and the disposal of certain subsidiaries in 2022.  

Liquidity and Capital Resources

In assessing our liquidity, we monitor and analyze our cash-on-hand and operating and capital expenditure commitments. Our liquidity needs meet our working capital requirements, operating expenses, and capital expenditure obligations. In the reporting period in the fiscal year 2023, our primary sources of financing have been cash generated from operations and private placements.

As of December 31, 2023, we had cash and cash equivalents of $436.38 thousand compared to $93.49 thousand as of December 31, 2022. The debt to assets ratio was 54.40% and 33.16% as of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively. We expect to continue to finance our operations and working capital needs in 2023 from cash generated from operations and, if needed, private financings. Suppose available liquidity is insufficient to meet our operating and loan obligations as they come due. In that case, our plans include pursuing alternative financing arrangements or reducing expenditures as necessary to meet our cash requirements. However, there is no assurance that we will raise additional capital or reduce discretionary spending to provide liquidity if needed. We cannot be sure of the availability or terms of any alternative financing arrangements.

Going Concern

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern; however, the Company has incurred a net loss of $20,843,796 attributable to common shareholders for the year ended December 31, 2023. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had an accumulated deficit of $140,724,597, a working capital deficit of $6,675,220, its net cash used in operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 was $ 5,282,343.

These factors raise substantial doubt on the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. The accompanying audited consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty. Management’s plan for the Company’s continued existence is dependent upon management’s ability to execute the business plan, develop the plan to generate profit; additionally, Management may need to continue to rely on private placements or certain related parties to provide funding for investment, for working capital and general corporate purposes. If management is unable to execute its plan, the Company may become insolvent.

The following table provides detailed information about our net cash flow for all financial statement periods presented in this report.

Cash Flows Data:

Operating Activities

Net cash used in operating activities decreased by $3.73 million to $5.28 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 from $9.01 million during the year ended December 31, 2022. This decrease was primarily due to the decrease in net loss excluding non-cash expenses, gains and losses of $1.42 million and changes in net operating assets and liabilities of $5.15 million.

Investing Activities

Net cash provided by investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 was $2.67 million, representing an increase of $6.52 million from the $3.85 million used in investing activities for the same period in 2022. This increase is primarily attributed to the disposal of a certain subsidiary amounting to $2.77 million and a decrease in long-term investments totaling $4.10 million compared to the previous year.

Financing Activities

Net cash provided by financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2023, amounted to $2.88 million, indicating a decrease of $7.95 million compared to the corresponding period in 2022. This decline primarily stems from a reduction of $11.10 million in proceeds generated from the issuance of common stock as opposed to 2022, partially offset by an increase of $2.97 million attributed to changes involving related parties during 2023.

Critical Accounting Policies

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with the United States generally accepted accounting principles requires our management to make assumptions, estimates, and judgments that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements, including the notes to that, and related disclosures of commitments contingencies, if any.

We consider our critical accounting policies to require the more significant judgments and estimates in preparing financial statements, including those outlined in Note 2 to the financial statements included herein.

The Company has evaluated the timing and the impact of the guidance above on the financial statements.

As of December 31, 2023, there were no other recently issued accounting standards not yet adopted that would or could have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We do not have any off-balance arrangements.

ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURE ABOUT MARKET RISK

Not applicable.

ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY FINANCIAL DATA

The full text of our audited consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2023, begins on page F-1 of this annual report on Form 10-K.

ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE.

None.

ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

We maintain disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act) that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in Exchange Act reports is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including to our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

As required by Rule 13a-15 under the Exchange Act, our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2023. Based on that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that as of December 31, 2023, our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective due to the material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting described below.

Internal Controls over Financial Reporting

Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting.

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) of the Exchange Act. Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting based upon the framework in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). Based on that evaluation, our management concluded that, as of December 31, 2023, our internal controls over financial reporting were not effective.

The significant deficiency identified by our management as of December 31, 2023, relates to the ability of the Company to record transactions and provide disclosures in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”). We did not have sufficient and skilled accounting personnel with an appropriate level of experience in the application of U.S. GAAP commensurate with our financial reporting requirements. For example, our staff members do not hold licenses such as Certified Public Accountant or Certified Management Accountant in the U.S., have not attended U.S. institutions for training as accountants, and have not attended extended educational programs that would provide sufficient relevant education relating to U.S. GAAP. Our staff will require substantial training to meet the demands of a U.S. public company and our staff’s understanding of the requirements of U.S. GAAP-based reporting are inadequate.

Remediation Initiative

We plan to provide U.S. GAAP training sessions to our accounting team. The training sessions will be organized to help our corporate accounting team gain experience in U.S. GAAP reporting and to enhance their awareness of new and emerging pronouncements with potential impact on our financial reporting. We plan to continue to recruit experienced and professional accounting and financial personnel and participate in educational seminars, tutorials, and conferences and employ more qualified accounting staff in the future.

Changes in Internal Controls over Financial Reporting

Other than as described above, during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, there were no material changes in our internal control over financial reporting identified in connection with the evaluation performed during the fiscal year covered by this annual report that has materially affected or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

Inherent Limitations over Internal Controls.

Our internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes under U.S. GAAP. Our internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that:

Management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, does not expect our internal controls to prevent or detect all misstatements. No matter how well designed and operated, a control system can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. Further, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of such controls must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of internal controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of misstatements, if any, have been detected or prevented. Also, projections of any evaluation of the effectiveness of controls in future periods are subject to the risk that those internal controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION.

None.

ITEM 9C. DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS. 

Not Applicable.

PART III

ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Directors and Officers

The following table sets forth the name, age and position of each of our current directors and officers.

Mr. Bin Zhou has served as a director of the Company since May 2019 and served as our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman since October 2020. He has served as chairman of the board of directors of Xianning Bozhuang since March 2019. Mr. Zhou was the general manager and legal representative of Hubei Qianding Equipment Manufacturing Co., Ltd., a mechanical equipment manufacturing company, from March 2016 to March 2019. He also served as supervisor of Hubei Henghao Real Estate Development Co., Ltd., a real estate development company, from April 2014 to June 2018. Mr. Zhou received his Bachelor of Law degree from National Judges College in Beijing, China.

Ms. Lili Hu has served as the Chief Financial Officer of the Company since June 2019. She has over ten years of accounting experiences. Ms. Hu has served as the financial director of Xianning Bozhuang Tea Products Co., Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, since July 2018. From June 2016 to June 2018, Ms. Hu worked as an audit project manager with Hubei Puhua Lixin LLP, an audit firm in Hubei, China. From May 2014 to May 2016, Ms. Hu was a financial manager of Houfu Medical Device Co., Ltd., a medical device company in China. From January 2009 to December 2013, Ms. Hu served as the financial director of Hebei Rentian Gaopeng Mechanical Co., Ltd., a manufacturing company in China. From January 2006 to June 2008, Ms. Hu was the Chief Financial Officer of Hubei Hongfa Telecommunications Co., Ltd., a telecommunications company in China. Ms. Hu graduated from Hubei University of Science and Technology with a major in accounting. Ms. Hu is a Certified Public Accountant in China.

Ms. Luojie Pu has served as a director of the Company since August 2022. Ms. Pu has served as the vice general manager of Jinan Hehui financial software service Co., Ltd. since April 2018. From October 2013 to March 2018, Ms. Pu served as an associate marketing director for Jinan Hengxin Weiye Telecommunication Equipment Co., Ltd. Ms. Pu received her bachelor’s degree in finance from Shandong University in July 2013. We believe Ms. Pu is well qualified to serve on the Board because of her extensive finance and management experience.

Mr. King Fai Leung has served as a director of the Company since July 2019. He has over 20 years’ experience in finance and accounting. He has been the executive director of Maxima Energy Limited, an energy company in Hong Kong, since December 2018. Mr. Leung has also served as an independent director since November 2017 and was re-designated in March 2019 as an executive director and Chief Financial Officer of Chineseinvestors.com, Inc., a financial information website for Chinese-speaking investors (OTCQB: CIIX). He has also served as an independent director, chairman of the audit committee and a member of the remuneration and nomination committee of Daisho Microline Holdings Ltd., a Hong Kong-based investment holding company principally engaged in the manufacture and sales of printed circuit boards (HKG: 0567), since June 2015. In addition, Mr. Leung served as directors in various public companies, including Kirin Group Holdings Limited, an investment holding company principally engaged in the financial related business (HKG: 8109), Biostar Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a pharmaceutical and medical nutrient products company (OTC Pink: BSPM), and Hao Wen Holdings Limited, an investment holding company principally engaged in the manufacture and trading of biomass fuel in China (HKG: 8019). Mr. Leung earned his Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting and Finance from Deakin University in Victoria, Australia. He is a Certified Public Account in both Hong Kong and Australia.

Ms. Yang Cao has served as a director of the Company since March 2020. She has been practicing commercial law as an attorney with Hubei Zhonghe Law Office. Prior to that, she served as a legal counsel to Xianning High-Tech Industrial Zone, a municipal government authority providing infrastructure and resources to high-tech companies, from November 2016 to November 2019. From October 2015 to November 2016, Ms. Cao worked as a compliance officer at Qingdao Inter-Credit Group Wuhan Branch, a business consulting company. Ms. Cao received her LL.B. degree from Hankou College and an LL.M. degree from Central China Normal University

There are no arrangements or understandings between any of our directors, officers and any other person pursuant to which any director was selected to serve as a director or officers of our company. Directors are elected until their successors are duly elected and qualified. Our executive officers are appointed by our Board and serve at their discretion. There are no family relationships among our directors or officers.

Board of Directors

Our Board met on twelve occasions during fiscal year 2023. Each of the members of our Board attended more than 75% of the total number of meetings held by our Board and the committees on which each director served during fiscal year 2023.

Committees of the Board

Audit Committee

The Audit Committee assists our Board in monitoring:

King Fai Leung, Yang Cao and Luojie Pu, all of whom are independent directors under SEC rules and the rules of NYSE American, are currently serving as members of the Audit Committee. Mr. Leung is the chairman of the Audit Committee and is our audit committee financial expert.

The Audit Committee has adopted a written charter, a copy of which is available on our website at www.planetgreenholdings.com, and a printed copy of which is available to any stockholder requesting a copy by writing to: Planet Green Holdings Corp., c/o Board of Director Office, 130-30 31^st Ave, Suite 512, Flushing, NY, 11354. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, our Audit Committee held three meetings.

Compensation Committee

The functions of the Compensation Committee are as follows:

The current members of the Compensation Committee are Luojie Pu, King Fai Leung and Yang Cao. Ms. Pu is the chairman of the Compensation Committee. All current members of the Compensation Committee are independent directors, and all past members were independent directors at all times during their service on such Committee. None of the past or present members of our Compensation Committee are present or past employees or officers of the Company or any of our subsidiaries. No member of the Compensation Committee has had any relationship with us requiring disclosure under Item 404 of Regulation S-K. None of our executive officers serves on the Board of Directors or compensation committee of a company that has an executive officer that serves on our Board of Directors or Compensation Committee.

The Compensation Committee may not delegate its responsibilities to another committee, individual director or member of management.

The Compensation Committee meets on an annual basis and holds special meetings as needed. The Compensation Committee meetings may be called by the Committee chairman, the Chairman of the Board of Directors or a majority of Committee members. The Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer also provide recommendations to the Compensation Committee relating to compensation of other executive officers. The Compensation Committee held one meeting in fiscal year 2023.

Nominating and Corporate Governance

The Nominating and Corporate Governance assists the Board of Directors in identifying individuals qualified to become our directors and in determining the composition of the Board of Directors and its committees. The Nominating and Corporate Governance is responsible for, among other things:

The current members of the Nominating and Corporate Governance are Yang Cao, Luojie Pu and King Fai Leung. Ms. Cao is the chairman of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. During the fiscal year 2023, our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee held one meeting.

Stockholder Nominations for Director

Stockholders may propose candidates for board membership by writing to: Planet Green Holdings Corp., c/o Board of Director Office, 130-30 31^st Ave, Suite 512, Flushing, NY, 11354. Any such proposal shall contain the name, holdings of our securities and contact information of the person making the nomination; the candidate’s name, address and other contact information; any direct or indirect holdings of our securities by the nominee; any information required to be disclosed about directors under applicable securities laws and/or stock exchange requirements; information regarding related party transactions with our company and/or the stockholder submitting the nomination; any actual or potential conflicts of interest; the nominee’s biographical data, current public and private company affiliations, employment history and qualifications and status as “independent” under applicable securities laws and stock exchange requirements. Nominees proposed by stockholders will receive the same consideration as other nominees.

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

None of our officers currently serves, or in the past year has served, as a member of the Board of Directors or compensation committee of any entity that has one or more officers serving on our Board of Directors.

Code of Ethics

Our Board adopted a Code of Ethics that applies to all of our directors, executive officers, including our principal executive officer, principal financial officer and principal accounting officer, and employees. The Code of Ethics addresses, among other things, honesty and ethical conduct, conflicts of interest, compliance with laws, regulations and policies, including disclosure requirements under the federal securities laws, confidentiality, trading on inside information, and reporting of violations of the code. The Code of Ethics is available on our website at http://www.planetgreenholdings.com, and a copy of the Code of Ethics is available to any stockholder requesting a copy by writing to: Planet Green Holdings Corp., c/o Board of Director Office, 130-30 31^st Ave, Suite 512, Flushing, NY, 11354. We intend to disclose on our website, in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations, amendments to, or waivers from, our Code of Ethics.

Legal Proceedings

To the Company’s knowledge, other than the litigation brought by Daqi Cui against the Company, there are no material proceedings to which any of our directors and officers or affiliates of the Company is a party adverse to the Company or has a material interest adverse to the Company.

ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Summary Compensation Table

The following table sets forth information concerning all forms of compensation earned by our named executive officers during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and 2023 for services provided to us and our subsidiaries and VIEs. None of our current executive officers earned compensation that exceeded $100,000 during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 or 2023.

In October 2020, the Board appointed Bin Zhou as a member of the Board and the Chief Executive Officer. Pursuant to the employment agreement with Mr. Zhou dated October 25, 2022, we are obligated to pay Mr. Zhou a compensation of $96,000 per year.

In June 2020, the Board appointed Lili Hu to serve as the Chief Financial Officer. Pursuant to the employment agreement dated June 24, 2022 with Ms. Hu, we are obligated to pay Ms. Hu a compensation of $84,000 per year. 

In August 2022, the Board appointed Luojie Pu to serve as the Director. Pursuant to the employment agreement with Ms. Pu, we are obligated to pay Ms. Pu a compensation of $24,000 per year.

In July 2019, the Board appointed King Fai Leung to serve as the Director. Pursuant to the employment agreement with Mr. Leung, we are obligated to pay Mr. Leung a compensation of $21,600 per year.

In March 2020 the Board appointed Yang Cao to serve as the Director. Pursuant to the employment agreement with Ms. Cao, we are obligated to pay Ms. Cao a compensation of $24,000 per year. 

ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED SHAREHOLDER MATTERS

The following table sets forth information regarding beneficial ownership of our common stock as of March 31, 2023 (i) by each person who is known by us to beneficially own more than 5% of our common stock; (ii) by each of our named executive officers and directors and (iii) by all of our officers and directors as a group. Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC that deem shares to be beneficially owned by any person who has voting or investment power with respect to such shares. Except as otherwise indicated, the persons listed below have advised us that they have direct sole voting and investment power with respect to the shares listed as owned by them.

Unless otherwise specified, the address of each of the persons set forth below is c/o Planet Green Holdings Corp., 130-30 31^st Ave, Suite 512, Flushing, NY 11354.

In the table below, percentage ownership is based on 72,081,930 shares of our common stock outstanding as of December 31, 2023.

Changes in Control

There are currently no arrangements which would result in a change in control of us.

ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE.

Related Party Transactions

None.

Policy for Approval of Related Party Transactions

Our Audit Committee Charter provides that all related party transactions required to be disclosed under SEC rules are to be reviewed by the Audit Committee.

Director Independence

NYSE American listing standards require that a majority of our Board of Directors be independent. An “independent director” is defined generally as a person other than an officer or employee of the company or its subsidiaries or any other individual having a relationship which in the opinion of the company’s board of directors, would interfere with the director’s exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. Our Board of Directors has determined that Luojie Pu, King Fai Leung, Yang Cao are “independent directors” as defined in the NYSE American listing standards and applicable SEC rules.

ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES.

Accounting fees consisted of the following as of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022:

WWC, P.C. is the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and the accounting fees such period were $665,000 Such fees related to audit services provided by WWC, P.C.,No audit-related or tax services were provided by WWC, P.C. during such periods. YCM CPA Inc. is the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and the accounting fees such period were $100,000.YCM CPA Inc. is the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023 and the accounting fees such period were $400,000. Such fees related to audit services provided by YCM CPA Inc. No audit-related or tax services were provided by YCM CPA Inc. during such periods.

PART IV

ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES

(a) (1 and 2) Financial Statement and Schedules

The financial statements contained in the “Audited Financial Statements” beginning on page F-1 of this annual report on Form 10-K.

(b) Exhibits

ITEM 16. FORM 10-K SUMMARY

Not applicable.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this annual report has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

PLANET GREEN HOLDINGS CORP.

CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Stated in US Dollars)

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Board of Directors and the shareholders of

Planet Green Holdings Corp.

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Planet Green Holdings Corp. and its subsidiaries (collectively, the “Company”) as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, and the related consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss), changes in shareholder’s equity, and cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Going Concern

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company records an accumulated deficit as of December 31, 2023, and the Company currently has a working capital deficit, continued net losses and negative cash flows from operations. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans in regards to these matters are also described in Note 1. These consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of these uncertainties.

Basis for Opinion

These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s consolidated financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Critical Audit Matters

The critical audit matter communicated below is matter arising from the current period audit of the consolidated financial statements that were communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relate to accounts or disclosures that are material to the consolidated financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matters below, providing separate opinions on the critical audit matters or on the accounts or disclosures to which they relate.

Impairment of goodwill - evaluation of the carrying value of goodwill

Description of the Matter

As discussed in Note 2 and Note 14 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company’s goodwill balance was $4.72 million as of December 31, 2023. the Company performs a goodwill impairment test on an annual basis or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of a reporting unit might exceed its fair value. The Company utilizes a discounted cash flow methodology to calculate the fair value of its reporting units, which requires management to make significant estimates and assumptions related to projected revenue growth rates, discount rates, and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (“EBITDA”). Changes in these assumptions could have a significant impact on the fair value of the reporting unit and the amount of any goodwill impairment charge. In the year of 2023, the Company performed an annual goodwill impairment test in response to the decline in current market conditions because of the persistent operating losses. The goodwill was determined to be not impaired.

How We Addressed the Matter in Our Audit

Addressing the matter involved evaluating the Company’s assessment of the value of the reporting unit under the discounted cash flow method. These procedures included (i) We performed a retrospective review comparing actual revenue and EBITDA results of the reporting unit for 2023 to the forecasted results from 2024. (ii) We performed a retrospective review comparing management’s estimates and assumptions relating to revenue, EBITDA, and EBITDA margin projections for the reporting unit used for the purpose of current year’s annual impairment test to the projections previously used in connection with the prior year annual impairment test. (iii) We evaluated the consistency of estimates and assumptions relating to revenue and EBITDA growth inherent in the discounted cash flow model for the reporting unit to those used by management in other annual forecasting activities. (iv) With the assistance of our fair value specialists, we evaluated (1) the valuation methodology used and (2) the projections of long-term revenue growth and the discount rates by testing the underlying source information, and by developing a range of independent estimates and comparing those to the rates selected by management. (v) We performed sensitivity analysis.

Inventory Valuation

Description of the Matter

At December 31, 2023, the Company’s net inventory balance was $1.95 million. As discussed in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company adjusts the inventory carrying value to the lower of actual cost or the estimated net realizable value after completing ongoing reviews of on-hand inventory quantities exceeding forecasted demand, and by considering recent historical activity as well as anticipated demand.

Auditing management’s inventory excess and obsolescence reserves involved significant judgment because the estimates are based on several factors that are affected by market, industry, and competitive conditions outside the Company’s control. In estimating excess and obsolescence reserves, management developed certain assumptions, including forecasted demand which are sensitive to the competitiveness of product offerings, customer requirements, and product life cycles. These significant assumptions are forward-looking and could be affected by future economic and market conditions.

How We Addressed the Matter in Our Audit

We obtained an understanding of internal controls over the Company’s inventory excess and obsolescence reserves estimation process, including the basis for developing the above-described assumptions and management’s judgments.

Our audit procedures included, among others, with the assistance of our fair value specialists, testing the reasonableness of management’s key assumptions and judgments and testing the accuracy and completeness of the underlying data used to determine the amount of excess and obsolescence reserves. We compared the quantities and carrying value of on-hand inventories to related unit sales. We also evaluated industry and market factors and performed sensitivity analysis over the forecasted demand used by management to determine necessary changes in the inventory excess and obsolescence reserves.

/s/ YCM CPA, Inc.

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2022. 

PCAOB ID 6781

Irvine, California

April 1, 2024

Planet Green Holdings Corp.

Consolidated Balance Sheets

See Accompanying Notes to the Financial Statements

Planet Green Holdings Corp.

Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive (Loss) Income

See Accompanying Notes to the Financial Statements

Planet Green Holdings Corp.

Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity

For the Years Ended December 31, 2023 and 2022

See Accompanying Notes to the Financial Statements

Planet Green Holdings Corp.

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

For the Years Ended December 31, 2023 and 2022

(Stated in US Dollars)