Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies | BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES Basis of Presentation The condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) instructions to Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and include all of the information and disclosures required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”) for interim financial reporting. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the condensed consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual amounts could differ from those estimates. The Company’s fiscal year begins on November 1 and ends on October 31 of the following year. Any references to the year 2018 or 2017 , or to any quarter of those years, relates to the fiscal year or quarter, as the case may be, ended in that year. The information filed herein reflects all adjustments that are, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair presentation of the condensed consolidated balance sheets as of January 31, 2018 and October 31, 2017 , the condensed consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income for the three months ended January 31, 2018 and 2017 and the condensed consolidated statements of cash flows for the three months ended January 31, 2018 and 2017 of Greif, Inc. and its subsidiaries (the “Company”). The condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Greif, Inc., all wholly-owned and consolidated subsidiaries and investments in limited liability companies, partnerships and joint ventures in which it has controlling influence or is the primary beneficiary. Non-majority owned entities include investments in limited liability companies, partnerships and joint ventures in which the Company does not have controlling influence and are accounted for using either the equity or cost method, as appropriate. The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included in the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (this “Form 10-Q”) should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for its fiscal year ended October 31, 2017 (the “ 2017 Form 10-K”). Newly Adopted Accounting Standards In March 2017, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2017-07, "Compensation - Retirement Benefits (Topic 715)," which provides additional guidance in Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") 715 for the presentation of net periodic benefit cost in the income statement and on the components eligible for capitalization in assets. This ASU requires the reporting of the service cost component to be in the same line item as other compensation costs arising from services rendered by the pertinent employees. Also, the other components of net benefit cost are required to be presented in the income statement separately from the service cost component and outside a subtotal of income from operations. This update also allows only the service cost component to be eligible for capitalization when applicable. The update is effective for the Company on November 1, 2018 using a retrospective approach for the presentation of the service cost component and the other components of net periodic pension cost and net periodic post-retirement benefit cost in the income statement and prospectively, on and after the effective date, for the capitalization of the service cost component of net periodic pension cost and net periodic post-retirement benefit in assets. The Company early adopted ASU 2017-07 on November 1, 2017 using a retrospective approach for each period presented. The impact of adoption for the period ended January 31, 2018 was $1.8 million of net periodic benefit costs, other than the service cost components, being recorded in the line item "Other expense, net" in the condensed consolidated statements of income. For the period ended January 31, 2017, $23.5 million of pension settlement charge previously presented within operating profit has been presented outside of operating profit in the condensed consolidated statement of income due to the retrospective adoption of this ASU. The adoption did not have a material impact on the Company's financial position, results of operations, comprehensive income, cash flows or disclosures other than the impact discussed above. In August 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-12, "Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815)," which amends the accounting and disclosure requirements in ASC 815, "Derivatives and Hedging." The objective of this ASU is to improve transparency and reduce the complexity of hedge accounting. This ASU eliminates the separate recognition of periodic hedge ineffectiveness for cash flow and net investment hedges. The update is effective for the Company on November 1, 2019 using a modified retrospective approach and early adoption is permitted. The Company early adopted ASU 2017-12 on November 1, 2017 using a modified retrospective approach, which resulted in a reclassification of $0.6 million loss out of “Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax” and into “Retained Earnings” related to elimination of the cumulative ineffectiveness of cash flow hedges at the adoption date. The adoption did not have a material impact on the Company's financial position, results of operations, comprehensive income, cash flows or disclosures other than the impact discussed above. Recently Issued Accounting Standards In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606),” which supersedes the revenue recognition requirements in ASC 605, Revenue Recognition. This ASU is based on the principle that revenue is recognized to depict the transfer of goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The ASU also requires additional disclosure about the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from customer contracts, including significant judgments and changes in judgments and assets recognized from costs incurred to obtain or fulfill a contract. The update is effective for the Company on November 1, 2018 using one of two retrospective application methods. The Company is in the process of determining the potential impact of adopting the new revenue standards including conducting internal training sessions and reviewing global revenue surveys and key revenue contracts. The Company anticipates that the impact of adoption will be limited to expanded disclosures with no material impact on its financial position, results of operations, comprehensive income or cash flows. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, "Leases (Topic 842)," which amends the lease accounting and disclosure requirements in ASC 840, "Leases". The objective of this update is to increase transparency and comparability among organizations recognizing lease assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet and disclosing key information about lease arrangements. This ASU will require the recognition of lease assets and lease liabilities for those leases classified as operating leases under previous GAAP. The update is effective for the Company on November 1, 2019 using a modified retrospective approach. The Company is in the process of determining the potential impact of adopting this guidance on its financial position, results of operations, comprehensive income, cash flows and disclosures. In August of 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-15, "Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230)," which amends the classification of certain cash receipts and cash payments on the statement of cash flows. The update is effective for the Company on November 1, 2018 and early adoption is permitted, including any interim period. The update should be applied using a retrospective approach, excluding amendments for which retrospective application is impractical. The Company is in the process of determining the potential impact of adopting this guidance on its financial position, results of operations, comprehensive income, cash flows and disclosures. In October 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-16, "Intra-Entity Transfers of Assets Other Than Inventory (Topic 740)," which improves the accounting for income tax consequences of intra-entity transfers of assets other than inventory. The update is effective for the Company on November 1, 2018 using a modified retrospective approach and early adoption is permitted, including any interim period. The Company is in the process of determining the potential impact of adopting this guidance on its financial position, results of operations, comprehensive income, cash flows and disclosures. |