Univar Solutions (UNVR) 10-K 25 Feb 20 2019 FY Annual report Financial data

Cover

Cover - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Feb. 12, 2020	Jun. 30, 2019
Cover page.
Document Type	10-K
Document Annual Report	true
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2019
Document Transition Report	false
Entity File Number	001-37443
Entity Registrant Name	Univar Solutions Inc.
Entity Incorporation, State or Country Code	DE
Entity Tax Identification Number	26-1251958
Entity Address, Address Line One	3075 Highland Parkway, Suite 200
Entity Address, City or Town	Downers Grove,
Entity Address, State or Province	IL
Entity Address, Postal Zip Code	60515
City Area Code	331
Local Phone Number	777-6000
Title of 12(b) Security	Common Stock ($0.01 par value)
Trading Symbol	UNVR
Security Exchange Name	NYSE
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Interactive Data Current	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Small Business	false
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
Entity Shell Company	false
Entity Public Float			$ 3,400
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		168,848,248
Amendment Flag	false
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2019
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Entity Central Index Key	0001494319
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Documents Incorporated by Reference	Certain portions of the registrant’s Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held May 7, 2020 and to be filed within 120 days after the registrant’s fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 (hereinafter referred to as “Proxy Statement”) are incorporated by reference into Part III.

Consolidated Statements of Oper

Consolidated Statements of Operations - USD ($) shares in Millions, $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Net sales	$ 9,286.9	$ 8,632.5	$ 8,253.7
Operating expenses:
Warehousing, selling and administrative	1,068.8	931.4	919.7
Other operating expenses, net	298.2	73.5	55.4
Depreciation	155	125.2	135
Amortization	59.7	54.3	65.4
Impairment charges	7	0	0
Total operating expenses	1,953.5	1,512.7	1,467.5
Operating income	187.3	387.4	338
Other (expense) income:
Interest income	7.7	3.2	4
Interest expense	(147.2)	(135.6)	(152)
Gain on sale of business	41.4	0	0
Loss on extinguishment of debt	(19.8)	(0.1)	(3.8)
Loss on extinguishment of debt	(13.1)	(0.1)	(3.8)
Other expense, net	(70.5)	(32.7)	(17.4)
Total other expense	(188.4)	(165.2)	(169.2)
(Loss) income before income taxes	(1.1)	222.2	168.8
Income tax expense from continuing operations	104.5	49.9	49
Net (loss) income from continuing operations	(105.6)	172.3	119.8
Net income from discontinued operations	5.4	0	0
Net (loss) income	$ (100.2)	$ 172.3	$ 119.8
Earnings Per Share, Basic [Abstract]
Basic from continuing operations (usd per share)	$ (0.64)	$ 1.22	$ 0.85
Basic from discontinued operations (usd per share)	0.03	0	0
Basic (loss) income per common share	(0.61)	1.22	0.85
Earnings Per Share, Diluted [Abstract]
Diluted (loss) income per common share from continuing operations (usd per share)	(0.64)	1.21	0.85
Diluted income per common share from discontinued operations (usd per share)	0.03	0	0
Diluted (loss) income per common share (usd per share)	$ (0.61)	$ 1.21	$ 0.85
Weighted average common shares outstanding:
Basic (in shares)	164.1	141.2	140.2
Diluted (in shares)	164.1	142.2	141.4
Product
Cost of goods sold (exclusive of depreciation)	$ 7,146.1	$ 6,732.4	$ 6,448.2
Outbound freight and handling
Cost of goods sold (exclusive of depreciation)	$ 364.8	$ 328.3	$ 292

Consolidated Statements of Comp

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive (Loss) Income - USD ($) $ in Millions		12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Net (loss) income		$ (100.2)	$ 172.3	$ 119.8
Other comprehensive (loss) income, net of tax:
Foreign currency translation		22.8	(97)	107.1
Pension and other postretirement benefits adjustment		0.1	0.1	(2.4)
Derivative financial instruments		(25.8)	1.7	6.7
Total other comprehensive (loss) income, net of tax		(6.1)	(94.7)	111.4
Comprehensive (loss) income		(106.3)	77.6	231.2
Accounting Standards Update 2018-02
Other comprehensive (loss) income, net of tax:
Impact due to adoption of ASU		(3.2)	0	0
Accounting Standards Update 2017-12
Other comprehensive (loss) income, net of tax:
Impact due to adoption of ASU	[1]	$ 0	$ 0.5	$ 0
[1]	Impact due to the adoption of Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2017-12 “Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities” on January 1, 2018.

Consolidated Balance Sheets

Consolidated Balance Sheets - USD ($) $ in Millions		Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		$ 330.3	$ 121.6
Trade accounts receivable, net		1,160.1	1,094.7
Inventories		796	803.3
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		167.2	169.1
Total current assets		2,453.6	2,188.7
Property, plant and equipment, net		1,152.4	955.8
Goodwill		2,280.8	1,780.7
Intangible assets, net		320.2	238.1
Deferred tax assets		21.3	24.8
Other assets	[1]	266.5	84.3
Total assets		6,494.8	5,272.4
Current liabilities:
Short-term financing		0.7	8.1
Trade accounts payable		895	925.4
Current portion of long-term debt		25	21.7
Accrued compensation		103.6	93.6
Other accrued expenses	[1]	425.1	285.8
Total current liabilities		1,449.4	1,334.6
Long-term debt		2,688.8	2,350.4
Pension and other postretirement benefit liabilities		295.6	254.4
Deferred tax liabilities		56.3	42.9
Other long-term liabilities	[1]	271.9	98.4
Total liabilities		4,762	4,080.7
Stockholders’ equity:
Preferred stock, 200.0 million shares authorized at $0.01 par value with no shares issued or outstanding as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively		0	0
Common stock, 2.0 billion shares authorized at $0.01 par value with 168.7 million and 141.7 million shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively		1.7	1.4
Additional paid-in capital		2,968.9	2,325
Accumulated deficit		(858.5)	(761.5)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss		(379.3)	(373.2)
Total stockholders’ equity		1,732.8	1,191.7
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity		$ 6,494.8	$ 5,272.4
Preferred stock, shares authorized (in shares)		200,000,000	200,000,000
Preferred stock, par value (usd per share)		$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Preferred stock, share issued (in shares)		0	0
Preferred stock, shares outstanding (in shares)		0	0
Common stock, shares authorized (in shares)		2,000,000,000	2,000,000,000
Common stock, par value (usd per share)		$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Common stock, shares issued (in shares)		168,700,000	141,700,000
Common stock, shares outstanding (in shares)		168,700,000	141,700,000
[1]	Operating lease assets and operating lease liabilities are included in other assets, other accrued expenses and other long-term liabilities in 2019. Refer to “Note 22: Leasing” for more information.

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Pa

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) - $ / shares	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]
Preferred stock, shares authorized (in shares)	200,000,000	200,000,000
Preferred stock, par value (usd per share)	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Preferred stock, share issued (in shares)	0	0
Preferred stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	0	0
Common stock, shares authorized (in shares)	2,000,000,000	2,000,000,000
Common stock, par value (usd per share)	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Common stock, shares issued (in shares)	168,700,000	141,700,000
Common stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	168,700,000	141,700,000

Consolidated Statements of Cash

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Operating activities:
Net (loss) income	$ (100.2)	$ 172.3	$ 119.8
Adjustments to reconcile net (loss) income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	214.7	179.5	200.4
Impairment charges	7	0	0
Amortization of deferred financing fees and debt discount	8.9	7.6	7.9
Amortization of pension cost (credits) from accumulated other comprehensive loss	0.1	2.7	(0.2)
Gain on sale of business	(41.4)	0	0
Loss on extinguishment of debt	13.1	0.1	3.8
(Gain) loss on sale of property, plant and equipment and other assets	(9.9)	2	(11.3)
Deferred income taxes	24.3	2.8	11.7
Stock-based compensation expense	25.1	20.7	19.7
Charge for inventory step-up of acquired inventory	5.3	0	0
Other	3	0.7	(0.7)
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Trade accounts receivable, net	197	(62.1)	(58.5)
Inventories	69	14.4	(47.7)
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	54.3	(19.3)	(8.7)
Trade accounts payable	(70.9)	9.3	53.6
Pensions and other postretirement benefit liabilities	21.9	(15.4)	(51.8)
Other, net	(57.4)	(25.4)	44.6
Net cash provided by operating activities	363.9	289.9	282.6
Investing activities:
Purchases of property, plant and equipment	(122.5)	(94.6)	(82.7)
Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment and other assets	54.8	14.5	29.2
Purchases of businesses, net of cash acquired	(1,201)	(18.6)	(24.4)
Proceeds from sale of business	838.3	0	0
Other	(2.7)	(0.3)	(1.2)
Net cash used by investing activities	(433.1)	(99)	(79.1)
Financing activities:
Proceeds from the issuance of long-term debt	1,845.8	0	4,477.8
Payments on long-term debt and finance lease obligations	(1,545.9)	(561.9)	(4,588.7)
Net proceeds under revolving credit facilities	7.2	41.7	3
Short-term financing, net	(9.2)	0.5	(22.2)
Financing fees paid	(7.9)	(1.1)	(7.7)
Taxes paid related to net share settlements of stock-based compensation awards	(2.8)	(4.1)	(8.5)
Stock option exercises	6.6	5.9	36.5
Contingent consideration payments	0	(0.4)	(3.7)
Other	1.4	1.1	1.1
Net cash provided (used) by financing activities	295.2	(518.3)	(112.4)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	(17.3)	(18)	39.5
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	208.7	(345.4)	130.6
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	121.6	467	336.4
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	330.3	121.6	467
Cash paid during the period for:
Income taxes	42.5	65	29.9
Interest, net of capitalized interest	146.1	128.2	140.2
Non-cash activities:
Stock Issued During Period, Value, Net, Acquisitions Net of Shares Cancelled	613.8	0	0
Additions of property, plant and equipment included in trade accounts payable and other accrued expenses	9.8	14.6	7.4
Additions of property, plant and equipment under a finance lease obligation	23.3	23.6	19.9
Additions of assets under an operating lease obligation	$ 25.5	$ 0	$ 0

Consolidated Statements of Chan

Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders' Equity - USD ($) $ in Millions		Total	Common stock	Additional paid-in capital	Accumulated deficit	Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)
Beginning balance, shares (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2016			138,800,000
Beginning balance at Dec. 31, 2016		$ 809.9	$ 1.4	$ 2,251.8	$ (1,053.4)	$ (389.9)
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Net (loss) income		119.8			119.8
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of tax		107.1				107.1
Pension and other postretirement benefits adjustment, net of tax		(2.4)				(2.4)
Derivative financial instruments, net of tax		6.7				6.7
Restricted stock units vested (in shares)			800,000
Restricted stock units vested		0
Tax withholding related to net share settlements of stock-based compensation awards (in shares)			(300,000)
Tax withholdings related to net share settlements of stock-based compensation awards		(8.5)		(8.5)
Stock option exercises (in shares)			1,800,000
Stock option exercises		36.5		36.5
Employee stock purchase plan		1.1		1.1
Stock-based compensation		19.7		19.7
Ending balance, shares (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2017			141,100,000
Ending balance at Dec. 31, 2017		1,090.1	$ 1.4	2,301.3	(934.1)	(278.5)
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Foreign Currency Translation Adjustment, Tax		(2.1)
Pension and other postretirement benefits adjustment, net of tax		0.6
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Cash Flow Hedge, Gain (Loss), after Reclassification, Tax		7
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Derivatives Arising During Period, Tax		(4.3)
Net (loss) income		172.3			172.3
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of tax		(97)				(97)
Pension and other postretirement benefits adjustment, net of tax		0.1				0.1
Derivative financial instruments, net of tax		1.7				1.7
Restricted stock units vested (in shares)			400,000
Restricted stock units vested		0
Tax withholding related to net share settlements of stock-based compensation awards (in shares)			(100,000)
Tax withholdings related to net share settlements of stock-based compensation awards		(4.1)		(4.1)
Stock option exercises (in shares)			300,000
Stock option exercises		5.9		5.9
Employee stock purchase plan		1.1		1.1
Stock-based compensation				20.7
Other		$ 0.1		0.1
Ending balance, shares (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2018		141,700,000	141,700,000
Ending balance at Dec. 31, 2018		$ 1,191.7	$ 1.4	2,325	(761.5)	(373.2)
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Foreign Currency Translation Adjustment, Tax		2.4
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Foreign Currency Translation Adjustment, Tax | Accounting Standards Update 2014-09		4.9
Pension and other postretirement benefits adjustment, net of tax		(0.1)
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Cash Flow Hedge, Gain (Loss), after Reclassification, Tax		(0.4)
Net (loss) income		(100.2)			(100.2)
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of tax		22.8				22.8
Pension and other postretirement benefits adjustment, net of tax		0.1				0.1
Derivative financial instruments, net of tax		(25.8)				(25.8)
Common stock issued for the Nexeo acquisition (in shares)	[1]		27,900,000
Common stock issued for the Nexeo acquisition	[1]	649.3	$ 0.3	649
Shares canceled (in shares)			(1,500,000)
Shares canceled		(35.5)		(35.5)
Restricted stock units vested (in shares)			400,000
Restricted stock units vested		0
Tax withholding related to net share settlements of stock-based compensation awards (in shares)			(200,000)
Tax withholdings related to net share settlements of stock-based compensation awards		$ (2.8)		(2.8)
Stock option exercises (in shares)		349,845	300,000
Stock option exercises		$ 6.6		6.6
Employee stock purchase plan (in shares)			100,000
Employee stock purchase plan		1.4		1.4
Stock-based compensation		25.1		25.1
Other		$ 0.1		0.1
Ending balance, shares (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2019		168,700,000	168,700,000
Ending balance at Dec. 31, 2019		$ 1,732.8	$ 1.7	$ 2,968.9	$ (858.5)	$ (379.3)
[1]	Refer to “Note 3: Business combinations” for more information.

Consolidated Statements of Ch_2

Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders' Equity (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2019
Statement of Stockholders' Equity [Abstract]
Foreign currency translation adjustments tax	$ (2.4)	$ 2.1
Common stock, par value (usd per share)	$ 0.01		$ 0.01
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Pension and other postretirement benefits adjustment, net of tax	$ (0.1)	0.6
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Foreign Currency Translation Adjustment, Tax	2.4	(2.1)
Pension and other postretirement benefits adjustment, net of tax	$ (0.1)	$ 0.6

Nature of operations

Nature of operations	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Nature of operations	1. Nature of operations Headquartered in Downers Grove, Illinois, Univar Solutions Inc. (“Company” or “Univar Solutions”) is a leading global chemical and ingredients distributor and provider of specialty services. The Company’s operations are structured into four reportable segments that represent the geographic areas under which the Company manages its business: • Univar Solutions USA (“USA”) • Univar Solutions Canada (“Canada”) • Univar Solutions Europe, the Middle East and Africa (“EMEA”) • Univar Solutions Latin America (“LATAM”) In 2019, the Company renamed its “Rest of World” segment “Latin America,” which includes certain developing businesses in Latin America (including Brazil and Mexico) and the Asia-Pacific region.

Significant accounting policies

Significant accounting policies	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Significant accounting policies	2. Significant accounting policies Basis of consolidation and presentation The consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of the Company and its majority-owned subsidiaries. Subsidiaries are consolidated if the Company has a controlling financial interest, which may exist based on ownership of a majority of the voting interest, or based on the Company’s determination that it is the primary beneficiary of a variable interest entity (“VIE”). The Company does not have any material interests in VIEs. All intercompany balances and transactions are eliminated in consolidation. Unless otherwise indicated, all financial data presented in these consolidated financial statements are expressed in US dollars. On our consolidated statements of cash flows for 2018 and 2017, the amounts included in “net proceeds under revolving credit facilities,” which were previously included in “proceeds from the issuance of long-term debt,” are now presented separately to conform to the current year presentation. Use of estimates The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with US GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions affecting the amounts reported and disclosed in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ materially from these estimates. Recently issued and adopted accounting pronouncements On January 1, 2019, the Company adopted ASU 2016-02 “Leases” (Topic 842), which supersedes the lease recognition requirements in ASC Topic 840, “Leases,” using the modified retrospective method by applying the new guidance to all leases existing at the date of initial application and not restating comparative periods. The Company has elected the package of practical expedients permitted under the transition guidance within the new standard, which among other things, allowed the historical lease classification to carry forward. The Company recognized the cumulative effect of initially applying the new lease standard as an adjustment to the 2019 opening balance sheet and also includes adjustments related to previously unrecognized finance leases as follows: (in millions) Balance at December 31, 2018 Adjustments due to ASU 2016-02 Balance at January 1, 2019 Assets Property, plant and equipment, net $ 955.8 $ 5.4 $ 961.2 Other assets 84.3 166.8 251.1 Liabilities Current portion of long-term debt $ 21.7 $ (4.5) $ 17.2 Other accrued expenses 285.8 43.8 329.6 Long-term debt 2,350.4 9.9 2,360.3 Other long-term liabilities 98.4 123.0 221.4 On January 1, 2019, the Company adopted ASU 2018-02 “Income Statement - Reporting Comprehensive Income” (Topic 220) “Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income” (“AOCI”) which enabled the Company to reclassify from AOCI to retained earnings, certain stranded tax effects, resulting from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Upon adoption, we reclassified $3.2 million of the stranded tax effects from AOCI to accumulated deficit. Accounting pronouncements issued but not yet adopted In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13 “Financial Instruments - Credit Losses” (Topic 326) which requires the measurement and recognition of expected credit losses for financial assets held at amortized cost. The Company will adopt this guidance effective January 1, 2020 and is finalizing the impacts which are not expected to be material. In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-13 “Fair Value Measurement” (Topic 820) which modifies the requirements related to fair value disclosures. The Company will adopt this guidance effective January 1, 2020 and is finalizing the impacts that will be reflected in the financial statement disclosures, which are not expected to be material. In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-14 “Compensation - Retirement Benefits - Defined Benefit Plans - General” (Subtopic 715-20) which amends the disclosure requirements related to defined benefit pension and other postretirement plan. The Company will adopt this guidance effective January 1, 2021 and is currently determining the impacts that will be reflected in financial statement disclosures. In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-15 “Intangibles - Goodwill and Other - Internal-Use Software” (Subtopic 350-40) - “Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement That Is a Service Contract” which aligns the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred in a service contract hosting arrangement with those for capitalizing implementation costs incurred to develop or obtain internal-use software. The Company will adopt this guidance effective January 1, 2020 and is finalizing the impacts which are not expected to be material. In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-12 “Income Taxes” (Topic 740) – “Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes” which simplifies the accounting for income taxes. The Company will adopt this guidance effective January 1, 2021 and is currently determining the impacts of the guidance on our consolidated financial statements. Cash and cash equivalents Cash and cash equivalents include highly-liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less that are readily convertible into known amounts of cash. Trade accounts receivable, net Trade accounts receivable are stated at the invoiced amount, net of an allowance for doubtful accounts of $12.9 million and $11.2 million at December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. The allowance for doubtful accounts is estimated based on an individual assessment of collectability based on factors that include current ability to pay, bankruptcy and payment history, as well as a general reserve related to prior experience. Inventories Inventories consist primarily of products purchased for resale and are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value. Inventory cost is determined based on the weighted average cost method and includes purchase price from producers net of rebates received, inbound freight and handling, and direct labor and other costs incurred to blend and repackage product, but excludes depreciation expense. Property, plant and equipment, net Property, plant and equipment are carried at historical cost, net of accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is recorded on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful life of each asset as follows: Buildings 10-50 years Main components of tank farms 5-40 years Containers 2-15 years Machinery and equipment 5-20 years Furniture, fixtures and others 5-20 years Information technology 3-10 years The Company evaluates the useful life and carrying value of property, plant and equipment for impairment if an event occurs or circumstances change that would indicate the carrying value may not be recoverable. If the carrying amount of the asset group is not recoverable on an undiscounted cash flow basis, an impairment loss is recognized to the extent that the asset group's carrying amount exceeds its estimated fair value. Goodwill and intangible assets Goodwill represents the excess of the aggregate purchase price over the fair value of the net assets acquired in business combinations. Goodwill is tested for impairment annually on October 1, or between annual tests if an event occurs or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of a reporting unit below its carrying amount. The Company’s reporting units are USA, Canada, EMEA, Latin America and Asia-Pacific. For each of the reporting units, the Company has the option to perform either the qualitative or the quantitative test. In the event a reporting unit fails the qualitative assessment, it is required to perform the quantitative test. If the fair value of the reporting unit is less than its carrying value, the reporting unit will recognize an impairment for the lesser of either the amount by which the reporting unit's carrying amount exceeds the fair value of the reporting unit or the reporting unit’s goodwill carrying value. Intangible assets have finite lives and are amortized over their respective useful lives of 2 to 20 years. Intangible assets are tested for impairment if an event occurs or circumstances change that indicates the carrying value may not be recoverable. Short-term financing Short-term financing includes bank overdrafts and short-term lines of credit. Income taxes Deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on differences between financial reporting and tax basis of assets and liabilities and are measured using enacted tax rates and laws that are expected to be in effect when the differences reverse. Deferred tax assets are also recognized for the estimated future effects of tax loss carryforwards. The effect on deferred taxes of changes in tax rates is recognized in the period in which the revised tax rate is enacted. The Company records valuation allowances to reduce deferred tax assets to the extent it believes it is more likely than not that such assets will not be realized. In making such determinations, the Company considers all available positive and negative evidence, including scheduled reversals of deferred tax liabilities, forecasted and appropriate character of future taxable income, tax planning strategies, our experience with operating loss and tax credit carryforwards not expiring unused, tax planning strategies and the ability to carry back losses to prior years. The Company is subject to the global intangible low tax income (“GILTI”), which is a tax on foreign income in excess of a deemed return on tangible assets of foreign corporations. The Company treats taxes due on future US inclusions in taxable income related to GILTI as a current-period expense when incurred. The Company recognizes interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits within interest expense and warehousing, selling and administrative, respectively, in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations. Accrued interest and penalties are included in other accrued expenses and other long-term liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets. Defined benefit plans The Company sponsors several defined benefit plans and recognizes actuarial gains or losses, known as “mark to market” adjustments, at the measurement date, December 31. The mark to market adjustments primarily include gains and losses resulting from changes in discount rates and the difference between the expected and actual rate of return on plan assets. Settlement gains and losses are recognized in the period in which the settlement occurs. The fair value of plan assets is used to calculate the expected return on assets component of the net periodic benefit cost. Leases At the commencement date of a lease, the Company recognizes a liability to make lease payments and an asset representing the right to use the underlying asset during the lease term. The lease liability is measured at the present value of lease payments over the lease term, including variable fees that are known or subject to a minimum floor. The lease liability includes lease component fees, while non-lease component fees are expensed as incurred for all asset classes. When a contract excludes an implicit rate, the Company utilizes an incremental borrowing rate based on information available at the lease commencement date including, lease term and geographic region. The initial valuation of the right-of-use (“ROU”) asset includes the initial measurement of the lease liability, lease payments made in advance of the lease commencement date and initial direct costs incurred by the Company and excludes lease incentives. Leases with an initial term of 12 months or less are classified as short-term leases and are not recorded on the consolidated balance sheets. The lease expense for short-term leases is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. Legal costs We expense legal costs as incurred. Environmental liabilities Environmental liabilities are recognized for probable and reasonably estimable losses associated with environmental remediation. Incremental direct costs of the investigation, remediation effort and post-remediation monitoring are included in the estimated environmental liabilities. Expected cash outflows related to environmental remediation for the next 12 months and amounts for which the timing is uncertain are reported as current within other accrued expenses in the consolidated balance sheets. The long-term portion of environmental liabilities is reported within other long-term liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets on an undiscounted basis, except for sites for which the amount and timing of future cash payments are fixed or reliably determinable. Environmental remediation expenses are included within warehousing, selling and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of operations, unless associated with disposed operations, in which case such expenses are included in other operating expenses, net. Revenue recognition Revenue is measured as the amount of consideration the Company expects to receive in exchange for transferring a good or providing a service. Since the term between invoicing and payment is less than a year, the Company has not recognized a significant financing component. Revenue for bill-and-hold arrangements is recognized if the Company has a substantive customer request, the materials are properly segregated and designated as belonging to the customer, materials are ready to be transferred to the customer and the Company is unable to direct the materials to service another customer. Chemical Distribution Revenue is recognized when performance obligations under the terms of the contract are satisfied, which generally occurs when goods are transferred to a customer under the terms of the sale. Net sales include product sales and billings for freight and handling charges, net of discounts, expected returns, customer price and volume incentives, and sales or other revenue-based taxes. The Company estimates price and volume incentives, which are expected to be provided to customers, and expected returns based on historical experience. Crop Sciences The Company generates revenue when control for products is transferred to customers. The amount of consideration recorded varies due to price movements and rights granted to customers to return product. Customer payment terms often extend through a growing season, which may be up to six months. Transaction prices may move during an agricultural growing season and are affected by special offers or volume discounts, which affect the amount of consideration the Company will receive. Customers also may be provided rights to return eligible products. The Company estimates the expected returns and changes in the transaction price based on the combination of historical experience and the impact of weather on the current agriculture season. The adjustments to the transaction price and estimate of returns impacts revenues recognized. Services The Company generates revenue from services as they are performed and economic value is transferred to customers. Services provided to customers are primarily related to waste management services and warehousing services. Foreign currency translation Assets and liabilities of foreign subsidiaries are translated into US dollars at period-end exchange rates. Income and expense accounts of foreign subsidiaries are translated into US dollars at the average exchange rates for the period. The net exchange gains and losses arising on this translation are reflected as a component of currency translation within AOCI. Transaction gains and losses are recognized in other expense, net in the consolidated statements of operations. Transaction gains and losses relating to intercompany borrowings that are an investment in a foreign subsidiary are reflected as a component of currency translation within AOCI in stockholders’ equity. Stock-based compensation plans The Company measures the total amount of employee stock-based compensation expense based on the grant date fair value of each award. Expense is recognized for each separately vesting tranche on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period, which is the shorter of the service period of the award or the period until the employees' retirement eligibility date. The Company recognizes forfeitures when incurred. Fair value Certain assets and liabilities are required to be recorded at fair value. The estimated fair values of those assets and liabilities have been determined using market information and valuation methodologies. Observable inputs reflect market data obtained from independent sources, while unobservable inputs reflect the Company’s market assumptions. There are three levels of inputs that may be used to measure fair value: Level 1 Quoted prices for identical instruments in active markets. Level 2 Quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets; quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active; and model-derived valuation in which all significant inputs and significant value drivers are observable in active markets. Level 3 Valuations derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs or significant value drivers are unobservable . Derivatives The Company uses derivative financial instruments to manage risks associated with foreign currency and interest rate fluctuations. We do not use derivative instruments for speculative trading purposes. The fair value of forward currency contracts is calculated by reference to current forward exchange rates for contracts with similar maturity profiles. The fair value of interest rate swaps is determined by estimating the net present value of amounts to be paid under the agreement offset by the net present value of the expected cash inflows based on market rates and associated yield curves. For derivative contracts with the same counterparty where the Company has a master netting arrangement with the counterparty, the fair value of the asset/liability is presented on a net basis within the consolidated balance sheets. Changes in the fair value of derivative financial instruments are recognized in the consolidated statements of operations within interest expense or other expense, net, unless specific hedge accounting criteria are met. Cash flows associated with derivative financial instruments are recognized in the operating section of the consolidated statements of cash flows. For derivatives designated as cash flow hedges, changes in the fair value of the derivative are recorded to AOCI and are reclassified to earnings when the underlying forecasted transaction affects earnings. For contracts designated as cash flow hedges, we reassess the probability of the underlying forecasted transactions occurring on a quarterly basis. For derivatives not designated as hedging instruments, all changes in fair value are recorded to earnings in the current period. Earnings per share Basic earnings per share is based on the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during each period. Diluted earnings per share is based on the weighted average number of common shares and dilutive common share equivalents outstanding during each period. The Company reflects common share equivalents relating to stock options, non-vested restricted stock and non-vested restricted stock units in its computation of diluted weighted average shares outstanding, unless the effect of inclusion is anti-dilutive. The effect of dilutive securities is calculated using the treasury stock method. We consider restricted stock awards to be participating securities, since holders of such shares have non-forfeitable dividend rights in the event the Company declares a common stock dividend.

Business combinations

Business combinations	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Business Combinations [Abstract]
Business combinations	3. Business combinations Year ended December 31, 2019 Acquisition of Nexeo Solutions On February 28, 2019, the Company completed an acquisition of 100% of the equity interest of Nexeo Solutions, Inc., a leading global chemicals and plastics distributor. The acquisition expands and strengthens Univar Solutions’ presence in North America and provides expanded opportunities to create the largest North American sales force in chemical and ingredients distribution and the broadest product offering. The total purchase price of the acquisition was $1,814.8 million, composed of $1,201.0 million of cash paid (net of cash acquired of $46.8 million) and $613.8 million of newly issued shares of Univar Solutions common stock, which represented approximately 26.4 million shares, based on Univar Solutions’ closing stock price of $23.29 on February 27, 2019. The final 26.4 million shares issued include the cancellation of 1.5 million shares in connection with the appraisal litigation settlement, see “Note 21: Commitments and contingencies” for more information. The cash portion of the purchase price, acquisition related costs and repayment of approximately $936.3 million of Nexeo’s debt and other long-term liabilities were funded using the proceeds from the issuance of Term B Loans, borrowings under the New Senior ABL Facility and the ABL Term Loan issued on February 28, 2019. Refer to “Note 18: Debt” for more information. As of December 31, 2019, the Company updated the purchase price allocation to reflect fair value adjustments from the third-party valuation firm’s report valuing Nexeo’s tangible and intangible assets, working capital adjustments associated with the sale of the Nexeo plastics distribution business (“Nexeo Plastics”) as well as tax adjustments. The initial accounting for this acquisition is considered preliminary and is subject to adjustments on receipt of additional information relevant to the acquisition to complete the opening balances for deferred income taxes. The preliminary values and measurement period adjustments are shown below: (in millions) At Acquisition Date Measurement Period Adjustments As Adjusted Trade accounts receivable, net $ 286.9 $ 9.4 $ 296.3 Inventories 149.0 1.2 150.2 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 27.2 38.2 65.4 Assets held for sale 1,030.9 (142.7) 888.2 Property, plant and equipment, net 227.4 34.9 262.3 Goodwill 682.2 (126.5) 555.7 Intangible assets, net 173.9 (35.2) 138.7 Other assets 37.0 0.4 37.4 Trade accounts payable (133.7) (4.0) (137.7) Other accrued expenses (94.9) (50.9) (145.8) Liabilities held for sale (390.9) 169.4 (221.5) Deferred tax liabilities (102.3) 98.1 (4.2) Other long-term liabilities (77.9) 7.7 (70.2) Purchase consideration, net of cash $ 1,814.8 $ — $ 1,814.8 Assets and liabilities held for sale are related to the Nexeo plastics distribution business. Nexeo Plastics was not aligned with the Company’s strategic objectives and on March 29, 2019, the business was sold for total proceeds of $664.3 million, net of cash disposed. Refer to “Note 4: Discontinued operations and dispositions” for further information. The Company recorded $555.7 million of goodwill, consisting of $540.1 million in the USA segment, $3.8 million in Canada and $11.8 million in LATAM. The goodwill is primarily attributable to expected synergies from combining operations. The Company expects approximately $108.3 million of goodwill to be deductible for income tax purposes. The identified intangible assets were related to customer relationships which have a weighted-average amortization period of ten The Company assumed 50.0 million warrants, equivalent to 25.0 million Nexeo shares, with an estimated aggregate fair value of $26.0 million at the February 28, 2019 closing date. The warrants were converted into the right to receive, upon exercise, the merger consideration consisting of approximately 7.6 million shares of Univar Solutions common stock plus cash. The warrants have an exercise price of $27.80 and will expire on June 9, 2021. The warrants as other long-term liabilities within the consolidated balance sheets. Refer to “Note 19: Fair value measurements” for more information. The amounts of net sales and net income from continuing operations related to the Nexeo chemical distribution business, included in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations from March 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019 are as follows: (in millions) Net sales $ 1,489.3 Net loss from continuing operations (12.1) The following unaudited pro forma financial information combines the unaudited results of operations as if the acquisition of Nexeo had occurred at the beginning of the periods presented below and exclude the results of operations related to Nexeo Plastics, as this divestiture was reflected as discontinued operations. Refer to “Note 4: Discontinued operations and dispositions” for additional information. Three months ended December 31, Year ended December 31, (in millions) 2019 2018 2019 2018 Net sales $ 2,155.0 $ 2,437.4 $ 9,612.9 $ 10,685.5 Net (loss) income from continuing operations (54.8) (72.9) (94.3) 154.8 The pro forma financial information is for comparative purposes only and is not indicative of the results of operations that would have been achieved if the acquisition had taken place on January 1, 2018. The unaudited pro forma information is based upon accounting estimates and judgments the Company believes are reasonable and reflects adjustments directly attributed to the business combination including amortization on acquired intangible assets, interest expense, transaction and acquisition related costs, depreciation related to purchase accounting fair value adjustments and the related tax effects. Year ended December 31, 2018

Discontinued operations and dis

Discontinued operations and dispositions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Discontinued Operations and Disposal Groups [Abstract]
Discontinued operations and dispositions	4. Discontinued operations and dispositions Discontinued operations On March 29, 2019, the Company completed the sale of the Nexeo Plastics to an affiliate of One Rock Capital Partners, LLC (“Buyer”) for total proceeds of $664.3 million (net of cash disposed of $2.4 million), including $26.7 million for a working capital adjustment. The Nexeo preliminary purchase price allocation is inclusive of these working capital adjustments. Refer to “Note 3: Business combinations” for more information. In connection with the transaction, the Company entered into a Transition Services Agreement (TSA), a Warehouse Service Agreement (WSA) and Real Property Agreements with the Buyer which are designed to ensure and facilitate an orderly transfer of business operations and will terminate at various times, between six twelve The following table summarizes the operating results of the Company’s discontinued operations related to the sale described above for the year ended December 31, 2019, as presented in “Net income from discontinued operations” on the consolidated statements of operations. (in millions) Year Ended December 31, 2019 External sales $ 156.9 Cost of goods sold (exclusive of depreciation) 136.7 Outbound freight and handling 3.5 Warehousing, selling and administrative 7.9 Other expenses 1.4 Income from discontinued operations before income taxes $ 7.4 Income tax expense from discontinued operations 2.0 Net income from discontinued operations $ 5.4 There were no significant non-cash operating activities from the Company’s discontinued operations related to the plastics distribution business. Dispositions On December 31, 2019, the Company completed the sale of the Environmental Sciences business to AEA Investors LP for total cash proceeds of $174.0 million (net of cash disposed of $0.7 million and $5.9 million of transaction expenses) plus a $5.0 million ($2.4 million present value) subordinated note receivable (the “Transaction”) and subject to a working capital adjustment. The Company recorded a $41.4 million gain on sale of this business in the consolidated statements of operations and was included in the USA and Canada segments. The sale of the business did not meet the criteria to be classified as a discontinued operation in the Company’s financial statements because the disposition did not represent a strategic shift, that has, or will have, a major effect on the Company's operations and financial results. The following summarizes the income before income taxes attributable to the Environmental Sciences business: Year ended December 31, (in millions) 2019 2018 2017 Income before income taxes $ 28.6 $ 28.2 $ 28.7

Revenue Revenue

Revenue Revenue	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Revenue	5. Revenue The Company disaggregates revenues with customers by both geographic segments and revenue contract types. Geographic reportable segmentation is pertinent to understanding Univar Solutions’ revenues, as it aligns to how the Company reviews the financial performance of its operations. Revenue contract types are differentiated by the type of good or service since the contractual terms necessary for revenue recognition are unique to each of the identified revenue contract types. (in millions) USA Canada EMEA LATAM Consolidated Year Ended December 31, 2019 Chemical Distribution $ 5,507.2 $ 852.8 $ 1,784.2 $ 443.7 $ 8,587.9 Crop Sciences — 318.0 — — 318.0 Services 321.3 47.0 1.3 11.4 381.0 Total external customer net sales $ 5,828.5 $ 1,217.8 $ 1,785.5 $ 455.1 $ 9,286.9 (in millions) USA Canada EMEA LATAM Consolidated Year Ended December 31, 2018 Chemical Distribution $ 4,775.2 $ 877.6 $ 1,974.4 $ 383.8 $ 8,011.0 Crop Sciences — 381.6 — — 381.6 Services 185.8 43.1 1.3 9.7 239.9 Total external customer net sales $ 4,961.0 $ 1,302.3 $ 1,975.7 $ 393.5 $ 8,632.5 Deferred revenue Deferred revenues are recognized as a contract liability when customers provide Univar Solutions with consideration prior to the Company satisfying a performance obligation. The following table provides information pertaining to the deferred revenue balance and account activity: (in millions) Deferred revenue as of January 1, 2019 $ 45.6 Deferred revenue as of December 31, 2019 65.5 Revenue recognized that was included in the deferred revenue balance at the beginning of the period 44.5 The deferred revenue balances are all expected to have a duration of one year or less and are recorded within the other accrued expenses line item of the consolidated balance sheet.

Other operating expenses, net

Other operating expenses, net	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Other Income and Expenses [Abstract]
Other operating expenses, net	6. Other operating expenses, net Other operating expenses, net consisted of the following items: Year ended December 31, (in millions) 2019 2018 2017 Acquisition and integration related expenses $ 152.1 $ 22.0 $ 3.1 Stock-based compensation expense 25.1 20.7 19.7 Restructuring charges 2.6 4.8 5.5 Other employee severance costs 31.2 16.4 8.1 Other facility closure costs (1) 7.1 — — (Gain) loss on sale of property, plant and equipment and other assets (9.9) 2.0 (11.3) Saccharin legal settlement 62.5 — — Business transformation costs — — 23.4 Other 27.5 7.6 6.9 Total other operating expenses, net $ 298.2 $ 73.5 $ 55.4 (1) Other facility closure costs includes $3.6 million recorded as an estimated withdrawal liability associated with a multi-employer pension plan related to an announced facility closure.

Restructuring charges

Restructuring charges	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018
Restructuring and Related Activities [Abstract]
Restructuring charges	7. Restructuring charges Restructuring charges relate to the implementation of several regional strategic initiatives aimed at streamlining the Company’s cost structure and improving its operations. These actions primarily resulted in workforce reductions, lease termination costs and other facility rationalization costs. Restructuring charges are recorded in other operating expenses, net in the consolidated statement of operations. 2018 Restructuring During 2018, management approved a plan to consolidate departments resulting in restructuring charges of $3.2 million in USA, consisting of $3.1 million in severance costs and $0.1 million in other costs and in Other, the Company recorded $0.9 million, relating to severance costs. In 2019, under the same program the Company recorded restructuring charges of $2.4 million in USA and $0.3 million in Other consisting of severance costs. The Company expects to incur approximately $0.4 million of additional severance over the next year and expects this program to be substantially completed by 2020. Also during the year ended December 31, 2018, the Company recorded restructuring charges of $0.9 million in EMEA relating to employee termination costs. The Company recorded restructuring charges of $0.1 million in facility exit costs during the year ended December 31, 2019 and reduced its estimate by $0.2 million within employee termination costs for this program. The actions associated with this program are complete as of December 31, 2019. In 2018, the Company recorded restructuring charges of $0.7 million for the LATAM segment, consisting of $0.4 million in employee termination costs, $0.2 million in facility exit costs and $0.1 million in other exit costs. The actions associated with this program were completed as of December 31, 2018. 2014 to 2017 Restructuring Between 2014 through 2017, management implemented several regional strategic initiatives aimed at streamlining the Company’s cost structure and improving its operations. During the year ended December 31, 2018, the Company reduced its estimate in the amount of $0.9 million within facility exit costs relating to a favorable lease buyout for USA. The actions associated with the restructuring programs were completed as of June 30, 2018, although cash payments will be made into the future. The following table summarizes the cumulative activities recorded through December 31, 2018 related to the Company's 2014 to 2017 restructuring charges by segment: (in millions) USA Canada EMEA LATAM Other Total Employee termination costs $ 16.5 $ 5.7 $ 22.5 $ 6.2 $ 5.8 $ 56.7 Facility exit costs 21.3 — 3.7 0.2 — 25.2 Other exit costs 1.7 — 6.6 — 0.8 9.1 Total $ 39.5 $ 5.7 $ 32.8 $ 6.4 $ 6.6 $ 91.0 The following tables summarize activity related to the restructuring liability: (in millions) January 1, 2019 Charge to earnings Cash paid Non-cash and other December 31, 2019 Employee termination costs $ 4.2 $ 2.5 $ (3.0) $ — $ 3.7 Facility exit costs 5.0 0.1 (3.2) — 1.9 Other exit costs 0.2 — — — 0.2 Total $ 9.4 $ 2.6 $ (6.2) $ — $ 5.8 (in millions) January 1, 2018 Charge to earnings Cash paid Non-cash and other December 31, 2018 Employee termination costs $ 3.0 $ 5.3 $ (3.4) $ (0.7) $ 4.2 Facility exit costs 10.2 (0.7) (4.4) (0.1) 5.0 Other exit costs (0.5) 0.2 (0.1) 0.6 0.2 Total $ 12.7 $ 4.8 $ (7.9) $ (0.2) $ 9.4 Restructuring liabilities of $5.3 million and $5.9 million were classified as current in other accrued expenses and $0.5 million and $3.5 million were recorded in other long-term liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. The long-term portion primarily consists of facility exit costs that are expected to be paid within the next five While the Company believes the recorded restructuring liabilities are adequate, revisions to current estimates may be recorded in future periods based on new information as it becomes available.

Other expense, net

Other expense, net	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Other Income and Expenses [Abstract]
Other expense, net	8. Other expense, net Other expense, net consisted of the following (losses) gains: Year ended December 31, (in millions) 2019 2018 2017 Pension mark to market loss (1)(2) $ (50.4) $ (34.2) $ (3.8) Pension curtailment and settlement gains (1) 1.3 — 9.7 Non-operating retirement benefits (1)(2) 2.2 11.0 9.9 Foreign currency transactions (10.1) (6.7) (4.6) Foreign currency denominated loans revaluation 17.5 (0.8) (17.9) Undesignated foreign currency derivative instruments (3) (23.7) 1.1 0.3 Undesignated interest rate swap contracts (3) (3.0) — (2.2) Debt refinancing costs (4) (1.2) — (5.3) Other (3.1) (3.1) (3.5) Total other expense, net $ (70.5) $ (32.7) $ (17.4) (1) Refer to “Note 11: Employee benefit plans” for more information. (2) Represents mark to market loss and non-operating retirement benefits for both the defined benefit pension and other postretirement benefit plans. (3) Refer to “Note 20: Derivatives” for more information. (4) Refer to “Note 18: Debt” for more information.

Income taxes

Income taxes	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income taxes	9. Income taxes For financial reporting purposes, (loss) income before income taxes includes the following components: Year ended December 31, (in millions) 2019 2018 2017 (Loss) income before income taxes United States $ (194.5) $ 36.6 $ 1.5 Foreign 193.4 185.6 167.3 Total (loss) income before income taxes $ (1.1) $ 222.2 $ 168.8 The expense for income taxes is summarized as follows: Year ended December 31, (in millions) 2019 2018 2017 Current: Federal $ 33.9 $ 13.8 $ 6.8 State 7.1 2.1 2.0 Foreign 39.2 31.2 28.5 Total current $ 80.2 $ 47.1 $ 37.3 Deferred: Federal $ 12.2 $ 6.5 $ 26.5 State 3.4 (0.5) — Foreign 8.7 (3.2) (14.8) Total deferred $ 24.3 $ 2.8 $ 11.7 Total income tax expense from continuing operations $ 104.5 $ 49.9 $ 49.0 For our continuing operations, differences between actual provisions for income taxes and provisions for income taxes at the US federal statutory rate (21.0% in 2019 and 2018 and 35.0% in 2017) were as follows: Year ended December 31, (in millions) 2019 2018 2017 US federal statutory income tax (benefit) expense applied to (loss) income before income taxes $ (0.2) $ 46.7 $ 59.1 State income taxes, net of federal benefit 10.7 1.1 1.4 Foreign tax rate differential 8.7 8.1 (18.0) Effect of flow-through entities 30.6 (0.6) 8.9 Distributions from foreign subsidiaries 31.9 9.0 17.6 Global intangible low-taxed income 22.8 19.9 — Gain on disposal 12.9 — — Change in valuation allowance, net (18.8) (11.6) (18.1) Foreign tax credit (13.5) (38.3) (47.6) Fines and penalties 5.6 — 0.2 Non-deductible employee expenses 4.4 3.9 2.5 Non-deductible acquisition costs 3.5 0.3 0.2 Shareholder settlements 2.7 — — Withholding and other taxes based on income 1.7 0.5 0.5 Warrants 1.5 — — Change in statutory income tax rates (1.1) — (17.5) Adjustment to prior year due to change in estimate 1.0 (0.8) (0.5) Net stock-based compensation 0.6 — (3.7) Foreign exchange rate remeasurement (0.4) (0.2) 0.3 Unrecognized tax benefits (0.3) (2.7) (1.7) Non-deductible expense 0.3 0.6 0.4 2017 US repatriation tax — 13.0 76.5 Non-taxable interest income — (0.7) (11.4) Expiration of tax attributes — — 0.1 Foreign losses not benefited — — 0.7 Non-deductible interest expense — — 0.1 Other (0.1) 1.7 (1.0) Total income tax expense from continuing operations $ 104.5 $ 49.9 $ 49.0 Effective income tax rate (9,500.0) % 22.5 % 29.0 % The consolidated deferred tax assets and liabilities are detailed as follows: December 31, (in millions) 2019 2018 Deferred tax assets: Net operating loss carryforwards (“NOLs”) $ 39.1 $ 49.4 Environmental reserves 20.9 22.9 Interest 17.3 25.9 Tax credit and capital loss carryforwards 60.1 57.8 Pension 79.6 66.3 Flow-through entities — 2.7 Compensation 16.0 12.2 Inventory 5.4 4.5 Property, plant and equipment, net 1.2 4.8 Other temporary differences 20.9 17.0 Gross deferred tax assets $ 260.5 $ 263.5 Valuation allowance (87.5) (106.3) Deferred tax assets, net of valuation allowance $ 173.0 $ 157.2 Deferred tax liabilities: Property, plant and equipment, net $ (111.7) $ (102.3) Intangible assets (78.3) (63.6) Other temporary differences (18.0) (9.4) Deferred tax liabilities $ (208.0) $ (175.3) Net deferred tax liability $ (35.0) $ (18.1) As of December 31, 2019, the Company has approximately $39.1 million (tax effected) of NOLs. Approximately $2.4 million of NOLs will expire in the period 2020 through 2026, and approximately $4.1 million will expire in the period 2027 through 2039. The remaining $32.6 million has no expiration. Additionally, the Company has approximately $57.8 million of foreign tax credits. The Company does not expect future earnings of the appropriate character of taxable income which would allow it to utilize its excess FTC balance in future tax years, in addition to other required adjustments which reduce the amount of future foreign source income available to be offset by an FTC. Therefore, the Company will maintain a valuation allowance on the remaining provisional $57.8 million. Foreign Tax Effects The Company earns a significant amount of its operating income outside of the US. As of December 31, 2019, the Company is indefinitely reinvested with respect to its US directly-owned subsidiary earnings. Therefore, the Company has not recognized a deferred tax liability on its investment in foreign subsidiaries. The Company is subject to US income tax on substantially all foreign earnings under the GILTI provisions of the 2017 Tax Cut and Jobs Act, while a significant portion of remaining foreign earnings are eligible for the new dividends received deduction. As a result, a portion of any future repatriation of $264.8 million of undistributed earnings may be subject to US income tax, as well as state and local income taxes, and currency translation gains or losses. It is impracticable to calculate the exact amount. Additionally, gains and losses on any future taxable dispositions of US-owned foreign affiliates continue to be subject to US income tax. Tax Contingencies The changes in unrecognized tax benefits included in other long-term liabilities, excluding interest and penalties, are as follows: Year ended December 31, (in millions) 2019 2018 Beginning balance $ 0.4 $ 3.1 Increase for tax positions of prior years related to acquired business 1.3 — Reductions due to the statute of limitations expiration (0.1) (2.7) Foreign exchange (0.5) — Ending balance $ 1.1 $ 0.4 At December 31, 2019 and 2018, there are $1.1 million and $0.4 million of unrecognized tax benefits that if recognized would affect the annual effective tax rate. The Company files income tax returns in the US and various state and foreign jurisdictions. Generally, tax years are open for review by taxing authorities for a period of three years. As of December 31, 2019, the Company has limited audit activity for tax years back to 2007 and 2008, as well as for the periods 2012 through 2018. The Company continues to believe its positions are supportable; however, due to uncertainties in any tax audit outcome, the Company’s estimates of the ultimate settlement of uncertain tax positions may change and the actual tax benefits may differ from the estimates. The Company recognized $0.5 million, $0.1 million and $0.4 million of interest and/or penalties related to income tax matters in interest expense related to unrecognized tax benefits in the consolidated statements of operations for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively. The Company had $1.3 million and $1.1 million of interest and penalties reflected in the consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

Earnings per share

Earnings per share	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Earnings per share	10. Earnings per share The following table presents the basic and diluted earnings per share computations: Year ended December 31, (in millions, except per share data) 2019 2018 2017 Basic: Net (loss) income from continuing operations $ (105.6) $ 172.3 $ 119.8 Net income from discontinued operations 5.4 — — Net (loss) income $ (100.2) $ 172.3 $ 119.8 Less: earnings allocated to participating securities — 0.3 0.2 Earnings (loss) allocated to common shares outstanding $ (100.2) $ 172.0 $ 119.6 Weighted average common shares outstanding 164.1 141.2 140.2 Basic (loss) income per common share from continuing operations $ (0.64) $ 1.22 $ 0.85 Basic income per common share from discontinued operations 0.03 — — Basic (loss) income per common share $ (0.61) $ 1.22 $ 0.85 Diluted: Net (loss) income from continuing operations $ (105.6) $ 172.3 $ 119.8 Net income from discontinued operations 5.4 — — Net (loss) income $ (100.2) $ 172.3 $ 119.8 Less: earnings allocated to participating securities — — — Earnings (loss) allocated to common shares outstanding $ (100.2) $ 172.3 $ 119.8 Weighted average common shares outstanding 164.1 141.2 140.2 Effect of dilutive securities: stock compensation plans (2) — 1.0 1.2 Weighted average common shares outstanding – diluted 164.1 142.2 141.4 Diluted (loss) income per common share from continuing operations $ (0.64) $ 1.21 $ 0.85 Diluted income per common share from discontinued operations 0.03 — — Diluted (loss) income per common share $ (0.61) $ 1.21 $ 0.85 (1) Stock options to purchase 3.0 million, 1.6 million, and 0.8 million shares of common stock were outstanding during the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively and restricted stock of 0.8 million in 2019 and nil in both 2018 and 2017 were outstanding, but were not included in the calculation of diluted (loss) income per share as the impact of these stock options would have been anti-dilutive. Diluted shares outstanding also did not include 6.4 million shares of common stock issuable on the exercise of warrants because the warrants were out-of-the-money during the year ended December 31, 2019.

Employee benefit plans

Employee benefit plans	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Retirement Benefits [Abstract]
Employee benefit plans	11. Employee benefit plans Defined benefit pension plans The Company sponsors defined benefit plans that provide pension benefits for employees upon retirement in certain jurisdictions including the US, Canada, United Kingdom and several other European countries. The US, Canada and United Kingdom defined benefit pension plans are closed to new entrants. The following summarizes the Company’s defined benefit pension plans’ projected benefit obligations, plan assets and funded status: Domestic Foreign Total Year ended December 31, Year ended December 31, Year ended December 31, (in millions) 2019 2018 2019 2018 2019 2018 Change in projected benefit obligations: Actuarial present value of benefit obligations at beginning of year $ 625.7 $ 721.9 $ 537.5 $ 612.0 $ 1,163.2 $ 1,333.9 Service cost — — 2.4 2.7 2.4 2.7 Interest cost 27.2 27.3 15.6 15.4 42.8 42.7 Benefits paid (33.5) (37.5) (28.4) (26.7) (61.9) (64.2) Plan amendments — — — 2.5 — 2.5 Settlement — (38.5) — — — (38.5) Curtailment — — (1.3) — (1.3) — Actuarial loss (gain) 103.0 (47.5) 66.6 (33.6) 169.6 (81.1) Foreign exchange and other — — 21.6 (34.8) 21.6 (34.8) Actuarial present value of benefit obligations at end of year $ 722.4 $ 625.7 $ 614.0 $ 537.5 $ 1,336.4 $ 1,163.2 Change in the fair value of plan assets: Plan assets at beginning of year $ 428.6 $ 532.3 $ 522.2 $ 574.9 $ 950.8 $ 1,107.2 Actual return (loss) on plan assets 86.6 (39.9) 77.3 (19.7) 163.9 (59.6) Contributions by employer 13.5 12.2 13.8 26.5 27.3 38.7 Benefits paid (33.5) (37.5) (28.4) (26.7) (61.9) (64.2) Settlement — (38.5) — — — (38.5) Foreign exchange and other — — 21.9 (32.8) 21.9 (32.8) Plan assets at end of year $ 495.2 $ 428.6 $ 606.8 $ 522.2 $ 1,102.0 $ 950.8 Funded status at end of year $ (227.2) $ (197.1) $ (7.2) $ (15.3) $ (234.4) $ (212.4) Net amounts related to the Company’s defined benefit pension plans recognized in the consolidated balance sheets consist of: Domestic Foreign Total December 31, December 31, December 31, (in millions) 2019 2018 2019 2018 2019 2018 Overfunded net benefit obligation in other assets $ — $ — $ 65.4 $ 46.1 $ 65.4 $ 46.1 Current portion of net benefit obligation in other accrued expenses (3.5) (3.5) (2.1) (2.0) (5.6) (5.5) Long-term portion of net benefit obligation in pension and other postretirement benefit liabilities (223.7) (193.6) (70.5) (59.4) (294.2) (253.0) Net liability recognized at end of year $ (227.2) $ (197.1) $ (7.2) $ (15.3) $ (234.4) $ (212.4) The following table summarizes defined benefit pension plans with accumulated benefit obligations in excess of plan assets: Domestic Foreign Total December 31, December 31, December 31, (in millions) 2019 2018 2019 2018 2019 2018 Accumulated benefit obligation $ 722.4 $ 625.7 $ 202.0 $ 187.7 $ 924.4 $ 813.4 Fair value of plan assets 495.2 428.6 155.0 147.7 650.2 576.3 The following table summarizes defined benefit pension plans with projected benefit obligations in excess of plan assets: Domestic Foreign Total December 31, December 31, December 31, (in millions) 2019 2018 2019 2018 2019 2018 Projected benefit obligation $ 722.4 $ 625.7 $ 227.7 $ 209.1 $ 950.1 $ 834.8 Fair value of plan assets 495.2 428.6 155.0 147.7 650.2 576.3 The following table summarizes the components of net periodic benefit cost (income) recognized in the consolidated statements of operations related to defined benefit pension plans: Domestic Foreign Total Year ended December 31, Year ended December 31, Year ended December 31, (in millions) 2019 2018 2017 2019 2018 2017 2019 2018 2017 Service cost (1) $ — $ — $ — $ 2.4 $ 2.7 $ 2.5 $ 2.4 $ 2.7 $ 2.5 Interest cost (2) 27.2 27.3 30.8 15.6 15.4 16.2 42.8 42.7 47.0 Expected return on plan assets (2) (25.1) (31.3) (30.9) (20.1) (25.1) (26.0) (45.2) (56.4) (56.9) Amortization of unrecognized prior service cost (credits) (2) — — — 0.1 2.7 (0.2) 0.1 2.7 (0.2) Settlement (3) — — (9.7) — — — — — (9.7) Curtailment (3) — — — (1.3) — — (1.3) — — Actuarial loss (4) 41.5 23.7 0.8 9.4 11.2 3.2 50.9 34.9 4.0 Net periodic benefit cost (income) $ 43.6 $ 19.7 $ (9.0) $ 6.1 $ 6.9 $ (4.3) $ 49.7 $ 26.6 $ (13.3) (1) Service cost is included in warehouse, selling and administrative expenses. (2) These amounts are included in other expense, net, and represent non-operating retirement benefits. (3) In 2017, the settlement gain is related to a lump sum offering accepted by participants. Both settlements and curtailments are included in other expense, net. (4) Actuarial loss, or mark to market, includes measurement gains and losses resulting from changes since the prior measurement date in assumptions and plan experience as well as the difference between the expected and actual return on plan assets. These amounts are recorded in other expense, net. The following summarizes pre-tax amounts included in AOCI at December 31, 2019 related to pension plan amendments: (in millions) Defined benefit pension plans Net prior service cost $ (1.1) The following summarizes the amounts in AOCI at December 31, 2019 that are expected to be amortized as components of net periodic benefit cost (income) during the next year related to pension amendments: (in millions) Defined benefit pension plans Prior service cost $ (0.1) Other postretirement benefit plan The Company previously maintained a health care plan for retired employees in the US. The obligation associated with this plan as of December 31, 2019 and 2018 was $1.4 million and $1.8 million, respectively. Actuarial assumptions Defined benefit pension plans The significant weighted average actuarial assumptions used in determining the benefit obligations and net periodic benefit cost (income) for the Company’s defined benefit plans are as follows: Domestic Foreign December 31, December 31, 2019 2018 2019 2018 Actuarial assumptions used to determine benefit obligations at end of period: Discount rate 3.28 % 4.47 % 2.14 % 2.92 % Expected annual rate of compensation increase N/A N/A 2.85 % 2.85 % Domestic Foreign Year ended December 31, Year ended December 31, 2019 2018 2017 2019 2018 2017 Actuarial assumptions used to determine net periodic benefit cost (income) for the period: Discount rate 4.47 % 3.87 % 4.39 % 2.92 % 2.61 % 2.84 % Expected rate of return on plan assets 6.75 % 6.75 % 7.00 % 3.83 % 4.43 % 5.01 % Expected annual rate of compensation increase N/A N/A N/A 2.85 % 2.87 % 2.87 % Discount rates are used to measure benefit obligations and the interest cost component of net periodic benefit cost (income). The Company selects its discount rates based on the consideration of equivalent yields on high-quality fixed income investments at each measurement date. Discount rates are based on a benefit cash flow-matching approach and represent the rates at which the Company’s benefit obligations could effectively be settled as of the measurement date. For domestic defined benefit plans, the discount rates are based on a hypothetical bond portfolio approach. The hypothetical bond portfolio is constructed to comprise AA-rated corporate bonds whose cash flow from coupons and maturities match the expected future plan benefit payments. The discount rate for the foreign defined benefit plans are based on a yield curve approach. For plans in countries with a sufficient corporate bond market, the expected future benefit payments are matched with a yield curve derived from AA-rated corporate bonds, subject to minimum amounts outstanding and meeting other selection criteria. For plans in countries without a sufficient corporate bond market, the yield curve is constructed based on prevailing government yields and an estimated credit spread to reflect a corporate risk premium. The expected long-term rate of return on plan assets reflects management’s expectations on long-term average rates of return on funds invested to provide for benefits included in the benefit obligations. The long-term rate of return assumptions are based on the outlook for equity and fixed income returns, with consideration of historical returns, asset allocations, investment strategies and premiums for active management when appropriate. Assumptions reflect the expected rates of return at the beginning of the year. Plan assets Plan assets for defined benefit plans are invested in global equity and debt securities through professional investment managers with the objective to achieve targeted risk adjusted returns and to maintain liquidity sufficient to fund current benefit payments. Each funded defined benefit plan has an investment policy that is administered by plan trustees with the objective of meeting targeted asset allocations based on the circumstances of that particular plan. The investment strategy followed by the Company varies by country depending on the circumstances of the underlying plan. Less mature plan benefit obligations are funded by using more equity securities as they are expected to achieve long-term growth while exceeding inflation. More mature plan benefit obligations are funded using a higher allocation of fixed income securities as they are expected to produce current income with limited volatility. The Company has adopted a dynamic investment strategy whereby as the plan funded status improves, the investment strategy is migrated to more liability matching assets, and return seeking assets are reduced. Risk management practices include the use of multiple asset classes for diversification purposes. Specific guidelines for each asset class and investment manager are implemented and monitored. The weighted average target asset allocation for defined benefit pension plans in the year ended December 31, 2019 is as follows: Domestic Foreign Asset category: Equity securities 50.0 % 15.3 % Debt securities 45.0 % 79.3 % Other 5.0 % 5.4 % Total 100.0 % 100.0 % Plan asset valuation methodologies are described below: Fair value methodology Description Cash This represents cash at banks at fair value. Investment funds Values are based on the net asset value of the units held at year end. The net asset values are based on the fair value of the underlying assets of the funds, minus their liabilities, and then divided by the number of units outstanding at the valuation date. The funds are traded on private markets that are not active; however, the unit price is based primarily on observable market data of the fund’s underlying assets. Insurance contracts The fair value is based on the present value of the accrued benefit. Domestic defined benefit plan assets The following summarizes the fair value of domestic plan assets by asset category and level within the fair value hierarchy: December 31, 2019 (in millions) Total Level 1 Level 2 Cash $ 2.5 $ 2.5 $ — Investments funds (1) 492.7 — 492.7 Total $ 495.2 $ 2.5 $ 492.7 (1) This category includes investments in 30.2% in US equities, 19.7% in non-US equities, 45.0% in US corporate bonds and 5.1% in other investments. December 31, 2018 (in millions) Total Level 1 Level 2 Cash $ 2.4 $ 2.4 $ — Investments funds (1) 426.2 — 426.2 Total $ 428.6 $ 2.4 $ 426.2 (1) This category includes investments in 29.6% in US equities, 19.4% in non-US equities, 46.3% in US corporate bonds and 4.7% in other investments. Foreign defined benefit plan assets The following summarizes the fair value of foreign plan assets by asset category and level within the fair value hierarchy: December 31, 2019 (in millions) Total Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Cash $ 3.4 $ 3.4 $ — $ — Investments: Investment funds (1) 581.2 — 581.2 — Insurance contracts 22.2 — — 22.2 Total investments $ 603.4 $ — $ 581.2 $ 22.2 Total $ 606.8 $ 3.4 $ 581.2 $ 22.2 (1) This category includes investments in 2.1% in US equities, 14.1% in non-US equities, 13.5% in non-US corporate bonds, 68.6% in non-US government bonds and 1.7% in other investments. Changes in the foreign plan assets valued using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3): (in millions) Insurance contracts Balance at January 1, 2019 $ 18.5 Actual return to plan assets: Related to assets still held at year end 3.6 Purchases, sales and settlements, net 0.5 Foreign exchange (0.4) Balance at December 31, 2019 $ 22.2 The following summarizes the fair value of foreign plan assets by asset category and level within the fair value hierarchy: December 31, 2018 (in millions) Total Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Cash $ 9.7 $ 9.7 $ — $ — Investments: Investment funds (1) 494.0 — 494.0 — Insurance contracts 18.5 — — 18.5 Total investments $ 512.5 $ — $ 494.0 $ 18.5 Total $ 522.2 $ 9.7 $ 494.0 $ 18.5 (1) This category includes investments in 8.0% in US equities, 17.5% in non-US equities, 34.2% in non-US corporate bonds, 36.3% in non-US government bonds and 4.0% in other investments. Changes in the foreign plan assets valued using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3): (in millions) Insurance contracts Balance at January 1, 2018 $ 18.2 Actual return on plan assets: Related to assets still held at year end 0.7 Purchases, sales and settlements, net 0.4 Foreign exchange (0.8) Balance at December 31, 2018 $ 18.5 Contributions The Company expects to contribute approximately $19.4 million and $3.5 million to its domestic and foreign defined benefit pension plan funds in 2020, respectively, including direct payments to plan participants in unfunded plans. Benefit payments Benefit payments that are projected to be paid from plan assets: Defined benefit pension plans (in millions) Domestic Foreign Total 2020 $ 35.6 $ 17.5 $ 53.1 2021 36.7 17.1 53.8 2022 37.6 19.5 57.1 2023 38.5 19.4 57.9 2024 39.2 21.3 60.5 2024 through 2028 204.1 115.6 319.7 Defined contribution plans The Company provides defined contribution plans and had contribution expense of $29.9 million, $32.0 million and $30.0 million in the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively. Multi-employer plans The Company contributes to several multi-employer pension plans based on obligations arising from collective bargaining agreements. The risks of participating in these multi-employer plans are different from single-employer plans in the following aspects: • Assets contributed to the multi-employer plan by the Company may be used to provide benefits to employees of other participating employers. • If the Company stops contributing to the plan, the unfunded obligations of the plan may be borne by the remaining participating employers. Similarly, the Company could be liable for underfunded obligations of other, departed employers. • If the Company chooses to stop participating in some of its multi-employer plans, it may be required to pay those plans an amount based on the underfunded status of the plan, referred to as a withdrawal liability. The Company’s participation in these plans for the annual period ended December 31, 2019 is outlined in the table below. The Pension Protection Act (PPA) zone status is the most recently available and is certified by the plan's actuary. Among other factors, plans in the “red zone” are less than 65 percent funded, plans in the “yellow zone” are less than 80 percent funded and plans in the “green zone” are at least 80 percent funded. There are no minimum contributions required for future periods by the collective-bargaining agreements, statutory obligations or other contractual obligations. Pension fund EIN/Pension plan number PPA zone status FIP/RP status pending/ implemented Contributions (1) Surcharge imposed Expiration dates of collective bargaining agreement(s) Year ended December 31, 2019 2018 2019 2018 2017 Western Conference of Teamsters Pension Plan 91-6145047/001 Green as of January 1, 2018 Green as of January 1, 2017 No $ 1.5 $ 1.5 $ 1.5 No April 30, 2020 Central States, Southeast and Southwest Areas Pension Plan 36-6044243/001 Red as of January 1, 2018 Red as of January 1, 2017 Implemented 1.1 1.0 1.1 No January 31, 2020 New England Teamsters and Trucking Industry Pension Fund 04-6372430/001 Red as of October 1, 2017 Red as of October 1, 2016 Implemented 0.1 0.2 0.1 No June 30, 2020 Total contributions: $ 2.7 $ 2.7 $ 2.7 (1) The plan contributions by the Company did not represent more than five percent of total contributions to the plans as indicated in the plans’ most recently available annual report.

Stock-based compensation

Stock-based compensation	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Share-based Payment Arrangement [Abstract]
Stock-based compensation	12. Stock-based compensation In May 2017, the Company replaced and succeeded the Univar Inc. 2015 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2015 Plan”) with the Univar Inc. 2017 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan (the “2017 Plan”). There were no changes to the outstanding awards related to the 2015 Plan and the Univar Inc. 2011 Stock Incentive Plan (together with the 2015 Plan and the 2017 Plan, the “Plans”). The 2017 Plan allows the Company to issue awards to employees, consultants, and directors of the Company and its subsidiaries. Awards may be made in the form of stock options, stock purchase rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units, performance shares, performance units, stock appreciation rights, dividend equivalents, deferred share units or other stock-based awards. As of December 31, 2019, there were 9.2 million shares authorized under the Plans. For the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, the Company recognized total stock-based compensation expense within other operating expenses, net of $25.1 million, $20.7 million and $19.7 million, and a net tax (benefit) expense relating to stock-based compensation expense of $(2.4) million, $(2.6) million and $(3.7) million, respectively. Stock options Stock options expire ten four The following reflects stock option activity under the Plans: Number of stock options Weighted- average exercise price Weighted- average remaining contractual term (in years) Aggregate intrinsic value (in millions) Outstanding at January 1, 2019 3,044,154 $ 24.06 Granted 1,204,550 21.77 Exercised (349,845) 18.74 Forfeited (208,234) 24.81 Outstanding at December 31, 2019 3,690,625 $ 23.77 Exercisable at December 31, 2019 1,901,291 $ 23.72 4.4 $ 4.4 Expected to vest after December 31, 2019 1,789,334 $ 23.83 8.7 $ 0.7 As of December 31, 2019, the Company has unrecognized stock-based compensation expense related to non-vested stock options of approximately $3.4 million, which will be recognized over a weighted-average period of 0.9 years. Year ended December 31, (in millions) 2019 2018 2017 Total intrinsic value of stock options exercised $ 0.9 $ 2.4 $ 16.7 Fair value of stock options vested 7.9 8.1 7.8 Restricted stock Non-vested restricted stock primarily relates to awards for members of the Company’s Board of Directors which vest over 12 months. The grant date fair value of restricted stock is based on the market price of the common stock on that date. Non-vested shares of restricted stock may not be sold or transferred and are subject to forfeiture until vesting. Both vested and non-vested shares of restricted stock are included in the Company’s shares outstanding. Dividend equivalents are available for non-vested shares of restricted stock if dividends are declared by the Company during the vesting period. The following table reflects restricted stock activity under the Plans: Number of Restricted Weighted average grant-date fair value Non-vested at January 1, 2019 28,780 $ 28.50 Granted 33,744 21.34 Vested (28,780) 28.50 Forfeited (5,624) 21.34 Non-vested at December 31, 2019 28,120 $ 21.34 As of December 31, 2019, the Company has unrecognized stock-based compensation expense related to non-vested restricted stock awards of approximately $0.2 million, which will be recognized over a weighted-average period of 0.4 years. The weighted-average grant-date fair value of restricted stock was $28.50 and $29.92 in 2018 and 2017, respectively. Restricted stock units (RSUs) RSUs awarded to employees generally vest in three four The following table reflects RSUs activity under the Plans: Number of Restricted Stock Unit Weighted- average grant-date fair value Non-vested at January 1, 2019 801,200 $ 23.98 Granted 719,183 21.99 Vested (364,820) 20.89 Forfeited (66,145) 24.86 Non-vested at December 31, 2019 1,089,418 $ 23.67 As of December 31, 2019, the Company has unrecognized stock-based compensation expense related to non-vested RSUs awards of approximately $10.3 million, which will be recognized over a weighted-average period of 1.2 years. Performance-based restricted stock units (PRSUs) The Company awards performance based shares to certain employees. These awards vest upon the passage of time and the achievement of performance criteria. For grants with Company based performance criteria, the vesting period is over three two The following table reflects PRSUs activity under the Plans: Number of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Unit Weighted- average grant-date fair value Non-vested at January 1, 2019 256,568 $ 27.18 Granted 275,725 22.71 Vested (5,343) 30.98 Forfeited (7,122) 26.90 Non-vested at December 31, 2019 519,828 $ 24.77 As of December 31, 2019, the Company has unrecognized stock-based compensation expense related to non-vested PRSUs awards of approximately $1.9 million, which will be recognized over a weighted-average period of 1.6 years. Fair value Year ended December 31, (in millions) 2019 2018 2017 Fair value of restricted stock, RSUs and PRSUs vested 8.6 11.8 22.8 Employee stock purchase plan The Univar Solutions Inc. Employee Stock Purchase Plan, or ESPP, authorizing the issuances of up to 2.0 million shares of the Company’s common stock allows qualified participants to purchase the Company’s common stock at 95% of its market price during the last day of two offering periods in each calendar year. The first offering period is January through June, and the second from July through December. As of December 31, 2019, the total number of shares issued under the plan for the two offering periods in 2019 was 64,740 shares. Stock-based compensation fair value assumptions The fair value of the Company’s stock that is factored into the fair value of stock options and utilized for restricted stock, RSUs and PRSUs with internally developed performance conditions is based on the grant date closing price on the New York Stock Exchange. The Black-Scholes-Merton option valuation model was used to calculate the fair value of stock options. The weighted average grant-date fair value of stock options was $6.31, $8.69 and $8.40 for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 respectively. The weighted-average assumptions used under the Black-Scholes-Merton option valuation model were as follows: Year ended December 31, 2019 2018 2017 Risk-free interest rate (1) 2.6 % 2.7 % 2.1 % Expected dividend yield — — — Expected volatility (2) 23.7 % 23.2 % 25.5 % Expected term (years) (3) 6.0 6.0 5.9 (1) The risk-free interest rate is based on the US Treasury yield for a term consistent with the expected term of the stock options at the time of grant. (2) As the Company does not have sufficient historical volatility data, the expected volatility is based on the average historical data of a peer group of public companies over a period equal to the expected term of the stock options. (3) As the Company does not have sufficient historical exercise data under the Plans, the expected term is based on the average of the vesting period of each tranche and the original contract term of 10 years.

Accumulated other comprehensive

Accumulated other comprehensive loss	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Equity [Abstract]
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	13. Accumulated other comprehensive loss The following table presents the changes in accumulated other comprehensive loss by component, net of tax. (in millions) Cash flow hedges Defined Currency Total AOCI Balance as of January 1, 2017 $ — $ 1.2 $ (391.1) $ (389.9) Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications 4.4 (2.2) 107.1 109.3 Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss 2.3 (0.2) — 2.1 Net current period other comprehensive income (loss) $ 6.7 $ (2.4) $ 107.1 $ 111.4 Balance as of December 31, 2017 $ 6.7 $ (1.2) $ (284.0) $ (278.5) Impact due to adoption of ASU 2017-12 (1) 0.5 — — 0.5 Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications 8.3 (2.0) (97.0) (90.7) Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss (6.6) 2.1 — (4.5) Net current period other comprehensive income (loss) $ 2.2 $ 0.1 $ (97.0) $ (94.7) Balance as of December 31, 2018 $ 8.9 $ (1.1) $ (381.0) $ (373.2) Impact due to adoption of ASU 2018-02 (2) $ 1.5 $ — $ (4.7) $ (3.2) Other comprehensive (loss) income before reclassifications (23.6) — 22.8 (0.8) Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss (2.2) 0.1 — (2.1) Net current period other comprehensive (loss) income $ (24.3) $ 0.1 $ 18.1 $ (6.1) Balance as of December 31, 2019 $ (15.4) $ (1.0) $ (362.9) $ (379.3) (1) Adjusted due to the adoption of ASU 2017-12 “Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities” on January 1, 2018. (2) Adjusted due to the adoption of ASU 2018-02 on January 1, 2019. Refer to “Note 2: Significant accounting policies” for more information. The following is a summary of the amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss to net (loss) income. (in millions) Year ended December 31, 2019 (1) Year ended December 31, 2018 (1) Year ended December 31, 2017 (1) Location of impact on statement of operations Amortization of defined benefit pension items: Prior service cost (credits) $ 0.1 $ 2.7 $ (0.2) Other expense, net Tax benefit — (0.6) — Income tax expense Net of tax $ 0.1 $ 2.1 $ (0.2) Cash flow hedges: Interest rate swap contracts $ (8.0) $ (8.1) $ 3.8 Interest expense Cross-currency swap contracts 5.2 — — Interest expense and other expense, net Tax expense 0.6 1.5 (1.5) Income tax expense Net of tax $ (2.2) $ (6.6) $ 2.3 Total reclassifications for the period $ (2.1) $ (4.5) $ 2.1 (1) Amounts in parentheses indicate credits to net income in the consolidated statement of operations. Refer to “Note 11: Employee benefit plans” for additional information regarding the amortization of defined benefit pension items, “Note 20: Derivatives” for cash flow hedging activity.

Property, plant and equipment,

Property, plant and equipment, net	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]
Property, plant and equipment, net	14. Property, plant and equipment, net Property, plant and equipment, net consisted of the following: December 31, (in millions) 2019 2018 Land and buildings $ 875.9 $ 790.9 Tank farms 283.9 276.0 Machinery, equipment and other 983.8 836.7 Less: Accumulated depreciation (1,037.9) (970.1) Subtotal $ 1,105.7 $ 933.5 Work in progress 46.7 22.3 Property, plant and equipment, net $ 1,152.4 $ 955.8

Goodwill and intangible assets

Goodwill and intangible assets	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Goodwill and intangible assets	15. Goodwill and intangible assets Goodwill The following is a summary of the activity in goodwill by segment. (in millions) USA Canada EMEA LATAM Total Balance, January 1, 2018 $ 1,325.2 $ 468.7 $ 1.2 $ 23.3 $ 1,818.4 Additions — — 7.6 — 7.6 Purchase price adjustments — — — (3.2) (3.2) Other adjustments — (2.4) — — (2.4) Foreign exchange — (36.4) (0.5) (2.8) (39.7) Balance, December 31, 2018 $ 1,325.2 $ 429.9 $ 8.3 $ 17.3 $ 1,780.7 Additions 540.1 3.8 — 11.8 555.7 Other adjustments (63.0) (14.2) — — (77.2) Foreign exchange — 21.6 0.1 (0.1) 21.6 Balance, December 31, 2019 $ 1,802.3 $ 441.1 $ 8.4 $ 29.0 $ 2,280.8 Additions to goodwill in 2019 related to the acquisition of Nexeo and in 2018 related to the acquisition of Kemetyl and Earthoil. Refer to “Note 3: Business combinations” for further information. The purchase price adjustments in 2018 related to the Tagma acquisition. Other adjustments to goodwill in 2019 relate to the disposition of the Environmental Sciences business and in 2018 relate to immaterial dispositions. Accumulated impairment losses on goodwill were $253.9 million, $255.6 million and $271.3 million at December 31, 2019, December 31, 2018 and January 1, 2018, respectively. As of October 1, 2019, the Company performed its annual impairment review and concluded the fair value exceeded the carrying value for all reporting units. There were no events or circumstances from the date of the assessment through December 31, 2019 that would affect this conclusion. Intangible assets, net The gross carrying amounts and accumulated amortization of the Company’s intangible assets were as follows: December 31, 2019 December 31, 2018 (in millions) Gross Accumulated amortization Net Gross Accumulated amortization Net Customer relationships $ 986.4 $ (680.8) $ 305.6 $ 846.1 $ (620.3) $ 225.8 Other 182.0 (167.4) 14.6 175.1 (162.8) 12.3 Total intangible assets $ 1,168.4 $ (848.2) $ 320.2 $ 1,021.2 $ (783.1) $ 238.1 Other intangible assets consist of intellectual property trademarks, trade names, producer relationships and contracts, non-compete agreements and exclusive distribution rights. The estimated annual amortization expense in each of the next five years is as follows: (in millions) 2020 $ 54.1 2021 50.5 2022 45.3 2023 41.4 2024 32.0

Impairment charges

Impairment charges	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Asset Impairment Charges [Abstract]
Impairment Charges	16. Impairment charges During the third quarter of 2019, the Company announced closure of certain production facilities in USA. The Company determined that these decisions indicated a triggering event, requiring the assessment of recoverability of these long-lived assets. Testing the assets for recoverability involves developing estimates of future cash flows directly associated with, and that are expected to arise as a direct result of, the use and eventual disposition of the assets. As the inputs for testing recoverability are largely based on management’s judgments and are not generally observable in active markets, the Company considers such measurements to be Level 3 measurements in the fair value hierarchy. The Company tested the recoverability of its long-lived assets and determined the carrying amount of the assets exceeded the sum of the expected undiscounted future cash flows. As a result, the Company recorded a non-cash, pretax impairment charge of $7.0 million related to property, plant and equipment within its consolidated statements of operations during the year ended December 31, 2019.

Other accrued expenses

Other accrued expenses	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Payables and Accruals [Abstract]
Other accrued expenses	17. Other accrued expenses As of December 31, 2019, other accrued expenses that were greater than five percent of total current liabilities consisted of current tax liabilities of $87.1 million, comprised of income, VAT and local indirect taxes payable and customer prepayments and deposits of $81.5 million. As of December 31, 2018, there were no components within other accrued expenses that were greater than five percent of total current liabilities.

Debt

Debt	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Debt	18. Debt Short-term financing Short-term financing consisted of the following: December 31, (in millions) 2019 2018 Amounts drawn under credit facilities $ 0.5 $ 4.7 Bank overdrafts 0.2 3.4 Total $ 0.7 $ 8.1 The weighted average interest rate on short-term financing was 3.8% and 3.0% as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, the Company had $158.5 million and $139.4 million, respectively, in outstanding letters of credit. Long-term debt Long-term debt consisted of the following: December 31, (in millions) 2019 2018 Senior Term Loan Facilities: Term B-3 Loan due 2024, variable interest rate of 4.05% and 4.77% at December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively $ 1,438.0 $ 1,747.8 Term B-5 Loan due 2026, variable interest rate of 3.80% at December 31, 2019 400.0 — Asset Backed Loan (ABL) Facilities: North American ABL Facility due 2024, variable interest rate of 5.25% at December 31, 2019 200.0 — Canadian ABL Term Loan due 2022, variable interest rate of 4.31% at December 31, 2019 130.9 — Euro ABL Facility due 2023, variable interest rate of 1.75% at December 31, 2018 — 58.5 North American ABL Facility due 2020, variable interest rate of 4.19% at December 31, 2018 — 134.7 Senior Unsecured Notes: Senior Unsecured Notes due 2027, fixed interest rate of 5.13% at December 31, 2019 500.0 — Senior Unsecured Notes due 2023, fixed interest rate of 6.75% at December 31, 2018 — 399.5 Finance lease obligations 71.2 54.8 Total long-term debt before discount $ 2,740.1 $ 2,395.3 Less: unamortized debt issuance costs and discount on debt (26.3) (23.2) Total long-term debt $ 2,713.8 $ 2,372.1 Less: current maturities (25.0) (21.7) Total long-term debt, excluding current maturities $ 2,688.8 $ 2,350.4 The weighted average interest rate on long-term debt was 4.25% and 4.29% as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. As of December 31, 2019, future contractual maturities of long-term debt, excluding finance lease obligations, are as follows: (in millions) 2020 $ 4.0 2021 134.9 2022 4.0 2023 4.0 2024 1,642.0 Thereafter 880.0 Total $ 2,668.9 Refer to “Note 22: Leasing” for additional information regarding finance lease obligations. Senior Term Loan Facilities In the first quarter of 2019 to finance the acquisition of Nexeo, the Company entered into the Fourth Amendment to its credit agreement, dated July 1, 2015, which provided a new Term B-4 Loan facility in an aggregate principal amount of $300.0 million (“Term B-4 Loan”) and a new Euro Term B-2 Loan facility in an aggregate principal amount of €425.0 million (“EUR Term B-2 Loan”). In the second quarter of 2019, using the proceeds from the sale of Nexeo Plastics, the Company repaid a portion of its outstanding EUR Term B-2, Term B-3 and Term B-4 Loans. As a result of the prepayment, no mandatory principal payments are required until 2024 for the Term B-3 Loan. In the fourth quarter of 2019, the Company repaid in full the remaining Term B-4 Loan and entered into the Fifth Amendment which provided a new Term B-5 Loan facility in an aggregate principal amount of $400.0 million that matures on July 1, 2026 (“Term B-5 Loan”). The proceeds from the new Term B-5 loan were used to repay in full the remaining EUR Term B-2 Loan. The Term B-5 Loan is payable in quarterly installments of 0.25% of the aggregate initial principal amount. The interest rate applicable to the Term Loan B-5 is based on, at the borrower’s option, (i) a fluctuating rate of interest determined by reference to a base rate plus an applicable margin equal to 1.00% or (ii) a Eurocurrency rate plus an applicable margin equal to 2.00%. The Company can repay the Term B-5 Loan in whole or part without penalty. As a result of the Fifth Amendment of the Term B-5 Loan and the repayment of the Term B-4 Loan, the Company recognized a loss on extinguishment of debt of $9.4 million during the year ended December 31, 2019. ABL Facilities In 2019, the Company amended and restated its July 28, 2015 ABL credit facility. The 2019 amendment, which matures on February 28, 2024, provides a five three The interest rate on the ABL Term Loan is on a quarterly adjusted rate of interest determined by reference to either a prime or BA rate, at our option, plus an applicable margin. For the US and Canadian revolving loans, the adjusted interest rate is a base or eurocurrency rate plus an applicable margin. The ABL Term Loan is payable in quarterly installments with a final maturity on February 28, 2022. As a result of the 2019 amendment related to the New Senior ABL Facility, the Company recognized a loss on extinguishment of debt of $0.7 million during the year ended December 31, 2019. Senior Unsecured Notes During 2019, the Company issued $500.0 million in Senior Unsecured Notes, due December 1, 2027 (“2027 Senior Notes”), with a fixed interest rate of 5.125%. The net proceeds were used to repay all $399.5 million principal outstanding under the 6.75% Notes due 2023 and a portion of the debt outstanding under the North American ABL Facility. The Company can prepay the 2027 Senior Notes in whole or part at a premium on or after December 1, 2022 and without a premium on or after December 1, 2024. As a result of this transaction, we recorded a loss on extinguishment of debt of $9.7 million during the year ended December 31, 2019. Borrowing availability and assets pledged as collateral Availability of our credit facilities is determined based upon available qualifying collateral, as defined in the North American ABL Facility and Euro ABL Facility credit agreement. Unused line fees are as follows: December 31, 2019 2018 $1.525 billion North American ABL Facility 0.300 % 0.375 % €200 million Euro ABL Facility 0.375 % 0.375 % The North American ABL Facility is secured by a first priority lien of accounts receivable and inventories of our US and Canadian operating subsidiaries. In addition, 65% of the shares of certain foreign subsidiaries have been pledged as security. The Senior Term Loan Facilities are secured by substantially all of the assets of the US operating and management subsidiaries and are secured by a second priority lien on such accounts receivable and inventory. The Euro ABL Facility is primarily secured by accounts receivable and inventories of the Company’s subsidiaries in Belgium, France, the Netherlands, and United Kingdom. Assets pledged are as follows: December 31, (in millions) 2019 2018 Cash $ 230.8 $ 45.5 Trade accounts receivable, net 981.4 906.1 Inventories 668.8 674.0 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 206.3 96.9 Property, plant and equipment, net 956.1 743.0 Total $ 3,043.4 $ 2,465.5 Debt covenants The Company is in compliance with all debt covenants. The North American ABL Facility and ABL Term Loan are subject to comply with a minimum fixed charge coverage ratio. As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, we exceeded the minimum ratio and therefore the financial covenant remains inapplicable. Other Information The fair values of debt were based on current market quotes for similar borrowings and credit risk adjusted for liquidity, margins, and amortization, as necessary and are classified as level 2 in the fair value hierarchy. December 31, 2019 December 31, 2018 (in millions) Carrying amount Fair value Carrying amount Fair value Fair value of debt $ 2,713.8 $ 2,770.7 $ 2,372.1 $ 2,314.3 The Company is exposed to credit loss and loss of liquidity availability if the financial institutions or counterparties issuing us debt securities fail to perform. We minimize exposure to these credit risks by dealing with a diversified group of investment grade financial institutions. We manage credit risk by monitoring the credit ratings and market indicators of credit risk of our lending counterparties. We do not anticipate any non-performance by any of the counterparties.

Fair value measurements

Fair value measurements	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Fair value measurements	19. Fair value measurements The Company classifies its financial instruments according to the fair value hierarchy described in “Note 2: Significant accounting policies.” Items measured at fair value on a recurring basis The following table presents the Company’s gross assets and liabilities measured on a recurring basis and classified as level 2 within the fair value hierarchy: Derivative Assets Derivative Liabilities December 31, December 31, (in millions) Balance Sheet Location 2019 2018 Balance Sheet Location 2019 2018 Designated Derivatives: Cross currency swap contracts Prepaid expenses and other current assets $ 7.2 $ — Other long-term liabilities $ 12.1 $ — Interest rate swap contracts Prepaid expenses and other current assets — 12.4 Other accrued expenses 6.4 — Interest rate swap Other assets — 1.5 Other long-term liabilities 14.0 — Undesignated Derivatives: Foreign currency contracts Prepaid expenses and other current assets $ 0.5 $ 0.3 Other accrued expenses $ 1.0 $ 0.2 Cross currency swap contracts Prepaid expenses and other current assets 0.4 — Other long-term liabilities 0.6 — Interest rate swap contracts Prepaid expenses and other current assets — — Other accrued expenses 1.0 — Interest rate swap contracts Other assets — — Other long-term liabilities 1.9 — The net amounts by legal entity related to foreign currency contracts included in prepaid and other current assets were $0.2 million and $0.3 million as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. The net amounts related to foreign currency contracts included in other accrued expenses were $0.7 million and $0.2 million as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. The following table is a reconciliation of the fair value measurements that use significant unobservable inputs (Level 3), which consist of the warrant liability related to the Nexeo acquisition for 2019 and contingent consideration liabilities (i.e. earn-outs) related to the Tagma acquisition for 2018. Warrant Liability Contingent Consideration (in millions) 2019 2018 Fair value as of January 1 $ — $ 0.4 Additions 26.0 — Fair value adjustments 7.0 1.0 Payments — (1.4) Fair value as of December 31 $ 33.0 $ — The fair value of the warrant liability is calculated using the Black-Scholes-Merton option valuation model. The fair value of the warrants was computed using the following assumptions: expected option life two years, volatility 27.48%, and risk-free interest rate of 1.58%. As the Company does not have sufficient historical volatility data, the expected volatility is based on the average historical data of a peer group of public companies over a period equal to the expected term of the warrants. The risk-free interest rate assumption was based on the US Treasury rates.

Derivatives

Derivatives	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivatives	20. Derivatives Foreign currency derivatives The Company uses forward currency contracts to hedge earnings from the effects of foreign exchange relating to certain of the Company’s intercompany and third-party receivables and payables denominated in a foreign currency. These derivative instruments are not formally designated as hedges by the Company and the terms of these instruments range from one to three months. Interest rate swaps The objective of the designated interest rate swap contracts is to offset the variability of cash flows in LIBOR indexed debt interest payments attributable to changes in the aforementioned benchmark interest rate related to the Term B-3 Loan and a portion of debt outstanding under the North American ABL Facility. The swaps have maturities at various dates through June 2024. On December 17, 2019, the Company terminated $750.0 million of the 2017 swaps resulting in a $1.1 million gain. As the hedge was considered to be effective and the forecasted transaction was considered probable of occurring, part of the gain remained in accumulated other comprehensive loss and will be amortized as a reduction to interest expense over the term of the forecasted Term B Loan. Cross currency swap contracts Cross currency swap contracts are used to effectively convert the Term B-5 Loan’s principal amount of floating rate US dollar denominated debt of $400.0 million, including interest payments, to fixed-rate Euro denominated debt maturing in November 2024. As of December 31, 2019, approximately 95% of the cross currency swaps are designated as a cash flow hedge. The Company uses both undesignated interest rate swap contracts and cross currency swaps to manage interest rate variability and mitigate foreign exchange exposure. Notional amounts and fair value of derivative instruments The following table presents the notional amounts of the Company’s outstanding derivative instruments by type: December 31, (in millions) 2019 2018 Derivatives designated as hedging instruments: Interest rate swap contracts $ 1,050.0 $ 2,000.0 Cross currency swap contracts 381.0 — Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments: Interest rate swap contracts 200.0 — Foreign currency derivatives 141.4 108.1 Cross currency swap contracts 19.0 — The fair values of derivative instruments on the consolidated statements of operations and the consolidated statements of comprehensive income for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 are as follows: Amount of gain (loss) reclassified from other comprehensive loss into income (effective and ineffective portion) Amount to be reclassified to consolidated statement of operations within the next 12 months Year ended December 31, Derivatives in cash flow hedging relationships Income statement classification 2019 2018 2017 Interest rate swap contracts Interest expense $ 8.0 $ 8.1 $ (3.8) $ (6.4) Cross currency swap contracts Interest expense 0.7 — — 7.2 Other expense, net (5.9) — — — Refer to “Note 8: Other expense, net” for the gains and losses related to derivatives not designated as hedging instruments and “Note 19: Fair value measurements” regarding the gross and net balances of derivative instruments.

Commitments and contingencies

Commitments and contingencies	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments and contingencies	21. Commitments and contingencies Litigation In the ordinary course of business the Company is subject to pending or threatened claims, lawsuits, regulatory matters and administrative proceedings from time to time. Where appropriate the Company has recorded provisions in the consolidated financial statements for these matters. The liabilities for injuries to persons or property are in some instances covered by liability insurance, subject to various deductibles and self-insured retentions. The Company is not aware of any claims, lawsuits, regulatory matters or administrative proceedings, pending or threatened, that are likely to have a material effect on its overall financial position, results of operations, or cash flows. However, the Company cannot predict the outcome of any present or future claims or litigation or the potential for future claims or litigation and adverse developments could negatively impact earnings or cash flows in a particular future period. The Company is subject to liabilities from claims alleging personal injury from exposure to asbestos. The claims result primarily from an indemnification obligation related to Univar Solutions USA Inc.’s (“Univar”) 1986 purchase of McKesson Chemical Company from McKesson Corporation (“McKesson”). Univar’s obligation to defend and indemnify McKesson for settlements and judgments arising from asbestos claims is the amount which is in excess of applicable insurance coverage, if any, which may be available under McKesson’s historical insurance coverage. Univar is also a defendant in a small number of asbestos claims. As of December 31, 2019, there were fewer than 130 asbestos-related claims for which the Company has liability for defense and indemnity pursuant to the indemnification obligation; however, this number tends to fluctuate up and down over time. Historically, the vast majority of the claims against both McKesson and Univar have been dismissed without payment or with a negligible payment. While the Company is unable to predict the outcome of these matters, it does not believe, based upon current available facts, that the ultimate resolution of any of these matters will have a material effect on its overall financial position, results of operations, or cash flows. Merger-related Appraisal Litigation In connection with the acquisition of Nexeo, on June 26, 2019, the Company reached an agreement with BCIM to resolve a dispute regarding the fair value of 5.0 million shares of Nexeo common stock, for which BCIM sought appraisal in a petition filed in the Delaware Court of Chancery, captioned BCIM Strategic Value Master Fund, LP v. Nexeo Solutions, Inc., No. 2019-0363-KSJM. The terms of the agreement, among other matters, provide that, in exchange for a release and dismissal of all asserted claims, the Company would make a cash payment of $63.5 million to BCIM and, as a result, BCIM will relinquish any and all rights to approximately $15.1 million in cash and 1.5 million shares of Univar Solutions common stock valued at $35.5 million in the custody of Equiniti, the transfer agent. With this resolution, the cash and shares were returned to the Company. During the third quarter of 2019, the Company paid the $63.5 million due to BCIM. The period during which former holders of Nexeo common stock were eligible to seek appraisal has expired, and no other such claims are pending. Environmental The Company is subject to various federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations that require environmental assessment or remediation efforts (collectively “environmental remediation work”) and from time to time becomes aware of compliance matters regarding possible or alleged violations of these laws or regulations. For example, over the years, the Company has been identified as a “potentially responsible party” (“PRP”) under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act and/or similar state laws that impose liability for costs relating to environmental remediation work at various sites. As a PRP, the Company may be required to pay a share of the costs of investigation and cleanup of certain sites. The Company is currently engaged in environmental remediation work at approximately 129 locations, some that are now or were previously Company-owned/occupied and some that were never Company-owned/occupied (“non-owned sites”). The Company’s environmental remediation work at some sites is being conducted pursuant to governmental proceedings or investigations. At other sites, the Company, with appropriate state or federal agency oversight and approval, is conducting the environmental remediation work voluntarily. The Company is currently undergoing remediation efforts or is in the process of active review of the need for potential remediation efforts at approximately 107 current or formerly Company-owned/occupied sites. In addition, the Company may be liable as a PRP for a share of the clean-up of approximately 22 non-owned sites. These non-owned sites are typically (a) locations of independent waste disposal or recycling operations with alleged or confirmed contaminated soil and/or groundwater to which the Company may have shipped waste products or drums for re-conditioning, or (b) contaminated non-owned sites near historical sites owned or operated by the Company or its predecessors from which contamination is alleged to have arisen. In determining the appropriate level of environmental reserves, the Company considers several factors such as information obtained from investigatory studies; changes in the scope of remediation; the interpretation, application and enforcement of laws and regulations; changes in the costs of remediation programs; the development of alternative cleanup technologies and methods; and the relative level of the Company’s involvement at various sites for which the Company is allegedly associated. The level of annual expenditures for remedial, monitoring and investigatory activities will change in the future as major components of planned remediation activities are completed and the scope, timing and costs of existing activities are changed. Project lives, and therefore cash flows, range from 2 to 30 years, depending on the specific site and type of remediation project. Although the Company believes that its reserves are adequate for environmental contingencies, it is possible, due to the uncertainties noted above; that additional reserves could be required in the future that could have a material effect on the overall financial position, results of operations, or cash flows in a particular period. This additional loss or range of losses cannot be recorded at this time, as it is not reasonably estimable. Changes in total environmental liabilities are as follows: (in millions) 2019 2018 Environmental liabilities at January 1 $ 83.5 $ 89.2 Revised obligation estimates 13.3 12.6 Environmental payments (18.0) (18.1) Foreign exchange (0.1) (0.2) Environmental liabilities at December 31 $ 78.7 $ 83.5 Environmental liabilities of $25.0 million and $32.1 million were classified as current in other accrued expenses in the consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. The long-term portion of environmental liabilities is recorded in other long-term liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets. The total discount on environmental liabilities was $5.5 million and $5.0 million at December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. The discount rate used in the present value calculation was 1.9% and 2.7% as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively, which represent risk-free rates. The Company manages estimated cash flows by project. These estimates are subject to change if there are modifications to the scope of the remediation plan or if other factors, both external and internal, change the timing of the remediation activities. The Company periodically reviews the status of all existing or potential environmental liabilities and adjusts its accruals based on all available, relevant information. Based on current estimates, the expected payments for environmental remediation for the next five years and thereafter at December 31, 2019 are as follows, with projects for which timing is uncertain estimated at $11.7 million included within the 2020 estimated amount below: (in millions) 2020 $ 25.0 2021 11.0 2022 8.1 2023 6.8 2024 6.1 Thereafter 27.3 Total $ 84.3 Customs and International Trade Laws On April 3, 2019, the Company reached a settlement in a previously disclosed case with the Department of Justice (the “DOJ”) regarding saccharin that allegedly transshipped from the People’s Republic of China through the Republic of China and entered into commerce of the United States between 2007 and 2012. Under the settlement, the Company agreed to pay $62.5 million to fully resolve the matter, which was paid on April 8, 2019. The Company does not admit any liability and the DOJ has dismissed the complaint in its entirety. Tax Matters During 2017, the Brazilian Federal Supreme Court (the “Court”) ruled that the inclusion of the state VAT tax collected by a taxpayer in the taxpayer’s federal social contribution calculation base is unconstitutional. In 2019, the Court ruled in the Company's favor allowing the recoverability of amounts previously paid, plus interest. As a result, the Company recorded a benefit of $10.9 million in net sales, of which $9.7 million related to prior years, and $4.6 million in interest income in the consolidated statement of operations during the fourth quarter of 2019.

Leasing

Leasing	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Leases [Abstract]
Leasing	22. Leasing The Company leases certain warehouses and distribution centers, office space, transportation equipment, and other machinery and equipment. Leases (in millions) Balance Sheet Location December 31, 2019 Assets Operating lease assets Other assets $ 157.3 Finance lease assets Property, plant and equipment, net (1) 69.5 Total lease assets $ 226.8 Liabilities Current liabilities: Current portion of operating lease liabilities Other accrued expenses $ 47.4 Current portion of finance lease liabilities Current portion of long-term debt 20.9 Noncurrent liabilities: Operating lease liabilities Other long-term liabilities 114.5 Finance lease liabilities Long-term debt 50.3 Total lease liabilities $ 233.1 (1) Finance lease right-of-use assets are recorded net of accumulated amortization of $52.1 million as of December 31, 2019. Lease cost Year Ended December 31, 2019 (in millions) Operating Leases Finance Leases Total Cost of goods sold (exclusive of depreciation) $ 16.9 $ — $ 16.9 Outbound freight and handling 7.8 — 7.8 Warehousing, selling and administrative 34.2 — 34.2 Depreciation — 20.0 20.0 Interest expense — 2.8 2.8 Total gross lease component cost $ 58.9 $ 22.8 $ 81.7 Variable lease costs 1.1 Short-term lease costs 23.7 Total gross lease costs $ 106.5 Sublease income 2.8 Total net lease cost $ 103.7 Lease term and discount rate (in millions) December 31, 2019 Weighted-average remaining lease term (years) Operating leases 5.0 Finance leases 4.0 Weighted-average discount rate Operating leases 4.95 % Finance leases 4.33 % Other information (in millions) Year Ended December 31, 2019 Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities Operating cash flows from operating leases $ 59.2 Operating cash flows from finance leases 2.7 Financing cash flows from finance leases 20.7 Maturity of lease liabilities Year Ended December 31, 2019 (in millions) Operating Leases Finance Leases Total 2020 $ 53.6 $ 22.6 $ 76.2 2021 41.4 18.9 60.3 2022 31.7 15.7 47.4 2023 21.1 6.9 28.0 2024 12.7 4.2 16.9 2025 and After 24.7 6.3 31.0 Total lease payments $ 185.2 $ 74.6 $ 259.8 Less: interest 23.7 7.2 Present value of lease liabilities, excluding guaranteed residual values (1) $ 161.5 $ 67.4 Plus: present value of guaranteed residual values (1) 0.4 3.8 Present value of lease liabilities $ 161.9 $ 71.2 (1) The Company is not expected to have cash outflows related to the present value of guaranteed residual values. The Company’s current present value of lease liabilities includes guaranteed residual values related to leases in effect prior to ASC 842 due to the Company’s practical expedient elections denoted within “Note 2: Significant accounting policies.” The gross value of the guaranteed residual values for operating and finance leases is $0.4 million and $4.1 million as of December 31, 2019, respectively. Disclosures related to periods prior to the adoption of the New Lease Standard The table below includes minimum rental commitments under non-cancelable operating lease in excess of one year and capital lease obligations for the year ended December 31, 2018. Year Ended December 31, 2018 (in millions) Operating Leases Capital Leases Total 2019 $ 54.9 $ 21.7 $ 76.6 2020 40.4 12.3 52.7 2021 30.0 9.3 39.3 2022 24.6 7.6 32.2 2023 16.3 2.8 19.1 2024 and After 30.0 1.1 31.1 Total lease payments $ 196.2 $ 54.8 $ 251.0
Leasing	22. Leasing The Company leases certain warehouses and distribution centers, office space, transportation equipment, and other machinery and equipment. Leases (in millions) Balance Sheet Location December 31, 2019 Assets Operating lease assets Other assets $ 157.3 Finance lease assets Property, plant and equipment, net (1) 69.5 Total lease assets $ 226.8 Liabilities Current liabilities: Current portion of operating lease liabilities Other accrued expenses $ 47.4 Current portion of finance lease liabilities Current portion of long-term debt 20.9 Noncurrent liabilities: Operating lease liabilities Other long-term liabilities 114.5 Finance lease liabilities Long-term debt 50.3 Total lease liabilities $ 233.1 (1) Finance lease right-of-use assets are recorded net of accumulated amortization of $52.1 million as of December 31, 2019. Lease cost Year Ended December 31, 2019 (in millions) Operating Leases Finance Leases Total Cost of goods sold (exclusive of depreciation) $ 16.9 $ — $ 16.9 Outbound freight and handling 7.8 — 7.8 Warehousing, selling and administrative 34.2 — 34.2 Depreciation — 20.0 20.0 Interest expense — 2.8 2.8 Total gross lease component cost $ 58.9 $ 22.8 $ 81.7 Variable lease costs 1.1 Short-term lease costs 23.7 Total gross lease costs $ 106.5 Sublease income 2.8 Total net lease cost $ 103.7 Lease term and discount rate (in millions) December 31, 2019 Weighted-average remaining lease term (years) Operating leases 5.0 Finance leases 4.0 Weighted-average discount rate Operating leases 4.95 % Finance leases 4.33 % Other information (in millions) Year Ended December 31, 2019 Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities Operating cash flows from operating leases $ 59.2 Operating cash flows from finance leases 2.7 Financing cash flows from finance leases 20.7 Maturity of lease liabilities Year Ended December 31, 2019 (in millions) Operating Leases Finance Leases Total 2020 $ 53.6 $ 22.6 $ 76.2 2021 41.4 18.9 60.3 2022 31.7 15.7 47.4 2023 21.1 6.9 28.0 2024 12.7 4.2 16.9 2025 and After 24.7 6.3 31.0 Total lease payments $ 185.2 $ 74.6 $ 259.8 Less: interest 23.7 7.2 Present value of lease liabilities, excluding guaranteed residual values (1) $ 161.5 $ 67.4 Plus: present value of guaranteed residual values (1) 0.4 3.8 Present value of lease liabilities $ 161.9 $ 71.2 (1) The Company is not expected to have cash outflows related to the present value of guaranteed residual values. The Company’s current present value of lease liabilities includes guaranteed residual values related to leases in effect prior to ASC 842 due to the Company’s practical expedient elections denoted within “Note 2: Significant accounting policies.” The gross value of the guaranteed residual values for operating and finance leases is $0.4 million and $4.1 million as of December 31, 2019, respectively. Disclosures related to periods prior to the adoption of the New Lease Standard The table below includes minimum rental commitments under non-cancelable operating lease in excess of one year and capital lease obligations for the year ended December 31, 2018. Year Ended December 31, 2018 (in millions) Operating Leases Capital Leases Total 2019 $ 54.9 $ 21.7 $ 76.6 2020 40.4 12.3 52.7 2021 30.0 9.3 39.3 2022 24.6 7.6 32.2 2023 16.3 2.8 19.1 2024 and After 30.0 1.1 31.1 Total lease payments $ 196.2 $ 54.8 $ 251.0

Segments

Segments	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Segments	23. Segments Management monitors the operating results of its reportable segments separately for the purpose of making decisions about resource allocation and performance assessment. Management evaluates performance on the basis of Adjusted EBITDA. Adjusted EBITDA is defined as consolidated net (loss) income, plus the sum of: interest expense, net of interest income; income tax expense (benefit); depreciation; amortization; other operating expenses, net (see “Note 6: Other operating expenses, net” for more information); impairment charges; loss on extinguishment of debt; and other expense, net (see “Note 8: Other expense, net” for more information). For 2019, Adjusted EBITDA also includes an adjustment to remove the charge of the inventory fair value step-up recorded in connection with the Nexeo purchase price allocation and to remove the benefit related to a Brazil VAT recovery. Transfer prices between reportable segments are set on an arms-length basis in a similar manner to transactions with third parties. Corporate operating expenses that directly benefit segments have been allocated to the reportable segments. Allocable operating expenses are identified through a review process by management. These costs are allocated to the reportable segments on a basis that reasonably approximates the use of services. This is typically measured on a weighted distribution of margin, asset, headcount or time spent. Financial information for the Company’s reportable segments is as follows: (in millions) USA Canada EMEA LATAM Other/ Eliminations (1) Consolidated Year ended December 31, 2019 External customers $ 5,828.5 $ 1,217.8 $ 1,785.5 $ 455.1 $ — $ 9,286.9 Inter-segment 100.2 6.2 3.3 — (109.7) — Total net sales $ 5,928.7 $ 1,224.0 $ 1,788.8 $ 455.1 $ (109.7) $ 9,286.9 Adjusted EBITDA $ 454.7 $ 100.2 $ 143.3 $ 36.1 $ (30.1) $ 704.2 Long-lived assets (2) $ 853.6 $ 197.3 $ 185.4 $ 34.7 $ 38.7 $ 1,309.7 (in millions) USA Canada EMEA LATAM Other/ Eliminations (1) Consolidated Year ended December 31, 2018 External customers $ 4,961.0 $ 1,302.3 $ 1,975.7 $ 393.5 $ — $ 8,632.5 Inter-segment 126.6 9.3 4.0 0.2 (140.1) — Total net sales $ 5,087.6 $ 1,311.6 $ 1,979.7 $ 393.7 $ (140.1) $ 8,632.5 Adjusted EBITDA $ 376.4 $ 104.7 $ 151.2 $ 33.3 $ (25.2) $ 640.4 Long-lived assets (2) $ 597.6 $ 141.3 $ 156.7 $ 30.2 $ 30.0 $ 955.8 (in millions) USA Canada EMEA LATAM Other/ Eliminations (1) Consolidated Year ended December 31, 2017 External customers $ 4,657.1 $ 1,371.5 $ 1,821.2 $ 403.9 $ — $ 8,253.7 Inter-segment 121.9 9.1 4.5 0.5 (136.0) — Total net sales $ 4,779.0 $ 1,380.6 $ 1,825.7 $ 404.4 $ (136.0) $ 8,253.7 Adjusted EBITDA $ 350.0 $ 114.1 $ 129.2 $ 28.7 $ (28.2) $ 593.8 Long-lived assets (2) $ 636.1 $ 147.7 $ 158.0 $ 33.5 $ 27.7 $ 1,003.0 (1) Other/Eliminations represents the elimination of intersegment transactions as well as unallocated corporate costs consisting of costs specifically related to parent company operations that do not directly benefit segments, either individually or collectively. (2) Long-lived assets consist of property, plant and equipment, net and operating lease assets in 2019. Operating lease assets are excluded from 2018 and 2017 as the new leasing standard was adopted in 2019 using the modified retrospective method. Refer to “Note 2: Significant accounting policies” for more information. The following is a reconciliation of net (loss) income to Adjusted EBITDA for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively: Year ended December 31, (in millions) 2019 2018 2017 Net (loss) income $ (100.2) $ 172.3 $ 119.8 Net income from discontinued operations (5.4) — — Depreciation 155.0 125.2 135.0 Amortization 59.7 54.3 65.4 Interest expense, net 139.5 132.4 148.0 Income tax expense 104.5 49.9 49.0 Other operating expenses, net 298.2 73.5 55.4 Other expense, net 70.5 32.7 17.4 Impairment charges 7.0 — — Gain on sale of business (41.4) — — Loss on extinguishment of debt 19.8 0.1 3.8 Brazil VAT recovery (8.3) — — Inventory step-up adjustment 5.3 — — Adjusted EBITDA $ 704.2 $ 640.4 $ 593.8 Business line information The Company’s net sales from external customers relate to its chemical distribution business. Commodity chemicals and ingredients represent the largest portion of our business by sales and volume. Other sales to external customers primarily relate to services for collecting and arranging for the transportation of hazardous and non-hazardous waste. Risks and Concentrations No single customer accounted for more than 10% of net sales in any of the years presented. The Company has portions of its labor force that are a part of collective bargaining agreements. A work stoppage or other limitation on operations could occur as a result of disputes under existing collective bargaining agreements with labor unions or government based work counsels or in connection with negotiation of new collective bargaining agreements. As of December 31, 2019, approximately 22% of the Company’s labor force is covered by a collective bargaining agreement. As of December 31, 2019, approximately 3% of the Company’s labor force is covered by a collective bargaining agreement that will expire within one year. Other segment information

Quarterly financial information

Quarterly financial information (unaudited)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]
Quarterly financial information (unaudited)	24. Quarterly financial information (unaudited) The following tables contain selected unaudited statement of operations information for each quarter of the year ended December 31, 2019 and 2018. The tables include all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, that is necessary for fair presentation of the consolidated financial position and operating results for the quarters presented. Our business is affected by seasonality, which historically has resulted in higher sales volume during our second and third quarter. 2019 Quarter ended (in millions, except per share data) March 31 June 30 September 30 December 31 (1) Net sales $ 2,160.0 $ 2,584.6 $ 2,387.3 $ 2,155.0 Operating (loss) income (52.3) 79.0 88.0 72.6 Net (loss) income from continuing operations (70.0) 17.0 2.5 (55.1) Net income (loss) from discontinued operations 6.1 (0.7) — — Net (loss) income (63.9) 16.3 2.5 (55.1) (Loss) income per common share: Basic and diluted from continuing operations (2) $ (0.47) $ 0.10 $ 0.01 $ (0.33) Basic and diluted from discontinued operations (2) 0.04 — — — Basic and diluted (loss) income per common share (2) $ (0.43) $ 0.10 $ 0.01 $ (0.33) Shares used in computation of (loss) income per share: Basic 149.2 169.8 168.6 168.6 Diluted 149.2 170.7 169.5 168.6 (1) Included in the fourth quarter of 2019 was a loss of $50.4 million relating to the annual mark to market adjustment on the defined benefit pension and postretirement plans and a gain of $41.4 million relating to the disposition of the Environmental Sciences business. Refer to “Note 11: Employee benefit plans and “Note 4: Discontinued operations and dispositions” for further information. (2) As a result of changes in the number of shares outstanding during the year and rounding, the sum of the quarters’ earnings per share may not equal the earnings per share for any year-to-date period. 2018 Quarter ended (in millions, except per share data) March 31 June 30 September 30 December 31 (1) Net sales $ 2,158.0 $ 2,372.6 $ 2,130.7 $ 1,971.2 Operating income 107.9 117.4 99.6 62.5 Net income 65.4 56.1 49.6 1.2 Income per share: Basic and diluted (2) $ 0.46 $ 0.40 $ 0.35 $ 0.01 Shares used in computation of income (loss) per share: Basic 140.9 141.1 141.2 141.4 Diluted 142.0 142.0 142.3 142.2 (1) Included in the fourth quarter of 2018 was a loss of $34.2 million relating to the annual mark to market adjustment on the defined benefit pension and postretirement plans. Refer to “Note 11: Employee benefit plans” for further information. (2) As a result of changes in the number of shares outstanding during the year and rounding, the sum of the quarters’ earnings per share may not equal the earnings per share for any year-to-date period.

Subsequent events

Subsequent events	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Subsequent Events [Abstract]
Subsequent Events	25. Subsequent events On January 7, 2020, using the proceeds from the sale of the Environmental Sciences business, the Company repaid $174.0 million of the Term B-3 Loan due 2024.

SEC Schedule, Article 12-09, Va

SEC Schedule, Article 12-09, Valuation and Qualifying Accounts	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
SEC Schedule, 12-09, Valuation and Qualifying Accounts [Abstract]
SEC Schedule, 12-09, Schedule of Valuation and Qualifying Accounts Disclosure	Schedule II - Valuation and qualifying accounts Additions (in millions) Balance at beginning of period Charged to costs and other expenses Charged to other accounts Deductions Balance at end of period Year ended December 31, 2019 Income tax valuation allowance $ 106.3 $ 4.9 $ 0.1 $ (23.8) $ 87.5 Year ended December 31, 2018 Income tax valuation allowance $ 117.2 $ 21.4 $ (1.5) $ (30.8) $ 106.3 Year ended December 31, 2017 Income tax valuation allowance $ 167.9 $ 30.6 $ 6.7 $ (88.0) $ 117.2

Significant accounting polici_2

Significant accounting policies (Policies)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of consolidation and presentation	Basis of consolidation and presentation The consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of the Company and its majority-owned subsidiaries. Subsidiaries are consolidated if the Company has a controlling financial interest, which may exist based on ownership of a majority of the voting interest, or based on the Company’s determination that it is the primary beneficiary of a variable interest entity (“VIE”). The Company does not have any material interests in VIEs. All intercompany balances and transactions are eliminated in consolidation. Unless otherwise indicated, all financial data presented in these consolidated financial statements are expressed in US dollars.
Use of estimates	Use of estimates The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with US GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions affecting the amounts reported and disclosed in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ materially from these estimates.
Cash and cash equivalents	Cash and cash equivalentsCash and cash equivalents include highly-liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less that are readily convertible into known amounts of cash.
Trade accounts receivable, net	Trade accounts receivable, net Trade accounts receivable are stated at the invoiced amount, net of an allowance for doubtful accounts of $12.9 million and $11.2 million at December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. The allowance for doubtful accounts is estimated based on an individual assessment of collectability based on factors that include current ability to pay, bankruptcy and payment history, as well as a general reserve related to prior experience.
Inventories	InventoriesInventories consist primarily of products purchased for resale and are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value. Inventory cost is determined based on the weighted average cost method and includes purchase price from producers net of rebates received, inbound freight and handling, and direct labor and other costs incurred to blend and repackage product, but excludes depreciation expense.
Property, plant and equipment, net	Property, plant and equipment, net Property, plant and equipment are carried at historical cost, net of accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is recorded on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful life of each asset as follows: Buildings 10-50 years Main components of tank farms 5-40 years Containers 2-15 years Machinery and equipment 5-20 years Furniture, fixtures and others 5-20 years Information technology 3-10 years The Company evaluates the useful life and carrying value of property, plant and equipment for impairment if an event occurs or circumstances change that would indicate the carrying value may not be recoverable. If the carrying amount of the asset group is not recoverable on an undiscounted cash flow basis, an impairment loss is recognized to the extent that the asset group's carrying amount exceeds its estimated fair value.
Goodwill and intangible assets	Goodwill and intangible assets Goodwill represents the excess of the aggregate purchase price over the fair value of the net assets acquired in business combinations. Goodwill is tested for impairment annually on October 1, or between annual tests if an event occurs or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of a reporting unit below its carrying amount. The Company’s reporting units are USA, Canada, EMEA, Latin America and Asia-Pacific. For each of the reporting units, the Company has the option to perform either the qualitative or the quantitative test. In the event a reporting unit fails the qualitative assessment, it is required to perform the quantitative test. If the fair value of the reporting unit is less than its carrying value, the reporting unit will recognize an impairment for the lesser of either the amount by which the reporting unit's carrying amount exceeds the fair value of the reporting unit or the reporting unit’s goodwill carrying value.
Short-term financing and Long-term debt	Short-term financingShort-term financing includes bank overdrafts and short-term lines of credit.
Income taxes	Income taxes Deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on differences between financial reporting and tax basis of assets and liabilities and are measured using enacted tax rates and laws that are expected to be in effect when the differences reverse. Deferred tax assets are also recognized for the estimated future effects of tax loss carryforwards. The effect on deferred taxes of changes in tax rates is recognized in the period in which the revised tax rate is enacted. The Company records valuation allowances to reduce deferred tax assets to the extent it believes it is more likely than not that such assets will not be realized. In making such determinations, the Company considers all available positive and negative evidence, including scheduled reversals of deferred tax liabilities, forecasted and appropriate character of future taxable income, tax planning strategies, our experience with operating loss and tax credit carryforwards not expiring unused, tax planning strategies and the ability to carry back losses to prior years. The Company is subject to the global intangible low tax income (“GILTI”), which is a tax on foreign income in excess of a deemed return on tangible assets of foreign corporations. The Company treats taxes due on future US inclusions in taxable income related to GILTI as a current-period expense when incurred. The Company recognizes interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits within interest expense and warehousing, selling and administrative, respectively, in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations. Accrued interest and penalties are included in other accrued expenses and other long-term liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets.
Defined benefit plans	Defined benefit plans The Company sponsors several defined benefit plans and recognizes actuarial gains or losses, known as “mark to market” adjustments, at the measurement date, December 31. The mark to market adjustments primarily include gains and losses resulting from changes in discount rates and the difference between the expected and actual rate of return on plan assets. Settlement gains and losses are recognized in the period in which the settlement occurs.
Leases	Leases At the commencement date of a lease, the Company recognizes a liability to make lease payments and an asset representing the right to use the underlying asset during the lease term. The lease liability is measured at the present value of lease payments over the lease term, including variable fees that are known or subject to a minimum floor. The lease liability includes lease component fees, while non-lease component fees are expensed as incurred for all asset classes. When a contract excludes an implicit rate, the Company utilizes an incremental borrowing rate based on information available at the lease commencement date including, lease term and geographic region. The initial valuation of the right-of-use (“ROU”) asset includes the initial measurement of the lease liability, lease payments made in advance of the lease commencement date and initial direct costs incurred by the Company and excludes lease incentives. Leases with an initial term of 12 months or less are classified as short-term leases and are not recorded on the consolidated balance sheets. The lease expense for short-term leases is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term.
Legal costs	Legal costsWe expense legal costs as incurred.
Environmental liabilities	Environmental liabilities Environmental liabilities are recognized for probable and reasonably estimable losses associated with environmental remediation. Incremental direct costs of the investigation, remediation effort and post-remediation monitoring are included in the estimated environmental liabilities. Expected cash outflows related to environmental remediation for the next 12 months and amounts for which the timing is uncertain are reported as current within other accrued expenses in the consolidated balance sheets. The long-term portion of environmental liabilities is reported within other long-term liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets on an undiscounted basis, except for sites for which the amount and timing of future cash payments are fixed or reliably determinable. Environmental remediation expenses are included within warehousing, selling and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of operations, unless associated with disposed operations, in which case such expenses are included in other operating expenses, net.
Revenue recognition	Revenue recognition Revenue is measured as the amount of consideration the Company expects to receive in exchange for transferring a good or providing a service. Since the term between invoicing and payment is less than a year, the Company has not recognized a significant financing component. Revenue for bill-and-hold arrangements is recognized if the Company has a substantive customer request, the materials are properly segregated and designated as belonging to the customer, materials are ready to be transferred to the customer and the Company is unable to direct the materials to service another customer. Chemical Distribution Revenue is recognized when performance obligations under the terms of the contract are satisfied, which generally occurs when goods are transferred to a customer under the terms of the sale. Net sales include product sales and billings for freight and handling charges, net of discounts, expected returns, customer price and volume incentives, and sales or other revenue-based taxes. The Company estimates price and volume incentives, which are expected to be provided to customers, and expected returns based on historical experience. Crop Sciences The Company generates revenue when control for products is transferred to customers. The amount of consideration recorded varies due to price movements and rights granted to customers to return product. Customer payment terms often extend through a growing season, which may be up to six months. Transaction prices may move during an agricultural growing season and are affected by special offers or volume discounts, which affect the amount of consideration the Company will receive. Customers also may be provided rights to return eligible products. The Company estimates the expected returns and changes in the transaction price based on the combination of historical experience and the impact of weather on the current agriculture season. The adjustments to the transaction price and estimate of returns impacts revenues recognized. Services
Foreign currency translation	Foreign currency translation Assets and liabilities of foreign subsidiaries are translated into US dollars at period-end exchange rates. Income and expense accounts of foreign subsidiaries are translated into US dollars at the average exchange rates for the period. The net exchange gains and losses arising on this translation are reflected as a component of currency translation within AOCI.
Stock-based compensation plans	Stock-based compensation plansThe Company measures the total amount of employee stock-based compensation expense based on the grant date fair value of each award. Expense is recognized for each separately vesting tranche on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period, which is the shorter of the service period of the award or the period until the employees' retirement eligibility date. The Company recognizes forfeitures when incurred.
Fair value	Fair value Certain assets and liabilities are required to be recorded at fair value. The estimated fair values of those assets and liabilities have been determined using market information and valuation methodologies. Observable inputs reflect market data obtained from independent sources, while unobservable inputs reflect the Company’s market assumptions. There are three levels of inputs that may be used to measure fair value: Level 1 Quoted prices for identical instruments in active markets. Level 2 Quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets; quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active; and model-derived valuation in which all significant inputs and significant value drivers are observable in active markets. Level 3 Valuations derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs or significant value drivers are unobservable .
Derivatives	Derivatives The Company uses derivative financial instruments to manage risks associated with foreign currency and interest rate fluctuations. We do not use derivative instruments for speculative trading purposes. The fair value of forward currency contracts is calculated by reference to current forward exchange rates for contracts with similar maturity profiles. The fair value of interest rate swaps is determined by estimating the net present value of amounts to be paid under the agreement offset by the net present value of the expected cash inflows based on market rates and associated yield curves. For derivative contracts with the same counterparty where the Company has a master netting arrangement with the counterparty, the fair value of the asset/liability is presented on a net basis within the consolidated balance sheets. Changes in the fair value of derivative financial instruments are recognized in the consolidated statements of operations within interest expense or other expense, net, unless specific hedge accounting criteria are met. Cash flows associated with derivative financial instruments are recognized in the operating section of the consolidated statements of cash flows. For derivatives designated as cash flow hedges, changes in the fair value of the derivative are recorded to AOCI and are reclassified to earnings when the underlying forecasted transaction affects earnings. For contracts designated as cash flow hedges, we reassess the probability of the underlying forecasted transactions occurring on a quarterly basis. For derivatives not designated as hedging instruments, all changes in fair value are recorded to earnings in the current period.
Earnings per share	Earnings per share Basic earnings per share is based on the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during each period. Diluted earnings per share is based on the weighted average number of common shares and dilutive common share equivalents outstanding during each period. The Company reflects common share equivalents relating to stock options, non-vested restricted stock and non-vested restricted stock units in its computation of diluted weighted average shares outstanding, unless the effect of inclusion is anti-dilutive. The effect of dilutive securities is calculated using the treasury stock method. We consider restricted stock awards to be participating securities, since holders of such shares have non-forfeitable dividend rights in the event the Company declares a common stock dividend.

Significant accounting polici_3

Significant accounting policies (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Schedule of New Accounting Pronouncements and Changes in Accounting Principles	The Company recognized the cumulative effect of initially applying the new lease standard as an adjustment to the 2019 opening balance sheet and also includes adjustments related to previously unrecognized finance leases as follows: (in millions) Balance at December 31, 2018 Adjustments due to ASU 2016-02 Balance at January 1, 2019 Assets Property, plant and equipment, net $ 955.8 $ 5.4 $ 961.2 Other assets 84.3 166.8 251.1 Liabilities Current portion of long-term debt $ 21.7 $ (4.5) $ 17.2 Other accrued expenses 285.8 43.8 329.6 Long-term debt 2,350.4 9.9 2,360.3 Other long-term liabilities 98.4 123.0 221.4 Buildings 10-50 years Main components of tank farms 5-40 years Containers 2-15 years Machinery and equipment 5-20 years Furniture, fixtures and others 5-20 years Information technology 3-10 years

Business Combinations (Tables)

Business Combinations (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Business Combinations [Abstract]
Schedule of Recognized Identified Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed	The preliminary values and measurement period adjustments are shown below: (in millions) At Acquisition Date Measurement Period Adjustments As Adjusted Trade accounts receivable, net $ 286.9 $ 9.4 $ 296.3 Inventories 149.0 1.2 150.2 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 27.2 38.2 65.4 Assets held for sale 1,030.9 (142.7) 888.2 Property, plant and equipment, net 227.4 34.9 262.3 Goodwill 682.2 (126.5) 555.7 Intangible assets, net 173.9 (35.2) 138.7 Other assets 37.0 0.4 37.4 Trade accounts payable (133.7) (4.0) (137.7) Other accrued expenses (94.9) (50.9) (145.8) Liabilities held for sale (390.9) 169.4 (221.5) Deferred tax liabilities (102.3) 98.1 (4.2) Other long-term liabilities (77.9) 7.7 (70.2) Purchase consideration, net of cash $ 1,814.8 $ — $ 1,814.8
Business Combination, Separately Recognized Transactions	The amounts of net sales and net income from continuing operations related to the Nexeo chemical distribution business, included in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations from March 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019 are as follows: (in millions) Net sales $ 1,489.3 Net loss from continuing operations (12.1)
Business Acquisition, Pro Forma Information	The following unaudited pro forma financial information combines the unaudited results of operations as if the acquisition of Nexeo had occurred at the beginning of the periods presented below and exclude the results of operations related to Nexeo Plastics, as this divestiture was reflected as discontinued operations. Refer to “Note 4: Discontinued operations and dispositions” for additional information. Three months ended December 31, Year ended December 31, (in millions) 2019 2018 2019 2018 Net sales $ 2,155.0 $ 2,437.4 $ 9,612.9 $ 10,685.5 Net (loss) income from continuing operations (54.8) (72.9) (94.3) 154.8

Discontinued operations and d_2

Discontinued operations and dispositions (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Discontinued Operations and Disposal Groups [Abstract]
Operating results of discontinued operations	The following table summarizes the operating results of the Company’s discontinued operations related to the sale described above for the year ended December 31, 2019, as presented in “Net income from discontinued operations” on the consolidated statements of operations. (in millions) Year Ended December 31, 2019 External sales $ 156.9 Cost of goods sold (exclusive of depreciation) 136.7 Outbound freight and handling 3.5 Warehousing, selling and administrative 7.9 Other expenses 1.4 Income from discontinued operations before income taxes $ 7.4 Income tax expense from discontinued operations 2.0 Net income from discontinued operations $ 5.4
(Loss) income before income taxes attributable to the Environmental Sciences business	The following summarizes the income before income taxes attributable to the Environmental Sciences business: Year ended December 31, (in millions) 2019 2018 2017 Income before income taxes $ 28.6 $ 28.2 $ 28.7

Revenue (Tables)

Revenue (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Disaggregation of Revenue	(in millions) USA Canada EMEA LATAM Consolidated Year Ended December 31, 2019 Chemical Distribution $ 5,507.2 $ 852.8 $ 1,784.2 $ 443.7 $ 8,587.9 Crop Sciences — 318.0 — — 318.0 Services 321.3 47.0 1.3 11.4 381.0 Total external customer net sales $ 5,828.5 $ 1,217.8 $ 1,785.5 $ 455.1 $ 9,286.9 (in millions) USA Canada EMEA LATAM Consolidated Year Ended December 31, 2018 Chemical Distribution $ 4,775.2 $ 877.6 $ 1,974.4 $ 383.8 $ 8,011.0 Crop Sciences — 381.6 — — 381.6 Services 185.8 43.1 1.3 9.7 239.9 Total external customer net sales $ 4,961.0 $ 1,302.3 $ 1,975.7 $ 393.5 $ 8,632.5
Contract with Customer, Asset and Liability	The following table provides information pertaining to the deferred revenue balance and account activity: (in millions) Deferred revenue as of January 1, 2019 $ 45.6 Deferred revenue as of December 31, 2019 65.5 Revenue recognized that was included in the deferred revenue balance at the beginning of the period 44.5

Other operating expenses, net (

Other operating expenses, net (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Other Income and Expenses [Abstract]
Schedule of Other Operating Expenses, Net	Other operating expenses, net consisted of the following items: Year ended December 31, (in millions) 2019 2018 2017 Acquisition and integration related expenses $ 152.1 $ 22.0 $ 3.1 Stock-based compensation expense 25.1 20.7 19.7 Restructuring charges 2.6 4.8 5.5 Other employee severance costs 31.2 16.4 8.1 Other facility closure costs (1) 7.1 — — (Gain) loss on sale of property, plant and equipment and other assets (9.9) 2.0 (11.3) Saccharin legal settlement 62.5 — — Business transformation costs — — 23.4 Other 27.5 7.6 6.9 Total other operating expenses, net $ 298.2 $ 73.5 $ 55.4 (1) Other facility closure costs includes $3.6 million recorded as an estimated withdrawal liability associated with a multi-employer pension plan related to an announced facility closure.

Restructuring charges (Tables)

Restructuring charges (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Restructuring and Related Activities [Abstract]
Restructuring and Related Costs	The following table summarizes the cumulative activities recorded through December 31, 2018 related to the Company's 2014 to 2017 restructuring charges by segment: (in millions) USA Canada EMEA LATAM Other Total Employee termination costs $ 16.5 $ 5.7 $ 22.5 $ 6.2 $ 5.8 $ 56.7 Facility exit costs 21.3 — 3.7 0.2 — 25.2 Other exit costs 1.7 — 6.6 — 0.8 9.1 Total $ 39.5 $ 5.7 $ 32.8 $ 6.4 $ 6.6 $ 91.0
Schedule of Accrued Liabilities	The following tables summarize activity related to the restructuring liability: (in millions) January 1, 2019 Charge to earnings Cash paid Non-cash and other December 31, 2019 Employee termination costs $ 4.2 $ 2.5 $ (3.0) $ — $ 3.7 Facility exit costs 5.0 0.1 (3.2) — 1.9 Other exit costs 0.2 — — — 0.2 Total $ 9.4 $ 2.6 $ (6.2) $ — $ 5.8 (in millions) January 1, 2018 Charge to earnings Cash paid Non-cash and other December 31, 2018 Employee termination costs $ 3.0 $ 5.3 $ (3.4) $ (0.7) $ 4.2 Facility exit costs 10.2 (0.7) (4.4) (0.1) 5.0 Other exit costs (0.5) 0.2 (0.1) 0.6 0.2 Total $ 12.7 $ 4.8 $ (7.9) $ (0.2) $ 9.4

Other expense, net (Tables)

Other expense, net (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Other Income and Expenses [Abstract]
Schedule of Other Expense, Net	Other expense, net consisted of the following (losses) gains: Year ended December 31, (in millions) 2019 2018 2017 Pension mark to market loss (1)(2) $ (50.4) $ (34.2) $ (3.8) Pension curtailment and settlement gains (1) 1.3 — 9.7 Non-operating retirement benefits (1)(2) 2.2 11.0 9.9 Foreign currency transactions (10.1) (6.7) (4.6) Foreign currency denominated loans revaluation 17.5 (0.8) (17.9) Undesignated foreign currency derivative instruments (3) (23.7) 1.1 0.3 Undesignated interest rate swap contracts (3) (3.0) — (2.2) Debt refinancing costs (4) (1.2) — (5.3) Other (3.1) (3.1) (3.5) Total other expense, net $ (70.5) $ (32.7) $ (17.4) (1) Refer to “Note 11: Employee benefit plans” for more information. (2) Represents mark to market loss and non-operating retirement benefits for both the defined benefit pension and other postretirement benefit plans. (3) Refer to “Note 20: Derivatives” for more information. (4) Refer to “Note 18: Debt” for more information.

Income taxes (Tables)

Income taxes (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Summary of Income (Loss) Before Income Taxes	For financial reporting purposes, (loss) income before income taxes includes the following components: Year ended December 31, (in millions) 2019 2018 2017 (Loss) income before income taxes United States $ (194.5) $ 36.6 $ 1.5 Foreign 193.4 185.6 167.3 Total (loss) income before income taxes $ (1.1) $ 222.2 $ 168.8
Summary of Expense (Benefit) for Income Taxes	The expense for income taxes is summarized as follows: Year ended December 31, (in millions) 2019 2018 2017 Current: Federal $ 33.9 $ 13.8 $ 6.8 State 7.1 2.1 2.0 Foreign 39.2 31.2 28.5 Total current $ 80.2 $ 47.1 $ 37.3 Deferred: Federal $ 12.2 $ 6.5 $ 26.5 State 3.4 (0.5) — Foreign 8.7 (3.2) (14.8) Total deferred $ 24.3 $ 2.8 $ 11.7 Total income tax expense from continuing operations $ 104.5 $ 49.9 $ 49.0
Reconciliation Between Statutory Tax Rate and Effective Tax Rate	For our continuing operations, differences between actual provisions for income taxes and provisions for income taxes at the US federal statutory rate (21.0% in 2019 and 2018 and 35.0% in 2017) were as follows: Year ended December 31, (in millions) 2019 2018 2017 US federal statutory income tax (benefit) expense applied to (loss) income before income taxes $ (0.2) $ 46.7 $ 59.1 State income taxes, net of federal benefit 10.7 1.1 1.4 Foreign tax rate differential 8.7 8.1 (18.0) Effect of flow-through entities 30.6 (0.6) 8.9 Distributions from foreign subsidiaries 31.9 9.0 17.6 Global intangible low-taxed income 22.8 19.9 — Gain on disposal 12.9 — — Change in valuation allowance, net (18.8) (11.6) (18.1) Foreign tax credit (13.5) (38.3) (47.6) Fines and penalties 5.6 — 0.2 Non-deductible employee expenses 4.4 3.9 2.5 Non-deductible acquisition costs 3.5 0.3 0.2 Shareholder settlements 2.7 — — Withholding and other taxes based on income 1.7 0.5 0.5 Warrants 1.5 — — Change in statutory income tax rates (1.1) — (17.5) Adjustment to prior year due to change in estimate 1.0 (0.8) (0.5) Net stock-based compensation 0.6 — (3.7) Foreign exchange rate remeasurement (0.4) (0.2) 0.3 Unrecognized tax benefits (0.3) (2.7) (1.7) Non-deductible expense 0.3 0.6 0.4 2017 US repatriation tax — 13.0 76.5 Non-taxable interest income — (0.7) (11.4) Expiration of tax attributes — — 0.1 Foreign losses not benefited — — 0.7 Non-deductible interest expense — — 0.1 Other (0.1) 1.7 (1.0) Total income tax expense from continuing operations $ 104.5 $ 49.9 $ 49.0 Effective income tax rate (9,500.0) % 22.5 % 29.0 %
Consolidated Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities	The consolidated deferred tax assets and liabilities are detailed as follows: December 31, (in millions) 2019 2018 Deferred tax assets: Net operating loss carryforwards (“NOLs”) $ 39.1 $ 49.4 Environmental reserves 20.9 22.9 Interest 17.3 25.9 Tax credit and capital loss carryforwards 60.1 57.8 Pension 79.6 66.3 Flow-through entities — 2.7 Compensation 16.0 12.2 Inventory 5.4 4.5 Property, plant and equipment, net 1.2 4.8 Other temporary differences 20.9 17.0 Gross deferred tax assets $ 260.5 $ 263.5 Valuation allowance (87.5) (106.3) Deferred tax assets, net of valuation allowance $ 173.0 $ 157.2 Deferred tax liabilities: Property, plant and equipment, net $ (111.7) $ (102.3) Intangible assets (78.3) (63.6) Other temporary differences (18.0) (9.4) Deferred tax liabilities $ (208.0) $ (175.3) Net deferred tax liability $ (35.0) $ (18.1)
Schedule of Changes in Unrecognized Tax Benefits Included in Other Long-Term Liabilities, Excluding Interest and Penalties	The changes in unrecognized tax benefits included in other long-term liabilities, excluding interest and penalties, are as follows: Year ended December 31, (in millions) 2019 2018 Beginning balance $ 0.4 $ 3.1 Increase for tax positions of prior years related to acquired business 1.3 — Reductions due to the statute of limitations expiration (0.1) (2.7) Foreign exchange (0.5) — Ending balance $ 1.1 $ 0.4

Earnings per share (Tables)

Earnings per share (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Schedule of Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Share Computations	The following table presents the basic and diluted earnings per share computations: Year ended December 31, (in millions, except per share data) 2019 2018 2017 Basic: Net (loss) income from continuing operations $ (105.6) $ 172.3 $ 119.8 Net income from discontinued operations 5.4 — — Net (loss) income $ (100.2) $ 172.3 $ 119.8 Less: earnings allocated to participating securities — 0.3 0.2 Earnings (loss) allocated to common shares outstanding $ (100.2) $ 172.0 $ 119.6 Weighted average common shares outstanding 164.1 141.2 140.2 Basic (loss) income per common share from continuing operations $ (0.64) $ 1.22 $ 0.85 Basic income per common share from discontinued operations 0.03 — — Basic (loss) income per common share $ (0.61) $ 1.22 $ 0.85 Diluted: Net (loss) income from continuing operations $ (105.6) $ 172.3 $ 119.8 Net income from discontinued operations 5.4 — — Net (loss) income $ (100.2) $ 172.3 $ 119.8 Less: earnings allocated to participating securities — — — Earnings (loss) allocated to common shares outstanding $ (100.2) $ 172.3 $ 119.8 Weighted average common shares outstanding 164.1 141.2 140.2 Effect of dilutive securities: stock compensation plans (2) — 1.0 1.2 Weighted average common shares outstanding – diluted 164.1 142.2 141.4 Diluted (loss) income per common share from continuing operations $ (0.64) $ 1.21 $ 0.85 Diluted income per common share from discontinued operations 0.03 — — Diluted (loss) income per common share $ (0.61) $ 1.21 $ 0.85 (1) Stock options to purchase 3.0 million, 1.6 million, and 0.8 million shares of common stock were outstanding during the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively and restricted stock of 0.8 million in 2019 and nil in both 2018 and 2017 were outstanding, but were not included in the calculation of diluted (loss) income per share as the impact of these stock options would have been anti-dilutive. Diluted shares outstanding also did not include 6.4 million shares of common stock issuable on the exercise of warrants because the warrants were out-of-the-money during the year ended December 31, 2019.

Employee benefit plans (Tables)

Employee benefit plans (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Retirement Benefits [Abstract]
Summary of Changes in Projected Benefit Obligations, Fair Value of Plan Assets and Funded Status	The following summarizes the Company’s defined benefit pension plans’ projected benefit obligations, plan assets and funded status: Domestic Foreign Total Year ended December 31, Year ended December 31, Year ended December 31, (in millions) 2019 2018 2019 2018 2019 2018 Change in projected benefit obligations: Actuarial present value of benefit obligations at beginning of year $ 625.7 $ 721.9 $ 537.5 $ 612.0 $ 1,163.2 $ 1,333.9 Service cost — — 2.4 2.7 2.4 2.7 Interest cost 27.2 27.3 15.6 15.4 42.8 42.7 Benefits paid (33.5) (37.5) (28.4) (26.7) (61.9) (64.2) Plan amendments — — — 2.5 — 2.5 Settlement — (38.5) — — — (38.5) Curtailment — — (1.3) — (1.3) — Actuarial loss (gain) 103.0 (47.5) 66.6 (33.6) 169.6 (81.1) Foreign exchange and other — — 21.6 (34.8) 21.6 (34.8) Actuarial present value of benefit obligations at end of year $ 722.4 $ 625.7 $ 614.0 $ 537.5 $ 1,336.4 $ 1,163.2 Change in the fair value of plan assets: Plan assets at beginning of year $ 428.6 $ 532.3 $ 522.2 $ 574.9 $ 950.8 $ 1,107.2 Actual return (loss) on plan assets 86.6 (39.9) 77.3 (19.7) 163.9 (59.6) Contributions by employer 13.5 12.2 13.8 26.5 27.3 38.7 Benefits paid (33.5) (37.5) (28.4) (26.7) (61.9) (64.2) Settlement — (38.5) — — — (38.5) Foreign exchange and other — — 21.9 (32.8) 21.9 (32.8) Plan assets at end of year $ 495.2 $ 428.6 $ 606.8 $ 522.2 $ 1,102.0 $ 950.8 Funded status at end of year $ (227.2) $ (197.1) $ (7.2) $ (15.3) $ (234.4) $ (212.4)
Schedule of Defined Benefit Plans Amount Recognized in Balance Sheet	Net amounts related to the Company’s defined benefit pension plans recognized in the consolidated balance sheets consist of: Domestic Foreign Total December 31, December 31, December 31, (in millions) 2019 2018 2019 2018 2019 2018 Overfunded net benefit obligation in other assets $ — $ — $ 65.4 $ 46.1 $ 65.4 $ 46.1 Current portion of net benefit obligation in other accrued expenses (3.5) (3.5) (2.1) (2.0) (5.6) (5.5) Long-term portion of net benefit obligation in pension and other postretirement benefit liabilities (223.7) (193.6) (70.5) (59.4) (294.2) (253.0) Net liability recognized at end of year $ (227.2) $ (197.1) $ (7.2) $ (15.3) $ (234.4) $ (212.4)
Summary of Defined Benefit Pension Plans with Accumulated Benefit Obligation in Excess of Plan Assets	The following table summarizes defined benefit pension plans with accumulated benefit obligations in excess of plan assets: Domestic Foreign Total December 31, December 31, December 31, (in millions) 2019 2018 2019 2018 2019 2018 Accumulated benefit obligation $ 722.4 $ 625.7 $ 202.0 $ 187.7 $ 924.4 $ 813.4 Fair value of plan assets 495.2 428.6 155.0 147.7 650.2 576.3
Summary of Defined Benefit Pension Plans with Projected Benefit Obligation in Excess of Plan Assets	The following table summarizes defined benefit pension plans with projected benefit obligations in excess of plan assets: Domestic Foreign Total December 31, December 31, December 31, (in millions) 2019 2018 2019 2018 2019 2018 Projected benefit obligation $ 722.4 $ 625.7 $ 227.7 $ 209.1 $ 950.1 $ 834.8 Fair value of plan assets 495.2 428.6 155.0 147.7 650.2 576.3
Components of Net Periodic Benefit (Income) Cost Recognized Related to Benefit Pension Plans	The following table summarizes the components of net periodic benefit cost (income) recognized in the consolidated statements of operations related to defined benefit pension plans: Domestic Foreign Total Year ended December 31, Year ended December 31, Year ended December 31, (in millions) 2019 2018 2017 2019 2018 2017 2019 2018 2017 Service cost (1) $ — $ — $ — $ 2.4 $ 2.7 $ 2.5 $ 2.4 $ 2.7 $ 2.5 Interest cost (2) 27.2 27.3 30.8 15.6 15.4 16.2 42.8 42.7 47.0 Expected return on plan assets (2) (25.1) (31.3) (30.9) (20.1) (25.1) (26.0) (45.2) (56.4) (56.9) Amortization of unrecognized prior service cost (credits) (2) — — — 0.1 2.7 (0.2) 0.1 2.7 (0.2) Settlement (3) — — (9.7) — — — — — (9.7) Curtailment (3) — — — (1.3) — — (1.3) — — Actuarial loss (4) 41.5 23.7 0.8 9.4 11.2 3.2 50.9 34.9 4.0 Net periodic benefit cost (income) $ 43.6 $ 19.7 $ (9.0) $ 6.1 $ 6.9 $ (4.3) $ 49.7 $ 26.6 $ (13.3) (1) Service cost is included in warehouse, selling and administrative expenses. (2) These amounts are included in other expense, net, and represent non-operating retirement benefits. (3) In 2017, the settlement gain is related to a lump sum offering accepted by participants. Both settlements and curtailments are included in other expense, net. (4) Actuarial loss, or mark to market, includes measurement gains and losses resulting from changes since the prior measurement date in assumptions and plan experience as well as the difference between the expected and actual return on plan assets. These amounts are recorded in other expense, net.
Summary of Pre-tax Amounts Included in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss Related to Other Postretirement Benefit Plans	The following summarizes pre-tax amounts included in AOCI at December 31, 2019 related to pension plan amendments: (in millions) Defined benefit pension plans Net prior service cost $ (1.1)
Summary of Amounts Included in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss Related to Other Postretirement Benefit Plans	The following summarizes the amounts in AOCI at December 31, 2019 that are expected to be amortized as components of net periodic benefit cost (income) during the next year related to pension amendments: (in millions) Defined benefit pension plans Prior service cost $ (0.1)
Schedule of Weighted Average Actuarial Assumptions and Valuation Methodologies Used in Defined Benefit Plans	The significant weighted average actuarial assumptions used in determining the benefit obligations and net periodic benefit cost (income) for the Company’s defined benefit plans are as follows: Domestic Foreign December 31, December 31, 2019 2018 2019 2018 Actuarial assumptions used to determine benefit obligations at end of period: Discount rate 3.28 % 4.47 % 2.14 % 2.92 % Expected annual rate of compensation increase N/A N/A 2.85 % 2.85 % Domestic Foreign Year ended December 31, Year ended December 31, 2019 2018 2017 2019 2018 2017 Actuarial assumptions used to determine net periodic benefit cost (income) for the period: Discount rate 4.47 % 3.87 % 4.39 % 2.92 % 2.61 % 2.84 % Expected rate of return on plan assets 6.75 % 6.75 % 7.00 % 3.83 % 4.43 % 5.01 % Expected annual rate of compensation increase N/A N/A N/A 2.85 % 2.87 % 2.87 % Plan asset valuation methodologies are described below: Fair value methodology Description Cash This represents cash at banks at fair value. Investment funds Values are based on the net asset value of the units held at year end. The net asset values are based on the fair value of the underlying assets of the funds, minus their liabilities, and then divided by the number of units outstanding at the valuation date. The funds are traded on private markets that are not active; however, the unit price is based primarily on observable market data of the fund’s underlying assets. Insurance contracts The fair value is based on the present value of the accrued benefit.
Summary of Allocation of Plan Assets	The weighted average target asset allocation for defined benefit pension plans in the year ended December 31, 2019 is as follows: Domestic Foreign Asset category: Equity securities 50.0 % 15.3 % Debt securities 45.0 % 79.3 % Other 5.0 % 5.4 % Total 100.0 % 100.0 % The following summarizes the fair value of domestic plan assets by asset category and level within the fair value hierarchy: December 31, 2019 (in millions) Total Level 1 Level 2 Cash $ 2.5 $ 2.5 $ — Investments funds (1) 492.7 — 492.7 Total $ 495.2 $ 2.5 $ 492.7 (1) This category includes investments in 30.2% in US equities, 19.7% in non-US equities, 45.0% in US corporate bonds and 5.1% in other investments. December 31, 2018 (in millions) Total Level 1 Level 2 Cash $ 2.4 $ 2.4 $ — Investments funds (1) 426.2 — 426.2 Total $ 428.6 $ 2.4 $ 426.2 (1) This category includes investments in 29.6% in US equities, 19.4% in non-US equities, 46.3% in US corporate bonds and 4.7% in other investments. The following summarizes the fair value of foreign plan assets by asset category and level within the fair value hierarchy: December 31, 2019 (in millions) Total Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Cash $ 3.4 $ 3.4 $ — $ — Investments: Investment funds (1) 581.2 — 581.2 — Insurance contracts 22.2 — — 22.2 Total investments $ 603.4 $ — $ 581.2 $ 22.2 Total $ 606.8 $ 3.4 $ 581.2 $ 22.2 (1) This category includes investments in 2.1% in US equities, 14.1% in non-US equities, 13.5% in non-US corporate bonds, 68.6% in non-US government bonds and 1.7% in other investments. The following summarizes the fair value of foreign plan assets by asset category and level within the fair value hierarchy: December 31, 2018 (in millions) Total Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Cash $ 9.7 $ 9.7 $ — $ — Investments: Investment funds (1) 494.0 — 494.0 — Insurance contracts 18.5 — — 18.5 Total investments $ 512.5 $ — $ 494.0 $ 18.5 Total $ 522.2 $ 9.7 $ 494.0 $ 18.5 (1) This category includes investments in 8.0% in US equities, 17.5% in non-US equities, 34.2% in non-US corporate bonds, 36.3% in non-US government bonds and 4.0% in other investments.
Summary of Changes in Foreign Plans Assets Valued Using Significant Unobservable Inputs	Changes in the foreign plan assets valued using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3): (in millions) Insurance contracts Balance at January 1, 2019 $ 18.5 Actual return to plan assets: Related to assets still held at year end 3.6 Purchases, sales and settlements, net 0.5 Foreign exchange (0.4) Balance at December 31, 2019 $ 22.2 Changes in the foreign plan assets valued using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3): (in millions) Insurance contracts Balance at January 1, 2018 $ 18.2 Actual return on plan assets: Related to assets still held at year end 0.7 Purchases, sales and settlements, net 0.4 Foreign exchange (0.8) Balance at December 31, 2018 $ 18.5
Schedule of Benefit Payments	Benefit payments that are projected to be paid from plan assets: Defined benefit pension plans (in millions) Domestic Foreign Total 2020 $ 35.6 $ 17.5 $ 53.1 2021 36.7 17.1 53.8 2022 37.6 19.5 57.1 2023 38.5 19.4 57.9 2024 39.2 21.3 60.5 2024 through 2028 204.1 115.6 319.7
Schedule of Company's Participation in Multi Employer Plans	There are no minimum contributions required for future periods by the collective-bargaining agreements, statutory obligations or other contractual obligations. Pension fund EIN/Pension plan number PPA zone status FIP/RP status pending/ implemented Contributions (1) Surcharge imposed Expiration dates of collective bargaining agreement(s) Year ended December 31, 2019 2018 2019 2018 2017 Western Conference of Teamsters Pension Plan 91-6145047/001 Green as of January 1, 2018 Green as of January 1, 2017 No $ 1.5 $ 1.5 $ 1.5 No April 30, 2020 Central States, Southeast and Southwest Areas Pension Plan 36-6044243/001 Red as of January 1, 2018 Red as of January 1, 2017 Implemented 1.1 1.0 1.1 No January 31, 2020 New England Teamsters and Trucking Industry Pension Fund 04-6372430/001 Red as of October 1, 2017 Red as of October 1, 2016 Implemented 0.1 0.2 0.1 No June 30, 2020 Total contributions: $ 2.7 $ 2.7 $ 2.7 (1) The plan contributions by the Company did not represent more than five percent of total contributions to the plans as indicated in the plans’ most recently available annual report.

Stock-based compensation (Table

Stock-based compensation (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Share-based Payment Arrangement [Abstract]
Schedule of Share-based Compensation Stock Options Activity	The following reflects stock option activity under the Plans: Number of stock options Weighted- average exercise price Weighted- average remaining contractual term (in years) Aggregate intrinsic value (in millions) Outstanding at January 1, 2019 3,044,154 $ 24.06 Granted 1,204,550 21.77 Exercised (349,845) 18.74 Forfeited (208,234) 24.81 Outstanding at December 31, 2019 3,690,625 $ 23.77 Exercisable at December 31, 2019 1,901,291 $ 23.72 4.4 $ 4.4 Expected to vest after December 31, 2019 1,789,334 $ 23.83 8.7 $ 0.7 As of December 31, 2019, the Company has unrecognized stock-based compensation expense related to non-vested stock options of approximately $3.4 million, which will be recognized over a weighted-average period of 0.9 years. Year ended December 31, (in millions) 2019 2018 2017 Total intrinsic value of stock options exercised $ 0.9 $ 2.4 $ 16.7 Fair value of stock options vested 7.9 8.1 7.8
Summary of Restricted Stock Activity	The following table reflects restricted stock activity under the Plans: Number of Restricted Weighted average grant-date fair value Non-vested at January 1, 2019 28,780 $ 28.50 Granted 33,744 21.34 Vested (28,780) 28.50 Forfeited (5,624) 21.34 Non-vested at December 31, 2019 28,120 $ 21.34 The following table reflects RSUs activity under the Plans: Number of Restricted Stock Unit Weighted- average grant-date fair value Non-vested at January 1, 2019 801,200 $ 23.98 Granted 719,183 21.99 Vested (364,820) 20.89 Forfeited (66,145) 24.86 Non-vested at December 31, 2019 1,089,418 $ 23.67 The following table reflects PRSUs activity under the Plans: Number of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Unit Weighted- average grant-date fair value Non-vested at January 1, 2019 256,568 $ 27.18 Granted 275,725 22.71 Vested (5,343) 30.98 Forfeited (7,122) 26.90 Non-vested at December 31, 2019 519,828 $ 24.77
Summary of Fair Value of Restricted Stock, RSUs and PRSUs vested	Fair value Year ended December 31, (in millions) 2019 2018 2017 Fair value of restricted stock, RSUs and PRSUs vested 8.6 11.8 22.8
Summary of Weighted Average Assumptions Used Under Black Scholes Merton Option Valuation Model	The weighted-average assumptions used under the Black-Scholes-Merton option valuation model were as follows: Year ended December 31, 2019 2018 2017 Risk-free interest rate (1) 2.6 % 2.7 % 2.1 % Expected dividend yield — — — Expected volatility (2) 23.7 % 23.2 % 25.5 % Expected term (years) (3) 6.0 6.0 5.9 (1) The risk-free interest rate is based on the US Treasury yield for a term consistent with the expected term of the stock options at the time of grant. (2) As the Company does not have sufficient historical volatility data, the expected volatility is based on the average historical data of a peer group of public companies over a period equal to the expected term of the stock options. (3) As the Company does not have sufficient historical exercise data under the Plans, the expected term is based on the average of the vesting period of each tranche and the original contract term of 10 years.

Accumulated other comprehensi_2

Accumulated other comprehensive loss (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Equity [Abstract]
Schedule of Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss by Component Net of Tax	The following table presents the changes in accumulated other comprehensive loss by component, net of tax. (in millions) Cash flow hedges Defined Currency Total AOCI Balance as of January 1, 2017 $ — $ 1.2 $ (391.1) $ (389.9) Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications 4.4 (2.2) 107.1 109.3 Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss 2.3 (0.2) — 2.1 Net current period other comprehensive income (loss) $ 6.7 $ (2.4) $ 107.1 $ 111.4 Balance as of December 31, 2017 $ 6.7 $ (1.2) $ (284.0) $ (278.5) Impact due to adoption of ASU 2017-12 (1) 0.5 — — 0.5 Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications 8.3 (2.0) (97.0) (90.7) Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss (6.6) 2.1 — (4.5) Net current period other comprehensive income (loss) $ 2.2 $ 0.1 $ (97.0) $ (94.7) Balance as of December 31, 2018 $ 8.9 $ (1.1) $ (381.0) $ (373.2) Impact due to adoption of ASU 2018-02 (2) $ 1.5 $ — $ (4.7) $ (3.2) Other comprehensive (loss) income before reclassifications (23.6) — 22.8 (0.8) Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss (2.2) 0.1 — (2.1) Net current period other comprehensive (loss) income $ (24.3) $ 0.1 $ 18.1 $ (6.1) Balance as of December 31, 2019 $ (15.4) $ (1.0) $ (362.9) $ (379.3) (1) Adjusted due to the adoption of ASU 2017-12 “Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities” on January 1, 2018. (2) Adjusted due to the adoption of ASU 2018-02 on January 1, 2019. Refer to “Note 2: Significant accounting policies” for more information.
Summary of Amounts Reclassified From Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss to Net Income (Loss)	The following is a summary of the amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss to net (loss) income. (in millions) Year ended December 31, 2019 (1) Year ended December 31, 2018 (1) Year ended December 31, 2017 (1) Location of impact on statement of operations Amortization of defined benefit pension items: Prior service cost (credits) $ 0.1 $ 2.7 $ (0.2) Other expense, net Tax benefit — (0.6) — Income tax expense Net of tax $ 0.1 $ 2.1 $ (0.2) Cash flow hedges: Interest rate swap contracts $ (8.0) $ (8.1) $ 3.8 Interest expense Cross-currency swap contracts 5.2 — — Interest expense and other expense, net Tax expense 0.6 1.5 (1.5) Income tax expense Net of tax $ (2.2) $ (6.6) $ 2.3 Total reclassifications for the period $ (2.1) $ (4.5) $ 2.1 (1) Amounts in parentheses indicate credits to net income in the consolidated statement of operations.

Property, plant and equipment_2

Property, plant and equipment, net (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]
Summary of Property, Plant and Equipment, Net	Property, plant and equipment, net consisted of the following: December 31, (in millions) 2019 2018 Land and buildings $ 875.9 $ 790.9 Tank farms 283.9 276.0 Machinery, equipment and other 983.8 836.7 Less: Accumulated depreciation (1,037.9) (970.1) Subtotal $ 1,105.7 $ 933.5 Work in progress 46.7 22.3 Property, plant and equipment, net $ 1,152.4 $ 955.8

Goodwill and intangible assets

Goodwill and intangible assets (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Summary of Activity in Goodwill by Segment	The following is a summary of the activity in goodwill by segment. (in millions) USA Canada EMEA LATAM Total Balance, January 1, 2018 $ 1,325.2 $ 468.7 $ 1.2 $ 23.3 $ 1,818.4 Additions — — 7.6 — 7.6 Purchase price adjustments — — — (3.2) (3.2) Other adjustments — (2.4) — — (2.4) Foreign exchange — (36.4) (0.5) (2.8) (39.7) Balance, December 31, 2018 $ 1,325.2 $ 429.9 $ 8.3 $ 17.3 $ 1,780.7 Additions 540.1 3.8 — 11.8 555.7 Other adjustments (63.0) (14.2) — — (77.2) Foreign exchange — 21.6 0.1 (0.1) 21.6 Balance, December 31, 2019 $ 1,802.3 $ 441.1 $ 8.4 $ 29.0 $ 2,280.8
Schedule of Gross Carrying Amounts and Accumulated Amortization of Intangible Assets	The gross carrying amounts and accumulated amortization of the Company’s intangible assets were as follows: December 31, 2019 December 31, 2018 (in millions) Gross Accumulated amortization Net Gross Accumulated amortization Net Customer relationships $ 986.4 $ (680.8) $ 305.6 $ 846.1 $ (620.3) $ 225.8 Other 182.0 (167.4) 14.6 175.1 (162.8) 12.3 Total intangible assets $ 1,168.4 $ (848.2) $ 320.2 $ 1,021.2 $ (783.1) $ 238.1
Summary of Estimated Annual Amortization Expense	The estimated annual amortization expense in each of the next five years is as follows: (in millions) 2020 $ 54.1 2021 50.5 2022 45.3 2023 41.4 2024 32.0

Debt (Tables)

Debt (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Summary of Short Term Financing	Short-term financing consisted of the following: December 31, (in millions) 2019 2018 Amounts drawn under credit facilities $ 0.5 $ 4.7 Bank overdrafts 0.2 3.4 Total $ 0.7 $ 8.1
Schedule of Long Term Debt	Long-term debt consisted of the following: December 31, (in millions) 2019 2018 Senior Term Loan Facilities: Term B-3 Loan due 2024, variable interest rate of 4.05% and 4.77% at December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively $ 1,438.0 $ 1,747.8 Term B-5 Loan due 2026, variable interest rate of 3.80% at December 31, 2019 400.0 — Asset Backed Loan (ABL) Facilities: North American ABL Facility due 2024, variable interest rate of 5.25% at December 31, 2019 200.0 — Canadian ABL Term Loan due 2022, variable interest rate of 4.31% at December 31, 2019 130.9 — Euro ABL Facility due 2023, variable interest rate of 1.75% at December 31, 2018 — 58.5 North American ABL Facility due 2020, variable interest rate of 4.19% at December 31, 2018 — 134.7 Senior Unsecured Notes: Senior Unsecured Notes due 2027, fixed interest rate of 5.13% at December 31, 2019 500.0 — Senior Unsecured Notes due 2023, fixed interest rate of 6.75% at December 31, 2018 — 399.5 Finance lease obligations 71.2 54.8 Total long-term debt before discount $ 2,740.1 $ 2,395.3 Less: unamortized debt issuance costs and discount on debt (26.3) (23.2) Total long-term debt $ 2,713.8 $ 2,372.1 Less: current maturities (25.0) (21.7) Total long-term debt, excluding current maturities $ 2,688.8 $ 2,350.4
Future Contractual Maturities of Long-term Debt Including Capital Lease Obligations	As of December 31, 2019, future contractual maturities of long-term debt, excluding finance lease obligations, are as follows: (in millions) 2020 $ 4.0 2021 134.9 2022 4.0 2023 4.0 2024 1,642.0 Thereafter 880.0 Total $ 2,668.9
Summary of Unused Line Fees on ABL Facilities	Unused line fees are as follows: December 31, 2019 2018 $1.525 billion North American ABL Facility 0.300 % 0.375 % €200 million Euro ABL Facility 0.375 % 0.375 %
Summary of Assets Pledged Under North American ABL Facility, North American ABL Term Loan, Senior Term Loan Facilities and Euro ABL	Assets pledged are as follows: December 31, (in millions) 2019 2018 Cash $ 230.8 $ 45.5 Trade accounts receivable, net 981.4 906.1 Inventories 668.8 674.0 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 206.3 96.9 Property, plant and equipment, net 956.1 743.0 Total $ 3,043.4 $ 2,465.5
Fair value of debt	Other Information The fair values of debt were based on current market quotes for similar borrowings and credit risk adjusted for liquidity, margins, and amortization, as necessary and are classified as level 2 in the fair value hierarchy. December 31, 2019 December 31, 2018 (in millions) Carrying amount Fair value Carrying amount Fair value Fair value of debt $ 2,713.8 $ 2,770.7 $ 2,372.1 $ 2,314.3

Fair value measurements (Tables

Fair value measurements (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Schedule of Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis	The following table presents the Company’s gross assets and liabilities measured on a recurring basis and classified as level 2 within the fair value hierarchy: Derivative Assets Derivative Liabilities December 31, December 31, (in millions) Balance Sheet Location 2019 2018 Balance Sheet Location 2019 2018 Designated Derivatives: Cross currency swap contracts Prepaid expenses and other current assets $ 7.2 $ — Other long-term liabilities $ 12.1 $ — Interest rate swap contracts Prepaid expenses and other current assets — 12.4 Other accrued expenses 6.4 — Interest rate swap Other assets — 1.5 Other long-term liabilities 14.0 — Undesignated Derivatives: Foreign currency contracts Prepaid expenses and other current assets $ 0.5 $ 0.3 Other accrued expenses $ 1.0 $ 0.2 Cross currency swap contracts Prepaid expenses and other current assets 0.4 — Other long-term liabilities 0.6 — Interest rate swap contracts Prepaid expenses and other current assets — — Other accrued expenses 1.0 — Interest rate swap contracts Other assets — — Other long-term liabilities 1.9 —
Reconciliation of Fair Value Measurements that Use Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)	The following table is a reconciliation of the fair value measurements that use significant unobservable inputs (Level 3), which consist of the warrant liability related to the Nexeo acquisition for 2019 and contingent consideration liabilities (i.e. earn-outs) related to the Tagma acquisition for 2018. Warrant Liability Contingent Consideration (in millions) 2019 2018 Fair value as of January 1 $ — $ 0.4 Additions 26.0 — Fair value adjustments 7.0 1.0 Payments — (1.4) Fair value as of December 31 $ 33.0 $ —

Derivative Instruments and Hedg

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Notional Amounts of Outstanding Derivative Positions	The following table presents the notional amounts of the Company’s outstanding derivative instruments by type: December 31, (in millions) 2019 2018 Derivatives designated as hedging instruments: Interest rate swap contracts $ 1,050.0 $ 2,000.0 Cross currency swap contracts 381.0 — Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments: Interest rate swap contracts 200.0 — Foreign currency derivatives 141.4 108.1 Cross currency swap contracts 19.0 —
Schedule of Derivative Instruments, Effect on Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	The fair values of derivative instruments on the consolidated statements of operations and the consolidated statements of comprehensive income for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 are as follows: Amount of gain (loss) reclassified from other comprehensive loss into income (effective and ineffective portion) Amount to be reclassified to consolidated statement of operations within the next 12 months Year ended December 31, Derivatives in cash flow hedging relationships Income statement classification 2019 2018 2017 Interest rate swap contracts Interest expense $ 8.0 $ 8.1 $ (3.8) $ (6.4) Cross currency swap contracts Interest expense 0.7 — — 7.2 Other expense, net (5.9) — — —

Commitments and contingencies (

Commitments and contingencies (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Changes in Total Environmental Liabilities	Changes in total environmental liabilities are as follows: (in millions) 2019 2018 Environmental liabilities at January 1 $ 83.5 $ 89.2 Revised obligation estimates 13.3 12.6 Environmental payments (18.0) (18.1) Foreign exchange (0.1) (0.2) Environmental liabilities at December 31 $ 78.7 $ 83.5
Schedule of Expected Payments for Environmental Remediation	Based on current estimates, the expected payments for environmental remediation for the next five years and thereafter at December 31, 2019 are as follows, with projects for which timing is uncertain estimated at $11.7 million included within the 2020 estimated amount below: (in millions) 2020 $ 25.0 2021 11.0 2022 8.1 2023 6.8 2024 6.1 Thereafter 27.3 Total $ 84.3

Leasing (Tables)

Leasing (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Leases [Abstract]
Assets And Liabilities, Lessee	Leases (in millions) Balance Sheet Location December 31, 2019 Assets Operating lease assets Other assets $ 157.3 Finance lease assets Property, plant and equipment, net (1) 69.5 Total lease assets $ 226.8 Liabilities Current liabilities: Current portion of operating lease liabilities Other accrued expenses $ 47.4 Current portion of finance lease liabilities Current portion of long-term debt 20.9 Noncurrent liabilities: Operating lease liabilities Other long-term liabilities 114.5 Finance lease liabilities Long-term debt 50.3 Total lease liabilities $ 233.1 (1) Finance lease right-of-use assets are recorded net of accumulated amortization of $52.1 million as of December 31, 2019.
Lease, Cost	Lease cost Year Ended December 31, 2019 (in millions) Operating Leases Finance Leases Total Cost of goods sold (exclusive of depreciation) $ 16.9 $ — $ 16.9 Outbound freight and handling 7.8 — 7.8 Warehousing, selling and administrative 34.2 — 34.2 Depreciation — 20.0 20.0 Interest expense — 2.8 2.8 Total gross lease component cost $ 58.9 $ 22.8 $ 81.7 Variable lease costs 1.1 Short-term lease costs 23.7 Total gross lease costs $ 106.5 Sublease income 2.8 Total net lease cost $ 103.7 Lease term and discount rate (in millions) December 31, 2019 Weighted-average remaining lease term (years) Operating leases 5.0 Finance leases 4.0 Weighted-average discount rate Operating leases 4.95 % Finance leases 4.33 % Other information (in millions) Year Ended December 31, 2019 Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities Operating cash flows from operating leases $ 59.2 Operating cash flows from finance leases 2.7 Financing cash flows from finance leases 20.7
Schedule of Future Minimum Lease Payments for Capital Leases	Year Ended December 31, 2018 (in millions) Operating Leases Capital Leases Total 2019 $ 54.9 $ 21.7 $ 76.6 2020 40.4 12.3 52.7 2021 30.0 9.3 39.3 2022 24.6 7.6 32.2 2023 16.3 2.8 19.1 2024 and After 30.0 1.1 31.1 Total lease payments $ 196.2 $ 54.8 $ 251.0
Lessee, Operating Lease, Liability, Maturity	Maturity of lease liabilities Year Ended December 31, 2019 (in millions) Operating Leases Finance Leases Total 2020 $ 53.6 $ 22.6 $ 76.2 2021 41.4 18.9 60.3 2022 31.7 15.7 47.4 2023 21.1 6.9 28.0 2024 12.7 4.2 16.9 2025 and After 24.7 6.3 31.0 Total lease payments $ 185.2 $ 74.6 $ 259.8 Less: interest 23.7 7.2 Present value of lease liabilities, excluding guaranteed residual values (1) $ 161.5 $ 67.4 Plus: present value of guaranteed residual values (1) 0.4 3.8 Present value of lease liabilities $ 161.9 $ 71.2 (1) The Company is not expected to have cash outflows related to the present value of guaranteed residual values. The Company’s current present value of lease liabilities includes guaranteed residual values related to leases in effect prior to ASC 842 due to the Company’s practical expedient elections denoted within “Note 2: Significant accounting policies.” The gross value of the guaranteed residual values for operating and finance leases is $0.4 million and $4.1 million as of December 31, 2019, respectively.
Finance Lease, Liability, Maturity	Maturity of lease liabilities Year Ended December 31, 2019 (in millions) Operating Leases Finance Leases Total 2020 $ 53.6 $ 22.6 $ 76.2 2021 41.4 18.9 60.3 2022 31.7 15.7 47.4 2023 21.1 6.9 28.0 2024 12.7 4.2 16.9 2025 and After 24.7 6.3 31.0 Total lease payments $ 185.2 $ 74.6 $ 259.8 Less: interest 23.7 7.2 Present value of lease liabilities, excluding guaranteed residual values (1) $ 161.5 $ 67.4 Plus: present value of guaranteed residual values (1) 0.4 3.8 Present value of lease liabilities $ 161.9 $ 71.2 (1) The Company is not expected to have cash outflows related to the present value of guaranteed residual values. The Company’s current present value of lease liabilities includes guaranteed residual values related to leases in effect prior to ASC 842 due to the Company’s practical expedient elections denoted within “Note 2: Significant accounting policies.” The gross value of the guaranteed residual values for operating and finance leases is $0.4 million and $4.1 million as of December 31, 2019, respectively.
Schedule of Future Minimum Rental Payments for Operating Leases	Year Ended December 31, 2018 (in millions) Operating Leases Capital Leases Total 2019 $ 54.9 $ 21.7 $ 76.6 2020 40.4 12.3 52.7 2021 30.0 9.3 39.3 2022 24.6 7.6 32.2 2023 16.3 2.8 19.1 2024 and After 30.0 1.1 31.1 Total lease payments $ 196.2 $ 54.8 $ 251.0

Segments (Tables)

Segments (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Company's Segment Information	Financial information for the Company’s reportable segments is as follows: (in millions) USA Canada EMEA LATAM Other/ Eliminations (1) Consolidated Year ended December 31, 2019 External customers $ 5,828.5 $ 1,217.8 $ 1,785.5 $ 455.1 $ — $ 9,286.9 Inter-segment 100.2 6.2 3.3 — (109.7) — Total net sales $ 5,928.7 $ 1,224.0 $ 1,788.8 $ 455.1 $ (109.7) $ 9,286.9 Adjusted EBITDA $ 454.7 $ 100.2 $ 143.3 $ 36.1 $ (30.1) $ 704.2 Long-lived assets (2) $ 853.6 $ 197.3 $ 185.4 $ 34.7 $ 38.7 $ 1,309.7 (in millions) USA Canada EMEA LATAM Other/ Eliminations (1) Consolidated Year ended December 31, 2018 External customers $ 4,961.0 $ 1,302.3 $ 1,975.7 $ 393.5 $ — $ 8,632.5 Inter-segment 126.6 9.3 4.0 0.2 (140.1) — Total net sales $ 5,087.6 $ 1,311.6 $ 1,979.7 $ 393.7 $ (140.1) $ 8,632.5 Adjusted EBITDA $ 376.4 $ 104.7 $ 151.2 $ 33.3 $ (25.2) $ 640.4 Long-lived assets (2) $ 597.6 $ 141.3 $ 156.7 $ 30.2 $ 30.0 $ 955.8 (in millions) USA Canada EMEA LATAM Other/ Eliminations (1) Consolidated Year ended December 31, 2017 External customers $ 4,657.1 $ 1,371.5 $ 1,821.2 $ 403.9 $ — $ 8,253.7 Inter-segment 121.9 9.1 4.5 0.5 (136.0) — Total net sales $ 4,779.0 $ 1,380.6 $ 1,825.7 $ 404.4 $ (136.0) $ 8,253.7 Adjusted EBITDA $ 350.0 $ 114.1 $ 129.2 $ 28.7 $ (28.2) $ 593.8 Long-lived assets (2) $ 636.1 $ 147.7 $ 158.0 $ 33.5 $ 27.7 $ 1,003.0 (1) Other/Eliminations represents the elimination of intersegment transactions as well as unallocated corporate costs consisting of costs specifically related to parent company operations that do not directly benefit segments, either individually or collectively.
Reconciliation Of Net Income (Loss) to Adjusted EBITDA	The following is a reconciliation of net (loss) income to Adjusted EBITDA for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively: Year ended December 31, (in millions) 2019 2018 2017 Net (loss) income $ (100.2) $ 172.3 $ 119.8 Net income from discontinued operations (5.4) — — Depreciation 155.0 125.2 135.0 Amortization 59.7 54.3 65.4 Interest expense, net 139.5 132.4 148.0 Income tax expense 104.5 49.9 49.0 Other operating expenses, net 298.2 73.5 55.4 Other expense, net 70.5 32.7 17.4 Impairment charges 7.0 — — Gain on sale of business (41.4) — — Loss on extinguishment of debt 19.8 0.1 3.8 Brazil VAT recovery (8.3) — — Inventory step-up adjustment 5.3 — — Adjusted EBITDA $ 704.2 $ 640.4 $ 593.8

Quarterly financial informati_2

Quarterly financial information (unaudited) (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Unaudited Quarterly Results	2019 Quarter ended (in millions, except per share data) March 31 June 30 September 30 December 31 (1) Net sales $ 2,160.0 $ 2,584.6 $ 2,387.3 $ 2,155.0 Operating (loss) income (52.3) 79.0 88.0 72.6 Net (loss) income from continuing operations (70.0) 17.0 2.5 (55.1) Net income (loss) from discontinued operations 6.1 (0.7) — — Net (loss) income (63.9) 16.3 2.5 (55.1) (Loss) income per common share: Basic and diluted from continuing operations (2) $ (0.47) $ 0.10 $ 0.01 $ (0.33) Basic and diluted from discontinued operations (2) 0.04 — — — Basic and diluted (loss) income per common share (2) $ (0.43) $ 0.10 $ 0.01 $ (0.33) Shares used in computation of (loss) income per share: Basic 149.2 169.8 168.6 168.6 Diluted 149.2 170.7 169.5 168.6 (1) Included in the fourth quarter of 2019 was a loss of $50.4 million relating to the annual mark to market adjustment on the defined benefit pension and postretirement plans and a gain of $41.4 million relating to the disposition of the Environmental Sciences business. Refer to “Note 11: Employee benefit plans and “Note 4: Discontinued operations and dispositions” for further information. (2) As a result of changes in the number of shares outstanding during the year and rounding, the sum of the quarters’ earnings per share may not equal the earnings per share for any year-to-date period. 2018 Quarter ended (in millions, except per share data) March 31 June 30 September 30 December 31 (1) Net sales $ 2,158.0 $ 2,372.6 $ 2,130.7 $ 1,971.2 Operating income 107.9 117.4 99.6 62.5 Net income 65.4 56.1 49.6 1.2 Income per share: Basic and diluted (2) $ 0.46 $ 0.40 $ 0.35 $ 0.01 Shares used in computation of income (loss) per share: Basic 140.9 141.1 141.2 141.4 Diluted 142.0 142.0 142.3 142.2 (1) Included in the fourth quarter of 2018 was a loss of $34.2 million relating to the annual mark to market adjustment on the defined benefit pension and postretirement plans. Refer to “Note 11: Employee benefit plans” for further information. (2) As a result of changes in the number of shares outstanding during the year and rounding, the sum of the quarters’ earnings per share may not equal the earnings per share for any year-to-date period.

Nature of operations (Detail)

Nature of operations (Detail)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019segment
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Number of Reportable Segments	4

Significant accounting polici_4

Significant accounting policies - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Jan. 01, 2019	[3]	Dec. 31, 2018	Jan. 01, 2018	[1]	Jan. 01, 2017	[2]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Impact due to adoption of ASU, net of tax					$ 0.8		$ 0.2
Allowance for doubtful accounts	$ 12.9			$ 11.2
Accumulated deficit
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Impact due to adoption of ASU, net of tax		$ 3.2			$ 0.3		$ (0.5)
Minimum
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Amortization period of finite lived intangible assets	2 years
Maximum
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Amortization period of finite lived intangible assets	20 years
[1]	Adjusted due to the adoption of ASU 2014-09 “Revenue from Contracts with Customers” on January 1, 2018.
[2]	Adjusted due to the adoption of ASU 2016-09 “Improvement to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting” on January 1, 2017
[3]	Refer to “Note 2: Significant accounting policies” for more information.

Significant accounting polici_5

Significant accounting policies - Adoption of New Accounting Pronouncements (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2019		Jan. 01, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Assets
Property, plant and equipment, net	$ 1,152.4		$ 961.2	$ 955.8
Other assets	266.5	[1]	251.1	84.3	[1]
Liabilities
Current portion of long-term debt	25		17.2	21.7
Other accrued expenses	425.1	[1]	329.6	285.8	[1]
Long-term debt	2,688.8		2,360.3	2,350.4
Other long-term liabilities	$ 271.9	[1]	221.4	$ 98.4	[1]
Accounting Standards Update 2016-02
Assets
Property, plant and equipment, net			5.4
Other assets			166.8
Liabilities
Current portion of long-term debt			(4.5)
Other accrued expenses			43.8
Long-term debt			9.9
Other long-term liabilities			$ 123
[1]	Operating lease assets and operating lease liabilities are included in other assets, other accrued expenses and other long-term liabilities in 2019. Refer to “Note 22: Leasing” for more information.

Significant accounting polici_6

Significant accounting policies - Schedule of Estimated Useful Lives of Property, Plant and Equipment (Detail)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Minimum | Buildings
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated useful lives of property, plant and equipment	10 years
Minimum | Main components of tank farms
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated useful lives of property, plant and equipment	5 years
Minimum | Containers
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated useful lives of property, plant and equipment	2 years
Minimum | Machinery and equipment
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated useful lives of property, plant and equipment	5 years
Minimum | Furniture, fixtures and others
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated useful lives of property, plant and equipment	5 years
Minimum | Information technology
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated useful lives of property, plant and equipment	3 years
Maximum | Buildings
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated useful lives of property, plant and equipment	50 years
Maximum | Main components of tank farms
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated useful lives of property, plant and equipment	40 years
Maximum | Containers
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated useful lives of property, plant and equipment	15 years
Maximum | Machinery and equipment
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated useful lives of property, plant and equipment	20 years
Maximum | Furniture, fixtures and others
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated useful lives of property, plant and equipment	20 years
Maximum | Information technology
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated useful lives of property, plant and equipment	10 years

Business combinations - Additio

Business combinations - Additional Information (Detail) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Millions	Jun. 26, 2019shares	Feb. 28, 2019USD ($)$ / sharesshares	May 31, 2018USD ($)	Jan. 04, 2018USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018USD ($)Business	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)	Mar. 29, 2019USD ($)	Feb. 27, 2019$ / shares
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Number of business acquired | Business							2
Percentage of equity interest acquired		100.00%
Cash payment for acquisition						$ 1,201	$ 18.6	$ 24.4
Adjustment to increase goodwill					$ (126.5)		(3.2)
Goodwill acquired					2,280.8	2,280.8	1,780.7	1,818.4
Warrants assumed (in shares) | shares		50,000
Aggregate fair value of unexercised warrants		$ 26
Class of Warrant or Right, Exercise Price of Exercise price of warrants (in usd per share) | $ / shares		$ 27.80
USA
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Adjustment to increase goodwill							0
Goodwill acquired					1,802.3	1,802.3	1,325.2	1,325.2
Canada
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Adjustment to increase goodwill							0
Goodwill acquired					441.1	441.1	429.9	468.7
LATAM
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Adjustment to increase goodwill							(3.2)
Goodwill acquired					29	29	$ 17.3	$ 23.3
Nexeo Plastics
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Proceeds from the sale of business									$ 664.3
Nexeo Solutions, Inc.
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Purchase price of acquisition		$ 1,814.8
Cash payment for acquisition		1,201
Cash acquired from acquisition		46.8
Value of common stock		$ 613.8
Common stock issued (in shares) | shares		26,400
Closing price on date of issue (in USD per share) | $ / shares										$ 23.29
Number of Univar shares canceled (in shares) | shares	1,500	1,500
Debt repaid with proceeds from issuance of debt		$ 936.3
Goodwill acquired		$ 682.2			555.7	555.7
Expected tax deductible amount of goodwill					$ 108.3	$ 108.3
Assumption of warrants acquired (in shares) | shares		25,000
Conversion of warrants to rights to receive merger consideration (in shares) | shares		7,600
Nexeo Solutions, Inc. | Customer Relationships
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Weighted average period of amortization on intangible assets related to customer relationships						10 years
Nexeo Solutions, Inc. | USA
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Goodwill acquired		$ 540.1
Nexeo Solutions, Inc. | Canada
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Goodwill acquired		3.8
Nexeo Solutions, Inc. | LATAM
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Goodwill acquired		$ 11.8
Earthoil Plantations Limited
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Purchase price of acquisition			$ 13.3
Kemetyl Industrial Chemicals
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Purchase price of acquisition				$ 7.5

Business combinations - Summary

Business combinations - Summary of Purchase Price Allocation for Acquisition (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	10 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Feb. 28, 2019
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired, Goodwill, and Liabilities Assumed, Net [Abstract]
Goodwill	$ 2,280.8	$ 2,280.8	$ 1,780.7	$ 1,818.4
Business Combination, Provisional Information, Initial Accounting Incomplete, Adjustments [Abstract]
Trade accounts receivable, net	9.4
Inventories	1.2	5.3	0	$ 0
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	38.2
Assets held for sale	(142.7)
Property, plant and equipment, net	34.9
Goodwill	(126.5)		$ (3.2)
Intangible assets, net	(35.2)
Other assets	0.4
Trade accounts payable	4
Other accrued expenses	50.9
Liabilities held for sale	(169.4)
Deferred tax liabilities	(98.1)
Other long-term liabilities	(7.7)
Purchase consideration, net of cash	0
Nexeo Solutions, Inc.
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired, Goodwill, and Liabilities Assumed, Net [Abstract]
Trade accounts receivable, net	296.3	296.3			$ 286.9
Inventories	150.2	150.2			149
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	65.4	65.4			27.2
Assets held for sale	888.2	888.2			1,030.9
Property, plant and equipment, net	262.3	262.3			227.4
Goodwill	555.7	555.7			682.2
Intangible assets, net	138.7	138.7			173.9
Other assets	37.4	37.4			37
Trade accounts payable	(137.7)	(137.7)			(133.7)
Other accrued expenses	(145.8)	(145.8)			(94.9)
Liabilities held for sale	(221.5)	(221.5)			(390.9)
Deferred tax liabilities	(4.2)	(4.2)			(102.3)
Other long-term liabilities	(70.2)	(70.2)			(77.9)
Purchase consideration, net of cash	$ 1,814.8	$ 1,814.8			$ 1,814.8

Business combinations - Summa_2

Business combinations - Summary of Pro Forma Results (Detail) - Nexeo Solutions, Inc. - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		10 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Business Acquisition, Pro Forma Information, Nonrecurring Adjustment [Line Items]
Net sales			$ 1,489.3
Net loss from continuing operations			$ (12.1)
Business Acquisition, Pro Forma Information [Abstract]
Net sales	$ 2,155	$ 2,437.4		$ 9,612.9	$ 10,685.5
Net (loss) income from continuing operations	$ (54.8)	$ (72.9)		$ (94.3)	$ 154.8

Discontinued operations and d_3

Discontinued operations and dispositions (Details) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)	Mar. 29, 2019USD ($)renewal	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Transition services agreement, number of renewals | renewal		2
Nexeo Plastics
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Proceeds from the sale of business		$ 664.3
Net of cash disposed		2.4
Total excess working capital		$ 26.7
Transition services agreement, term of renewals		12 months
Environmental Sciences Business
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Gain on sale of business			$ 41.4
Environmental Sciences Business | Discontinued Operations, Disposed of by Sale [Member]
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Proceeds from sale of Environmental Sciences business	$ 174
Cash disposed in sale of Environmental Sciences business	0.7
Transaction expenses from sale of Environmental Sciences business	(5.9)		(5.9)
Non-cash proceeds from sale	5
Present value of notes receivable	$ 2.4		$ 2.4
Minimum | Nexeo Plastics
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Transition services agreement, contract term		6 months
Maximum | Nexeo Plastics
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Transition services agreement, contract term		24 months
Real property agreement, contract term		3 years

Discontinued operations and d_4

Discontinued operations and dispositions - Operating results of discontinued operations (Details) $ in Millions	Mar. 29, 2019USD ($)
Revenues [Abstract]
External sales	$ 156.9
Operating Costs and Expenses [Abstract]
Cost of goods sold (exclusive of depreciation)	136.7
Outbound freight and handling	3.5
Warehousing, selling and administrative	7.9
Other expenses	1.4
Income from discontinued operations before income taxes	7.4
Income tax expense from discontinued operations	2
Net income from discontinued operations	$ 5.4

Discontinued operations and d_5

Discontinued operations and dispositions - (Loss) income before income taxes attributable to the Environmental Sciences business (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Environmental Sciences Business
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Income before income taxes	$ 28.6	$ 28.2	$ 28.7

Revenue - Schedule of External

Revenue - Schedule of External Net Sales Disaggregated by Major Stream Type (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Sep. 30, 2019	Jun. 30, 2019	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total external customer net sales	$ 2,155	$ 2,387.3	$ 2,584.6	$ 2,160	$ 1,971.2	$ 2,130.7	$ 2,372.6	$ 2,158	$ 9,286.9	$ 8,632.5	$ 8,253.7
USA
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total external customer net sales									5,828.5	4,961
Canada
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total external customer net sales									1,217.8	1,302.3
EMEA
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total external customer net sales									1,785.5	1,975.7
LATAM
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total external customer net sales									455.1	393.5
Chemical Distribution
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total external customer net sales									8,587.9	8,011
Chemical Distribution | USA
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total external customer net sales									5,507.2	4,775.2
Chemical Distribution | Canada
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total external customer net sales									852.8	877.6
Chemical Distribution | EMEA
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total external customer net sales									1,784.2	1,974.4
Chemical Distribution | LATAM
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total external customer net sales									443.7	383.8
Crop Sciences
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total external customer net sales									318	381.6
Crop Sciences | USA
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total external customer net sales									0	0
Crop Sciences | Canada
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total external customer net sales									318	381.6
Crop Sciences | EMEA
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total external customer net sales									0	0
Crop Sciences | LATAM
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total external customer net sales									0	0
Services
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total external customer net sales									381	239.9
Services | USA
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total external customer net sales									321.3	185.8
Services | Canada
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total external customer net sales									47	43.1
Services | EMEA
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total external customer net sales									1.3	1.3
Services | LATAM
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total external customer net sales									$ 11.4	$ 9.7

Revenue Revenue - Schedule of D

Revenue Revenue - Schedule of Deferred Revenue (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Jan. 01, 2019
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Deferred revenue	$ 65.5	$ 45.6
Revenue recognized that was included in the deferred revenue balance at the beginning of the period	$ 44.5

Other operating expenses, net_2

Other operating expenses, net (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Other Income and Expenses [Abstract]
Acquisition and integration related expenses	$ 152.1	$ 22	$ 3.1
Stock-based compensation expense	25.1	20.7	19.7
Restructuring charges	2.6	4.8	5.5
Other employee severance costs	31.2	16.4	8.1
Other facility exit costs	7.1	0	0
(Gain) loss on sale of property, plant and equipment and other assets	9.9	(2)	11.3
Saccharin legal settlement	62.5	0	0
Business transformation costs	0	0	23.4
Other	27.5	7.6	6.9
Total other operating expenses, net	298.2	$ 73.5	$ 55.4
Estimated withdrawal liability associated with pension plan	$ 3.6

Restructuring charges - Additio

Restructuring charges - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Charge to earnings	$ 2.6	$ 4.8
Restructuring liabilities, current	5.3	5.9
Restructuring liabilities, non-current	$ 0.5	3.5
Facility exit costs, payment period	5 years
Employee termination costs
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Charge to earnings	$ 2.5	5.3
Other exit costs
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Charge to earnings	0	0.2
Facility exit costs
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Charge to earnings	0.1	(0.7)
Operating Segments | USA
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Charge to earnings	2.4	3.2
Operating Segments | USA | Employee termination costs
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Charge to earnings		3.1
Operating Segments | USA | Other exit costs
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Charge to earnings		0.1
Operating Segments | USA | Facility exit costs
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Charge to earnings	0.9
Operating Segments | EMEA | Employee termination costs
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Charge to earnings	(0.2)	0.9
Operating Segments | EMEA | Facility exit costs
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Charge to earnings		0.1
Operating Segments | LATAM
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Charge to earnings		0.7
Operating Segments | LATAM | Employee termination costs
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Charge to earnings		0.4
Operating Segments | LATAM | Other exit costs
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Charge to earnings		0.1
Operating Segments | LATAM | Facility exit costs
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Charge to earnings		0.2
Other | USA
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Charge to earnings	0.3	$ 0.9
Restructuring and related cost, expected cost	$ 0.4

Restructuring charges - Schedul

Restructuring charges - Schedule of Cost Information Related to Restructuring Plans (Details) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring reserve by segment	$ 91
Employee termination costs
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring reserve by segment	56.7
Facility exit costs
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring reserve by segment	25.2
Other exit costs
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring reserve by segment	9.1
Operating Segments | USA
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring reserve by segment	39.5
Operating Segments | Canada
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring reserve by segment	5.7
Operating Segments | EMEA
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring reserve by segment	32.8
Operating Segments | LATAM
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring reserve by segment	6.4
Operating Segments | Employee termination costs | USA
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring reserve by segment	16.5
Operating Segments | Employee termination costs | Canada
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring reserve by segment	5.7
Operating Segments | Employee termination costs | EMEA
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring reserve by segment	22.5
Operating Segments | Employee termination costs | LATAM
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring reserve by segment	6.2
Operating Segments | Facility exit costs | USA
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring reserve by segment	21.3
Operating Segments | Facility exit costs | Canada
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring reserve by segment	0
Operating Segments | Facility exit costs | EMEA
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring reserve by segment	3.7
Operating Segments | Facility exit costs | LATAM
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring reserve by segment	0.2
Operating Segments | Other exit costs | USA
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring reserve by segment	1.7
Operating Segments | Other exit costs | Canada
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring reserve by segment	0
Operating Segments | Other exit costs | EMEA
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring reserve by segment	6.6
Operating Segments | Other exit costs | LATAM
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring reserve by segment	0
Other
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring reserve by segment	6.6
Other | Employee termination costs
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring reserve by segment	5.8
Other | Facility exit costs
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring reserve by segment	0
Other | Other exit costs
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring reserve by segment	$ 0.8

Restructuring charges - Summary

Restructuring charges - Summary of Activity Related to Accrued Liabilities Associated with Redundancy and Restructuring (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Restructuring Reserve [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance	$ 9.4	$ 12.7
Charge to earnings	2.6	4.8
Cash paid	(6.2)	(7.9)
Non-cash and other	0	0.2
Ending balance	5.8	9.4
Employee termination costs
Restructuring Reserve [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance	4.2	3
Charge to earnings	2.5	5.3
Cash paid	(3)	(3.4)
Non-cash and other	0	0.7
Ending balance	3.7	4.2
Facility exit costs
Restructuring Reserve [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance	5	10.2
Charge to earnings	0.1	(0.7)
Cash paid	(3.2)	(4.4)
Non-cash and other	0	0.1
Ending balance	1.9	5
Other exit costs
Restructuring Reserve [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance	0.2	(0.5)
Charge to earnings	0	0.2
Cash paid	0	(0.1)
Non-cash and other	0	(0.6)
Ending balance	$ 0.2	$ 0.2

Other expense, net (Detail)

Other expense, net (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Other Income and Expenses [Abstract]
Pension mark to market loss	$ (50.4)	$ (34.2)	$ (50.4)	$ (34.2)	$ (3.8)
Pension curtailment and settlement gains			1.3	0	9.7
Non-operating retirement benefits			2.2	11	9.9
Foreign currency transactions			(10.1)	(6.7)	(4.6)
Foreign currency denominated loans revaluation			17.5	(0.8)	(17.9)
Undesignated foreign currency derivative instruments			(23.7)	1.1	0.3
Undesignated interest rate swap contracts			(3)	0	(2.2)
Debt refinancing costs			(1.2)	0	(5.3)
Other			(3.1)	(3.1)	(3.5)
Total other expense, net			$ (70.5)	$ (32.7)	$ (17.4)

Income taxes - Additional Infor

Income taxes - Additional Information (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]
Total net operating losses	$ 39.1
Foreign tax credit carryforward	57.8
Tax credit carryforward, valuation allowance	57.8
Estimated undistributed earnings in income subject to U.S. tax at reduced tax rates	264.8
Unrecognized tax benefits	1.1	$ 0.4	$ 3.1
Interest expense related to unrecognized tax benefits	0.5	0.1	$ 0.4
Total liability included in other long-term liabilities associated with the interest and penalties	1.3	$ 1.1
Tax year between 2018 and 2022
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]
Available loss carryforwards subject to expiration	2.4
Tax year subsequent to 2022
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]
Available loss carryforwards subject to expiration	4.1
Unlimited life
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]
Remaining losses not subject to expiration	$ 32.6

Income taxes - Summary of Incom

Income taxes - Summary of Income (Loss) Before Income Taxes (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
(Loss) income before income taxes
United States	$ (194.5)	$ 36.6	$ 1.5
Foreign	193.4	185.6	167.3
(Loss) income before income taxes	$ (1.1)	$ 222.2	$ 168.8

Income taxes - Summary of Expen

Income taxes - Summary of Expense (Benefit) for Income Taxes (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Current:
Federal	$ 33.9	$ 13.8	$ 6.8
State	7.1	2.1	2
Foreign	39.2	31.2	28.5
Total current	80.2	47.1	37.3
Deferred:
Federal	12.2	6.5	26.5
State	3.4	(0.5)	0
Foreign	8.7	(3.2)	(14.8)
Total deferred	24.3	2.8	11.7
Total income tax expense from continuing operations	$ 104.5	$ 49.9	$ 49

Income taxes - Reconciliation B

Income taxes - Reconciliation Between Statutory Tax Rate and Effective Tax Rate (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
US federal statutory income tax (benefit) expense applied to (loss) income before income taxes	$ (0.2)	$ 46.7	$ 59.1
State income taxes, net of federal benefit	10.7	1.1	1.4
Foreign tax rate differential	8.7	8.1	(18)
Effect of flow-through entities	30.6	(0.6)	8.9
Distributions from foreign subsidiaries	31.9	9	17.6
Global intangible low-taxed income	22.8	19.9	0
Gain on disposal	12.9	0	0
Change in valuation allowance, net	(18.8)	(11.6)	(18.1)
Foreign tax credit	(13.5)	(38.3)	(47.6)
Fines and penalties	5.6	0	0.2
Non-deductible employee expenses	4.4	3.9	2.5
Non-deductible acquisition costs	3.5	0.3	0.2
Shareholder settlements	2.7	0	0
Withholding and other taxes based on income	1.7	0.5	0.5
Warrants	1.5	0	0
Change in statutory income tax rates	(1.1)	0	(17.5)
Adjustment to prior year due to change in estimate	1	(0.8)	(0.5)
Net stock-based compensation	0.6	0	(3.7)
Foreign exchange rate remeasurement	(0.4)	(0.2)	0.3
Unrecognized tax benefits	(0.3)	(2.7)	(1.7)
Non-deductible expense	0.3	0.6	0.4
2017 US repatriation tax	0	13	76.5
Non-taxable interest income	0	(0.7)	(11.4)
Expiration of tax attributes	0	0	0.1
Foreign losses not benefited	0	0	0.7
Non-deductible interest expense	0	0	0.1
Other	(0.1)	1.7	(1)
Total income tax expense from continuing operations	$ 104.5	$ 49.9	$ 49
Effective income tax rate	(9500.00%)	22.50%	29.00%

Income taxes - Consolidated Def

Income taxes - Consolidated Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Deferred tax assets:
Net operating loss carryforwards (“NOLs”)	$ 39.1	$ 49.4
Environmental reserves	20.9	22.9
Interest	17.3	25.9
Tax credit and capital loss carryforwards	60.1	57.8
Pension	79.6	66.3
Flow-through entities	0	2.7
Compensation	16	12.2
Inventory	5.4	4.5
Property, plant and equipment, net	1.2	4.8
Other temporary differences	20.9	17
Gross deferred tax assets	260.5	263.5
Valuation allowance	(87.5)	(106.3)
Deferred tax assets, net of valuation allowance	173	157.2
Deferred tax liabilities:
Property, plant and equipment, net	(111.7)	(102.3)
Intangible assets	(78.3)	(63.6)
Other temporary differences	(18)	(9.4)
Deferred tax liabilities	(208)	(175.3)
Net deferred tax liability	$ (35)	$ (18.1)

Income taxes - Schedule of Chan

Income taxes - Schedule of Changes in Unrecognized Tax Benefits Included in Other Long-Term Liabilities, Excluding Interest and Penalties (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Reconciliation of Unrecognized Tax Benefits, Excluding Amounts Pertaining to Examined Tax Returns [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance	$ 0.4	$ 3.1
Increase for tax positions of prior years related to acquired business	1.3	0
Reductions due to the statute of limitations expiration	(0.1)	(2.7)
Ending balance	1.1	0.4
Unrecognized Tax Benefits, Decrease Resulting from Foreign Currency Translation	$ 0.5	$ 0

Earnings per share (Detail)

Earnings per share (Detail) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Millions, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Sep. 30, 2019	Jun. 30, 2019	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Basic:
Net (loss) income from continuing operations	$ (55.1)	$ 2.5	$ 17	$ (70)					$ (105.6)	$ 172.3	$ 119.8
Net income from discontinued operations	0	0	(0.7)	6.1					5.4	0	0
Net (loss) income	$ (55.1)	$ 2.5	$ 16.3	$ (63.9)	$ 1.2	$ 49.6	$ 56.1	$ 65.4	(100.2)	172.3	119.8
Less: earnings allocated to participating securities									0	0.3	0.2
Earnings (loss) allocated to common shares outstanding									$ (100.2)	$ 172	$ 119.6
Weighted average common shares outstanding (in shares)	168.6	168.6	169.8	149.2	141.4	141.2	141.1	140.9	164.1	141.2	140.2
Basic from continuing operations (usd per share)									$ (0.64)	$ 1.22	$ 0.85
Basic from discontinued operations (usd per share)									0.03	0	0
Basic (loss) income per common share									$ (0.61)	$ 1.22	$ 0.85
Diluted:
Net (loss) income from continuing operations	$ (55.1)	$ 2.5	$ 17	$ (70)					$ (105.6)	$ 172.3	$ 119.8
Net income from discontinued operations	0	0	(0.7)	6.1					5.4	0	0
Net (loss) income	$ (55.1)	$ 2.5	$ 16.3	$ (63.9)	$ 1.2	$ 49.6	$ 56.1	$ 65.4	(100.2)	172.3	119.8
Less: earnings allocated to participating securities									0	0	0
Earnings (loss) allocated to common shares outstanding									$ (100.2)	$ 172.3	$ 119.8
Weighted average common shares outstanding (in shares)	168.6	168.6	169.8	149.2	141.4	141.2	141.1	140.9	164.1	141.2	140.2
Effect of dilutive securities: Stock compensation plans (in shares)									0	1	1.2
Weighted average common shares outstanding – diluted (in shares)	168.6	169.5	170.7	149.2	142.2	142.3	142	142	164.1	142.2	141.4
Diluted (loss) income per common share from continuing operations (usd per share)									$ (0.64)	$ 1.21	$ 0.85
Diluted income per common share from discontinued operations (usd per share)									0.03	0	0
Diluted (loss) income per common share (usd per share)									$ (0.61)	$ 1.21	$ 0.85
Common stock issuable on the exercise of warrants									6.4
Employee Stock Option | Common stock
Diluted:
Antidilutive securities excluded from diluted income (loss) per share (in shares)									3	1.6	0.8
Employee Stock Option | Restricted Stock
Diluted:
Antidilutive securities excluded from diluted income (loss) per share (in shares)									0.8

Employee benefit plans - Summar

Employee benefit plans - Summary of Changes in Projected Benefit Obligations, Fair Value of Plan Assets and Funded Status (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Pension Plan
Change in projected benefit obligations:
Actuarial present value of benefit obligations at beginning of year	$ 1,163.2	$ 1,333.9
Service cost	2.4	2.7	$ 2.5
Interest cost	42.8	42.7	47
Benefits paid	(61.9)	(64.2)
Plan amendments	0	(2.5)
Settlement	0	(38.5)
Curtailment	1.3	0
Actuarial loss (gain)	169.6	(81.1)
Foreign exchange and other	(21.6)	34.8
Actuarial present value of benefit obligations at end of year	1,336.4	1,163.2	1,333.9
Change in the fair value of plan assets:
Plan assets at beginning of year	950.8	1,107.2
Actual return (loss) on plan assets	163.9	(59.6)
Contributions by employer	27.3	38.7
Benefits paid	(61.9)	(64.2)
Settlement	0	(38.5)
Foreign exchange and other	(21.9)	32.8
Plan assets at end of year	1,102	950.8	1,107.2
Funded status at end of year	(234.4)	(212.4)
Pension Plan | USA
Change in projected benefit obligations:
Actuarial present value of benefit obligations at beginning of year	625.7	721.9
Service cost	0	0	0
Interest cost	27.2	27.3	30.8
Benefits paid	(33.5)	(37.5)
Plan amendments	0	0
Settlement	0	(38.5)
Curtailment	0	0
Actuarial loss (gain)	103	(47.5)
Foreign exchange and other	0	0
Actuarial present value of benefit obligations at end of year	722.4	625.7	721.9
Change in the fair value of plan assets:
Plan assets at beginning of year	428.6	532.3
Actual return (loss) on plan assets	86.6	(39.9)
Contributions by employer	13.5	12.2
Benefits paid	(33.5)	(37.5)
Settlement	0	(38.5)
Foreign exchange and other	0	0
Plan assets at end of year	495.2	428.6	532.3
Funded status at end of year	(227.2)	(197.1)
Pension Plan | Foreign
Change in projected benefit obligations:
Actuarial present value of benefit obligations at beginning of year	537.5	612
Service cost	2.4	2.7	2.5
Interest cost	15.6	15.4	16.2
Benefits paid	(28.4)	(26.7)
Plan amendments	0	(2.5)
Settlement	0	0
Curtailment	1.3	0
Actuarial loss (gain)	66.6	(33.6)
Foreign exchange and other	(21.6)	34.8
Actuarial present value of benefit obligations at end of year	614	537.5	612
Change in the fair value of plan assets:
Plan assets at beginning of year	522.2	574.9
Actual return (loss) on plan assets	77.3	(19.7)
Contributions by employer	13.8	26.5
Benefits paid	(28.4)	(26.7)
Settlement	0	0
Foreign exchange and other	(21.9)	32.8
Plan assets at end of year	606.8	522.2	$ 574.9
Funded status at end of year	(7.2)	(15.3)
Other Postretirement Benefits Plan
Change in projected benefit obligations:
Actuarial present value of benefit obligations at beginning of year	1.8
Actuarial present value of benefit obligations at end of year	$ 1.4	$ 1.8

Employee benefit plans - Schedu

Employee benefit plans - Schedule of Defined Benefit Plans Amount Recognized in Balance Sheet (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Long-term portion of net benefit obligation in pension and other postretirement benefit liabilities	$ (295.6)	$ (254.4)
Pension Plan
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Overfunded net benefit obligation in other assets	65.4	46.1
Current portion of net benefit obligation in other accrued expenses	(5.6)	(5.5)
Long-term portion of net benefit obligation in pension and other postretirement benefit liabilities	(294.2)	(253)
Net liability recognized at end of year	(234.4)	(212.4)
USA | Pension Plan
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Overfunded net benefit obligation in other assets	0	0
Current portion of net benefit obligation in other accrued expenses	(3.5)	(3.5)
Long-term portion of net benefit obligation in pension and other postretirement benefit liabilities	(223.7)	(193.6)
Net liability recognized at end of year	(227.2)	(197.1)
Foreign | Pension Plan
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Overfunded net benefit obligation in other assets	65.4	46.1
Current portion of net benefit obligation in other accrued expenses	(2.1)	(2)
Long-term portion of net benefit obligation in pension and other postretirement benefit liabilities	(70.5)	(59.4)
Net liability recognized at end of year	$ (7.2)	$ (15.3)

Employee benefit plans - Summ_2

Employee benefit plans - Summary of Defined Benefit Pension Plans with Accumulated Benefit Obligation in Excess of Plan Assets (Detail) - Pension Plan - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Accumulated benefit obligation	$ 924.4	$ 813.4
Fair value of plan assets	650.2	576.3
USA
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Accumulated benefit obligation	722.4	625.7
Fair value of plan assets	495.2	428.6
Foreign
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Accumulated benefit obligation	202	187.7
Fair value of plan assets	$ 155	$ 147.7

Employee benefit plans - Summ_3

Employee benefit plans - Summary of Defined Benefit Pension Plans with Projected Benefit Obligation in Excess of Plan Assets (Detail) - Pension Plan - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Projected benefit obligation	$ 950.1	$ 834.8
Fair value of plan assets	650.2	576.3
USA
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Projected benefit obligation	722.4	625.7
Fair value of plan assets	495.2	428.6
Foreign
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Projected benefit obligation	227.7	209.1
Fair value of plan assets	$ 155	$ 147.7

Employee benefit plans - Compon

Employee benefit plans - Components of Net Periodic Benefit Cost Credit Recognized Related to Benefit Pension Plans (Detail) - Pension Plan - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Service cost	$ 2.4	$ 2.7	$ 2.5
Interest cost	42.8	42.7	47
Expected return on plan assets	(45.2)	(56.4)	(56.9)
Amortization of unrecognized prior service credits	0.1	2.7	(0.2)
Settlement	0	0	(9.7)
Curtailment	(1.3)	0	0
Actuarial loss (gain)	50.9	34.9	4
Net periodic benefit cost (income)	49.7	26.6	(13.3)
USA
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Service cost	0	0	0
Interest cost	27.2	27.3	30.8
Expected return on plan assets	(25.1)	(31.3)	(30.9)
Amortization of unrecognized prior service credits	0	0	0
Settlement	0	0	(9.7)
Curtailment	0	0	0
Actuarial loss (gain)	41.5	23.7	0.8
Net periodic benefit cost (income)	43.6	19.7	(9)
Foreign
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Service cost	2.4	2.7	2.5
Interest cost	15.6	15.4	16.2
Expected return on plan assets	(20.1)	(25.1)	(26)
Amortization of unrecognized prior service credits	0.1	2.7	(0.2)
Settlement	0	0	0
Curtailment	(1.3)	0	0
Actuarial loss (gain)	9.4	11.2	3.2
Net periodic benefit cost (income)	$ 6.1	$ 6.9	$ (4.3)

Employee benefit plans - Summ_4

Employee benefit plans - Summary of Pre-tax Amounts Included in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss Related to Other Postretirement Benefit Plans (Detail) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)
Pension Plan
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Net prior service cost	$ (1.1)

Employee benefit plans - Summ_5

Employee benefit plans - Summary of Amounts Included in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss Related to Other Postretirement Benefit Plans (Detail) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)
Pension Plan
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Prior service cost	$ (0.1)

Employee benefit plans - Other

Employee benefit plans - Other postretirement benefit plan (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Other Postretirement Benefits Plan
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans Table Text Block [Line Items]
Defined Benefit Plan, Benefit Obligation	$ 1.4	$ 1.8

Employee benefit plans - Sche_2

Employee benefit plans - Schedule of Weighted Average Actuarial Assumptions and Valuation Methodologies Used in Defined Benefit Plans (Detail) - Pension Plan	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
USA
Actuarial assumptions used to determine benefit obligations at end of period:
Discount rate	3.28%	4.47%
Actuarial assumptions used to determine net periodic benefit cost (income) for the period:
Discount rate	4.47%	3.87%	4.39%
Expected rate of return on plan assets	6.75%	6.75%	7.00%
Foreign
Actuarial assumptions used to determine benefit obligations at end of period:
Discount rate	2.14%	2.92%
Expected annual rate of compensation increase	2.85%	2.85%
Actuarial assumptions used to determine net periodic benefit cost (income) for the period:
Discount rate	2.92%	2.61%	2.84%
Expected rate of return on plan assets	3.83%	4.43%	5.01%
Expected annual rate of compensation increase	2.85%	2.87%	2.87%

Employee benefit plans - Summ_6

Employee benefit plans - Summary of Weighted Average Target Asset Allocation for Defined Benefit Pension Plan (Detail) - Pension Plan	Dec. 31, 2019
USA
Asset category:
Weighted average target asset allocation (as a percent)	100.00%
USA | Equity securities
Asset category:
Weighted average target asset allocation (as a percent)	50.00%
USA | Debt securities
Asset category:
Weighted average target asset allocation (as a percent)	45.00%
USA | Other
Asset category:
Weighted average target asset allocation (as a percent)	5.00%
Foreign
Asset category:
Weighted average target asset allocation (as a percent)	100.00%
Foreign | Equity securities
Asset category:
Weighted average target asset allocation (as a percent)	15.30%
Foreign | Debt securities
Asset category:
Weighted average target asset allocation (as a percent)	79.30%
Foreign | Other
Asset category:
Weighted average target asset allocation (as a percent)	5.40%

Employee benefit plans - Summ_7

Employee benefit plans - Summary of Fair Value of Plans Assets (Detail) - Pension Plan - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	$ 1,102	$ 950.8	$ 1,107.2
USA
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	495.2	428.6	532.3
USA | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	$ 495.2	$ 428.6
USA | US equities
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Investment funds percentage	30.20%	29.60%
USA | Non-US equities
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Investment funds percentage	19.70%	19.40%
USA | US corporate bonds
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Investment funds percentage	45.00%	46.30%
USA | Other investments
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Investment funds percentage	5.10%	4.70%
USA | Total investments | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	$ 492.7	$ 426.2
USA | Defined Benefit Plan, Cash | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	2.5	2.4
USA | Level 1 | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	2.5	2.4
USA | Level 1 | Total investments | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	0	0
USA | Level 1 | Defined Benefit Plan, Cash | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	2.5	2.4
USA | Level 2 | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	492.7	426.2
USA | Level 2 | Total investments | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	492.7	426.2
USA | Level 2 | Defined Benefit Plan, Cash | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	0	0
Foreign
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	606.8	522.2	574.9
Foreign | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	$ 606.8	$ 522.2
Foreign | US equities
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Investment funds percentage	2.10%	8.00%
Foreign | Non-US equities
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Investment funds percentage	14.10%	17.50%
Foreign | Other investments
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Investment funds percentage	1.70%	4.00%
Foreign | Non-US corporate bonds
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Investment funds percentage	13.50%	34.20%
Foreign | Non-US government bonds
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Investment funds percentage	68.60%	36.30%
Foreign | Total investments | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total investments	$ 603.4	$ 512.5
Foreign | Defined Benefit Plan, Cash | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	3.4	9.7
Foreign | Defined Benefit Plan, Investment Funds | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	581.2	494
Foreign | Defined Benefit Plans, Insurance Contracts | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	22.2	18.5
Foreign | Level 1 | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	3.4	9.7
Foreign | Level 1 | Total investments | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total investments	0	0
Foreign | Level 1 | Defined Benefit Plan, Cash | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	3.4	9.7
Foreign | Level 1 | Defined Benefit Plan, Investment Funds | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	0	0
Foreign | Level 1 | Defined Benefit Plans, Insurance Contracts | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	0	0
Foreign | Level 2 | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	581.2	494
Foreign | Level 2 | Total investments | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total investments	581.2	494
Foreign | Level 2 | Defined Benefit Plan, Cash | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	0	0
Foreign | Level 2 | Defined Benefit Plan, Investment Funds | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	581.2	494
Foreign | Level 2 | Defined Benefit Plans, Insurance Contracts | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	0	0
Foreign | Level 3
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	22.2	18.5	$ 18.2
Foreign | Level 3 | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	22.2	18.5
Foreign | Level 3 | Total investments | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total investments	22.2	18.5
Foreign | Level 3 | Defined Benefit Plan, Cash | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	0	0
Foreign | Level 3 | Defined Benefit Plan, Investment Funds | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	0	0
Foreign | Level 3 | Defined Benefit Plans, Insurance Contracts | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	$ 22.2	$ 18.5

Employee benefit plans - Summ_8

Employee benefit plans - Summary of Changes in Foreign Plans Assets Valued Using Significant Unobservable Inputs (Detail) - Pension Plan - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Change in the fair value of plan assets:
Plan assets at beginning of year	$ 950.8	$ 1,107.2
Actual return on plan assets:
Foreign exchange	21.9	(32.8)
Plan assets at end of year	1,102	950.8
Foreign
Change in the fair value of plan assets:
Plan assets at beginning of year	522.2	574.9
Actual return on plan assets:
Foreign exchange	21.9	(32.8)
Plan assets at end of year	606.8	522.2
Foreign | Level 3
Change in the fair value of plan assets:
Plan assets at beginning of year	18.5	18.2
Actual return on plan assets:
Related to assets still held at year end	3.6	0.7
Purchases, sales and settlements, net	0.5	0.4
Foreign exchange	(0.4)	(0.8)
Plan assets at end of year	$ 22.2	$ 18.5

Employee benefit plans - Contri

Employee benefit plans - Contributions (Narrative) (Details) - Pension Plan $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)
USA
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans Table Text Block [Line Items]
Expected contributions	$ 19.4
Foreign
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans Table Text Block [Line Items]
Expected contributions	$ 3.5

Employee benefit plans - Sche_3

Employee benefit plans - Schedule of Benefit Payments (Detail) - Pension Plan $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
2020	$ 53.1
2021	53.8
2022	57.1
2023	57.9
2024	60.5
2024 through 2028	319.7
USA
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
2020	35.6
2021	36.7
2022	37.6
2023	38.5
2024	39.2
2024 through 2028	204.1
Foreign
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
2020	17.5
2021	17.1
2022	19.5
2023	19.4
2024	21.3
2024 through 2028	$ 115.6

Employee benefit plans - Define

Employee benefit plans - Defined contribution plans (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Retirement Benefits [Abstract]
Contribution expense	$ 29.9	$ 32	$ 30

Employee benefit plans - Sche_4

Employee benefit plans - Schedule of Company's Participation in Multi Employer Plans (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Multiemployer Plans [Line Items]
Contributions	$ 2.7	$ 2.7	$ 2.7
Plan contributions by the Company (less than) (as a percent)	5.00%
Western Conference of Teamsters Pension Plan
Multiemployer Plans [Line Items]
Contributions	$ 1.5	1.5	1.5
Central States, Southeast and Southwest Areas Pension Plan
Multiemployer Plans [Line Items]
Contributions	1.1	1	1.1
New England Teamsters and Trucking Industry Pension Fund
Multiemployer Plans [Line Items]
Contributions	$ 0.1	$ 0.2	$ 0.1

Stock-based compensation - Addi

Stock-based compensation - Additional Information (Detail) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)offering_period$ / sharesshares	Dec. 31, 2018USD ($)$ / shares	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)$ / shares
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares authorized (in shares) | shares	9,200,000
Stock-based compensation expense | $	$ 25.1	$ 20.7	$ 19.7
Tax expense (benefit) relating to stock-based compensation expense | $	$ (2.4)	$ (2.6)	$ (3.7)
Univar Employee Stock Purchase Plan
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares authorized (in shares) | shares	2,000,000
Weighted average purchase price of shares purchased (usd per share)	95.00%
Number of offering periods | offering_period	2
Shares issued under the plan (in shares) | shares	64,740
Employee Stock Option
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Award expiration period	10 years
Unrecognized stock-based compensation expense, options | $	$ 3.4
Unrecognized stock-based compensation expense, period	10 months 24 days
Expected term (years)	6 years	6 years	5 years 10 months 24 days
Weighted-average grant-date fair value, options (usd per share)	$ 6.31	$ 8.69	$ 8.40
Employee Stock Option | Maximum
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Exercisable period	4 years
Restricted Stock
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Unrecognized stock-based compensation expense, period	4 months 24 days
Unrecognized stock-based compensation expense, other than options | $	$ 0.2
Weighted-average grant-date fair value (usd per share)	$ 21.34	28.50	$ 29.92
Weighted average grant-date fair value, nonvested (usd per share)	$ 21.34	28.50
Restricted Stock | Director
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Exercisable period	12 months
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs)
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Unrecognized stock-based compensation expense, period	1 year 2 months 12 days
Unrecognized stock-based compensation expense, other than options | $	$ 10.3
Weighted-average grant-date fair value (usd per share)	$ 21.99
Weighted average grant-date fair value, nonvested (usd per share)	$ 23.67	23.98
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) | Minimum
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Exercisable period	3 years
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) | Maximum
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Exercisable period	4 years
Performance Based Restricted Stock Units (PRSUs)
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Exercisable period	3 years
Unrecognized stock-based compensation expense, period	1 year 7 months 6 days
Unrecognized stock-based compensation expense, other than options | $	$ 1.9
Weighted-average grant-date fair value (usd per share)	$ 22.71
Expected term (years)	2 years
Weighted average grant-date fair value, nonvested (usd per share)	$ 24.77	$ 27.18

Stock-based compensation - Sche

Stock-based compensation - Schedule of Share-based Compensation Stock Options Activity (Detail) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Number of stock options
Number of stock options outstanding, beginning balance (in shares)	3,044,154
Number of stock options, granted (in shares)	1,204,550
Number of stock options, exercised (in shares)	(349,845)
Number of stock options, forfeited (in shares)	(208,234)
Number of stock options outstanding, ending balance (in shares)	3,690,625	3,044,154
Number of stock options, exercisable (in shares)	1,901,291
Number of stock options, expected to vest (in shares)	1,789,334
Weighted- average exercise price
Weighted average exercise price outstanding, beginning balance (usd per share)	$ 24.06
Weighted average exercise price, granted (usd per share)	21.77
Weighted average exercise price, exercised (usd per share)	18.74
Weighted average exercise price, forfeited (usd per share)	24.81
Weighted average exercise price outstanding, ending balance (usd per share)	23.77	$ 24.06
Weighted average exercise price, exercisable (usd per share)	23.72
Weighted average exercise price, expected to vest (usd per share)	$ 23.83
Weighted-average remaining contractual term, exercisable (in years)	4 years 4 months 24 days
Weighted-average remaining contractual term, expected to vest (in years)	8 years 8 months 12 days
Aggregate intrinsic value, exercisable	$ 4.4
Aggregate intrinsic value, expected to vest	0.7
Total intrinsic value of stock options exercised	0.9	$ 2.4	$ 16.7
Fair value of stock options vested	$ 7.9	$ 8.1	$ 7.8

Stock-based compensation - Summ

Stock-based compensation - Summary of Restricted Stock Activity (Detail) - $ / shares	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Restricted Stock
Number of Restricted stock
Restricted stock, nonvested, beginning balance (in shares)	28,780
Restricted stock, granted (in shares)	33,744
Restricted stock, vested (in shares)	(28,780)
Restricted stock, forfeited (in shares)	(5,624)
Restricted stock, nonvested, ending balance (in shares)	28,120	28,780
Weighted average grant-date fair value
Weighted average grant-date fair value, nonvested, beginning balance (usd per share)	$ 28.50
Weighted average grant-date fair value, granted (usd per share)	21.34	$ 28.50	$ 29.92
Weighted average grant-date fair value, vested (usd per share)	28.50
Weighted average grant-date fair value, forfeited (usd per share)	21.34
Weighted average grant-date fair value, nonvested, ending balance (usd per share)	$ 21.34	$ 28.50
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs)
Number of Restricted stock
Restricted stock, nonvested, beginning balance (in shares)	801,200
Restricted stock, granted (in shares)	719,183
Restricted stock, vested (in shares)	(364,820)
Restricted stock, forfeited (in shares)	(66,145)
Restricted stock, nonvested, ending balance (in shares)	1,089,418	801,200
Weighted average grant-date fair value
Weighted average grant-date fair value, nonvested, beginning balance (usd per share)	$ 23.98
Weighted average grant-date fair value, granted (usd per share)	21.99
Weighted average grant-date fair value, vested (usd per share)	20.89
Weighted average grant-date fair value, forfeited (usd per share)	24.86
Weighted average grant-date fair value, nonvested, ending balance (usd per share)	$ 23.67	$ 23.98
Performance Based Restricted Stock Units (PRSUs)
Number of Restricted stock
Restricted stock, nonvested, beginning balance (in shares)	256,568
Restricted stock, granted (in shares)	275,725
Restricted stock, vested (in shares)	(5,343)
Restricted stock, forfeited (in shares)	(7,122)
Restricted stock, nonvested, ending balance (in shares)	519,828	256,568
Weighted average grant-date fair value
Weighted average grant-date fair value, nonvested, beginning balance (usd per share)	$ 27.18
Weighted average grant-date fair value, granted (usd per share)	22.71
Weighted average grant-date fair value, vested (usd per share)	30.98
Weighted average grant-date fair value, forfeited (usd per share)	26.90
Weighted average grant-date fair value, nonvested, ending balance (usd per share)	$ 24.77	$ 27.18

Stock-based compensation - Su_2

Stock-based compensation - Summary of Additional Stock Based Compensation Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Share-based Payment Arrangement [Abstract]
Fair value of restricted stock, RSUs and PRSUs vested	$ 8.6	$ 11.8	$ 22.8

Stock-based compensation - Su_3

Stock-based compensation - Summary of Weighted Average Assumptions Used Under Black Scholes Merton Option Valuation Model (Detail) - Employee Stock Option - $ / shares	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Weighted-average grant-date fair value, options (usd per share)	$ 6.31	$ 8.69	$ 8.40
Risk-free interest rate	2.60%	2.70%	2.10%
Expected dividend yield (as a percent)	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Expected volatility (as a percent)	23.70%	23.20%	25.50%
Expected term (years)	6 years	6 years	5 years 10 months 24 days

Accumulated other comprehensi_3

Accumulated other comprehensive loss - Schedule of Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss by Component Net of Tax (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Jan. 01, 2019		Jan. 01, 2018		Jan. 01, 2017	[2]
AOCI Attributable to Parent, Net of Tax
Beginning balance	$ 1,191.7	$ 1,090.1	$ 809.9
Impact due to adoption of ASU, net of tax						$ 0.8	[1]	$ 0.2
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications	(0.8)	(90.7)	109.3
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss	(2.1)	(4.5)	2.1
Net current period other comprehensive income (loss)	(6.1)	(94.7)	111.4
Ending balance	1,732.8	1,191.7	1,090.1
Cash flow hedges
AOCI Attributable to Parent, Net of Tax
Beginning balance		6.7	0
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications			4.4
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss			2.3
Net current period other comprehensive income (loss)			6.7
Ending balance			6.7
Cash Flow Hedges
AOCI Attributable to Parent, Net of Tax
Beginning balance	8.9
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications	(23.6)	8.3
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss	(2.2)	(6.6)
Net current period other comprehensive income (loss)	(24.3)	2.2
Ending balance	(15.4)	8.9
Defined benefit pension
AOCI Attributable to Parent, Net of Tax
Beginning balance	(1.1)	(1.2)	1.2
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications	0	(2)	(2.2)
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss	0.1	2.1	(0.2)
Net current period other comprehensive income (loss)	0.1	0.1	(2.4)
Ending balance	(1)	(1.1)	(1.2)
Currency translation
AOCI Attributable to Parent, Net of Tax
Beginning balance	(381)	(284)	(391.1)
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications	22.8	(97)	107.1
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss	0	0	0
Net current period other comprehensive income (loss)	18.1	(97)	107.1
Ending balance	(362.9)	(381)	(284)
AOCI Attributable to Parent
AOCI Attributable to Parent, Net of Tax
Beginning balance	(373.2)	(278.5)	(389.9)
Impact due to adoption of ASU, net of tax				$ (3.2)	[3]	0.5	[1]
Ending balance	$ (379.3)	$ (373.2)	$ (278.5)
Accounting Standards Update 2017-12
AOCI Attributable to Parent, Net of Tax
Impact due to adoption of ASU, net of tax						0.5
Accounting Standards Update 2017-12 | Cash flow hedges
AOCI Attributable to Parent, Net of Tax
Impact due to adoption of ASU, net of tax						0.5
Accounting Standards Update 2017-12 | Defined benefit pension
AOCI Attributable to Parent, Net of Tax
Impact due to adoption of ASU, net of tax						0
Accounting Standards Update 2017-12 | Currency translation
AOCI Attributable to Parent, Net of Tax
Impact due to adoption of ASU, net of tax						$ 0
Accounting Standards Update 2018-02
AOCI Attributable to Parent, Net of Tax
Impact due to adoption of ASU, net of tax				(3.2)
Accounting Standards Update 2018-02 | Cash Flow Hedges
AOCI Attributable to Parent, Net of Tax
Impact due to adoption of ASU, net of tax				1.5
Accounting Standards Update 2018-02 | Defined benefit pension
AOCI Attributable to Parent, Net of Tax
Impact due to adoption of ASU, net of tax				0
Accounting Standards Update 2018-02 | Currency translation
AOCI Attributable to Parent, Net of Tax
Impact due to adoption of ASU, net of tax				$ (4.7)
[1]	Adjusted due to the adoption of ASU 2014-09 “Revenue from Contracts with Customers” on January 1, 2018.
[2]	Adjusted due to the adoption of ASU 2016-09 “Improvement to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting” on January 1, 2017
[3]	Refer to “Note 2: Significant accounting policies” for more information.

Accumulated other comprehensi_4

Accumulated other comprehensive loss - Summary of Amounts Reclassified From Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss to Net Income (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Sep. 30, 2019	Jun. 30, 2019	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Reclassification Adjustment out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Other expense, net									$ 70.5	$ 32.7	$ 17.4
Income tax expense									(104.5)	(49.9)	(49)
Interest expense									(139.5)	(132.4)	(148)
Interest expense and other expense, net									(147.2)	(135.6)	(152)
Net of tax	$ (55.1)	$ 2.5	$ 16.3	$ (63.9)	$ 1.2	$ 49.6	$ 56.1	$ 65.4	(100.2)	172.3	119.8
Reclassification Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)
Reclassification Adjustment out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Net of tax									2.1	4.5	(2.1)
Reclassification Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) | Amortization of defined benefit pension items
Reclassification Adjustment out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Other expense, net									0.1	2.7	(0.2)
Income tax expense									0	0.6	0
Net of tax									(0.1)	(2.1)	0.2
Reclassification Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) | Cash flow hedges | Interest rate swap contracts
Reclassification Adjustment out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Income tax expense										(1.5)	1.5
Interest expense										(8.1)	3.8
Net of tax										6.6	(2.3)
Reclassification Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) | Cash flow hedges | Currency Swap
Reclassification Adjustment out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Interest expense and other expense, net										$ 0	$ 0
Reclassification Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) | Cash Flow Hedges | Interest rate swap contracts
Reclassification Adjustment out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Income tax expense									(0.6)
Interest expense									(8)
Net of tax									2.2
Reclassification Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) | Cash Flow Hedges | Currency Swap
Reclassification Adjustment out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Interest expense and other expense, net									$ (5.2)

Property, plant and equipment_3

Property, plant and equipment, net - Summary of Property, Plant and Equipment, Net (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2019	Jan. 01, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Less: Accumulated depreciation	$ (1,037.9)		$ (970.1)
Subtotal	1,105.7		933.5
Work in progress	46.7		22.3
Property, plant and equipment, net	1,152.4	$ 961.2	955.8
Land and buildings
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property, plant and equipment, gross	875.9		790.9
Tank farms
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property, plant and equipment, gross	283.9		276
Machinery, equipment and other
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property, plant and equipment, gross	$ 983.8		$ 836.7

Goodwill and intangible asset_2

Goodwill and intangible assets - Summary of the Activity in Goodwill by Segment (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	10 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance		$ 1,780.7	$ 1,818.4
Additions		555.7	7.6
Purchase price adjustments	$ (126.5)		(3.2)
Other adjustments		(77.2)	(2.4)
Foreign exchange		21.6	(39.7)
Ending Balance	2,280.8	2,280.8	1,780.7
USA
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance		1,325.2	1,325.2
Additions		540.1	0
Purchase price adjustments			0
Other adjustments		(63)	0
Foreign exchange		0	0
Ending Balance	1,802.3	1,802.3	1,325.2
Canada
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance		429.9	468.7
Additions		3.8	0
Purchase price adjustments			0
Other adjustments		(14.2)	(2.4)
Foreign exchange		21.6	(36.4)
Ending Balance	441.1	441.1	429.9
EMEA
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance		8.3	1.2
Additions		0	7.6
Purchase price adjustments			0
Other adjustments		0	0
Foreign exchange		0.1	(0.5)
Ending Balance	8.4	8.4	8.3
LATAM
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance		17.3	23.3
Additions		11.8	0
Purchase price adjustments			(3.2)
Other adjustments		0	0
Foreign exchange		(0.1)	(2.8)
Ending Balance	$ 29	$ 29	$ 17.3

Goodwill and intangible asset_3

Goodwill and intangible assets - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Jan. 01, 2018
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Accumulated impairment losses on goodwill	$ 253.9	$ 255.6	$ 271.3

Goodwill and intangible asset_4

Goodwill and intangible assets - Schedule of Gross Carrying Amounts and Accumulated Amortization of Intangible Assets (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross	$ 1,168.4	$ 1,021.2
Accumulated amortization	(848.2)	(783.1)
Net	320.2	238.1
Customer Relationships
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross	986.4	846.1
Accumulated amortization	(680.8)	(620.3)
Net	305.6	225.8
Other
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross	182	175.1
Accumulated amortization	(167.4)	(162.8)
Net	$ 14.6	$ 12.3

Goodwill and intangible asset_5

Goodwill and intangible assets - Summary of Estimated Annual Amortization Expense (Detail) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
2020	$ 54.1
2021	50.5
2022	45.3
2023	41.4
2024	$ 32

Impairment charges (Details)

Impairment charges (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Asset Impairment Charges [Abstract]
Impairment charge	$ 7	$ 0	$ 0

Other accrued expenses (Details

Other accrued expenses (Details) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)
Payables and Accruals [Abstract]
Taxes Payable	$ 87.1
Customer prepayments and deposits	$ 81.5

Debt - Summary of Short Term Fi

Debt - Summary of Short Term Financing (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Amounts drawn under credit facilities	$ 0.5	$ 4.7
Bank overdrafts	0.2	3.4
Total	$ 0.7	$ 8.1

Debt - Additional Information (

Debt - Additional Information (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Weighted average interest rate on short-term financing	3.80%	3.00%
Outstanding letters of credit and guarantees	$ 158.5	$ 139.4
Weighted average interest rate on long-term debt	4.25%	4.29%

Debt - Schedule of Long Term De

Debt - Schedule of Long Term Debt (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2019	Jan. 01, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Finance lease obligations			$ 54.8
Finance lease liability	$ 71.2
Total long-term debt before discount	2,740.1
Total long-term debt			2,395.3
Less: unamortized debt issuance costs and discount on debt	(26.3)		(23.2)
Total long-term debt	2,713.8		2,372.1
Less: current maturities	(25)	$ (17.2)	(21.7)
Total long-term debt, excluding current maturities	2,688.8
Total long-term debt, excluding current maturities	2,688.8	$ 2,360.3	2,350.4
Term B-3 Loan Due 2024
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long term debt	$ 1,438		$ 1,747.8
Variable interest rate	4.05%		4.77%
Term B-5 Loan Due 2026
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long term debt	$ 400		$ 0
Variable interest rate	3.80%
North American ABL Due 2024
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long term debt	$ 200		0
Variable interest rate	5.25%
Canadian ABL Facility Due 2022
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long term debt	$ 130.9		0
Variable interest rate	4.31%
European ABL Facility Due 2023
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long term debt	$ 0		58.5
Variable interest rate	1.75%
North American ABL Facility Due 2020
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long term debt	$ 0		134.7
Variable interest rate	4.19%
Unsecured Notes Due 2027
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long term debt	$ 500		0
Fixed Interest rate	5.13%
Unsecured Notes Due 2027
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long term debt	$ 0		$ 399.5
Fixed Interest rate	6.75%

Debt - Future Contractual Matur

Debt - Future Contractual Maturities of Long-term Debt Excluding Capital Lease Obligations (Detail) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
2020	$ 4
2021	134.9
2022	4
2023	4
2024	1,642
Thereafter	880
Total	$ 2,668.9

Debt - Long-term debt restructu

Debt - Long-term debt restructurings (Narrative) (Details) € in Millions	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2019EUR (€)	Mar. 31, 2019USD ($)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Loss on extinguishment of debt		$ 13,100,000	$ 100,000	$ 3,800,000
Shares pledged as collateral (as a percent)	65.00%	65.00%
Term B-4 Loan Due 2024
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long term debt						$ 300,000,000
Loss on extinguishment of debt		$ 9,400,000
Euro Term B-2 Loan Due 2024
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long term debt | €					€ 425
Term B-5 Loan Due 2026
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long term debt	$ 400,000,000	$ 400,000,000	0
Percentage of aggregate initial principal amount	0.25%	0.25%
Term B-5 Loan Due 2026 | Base Rate
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, credit spread on variable interest rate	1.00%
Term B-5 Loan Due 2026 | Eurocurrency Rate
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, credit spread on variable interest rate	2.00%
Canadian ABL Facility Due 2022
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long term debt	$ 130,900,000	$ 130,900,000	0
Senior Term Loan Facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Loss on extinguishment of debt		9,700,000
Unsecured Notes Due 2027
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long term debt	$ 500,000,000	$ 500,000,000	0
Fixed interest rate	5.125%	5.125%
Unsecured Notes Due 2027
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long term debt	$ 0	$ 0	$ 399,500,000
Fixed interest rate	6.75%	6.75%
New Senior ABL Facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Loss on extinguishment of debt		$ 700,000
New Senior ABL Facility | Canadian ABL Facility Due 2022
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Term of loan facility		3 years
Loan facility	$ 175,000,000	$ 175,000,000
Revolving Loan Tranche | New Senior ABL Facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Term of loan facility		5 years
Revolving Loan Tranche | United States Subsidiaries | New Senior ABL Facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Loan facility	1,200,000,000	$ 1,200,000,000
Revolving Loan Tranche | Canadian Subsidiaries | New Senior ABL Facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Loan facility	$ 325,000,000	$ 325,000,000

Debt - Unused line fees (Detail

Debt - Unused line fees (Details)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
$1.525 billion North American ABL Facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unused line fee (as a percent)	0.30%	0.375%
€200 million Euro ABL Facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unused line fee (as a percent)		0.375%

Debt - Summary of Assets Pledge

Debt - Summary of Assets Pledged Under North American ABL Facility, North American ABL Term Loan, Senior Term Loan Facilities and Euro ABL (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Assets pledged	$ 3,043.4	$ 2,465.5
Cash
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Assets pledged	230.8	45.5
Trade accounts receivable, net
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Assets pledged	981.4	906.1
Inventories
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Assets pledged	668.8	674
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Assets pledged	206.3	96.9
Property, plant and equipment, net
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Assets pledged	$ 956.1	$ 743

Debt - Fair Values of Debt (Det

Debt - Fair Values of Debt (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Carrying amount	$ 2,713.8	$ 2,372.1
Level 2
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Carrying amount	2,713.8	2,372.1
Fair value	$ 2,770.7	$ 2,314.3

Fair value measurements - Sched

Fair value measurements - Schedule of Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis (Detail) - Level 2 - Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Current Assets | Cross currency swap contracts | Designated Derivatives:
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Financial assets	$ 7.2	$ 0
Current Assets | Cross currency swap contracts | Undesignated Derivatives:
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Financial assets	0.4	0
Current Assets | Interest rate swap contracts | Designated Derivatives:
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Financial assets	0	12.4
Current Assets | Interest rate swap contracts | Undesignated Derivatives:
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Financial assets	0	0
Current Assets | Foreign currency contracts | Undesignated Derivatives:
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Financial assets	0.5	0.3
Noncurrent Assets | Interest rate swap contracts | Designated Derivatives:
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Financial assets	0	1.5
Current Liabilities | Interest rate swap contracts | Designated Derivatives:
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Financial liabilities	6.4	0
Current Liabilities | Interest rate swap contracts | Undesignated Derivatives:
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Financial liabilities	1	0
Current Liabilities | Foreign currency contracts | Undesignated Derivatives:
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Financial liabilities	1	0.2
Noncurrent Liabilities | Cross currency swap contracts | Designated Derivatives:
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Financial liabilities	12.1	0
Noncurrent Liabilities | Cross currency swap contracts | Undesignated Derivatives:
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Financial liabilities	0.6	0
Noncurrent Liabilities | Interest rate swap contracts | Designated Derivatives:
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Financial liabilities	14	0
Noncurrent Liabilities | Interest rate swap contracts | Undesignated Derivatives:
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Financial liabilities	$ 1.9	$ 0

Fair value measurements - Addit

Fair value measurements - Additional Information (Detail) - Foreign currency contracts - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
Foreign Currency Fair Value Hedge Derivative [Line Items]
Net amount related to foreign currency contracts included in prepaid and other current assets	$ 0.2	$ 0.3
Other Accrued Expenses
Foreign Currency Fair Value Hedge Derivative [Line Items]
Net amount related to foreign currency contracts included in other accrued expenses	$ 0.7	$ 0.2

Fair value measurements - Recon

Fair value measurements - Reconciliation of Fair Value Measurements that Use Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) (Detail) - Contingent Consideration - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation, Calculation [Roll Forward]
Fair value beginning balance	$ 0	$ 0.4
Additions	26	0
Fair value adjustments	7	1
Payments	0	(1.4)
Fair value ending balance	$ 33	$ 0

Fair value measurements - Fair

Fair value measurements - Fair Value Measurement Inputs and Valuation Techniques (Detail) - Warrant	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Expected Term
Fair Value Measurement Inputs and Valuation Techniques [Line Items]
Expected option life	2 years
Price volatility
Fair Value Measurement Inputs and Valuation Techniques [Line Items]
Measurement input	0.2748
Risk free interest rate
Fair Value Measurement Inputs and Valuation Techniques [Line Items]
Measurement input	0.0158

Derivatives (Detail)

Derivatives (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 17, 2019	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Term B-5 Loan Due 2026
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Long term debt		$ 400	$ 0
Interest rate swap contracts | Designated as Hedging Instrument
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Interest rate swaps terminated	$ 750
Gain on interest rate swaps	$ 1.1
Notional amount of derivative		1,050	2,000
Cross currency swap contracts | Term B-5 Loan Due 2026
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Notional amount of derivative		$ 400
Percentage of cross currency swaps designated as cash flow hedge		95.00%
Cross currency swap contracts | Designated as Hedging Instrument
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Notional amount of derivative		$ 381	$ 0

Derivative Instruments - Schedu

Derivative Instruments - Schedule of Notional Amounts (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Designated Derivatives: | Interest rate swap contracts
Derivative [Line Items]
Notional amount of derivative	$ 1,050	$ 2,000
Designated Derivatives: | Cross currency swap contracts
Derivative [Line Items]
Notional amount of derivative	381	0
Undesignated Forward Currency Contracts | Interest rate swap contracts
Derivative [Line Items]
Notional amount of derivative	200	0
Undesignated Forward Currency Contracts | Cross currency swap contracts
Derivative [Line Items]
Notional amount of derivative	19	0
Undesignated Forward Currency Contracts | Currency Swap
Derivative [Line Items]
Notional amount of derivative	$ 141.4	$ 108.1

Derivatives - Fair Value of Der

Derivatives - Fair Value of Derivative Instruments (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Other expense, net
Reclassification Adjustment out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income on Derivatives [Line Items]
Amount of gain (loss) reclassified from other comprehensive loss into income (effective and ineffective portion)	$ (5.9)	$ 0
Amount of gain (loss) reclassified from other comprehensive loss into income (effective and ineffective portion)			$ 0
Interest rate swap contracts | Interest expense
Reclassification Adjustment out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income on Derivatives [Line Items]
Amount of gain (loss) reclassified from other comprehensive loss into income (effective and ineffective portion)	8	8.1
Amount of gain (loss) reclassified from other comprehensive loss into income (effective and ineffective portion)			(3.8)
Amount to be reclassified to consolidated statement of operations within the next 12 months	(6.4)
Cross currency swap contracts | Interest expense
Reclassification Adjustment out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income on Derivatives [Line Items]
Amount of gain (loss) reclassified from other comprehensive loss into income (effective and ineffective portion)	0.7	$ 0
Amount of gain (loss) reclassified from other comprehensive loss into income (effective and ineffective portion)			$ 0
Amount to be reclassified to consolidated statement of operations within the next 12 months	$ 7.2

Commitments and contingencies -

Commitments and contingencies - Additional Information (Detail) shares in Thousands, $ in Millions	Jun. 26, 2019USD ($)shares	Apr. 08, 2019USD ($)	Feb. 28, 2019shares	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)claim	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)sitelocationclaim	Dec. 31, 2018USD ($)
Other Commitments [Line Items]
Number of locations impacted by environmental laws and regulations | location					129
Number of company owned/occupied sites requiring environmental remediation work | site					107
Number of non owned sites liable for a share of clean-up | site					22
Estimated life of project, minimum					2 years
Estimated life of project, maximum					30 years
Accrued environmental loss contingencies, current				$ 25	$ 25	$ 32.1
Discount on environmental liabilities				$ 5.5	$ 5.5	$ 5
Discount rate used in the present value calculation				1.90%	1.90%	2.70%
Expected payments for environmental remediation in next year				$ 25	$ 25
Litigation settlement awarded to other party	$ 63.5
Proceeds from income tax refunds					8.3
Secretariat of the Federal Revenue Bureau of Brazil | Foreign Tax Authority
Other Commitments [Line Items]
Proceeds from income tax refunds				10.9
Proceeds from prior year income tax refund				9.7
Interest Income | Secretariat of the Federal Revenue Bureau of Brazil | Foreign Tax Authority
Other Commitments [Line Items]
Proceeds from income tax refunds				4.6
Nexeo Solutions, Inc.
Other Commitments [Line Items]
Number of Univar shares canceled (in shares) | shares	1,500		1,500
Nexeo Solutions, Inc. | BCIM Strategic Value Master Fund, LP
Other Commitments [Line Items]
Number of Univar shares canceled (in shares) | shares	5,000
Litigation settlement awarded to other party	$ 63.5	$ 62.5
Proceeds from legal settlements	15.1
Value of shares cancelled	$ 35.5
Projects With Uncertain Timing
Other Commitments [Line Items]
Expected payments for environmental remediation in next year				$ 11.7	$ 11.7
Maximum
Other Commitments [Line Items]
Number of asbestos-related claims (less than) | claim				130	130

Commitments and contingencies_2

Commitments and contingencies - Changes in Total Environmental Liabilities (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Accrual for Environmental Loss Contingencies [Roll Forward]
Environmental liabilities at beginning of period	$ 83.5	$ 89.2
Revised obligation estimates	13.3	12.6
Environmental payments	(18)	(18.1)
Foreign exchange	0.1	0.2
Environmental liabilities at end of period	$ 78.7	$ 83.5

Commitments and contingencies_3

Commitments and contingencies - Schedule of Expected Payments for Environmental Remediation (Detail) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
2019	$ 25
2020	11
2021	8.1
2022	6.8
2023	6.1
Thereafter	27.3
Total	$ 84.3

Leasing - Assets and Liabilitie

Leasing - Assets and Liabilities (Details) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)
Assets
Operating lease assets	$ 157.3
Finance lease assets	69.5
Total lease assets	226.8
Current liabilities:
Current portion of operating lease liabilities	47.4
Current portion of finance lease liabilities	20.9
Noncurrent liabilities:
Operating lease liabilities	114.5
Finance lease liabilities	50.3
Total lease liabilities	233.1
Accumulated amortization on finance lease right-of-use assets	$ 52.1

Leases - Lease Cost (Details)

Leases - Lease Cost (Details) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Operating Leases	$ 58.9
Finance Leases	22.8
Total	81.7
Variable lease costs	1.1
Short-term lease costs	23.7
Total gross lease costs	106.5
Sublease income	2.8
Total net lease cost	103.7
Cost of goods sold (exclusive of depreciation)
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Operating Leases	16.9
Finance Lease, Cost	0
Total	16.9
Outbound freight and handling
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Operating Leases	7.8
Finance Lease, Cost	0
Total	7.8
Warehousing, selling and administrative
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Operating Leases	34.2
Finance Lease, Cost	0
Total	34.2
Depreciation
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Finance Leases	20
Total	20
Interest expense
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Interest expense	2.8
Total	$ 2.8

Leases - Maturity Schedule (Det

Leases - Maturity Schedule (Details) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)
Operating Leases
2020	$ 53.6
2021	41.4
2022	31.7
2023	21.1
2024	12.7
2025 and After	24.7
Total lease payments	185.2
Less: interest	23.7
Present value of lease liabilities, excluding guaranteed residual values	161.5
Plus: present value of guaranteed residual values	0.4
Present value of lease liabilities	161.9
Lessee, Finance Lease, Description [Abstract]
2020	22.6
2021	18.9
2022	15.7
2023	6.9
2024	4.2
2025 and After	6.3
Total lease payments	74.6
Less: interest	7.2
Present value of lease liabilities, excluding guaranteed residual values	67.4
Plus: present value of guaranteed residual values	3.8
Present value of lease liabilities	71.2
Leases, Operating and Finance Lease Maturities [Abstract]
2020	76.2
2021	60.3
2022	47.4
2023	28
2024	16.9
2025 and After	31
Total lease payments	259.8
Gross Residual Value of Finance Leases	$ 4.1

Leases - Maturity Schedule unde

Leases - Maturity Schedule under ASC 840 (Details) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2018USD ($)
Operating Leases
2019	$ 54.9
2020	40.4
2021	30
2022	24.6
2023	16.3
2024 and After	30
Total lease payments	196.2
Capital Leases
2019	21.7
2020	12.3
2021	9.3
2022	7.6
2023	2.8
2024 and After	1.1
Total lease payments	54.8
Total
2019	76.6
2020	52.7
2021	39.3
2022	32.2
2023	19.1
2024 and After	31.1
Total lease payments	$ 251

Leases - Additional Lease Infor

Leases - Additional Lease Information (Details) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)
Lessor Disclosure [Abstract]
Operating Lease, Weighted Average Remaining Lease Term	5 years
Finance Lease, Weighted Average Remaining Lease Term	4 years
Lease, Cost [Abstract]
Operating Lease, Weighted Average Discount Rate, Percent	4.95%
Finance Lease, Weighted Average Discount Rate, Percent	4.33%
Supplemental Cash Flow Information [Abstract]
Operating Lease, Payments	$ 59.2
Finance Lease, Interest Payment on Liability	2.7
Finance Lease, Principal Payments	$ 20.7

Segments - Company's Segment In

Segments - Company's Segment Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Sep. 30, 2019	Jun. 30, 2019	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales	$ 2,155	$ 2,387.3	$ 2,584.6	$ 2,160	$ 1,971.2	$ 2,130.7	$ 2,372.6	$ 2,158	$ 9,286.9	$ 8,632.5	$ 8,253.7
Adjusted EBITDA									704.2	640.4	593.8
Long-Lived Assets	1,309.7				955.8				$ 1,309.7	955.8	1,003
Percent of labor force covered by collective bargaining agreement									22.00%
Percent of labor force subject to collective bargaining agreement expiring within one year.									3.00%
Inter-segment
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales									$ (109.7)	(140.1)	(136)
Adjusted EBITDA									(30.1)	(25.2)	(28.2)
Long-Lived Assets	38.7				30				38.7	30	27.7
USA
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales									5,828.5	4,961	4,657.1
USA | Inter-segment
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales									100.2	126.6	121.9
USA | Operating Segments
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales									5,928.7	5,087.6	4,779
Adjusted EBITDA									454.7	376.4	350
Long-Lived Assets	853.6				597.6				853.6	597.6	636.1
Canada
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales									1,217.8	1,302.3	1,371.5
Canada | Inter-segment
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales									6.2	9.3	9.1
Canada | Operating Segments
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales									1,224	1,311.6	1,380.6
Adjusted EBITDA									100.2	104.7	114.1
Long-Lived Assets	197.3				141.3				197.3	141.3	147.7
EMEA
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales									1,785.5	1,975.7	1,821.2
EMEA | Inter-segment
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales									3.3	4	4.5
EMEA | Operating Segments
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales									1,788.8	1,979.7	1,825.7
Adjusted EBITDA									143.3	151.2	129.2
Long-Lived Assets	185.4				156.7				185.4	156.7	158
LATAM
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales									455.1	393.5	403.9
LATAM | Inter-segment
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales									0	0.2	0.5
LATAM | Operating Segments
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales									455.1	393.7	404.4
Adjusted EBITDA									36.1	33.3	28.7
Long-Lived Assets	$ 34.7				$ 30.2				$ 34.7	$ 30.2	$ 33.5

Segments - Reconciliation of Ne

Segments - Reconciliation of Net Income (Loss) to Adjusted EBITDA (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended								10 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Sep. 30, 2019	Jun. 30, 2019	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Net (loss) income	$ (55.1)	$ 2.5	$ 16.3	$ (63.9)	$ 1.2	$ 49.6	$ 56.1	$ 65.4		$ (100.2)	$ 172.3	$ 119.8
Net income from discontinued operations										5.4	0	0
Depreciation										155	125.2	135
Amortization										59.7	54.3	65.4
Interest expense										(139.5)	(132.4)	(148)
Income tax expense										104.5	49.9	49
Other operating expenses, net										298.2	73.5	55.4
Other expense, net										(70.5)	(32.7)	(17.4)
Impairment charges										7	0	0
Gain on sale of business										41.4	0	0
Loss on extinguishment of debt										(19.8)	(0.1)	(3.8)
Brazil VAT recovery										8.3
Inventory step-up adjustment									$ 1.2	5.3	0	0
Adjusted EBITDA										$ 704.2	$ 640.4	$ 593.8

Quarterly financial informati_3

Quarterly financial information (unaudited) (Detail) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Millions, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Sep. 30, 2019	Jun. 30, 2019	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]
Net sales	$ 2,155	$ 2,387.3	$ 2,584.6	$ 2,160	$ 1,971.2	$ 2,130.7	$ 2,372.6	$ 2,158	$ 9,286.9	$ 8,632.5	$ 8,253.7
Operating (loss) income	72.6	88	79	(52.3)	62.5	99.6	117.4	107.9	187.3	387.4	338
Net (loss) income from continuing operations	(55.1)	2.5	17	(70)					(105.6)	172.3	119.8
Net income from discontinued operations	0	0	(0.7)	6.1					5.4	0	0
Net (loss) income	$ (55.1)	$ 2.5	$ 16.3	$ (63.9)	$ 1.2	$ 49.6	$ 56.1	$ 65.4	$ (100.2)	$ 172.3	$ 119.8
(Loss) income per common share:
Basic and diluted from continuing operations (in usd per share)	$ (0.33)	$ 0.01	$ 0.10	$ (0.47)
Basic and diluted from discontinued operations (in usd per share)	0	0	0	0.04
Basic and diluted (loss) income per common share (in usd per share)	$ (0.33)	$ 0.01	$ 0.10	$ (0.43)	$ 0.01	$ 0.35	$ 0.40	$ 0.46
Shares used in computation of (loss) income per share:
Basic (in shares)	168.6	168.6	169.8	149.2	141.4	141.2	141.1	140.9	164.1	141.2	140.2
Diluted (in shares)	168.6	169.5	170.7	149.2	142.2	142.3	142	142	164.1	142.2	141.4
Pension mark to market loss	$ 50.4				$ 34.2				$ 50.4	$ 34.2	$ 3.8

Subsequent events (Details)

Subsequent events (Details) $ in Millions	Jan. 07, 2020USD ($)
Subsequent Event | Term B-3 Loan Due 2024
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Early Repayment of Senior Debt	$ 174

SEC Schedule, Article 12-09, _2

SEC Schedule, Article 12-09, Valuation and Qualifying Accounts (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
SEC Schedule, 12-09, Movement in Valuation Allowances and Reserves [Roll Forward]
Balance at beginning of period	$ 106.3	$ 117.2	$ 167.9
Charged to costs and other expenses	4.9	21.4	30.6
Charged to other accounts	0.1	(1.5)	6.7
Deductions	23.8	30.8	88
Balance at end of period	$ 87.5	$ 106.3	$ 117.2

Uncategorized Items - unvr-2019

Label	Element	Value
Additional Paid-in Capital [Member]
Cumulative Effect of New Accounting Principle in Period of Adoption	us-gaap_CumulativeEffectOfNewAccountingPrincipleInPeriodOfAdoption	$ 700,000	[1]
Accounting Standards Update 2016-09 [Member]
Cumulative Effect of New Accounting Principal in Period Of Adoption, Tax	unvr_CumulativeEffectOfNewAccountingPrincipalInPeriodOfAdoptionTax	200,000
Accounting Standards Update 2014-09 [Member]
Cumulative Effect of New Accounting Principal in Period Of Adoption, Tax	unvr_CumulativeEffectOfNewAccountingPrincipalInPeriodOfAdoptionTax	$ (300,000)
[1]	Adjusted due to the adoption of ASU 2016-09 “Improvement to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting” on January 1, 2017