Filed by Amcor plc
Pursuant to Rule 425 of the Securities Act of 1933
and deemed filed pursuant to Rule 14a-12
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Subject Company: Berry Global Group, Inc.
Commission File No.: 001-35672
Explanatory Note: The following email template was sent by Amcor plc to various customers on November 19, 2024.
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TO: [CUSTOMER NAME TITLE]
FROM: [AMCOR REP NAME TITLE]
Subject: Amcor and Berry to Combine, Accelerating the Possible, Right Now
[Dear [Customer] // INSERT CUSTOMARY GREETING],
Today, we announced that Amcor has entered into an agreement to combine with Berry Global, creating a global leader in flexibles, containers and closures for consumer and healthcare customers, with unprecedented innovation capabilities and scale. This transformational combination positions Amcor to accelerate the possible, right now, elevating brands, shaping lives and protecting Earth for the benefit of customers like you. You can find the press release announcement here.
As you may know, Berry provides more sustainable flexibles, containers and dispensing closures for customers in food and beverage, home and personal care, food service and healthcare. They bring complementary capabilities, including strong innovation, specialized tooling, design and multi-component assembly. Berry’s culture is closely aligned to ours and focused on safety excellence, customer passion, sustainability and innovation. Together, we will help global and local customers grow faster and operate more efficiently, with a more complete and more sustainable product offering, supported by stronger innovation capabilities, global scale and supply chain flexibility.
Our combined company will service customers in over 140 countries through ~400 production facilities, bringing global capabilities to local customers and providing local access to global brands. We will ensure supply chain resilience in a dynamic world, support customers in accessing broader growth opportunities and address specific regional needs.
We will also create the innovation partner of choice developing the most sustainable packaging solutions, expanding choice for customers and consumers by allocating more resources to critical areas and using our combined expertise and technologies to solve bigger challenges. Our innovation capabilities will be underpinned by combined annual R&D investment of $180 million per annum, ~1,500 R&D professionals, 10 innovation centers worldwide and 7,000+ patents, registered designs and trademarks. Together, we will deliver breakthrough solutions across a range of materials and formats to solve your toughest technical challenges without compromising functionality, offering a wider range of more sustainable solutions which drive circularity, increase use of alternative materials and lower carbon footprint.
In short, together with Berry, we will be able to develop solutions that neither company could on its own, and we are excited about the opportunities to help you achieve your sustainability goals.
Until the transaction is completed, which we are targeting in the middle of calendar year 2025, subject to customary closing conditions, Amcor and Berry will continue to operate as separate, independent companies. Both now and after the completion of the combination, you can expect to work with us as you always have.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to [your usual Amcor contact // INSERT].
We value our relationship and look forward to our continued success together.
Sincerely,
[NAME
TITLE]
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Important Information for Investors and Shareholders
This communication does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy or exchange any securities or a solicitation of any vote or approval in any jurisdiction, nor shall there be any sale, issuance or transfer of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. It does not constitute a prospectus or prospectus equivalent document. No offering or sale of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and otherwise in accordance with applicable law.
In connection with the proposed transaction between Amcor plc (“Amcor”) and Berry Global Group, Inc. (“Berry”), Amcor and Berry intend to file relevant materials with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including, among other filings, an Amcor registration statement on Form S-4 that will include a joint proxy statement of Amcor and Berry that also constitutes a prospectus of Amcor with respect to Amcor’s ordinary shares to be issued in the proposed transaction, and a definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus, which will be mailed to shareholders of Amcor and Berry (the “Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus”). Amcor and Berry may also file other documents with the SEC regarding the proposed transaction. This document is not a substitute for the Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus or any other document which Amcor or Berry may file with the SEC. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS OF AMCOR AND BERRY ARE URGED TO READ THE JOINT PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AND ANY OTHER DOCUMENTS THAT WILL BE FILED WITH THE SEC, AS WELL AS ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS TO THESE DOCUMENTS, CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION AND RELATED MATTERS. Investors and security holders will be able to obtain free copies of the registration statement and the Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus (when available) and other documents filed with the SEC by Amcor or Berry through the website maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov. Copies of the documents filed with the SEC by Amcor will be available free of charge on Amcor’s website at amcor.com under the tab “Investors” and under the heading “Financial Information” and subheading “SEC Filings.” Copies of the documents filed with the SEC by Berry will be available free of charge on Berry’s website at berryglobal.com under the tab “Investors” and under the heading “Financials” and subheading “SEC Filings.”
Certain Information Regarding Participants
Amcor, Berry, and their respective directors and executive officers may be considered participants in the solicitation of proxies from the shareholders of Amcor and Berry in connection with the proposed transaction. Information about the directors and executive officers of Amcor is set forth in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2024, which was filed with the SEC on August 16, 2024 and its proxy statement for its 2024 annual meeting, which was filed with the SEC on September 24, 2024. Information about the directors and executive officers of Berry is set forth in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2023, which was filed with the SEC on November 17, 2023, its proxy statement for its 2024 annual meeting, which was filed with the SEC on January 4, 2024, and its Current Reports on Form 8-K, which were filed with the SEC on February 12, 2024, April 11, 2024, September 6, 2024 and November 4, 2024. To the extent holdings of Amcor’s or Berry’s securities by its directors or executive officers have changed since the amounts set forth in such filings, such changes have been or will be reflected on Initial Statements of Beneficial Ownership on Form 3 or Statements of Beneficial Ownership on Form 4 filed with the SEC. Information about the directors and executive officers of Amcor and Berry, including a description of their direct or indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, and other information regarding the potential participants in the proxy solicitations, which may be different than those of Amcor’s shareholders and Berry’s stockholders generally, will be contained in the Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus and other relevant materials to be filed with the SEC regarding the proposed transaction. You may obtain these documents (when they become available) free of charge through the website maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov and from Amcor’s or Berry’s website as described above.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This communication contains certain statements that are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. Some of these forward-looking statements can be identified by words like “anticipate,” “approximately,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “intend,” “may,” “outlook,” “plan,” “potential,” “possible,” “predict,” “project,” “target,” “seek,” “should,” “will,” or “would,” the negative of these words, other terms of similar meaning or the use of future dates. Such statements, including projections as to the anticipated benefits of the proposed transaction, the impact of the proposed transaction on Amcor’s and Berry’s business and future financial and operating results and prospects, the amount and timing of synergies from the proposed transaction, the terms and scope of the expected financing in connection with the proposed transaction, the aggregate amount of indebtedness of the combined company following the closing of the proposed transaction and the closing date for the proposed transaction, are based on the current estimates, assumptions and projections of the management of Amcor and Berry, and are qualified by the inherent risks and uncertainties surrounding future expectations generally, all of which are subject to change. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Amcor’s and Berry’s control. None of Amcor, Berry or any of their respective directors, executive officers, or advisors, provide any representation, assurance or guarantee that the occurrence of the events expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements will actually occur, or if any of them do occur, what impact they will have on the business, results of operations or financial condition of Amcor or Berry. Should any risks and uncertainties develop into actual events, these developments could have a material adverse effect on Amcor’s and Berry’s businesses, the proposed transaction and the ability to successfully complete the proposed transaction and realize its expected benefits. Risks and uncertainties that could cause results to differ from expectations include, but are not limited to, the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the merger agreement; the risk that the conditions to the completion of the proposed transaction (including shareholder and regulatory approvals) are not satisfied in a timely manner or at all; the risks arising from the integration of the Amcor and Berry businesses; the risk that the anticipated benefits of the proposed transaction may not be realized when expected or at all; the risk of unexpected costs or expenses resulting from the proposed transaction; the risk of litigation related to the proposed transaction; the risks related to disruption of management’s time from ongoing business operations as a result of the proposed transaction; the risk that the proposed transaction may have an adverse effect on the ability of Amcor and Berry to retain key personnel and customers; general economic, market and social developments and conditions; the evolving legal, regulatory and tax regimes under which Amcor and Berry operate; potential business uncertainty, including changes to existing business relationships, during the pendency of the proposed transaction that could affect Amcor’s and/or Berry’s financial performance; and other risks and uncertainties identified from time to time in Amcor’s and Berry’s respective filings with the SEC, including the Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus to be filed with the SEC in connection with the proposed transaction. While the list of risks presented here is, and the list of risks presented in the Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus will be, considered representative, no such list should be considered to be a complete statement of all potential risks and uncertainties, and other risks may present significant additional obstacles to the realization of forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements included herein are made only as of the date hereof and neither Amcor nor Berry undertakes any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, or any other information in this communication, as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, or to correct any inaccuracies or omissions in them which become apparent. All forward-looking statements in this communication are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.
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