ECL Ecolab Inc

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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

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FORM 11-K

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(Mark One)

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OR

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Commission file number 1-09328

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ECOLAB PUERTO RICO SAVINGS PLAN

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ECOLAB INC.

1 Ecolab Place

Saint Paul, Minnesota 55102

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ECOLAB PUERTO RICO SAVINGS PLAN

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REPORT ON AUDITS OF FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

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as of December 31, 2021 and 2020

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and

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for the year ended December 31, 2021

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AND SUPPLEMENTAL SCHEDULE

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as of December 31, 2021

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The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

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The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

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Notes to financial statements

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1. Description of Plan

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The following brief description of the Ecolab Puerto Rico Savings Plan (the “Plan”) is provided for general information purposes only. Participants should refer to the Plan document for more complete information regarding the Plan's definitions, benefits, eligibility and other matters.

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The Plan is sponsored by Ecolab Inc. (“Ecolab”) for the benefit of certain individuals employed by Ecolab’s wholly owned subsidiary, Ecolab Manufacturing Inc. (the “Company”), and is subject to income taxation under Puerto Rico laws.

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General and Eligibility

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The Plan is a contributory qualified defined contribution plan available to certain employees of the Company in Puerto Rico. Employees who are employed by the Company and who are subject to income taxation under the laws of Puerto Rico may participate in the Plan as of the first day of the month on or after their date of hire, provided they are not subject to a collective bargaining agreement which does not provide for their participation in the Plan. Employee participation in the Plan is voluntary.

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The Plan is subject to the provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”) and the Puerto Rico tax code (“the Code”). The Plan and trust are located and qualified only in Puerto Rico.

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The Benefits Finance Committee determines the appropriateness of the Plan’s investment offerings and monitors investment performance. The Plan Administrator is responsible for administration of the Plan.

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Contributions

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Contributions are made to the Plan as pre-tax savings contributions, participant rollover contributions and employer matching contributions.

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Pre-tax savings contributions are contributions made by the Company on behalf of participants who have agreed to have their taxable compensation reduced. Participants may reduce their compensation (subject to a Puerto Rico statutory annual maximum of $15,000 for 2021) for the purpose of making pre-tax savings contributions to the Plan.

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Participants who have attained age 50 or above are allowed to make additional catch-up contributions in accordance with Puerto Rico laws (up to $1,500 in 2021).

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Participants may also contribute amounts representing distributions from other qualified plans (rollover).

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Participant contributions of up to 4% of eligible compensation are matched 100% by the Company and participant contributions over 4% and up to 8% of eligible compensation are matched 50% by the Company. The Plan also allows additional employer matching contributions to true-up the employer match. This true-up ensures all participants receive their full annualized employer match.

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The levels of contributions made by or on behalf of participants who are highly compensated, as defined in the Code, are subject to limitations under the Code.

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Vesting

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Participants are fully vested in their accounts at all times.

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Plan Benefits

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As participants are fully vested at all times, benefits to participants are equal to their account balances. Upon retirement, death, disability or separation from service, a distribution may be made to the participant or beneficiary equal to the participant's account balance. Employees may be eligible to withdraw part or all of their account balance upon attainment of age 59 1/2. Loans and in-service withdrawals for hardships are also available. A participant distribution or withdrawal from the Plan generally is subject to taxation under the tax rules applicable to Puerto Rico residents.

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Notes Receivable from Participants

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Active participants (and beneficiaries who are parties in interest as defined by ERISA) are permitted to borrow from their accounts. The total amount of a participant's note may not exceed the lesser of (a) $50,000 minus the participant's highest outstanding note balance for the previous twelve-month period, or (b) 50% of the participant's interest in his or her account. When a note is granted, the appropriate account balances are reduced and a separate note account is created.

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Note payments, together with interest at a market rate determined by the Plan Administrator, are repaid generally over 5 years unless the note is for the purchase of a principal residence, in which case the term can be up to 10 years.

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Notes receivable from participants at December 31, 2021 had interest rates ranging from 4.25% to 6.50% and are due at various dates through August 2031. A participant can have no more than two notes outstanding at any time. Notes receivable from participants are collateralized by the borrower’s account balance and are repaid through ratable payroll deductions.

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Participant Accounts and Allocation

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Banco Popular de Puerto Rico (“Banco Popular” or “trustee”) provides investment management, recordkeeping and trustee services for the Plan directly or indirectly through one or more of its subsidiaries. The trust agreement authorizes services to be performed by the trustee, its agents or affiliates.

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Each participant's account is credited with the participant's contributions, the employer matching contributions and investment income thereon, net of Plan expenses. Allocations are based on participant earnings, account balances, or specific participant transactions, as defined. The benefit to which a participant is entitled is the benefit that can be provided from the participant’s vested account.

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All participant contributions made under the Plan are paid to and invested by Banco Popular in one or more of the available investment options as directed by the participants.

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Participants are allowed to allocate their entire account balance in any combination of the available investment options.

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Plan Termination

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Although it has not expressed any intent to do so, the Company has the right under the Plan to discontinue its contributions at any time and Ecolab has the right to terminate the Plan subject to the provisions of ERISA.

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2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

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Basis of Presentation

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The accompanying financial statements have been prepared on the accrual basis of accounting.

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Use of Estimates

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The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, and changes therein, and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

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Valuation of Investments and Income Recognition

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Banco Popular holds the Plan’s assets and executes transactions therein based upon instructions received from the Plan Administrator, Ecolab and the participants in the Plan. The Plan’s investments are stated at fair value. Fair value is the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. See Note 3 for a discussion of fair value measurements.

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Interest income is recorded as earned on an accrual basis and dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date. Purchases and sales of securities and realized gains and losses related to sales of investments are recorded on a trade-date basis. Unrealized gains and losses are recorded based on the fair values as of the reporting date.

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Notes Receivable from Participants

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Notes receivable from participants are measured at their unpaid principal balances plus any accrued interest. Interest income is recorded on the accrual basis of accounting. Related fees are recorded as administrative expenses and are expensed when they are incurred. No allowance for credit losses has been recorded as of December 31, 2021 or 2020. If a participant ceases to make loan repayments and the Plan Administrator deems the participant loan to be in default, the participant loan balance is reduced and a benefit payment is recorded.

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Notes receivable from participants have been classified as an investment asset for Form 5500 reporting purposes and, accordingly, have been included as an investment in the supplemental schedule, Schedule H, line 4i – Schedule of Assets (Held at End of Year).

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Contributions

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Participant pre-tax contributions are recorded in the period the employer makes the payroll deductions. Employer matching contributions are recorded based on participant contributions in the same period.

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Risks and Uncertainties

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The Plan provides for a range of investment options in various combinations of investment funds. Investments are exposed to a number of risks, such as interest rate, market and credit risks. Due to the level of risk associated with certain investment securities, including Ecolab Inc. common stock, it is at least reasonably possible that changes in the values of investment securities will occur in the near term and that such changes could materially affect participants' account balances and the amounts reported in the Statements of Net Assets Available for Benefits.

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As a result of COVID-19, there has been heightened market risk and volatility associated with the pandemic, and this could materially affect participants' account balances and the amounts reported in the Statements of Net Assets Available for Benefits and the Statement of Changes in Net Assets Available for Benefits, as mentioned above.

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Concentration of Market Risk

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At December 31, 2021 and 2020, approximately 41% and 45%, respectively, of the Plan’s net assets were invested in the common stock of Ecolab. The underlying value of Ecolab Inc. common stock is dependent on the performance of Ecolab and the market’s evaluation of such performance.

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Distributions to Participants

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Distributions to participants are recorded when paid.

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Plan Expenses

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The Company pays a portion of the administrative expenses of the Plan, which are excluded from these financial statements, and a portion is paid by Plan participants within the Plan. Certain asset management and administrative fees of the Plan are charged against the Plan’s investment results.

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Subsequent Events

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The Plan Administrator has evaluated subsequent events through the date and time the financial statements were issued.

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3. Fair Value Measurements

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Accounting guidance establishes a framework for measuring fair value. That framework provides a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (level 3 measurements). The three levels of the fair value hierarchy under accounting guidance are described below:

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Level 1 - Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the reporting entity has the ability to access at the measurement date.

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Level 2 - Inputs other than quoted prices within Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly; and fair value is determined through the use of models or other valuation methodologies. If the asset or liability has a specific (contractual) term, the Level 2 input must be observable for substantially the full term of the asset or liability. A significant adjustment to a Level 2 input could result in the Level 2 measurement becoming a Level 3 measurement.

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Level 3 - Inputs are unobservable for the asset or liability and include situations where there is little, if any, market activity for the asset or liability. The inputs into the determination of fair value are based upon the best information in the circumstances and may require significant management judgment or estimation.

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The asset’s or liability’s fair value measurement level within the fair value hierarchy is based on the lowest level of any input that is significant to the fair value measurement. Valuation techniques used need to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs.

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The following is a description of the valuation methodologies used for investments measured at fair value. There have been no changes in the methodologies used at December 31, 2021 and 2020.

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Registered investment companies and Ecolab Inc. common stock: Investments in registered investment companies are recorded at the underlying net asset value per unit, which approximates fair value based on the publicly quoted market price of these funds. Investments in Ecolab Inc. common stock are recorded at fair value based on the quoted market price of Ecolab's common stock on the New York Stock Exchange.

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Common/collective trusts: Investments in common/collective trusts are recorded at the underlying net asset value per unit, which approximates fair value based on the audited financial statements of these funds. This practical expedient would not be used if it is determined to be probable that the fund will sell the investment for an amount different from the reported net asset value.

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The Plan reviews the fair value hierarchy classification on an annual basis. Changes in the ability to observe valuation inputs may result in a reclassification of levels for certain securities within the fair value hierarchy. The Plan’s policy is to recognize transfers into and out of levels within the fair value hierarchy at the end of the fiscal year in which the actual event or change in circumstances that caused the transfer occurs. There were no transfers between Levels during the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020. When a determination is made to classify an asset or liability within Level 3, the determination is based upon the significance of the unobservable inputs to the overall fair value measurement. At December 31, 2021 and 2020, the Plan did not have any assets or liabilities classified within Level 2 or Level 3.

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The methods described above may produce a fair value calculation that may not be indicative of net realizable value or reflective of future fair values. Furthermore, while the Plan believes its valuation methods are appropriate and consistent with other market participants, the use of different methodologies or assumptions to determine the fair value of certain financial instruments could result in a different fair value measurement at the reporting date.

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The following tables represent the Plan’s fair value hierarchy for those assets measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2021 and 2020:

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(*) Certain investments that were measured at net asset value per share (or its equivalent) have not been classified in the fair value hierarchy. The fair value amounts presented in this table are intended to permit reconciliation of the fair value hierarchy to the line items presented in the Statements of Net Assets Available for Benefits.

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The following table sets forth additional disclosures of the Plan investments whose fair value is estimated using net asset value per share as of December 31, 2021 and 2020:

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The fair value of investments in this category has been estimated using the net asset value per share of the underlying investments. All of these funds are subject to potential withdrawal safeguards to protect the interest of all participants, while providing the maximum level of liquidity that can be prudently made available to all participants. These withdrawal safeguards permit redemptions resulting from ordinary course activity, subject to certain thresholds.

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4. Tax Status

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The Plan constitutes a qualified plan and trust under the Puerto Rico tax code. The Plan is maintained as a foreign trust covering only individuals subject to taxation under the Puerto Rico tax code and therefore no provision for United States federal income taxes has been included in the Plan's financial statements.

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A favorable determination letter, dated May 22, 2012, was received from the Puerto Rico Treasury Department on the form of the Banco Popular Master Defined Contribution Retirement Plan adoption agreement and master plan, upon which the Plan is maintained. The Plan also received an individual determination letter from the Puerto Rico Treasury Department dated August 26, 2016. The Plan has been amended since receiving the tax qualification letter. However, the Plan Administrator believes the Plan is currently designed and being operated in accordance with Section 1165(a) of the Puerto Rico Internal Revenue Code and is, therefore, exempt from Puerto Rico income taxes. Therefore, no provision for Puerto Rico income taxes has been included in the Plan’s financial statements.

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U.S. GAAP requires plan management to evaluate tax positions taken by the Plan and recognize a tax liability (or asset) if the Plan has taken an uncertain position that more likely than not would not be sustained upon examination by the Puerto Rico tax authority. The Plan Administrator has analyzed tax positions taken by the Plan and has concluded that as of December 31, 2021, there are no uncertain tax positions taken, or expected to be taken, that would require recognition of a liability or that would require disclosure in the financial statements. The Plan is subject to routine audits by taxing jurisdictions; however, there are currently no audits for any tax periods in progress.

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5. Related Party and Party-In-Interest Transactions

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The trustee is authorized under contract provisions, or by ERISA regulations providing an administrative or statutory exemption, to invest in funds under its control and in securities of Ecolab.

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Participant contributions and employer matching contributions are invested in one or more of the investment fund options offered under the Plan, including Ecolab Inc. common stock.

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During 2021 and 2020, the Plan invested in Ecolab Inc. common stock. The Plan held 26,854 and 26,221 shares at December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. During the year ended December 31, 2021, purchases and sales of shares by the Plan totaled approximately $367,000 and $234,000, respectively.

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EXHIBITS

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The following documents are filed as exhibits to this Report:

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