PLAG Planet Green Holdings Corp

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

Overview of Our Business

Planet Green Holdings Corp. (the “Planet Green”) 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 entities, or VIEs, including Jilin Chuanyuan and Anhui Ansheng (the “VIEs”), which are companies incorporated in the PRC. The VIEs are 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 VIEs. 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 VIEs are not equivalent of an investment in the VIEs. Investors of our securities thus are not purchasing equity interest in the VIEs 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 VIEs and will not have any equity ownership of such VIEs themselves. The VIE arrangement may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing us with control over the VIEs. 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 VIEs 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 VIEs and their 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 VIEs 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 VIEs 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 VIEs, 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 VIEs. Cash is transferred through our organization in the manner as follows: (1) we may transfer funds to our WFOEs through our Hong Kong subsidiaries, Lucky Sky Planet Green Holdings Co., Limited (HK), and Bless Chemical Co., Ltd. (HK) by additional capital contributions or shareholder loans, as the case may be; (2) the VIEs 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 VIEs for services rendered by the VIEs; 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 2021, 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, 2021, our WFOE owns [ ] to the VIEs. As of December 31, 2021, 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 VIEs 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 VIEs’ 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 VIEs 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 VIEs’ 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 subsidiary 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 VIEs, 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 VIEs 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 VIEs 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, Anhui Ansheng is required to obtain Production License of Special Equipment, 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 VIEs 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 VIEs, (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 VIEs, 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, WWC, P.C., 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 February 4, 2022, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill, which contained, among other things, an identical provision. If this provision is enacted into law and the number of consecutive non-inspection years required for triggering the prohibitions under the HFCAA is reduced from three years to two, then the common stock could be prohibited from trading in the United States as early as 2024. 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.

We are a diversified technology, chemical and chemical equipment and consumer products company with presence in North America and China with the follow business lines:

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 VIEs.

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, which gives the Company the ultimate control of Jingshan Sanhe and its shareholders, making it operate in accordance with the will of the Company. The Company is considered the primary beneficiary of Jingshan Sanhe and it consolidates its accounts as VIEs. 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 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.

VIE Arrangements

We currently have two VIEs under its structure: (1) Jilin Chuangyuan, and (2) Anhui Ansheng, which are business entities incorporated in China. The Company is considered the beneficiary of the two VIEs 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.

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 VIEs and their subsidiaries, and rely on contractual arrangements among our WFOEs, the VIEs, and their respective shareholders to exert influence on the business operations of the VIEs. The VIE structure provides our business operations in China with contractual exposure to foreign investment. However, our contractual arrangements with the VIEs are not equivalent of an investment in the VIEs. Investors are purchasing equity securities of our ultimate Nevada holding company rather than purchasing equity securities of the VIEs. 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 VIEs 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 VIEs 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 VIEs 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 VIEs’ ability to transfer cash and assets.

Consolidating Statements of Income Information

The following is the tabular form condensed consolidating schedule depicting the financial position, cash flows and results of operations for the parent, the subsidiaries, the consolidated variable interest entities, and any eliminating adjustments separately - as of and for the year ended December 31, 2021.

Audited Consolidated cash flow information:

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 VIEs 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, Lucky Sky Planet Green Holdings Co., Limited (HK), and Bless Chemical Co., Ltd. (HK) by additional capital contributions or shareholder loans, as the case may be; (2) the VIEs 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 VIEs for services rendered by the VIEs; 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 2021, 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, 2021, our VIEs owned $[ 6,901,203 ] to our WOEFs as loan. As of December 31, 2021, 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 VIEs 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 VIEs 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 prospectus, 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 prospectus, 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. See “Risk Factors - Risks Related to Doing Business in China” beginning on page 30 for a detailed description of various risks related to doing business in China and other information that should be considered before making a decision to purchase any of our securities.

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.

Products

We grow, produce and distribute Cyan brick tea, black tea and green tea in China through our wholly owned subsidiary Xianning Bozhuang.

We import and distribute beef products in China through our wholly owned subsidiary Shandong Yunchu.

We research, develop, manufacture and sell products of clean fuel, liquid wax, arene and biomass fuel through Jingshan Sanhe and we research, develop, manufacture and sell formaldehyde, urea formaldehyde adhesive, methylal, and clean fuel products through Jilin Chuangyuan.

We research, develop and manufacture skid-mounted refueling equipment, LNG cryogenic equipment and oil storage tank, and sells such products in China through our VIE, Anhui Ansheng.

Service

We provide a demand-side platform for online advertising which allows buyers of digital advertising inventory to manage multiple advertising exchange and data exchange through one interface. Our online advertising service is provided by Fast Approach.

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, Xuancheng City of Anhui Province in China, 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 both in Chinese domestic market and overseas market.

We sell our agricultural products in first-tier cities in China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin and Guangzhou. Our sales team sells our products directly to supermarket chains, mass merchandisers, large wholesalers, restaurants and others in these markets. In second-tier and third-tier cities, we currently sell our products to third-party distributors, such as food companies or trading companies with established distribution channels in such regions, rather than through our own sales team. The terms of a typical sales contract between us and our distributors provide that we are responsible for transportation costs and the distributors are responsible for storage costs. Furthermore, the distributors have the right to return products that fail to satisfy specified quality standards, at our cost. The majority of such contracts require the distributors to pay us in cash in full upon delivery, and the remaining contracts provide for short-term credit, usually two to three weeks. We also operate an online store on Tmall, an open business-to-consumer (B2C) platform in China, to sell tea products to consumers directly.

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.

Anhui Ansheng’s Insulation type explosion-proof skid-mounted refueling equipment and SF double-layer buried type storage tank are the leading brands in the industry. The company is China National Petroleum Corporation’s Top 5 supplier for SF double layer buried storage tanks. The production scale and market share of the Explosion-proof skid-mounted refueling equipment are both ranking No.1 in China and such product is a success in overseas markets as well.

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 2021, our marketing and branding efforts mainly focus on internet advertising and long-term customers.

Competition and Market Position

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.

Competitive factors in our industry include product innovation, product quality, price, brand recognition and loyalty, product variety and ingredients, product packaging and package design, effectiveness of marketing and promotional activity, and our ability to identify and satisfy consumer tastes and preferences.

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.

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.

Anhui Ansheng was established in May 2012, with a registered capital of RMB 30 million and an area of approximately 100,000 square meters. It is equipped with advanced manufacturing and testing equipment, and has first-class R&D, manufacturing and management team in the industry. Anhui Ansheng has three business divisions: Insulation type explosion-proof skid-mounted refueling equipment business division, LNG cryogenic equipment business division and SF double deck oil storage tank business division. Anhui Ansheng has the national pressure vessel manufacturing certificate, pressure pipeline installation license, ASME U certificate and T certificate, national industrial production license, ISO9001 quality management system certificate, ISO14001 environmental management system certificate, QHSAS18001 occupational health and safety management system certificate, as well as UL certificate, etc. It’s Insulation type explosion-proof skid-mounted refueling equipment and SF double-layer buried type storage tank are the leading brands in the industry. Anhui Ansheng is China National Petroleum Corporation’s Top 5 supplier for SF double layer buried storage tanks. The production scale and market share of the Explosion-proof skid-mounted refueling equipment are both ranking No.1 in China and such product is a success in overseas markets as well.

Jilin Chuangyuan is a leading chemical enterprise integrating R & D, production and sales. Its main products and annual production capacity are 120,000 tons of formaldehyde, 100,000 tons of urea formaldehyde glue, 3,0000 tons of methylal and 20,000 tons of clean fuel oil respectively. It is a large-scale enterprise in the production of formaldehyde and urea formaldehyde glue in Chinese northeast provinces and 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.

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.

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.

Anhui Ansheng obtains 1 invention patent and 23 utility patents from the State Intellectual Property Office of the PRC, which includes a LNG tank container with self-balancing lifting mechanism, a LNG tank type container type with intermediate moving positioning mechanism, a LNG tank container with new vehicle mounted support frame, a LNG tank type container type with integrated fixed frame, Self-drying gas station canopy, fuel dispenser, a constant temperature and pressure unloading device for gasification station, integrated mobile LNG gasification station, an integrated skid type LNG filling station, fuel dispenser with automatic coordination position, a LNG tank type container type with self-balancing lifting mechanism, an anti-breaking mechanism at the inlet and a outlet of pump pool in LNG integrated gas filling device.

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, 2021, we had a total of 185 employees. Approximately 185 of our full-time employees are directly employed by our subsidiaries and VIEs.

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, 4 employees are dedicated to research and development.

Jingshan Sanhe owns a professional laboratory which includes 17 sets of professional experimental equipment operated by 6 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. 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, 2021 and 2020 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 manufacturing of insulation type explosion-proof skid-mounted refueling equipment and SF double-layer buried type storage tank products business, carried out by Anhui Ansheng, is subject to multiple regulations under PRC law. We have obtained required certificates, including the national industrial product production license, Manufacture License of Special Equipment (pressure vessels), installation, alteration, repair & maintenance license of special equipment (pressure tunnel), the American Society of Mechanical Engineers certificate of authorization, environmental management system certification and quality management system certification.

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.

As to our multimedia design and advertising business, we are licensed to operate data related business in China through our subsidiary, Shanghai Shuning.