Organization and Business Background

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2024

Organization and Business Background [Abstract]

(1) Organization and Business Background

IT Tech Packaging, Inc. (the “Company”) was incorporated in the State of Nevada on December 9, 2005, under the name “Carlateral, Inc.” Through the steps described immediately below, we became the holding company for Hebei Baoding Dongfang Paper Milling Company Limited (“Dongfang Paper”), a producer and distributor of paper products in China, on October 29, 2007.

Effective on August 1, 2018, we changed our corporate name to IT Tech Packaging, Inc.. The name change was effected through a parent/subsidiary short-form merger of IT Tech Packaging, Inc., our wholly-owned Nevada subsidiary formed solely for the purpose of the name change, with and into us. We were the surviving entity. In connection with the name change, our common stock began being traded under a new NYSE symbol, “ITP,” and a new CUSIP number, 46527C100, at such time.

On June 9, 2022, the Board of Directors of the Company approved a reverse stock split of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Common Stock”), at a ratio of 1-for-10 (the “Reverse Stock Split”). The Reverse Stock Split become effective on July 7, 2022 (the “Effective Date”), and the shares began trading on the split-adjusted basis on the NYSE American under the Company’s existing trading symbol “ITP” at market open on July 8, 2022. The new CUSIP number following the Reverse Stock Split will be 46527C 209. All references made to share or per share amounts in the accompanying consolidated financial statements and applicable disclosures have been retroactively adjusted to reflect the effects of the Reverse Stock Split.

On October 29, 2007, pursuant to an agreement and plan of merger (the “Merger Agreement”), the Company acquired Dongfang Zhiye Holding Limited (“Dongfang Holding”), a corporation formed on November 13, 2006 under the laws of the British Virgin Islands, and issued the shareholders of Dongfang Holding an aggregate of 7,450,497 (as adjusted for a four-for-one reverse stock split effected in November 2009) shares of our common stock, which shares were distributed pro-rata to the shareholders of Dongfang Holding in accordance with their respective ownership interests in Dongfang Holding. At the time of the Merger Agreement, Dongfang Holding owned all of the issued and outstanding stock and ownership of Dongfang Paper and such shares of Dongfang Paper were held in trust with Zhenyong Liu, Xiaodong Liu and Shuangxi Zhao, for Mr. Liu, Mr. Liu and Mr. Zhao (the original shareholders of Dongfang Paper) to exercise control over the disposition of Dongfang Holding’s shares in Dongfang Paper on Dongfang Holding’s behalf until Dongfang Holding successfully completed the change in registration of Dongfang Paper’s capital with the relevant PRC Administration of Industry and Commerce as the 100% owner of Dongfang Paper’s shares. As a result of the merger transaction, Dongfang Holding became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, and Dongfang Holding’s wholly owned subsidiary, Dongfang Paper, became an indirectly owned subsidiary of the Company.

Dongfang Holding, as the 100% owner of Dongfang Paper, was unable to complete the registration of Dongfang Paper’s capital under its name within the proper time limits set forth under PRC law. In connection with the consummation of the restructuring transactions described below, Dongfang Holding directed the trustees to return the shares of Dongfang Paper to their original shareholders, and the original Dongfang Paper shareholders entered into certain agreements with Baoding Shengde Paper Co., Ltd. (“Baoding Shengde”) to transfer the control of Dongfang Paper over to Baoding Shengde.

On June 24, 2009, the Company consummated a number of restructuring transactions pursuant to which it acquired all of the issued and outstanding shares of Shengde Holdings Inc., a Nevada corporation. Shengde Holdings Inc. was incorporated in the State of Nevada on February 25, 2009. On June 1, 2009, Shengde Holdings Inc. incorporated Baoding Shengde, a limited liability company organized under the laws of the PRC. Because Baoding Shengde is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Shengde Holdings Inc., it is regarded as a wholly foreign-owned entity under PRC law.

To ensure proper compliance of the Company’s control over the ownership and operations of Dongfang Paper with certain PRC regulations, on June 24, 2009, the Company entered into a series of contractual agreements (the “Contractual Agreements”) with Dongfang Paper and Dongfang Paper Equity Owners via the Company’s wholly owned subsidiary Shengde Holdings Inc. (“Shengde Holdings”) a Nevada corporation and Baoding Shengde Paper Co., Ltd. (“Baoding Shengde”), a wholly foreign-owned enterprise in the PRC with an original registered capital of $10,000,000 (subsequently increased to $60,000,000 in June 2010). Baoding Shengde is mainly engaged in production and distribution of digital photo paper and single-use face masks and is 100% owned by Shengde Holdings. Prior to February 10, 2010, the Contractual Agreements included (i) Exclusive Technical Service and Business Consulting Agreement, which generally provides that Baoding Shengde shall provide exclusive technical, business and management consulting services to Dongfang Paper, in exchange for service fees including a fee equivalent to 80% of Dongfang Paper’s total annual net profits; (ii) Loan Agreement, which provides that Baoding Shengde will make a loan in the aggregate principal amount of $10,000,000 to Dongfang Paper Equity Owners in exchange for each such shareholder agreeing to contribute all of its proceeds from the loan to the registered capital of Dongfang Paper; (iii) Call Option Agreement, which generally provides, among other things, that Dongfang Paper Equity Owners irrevocably grant to Baoding Shengde an option to purchase all or part of each owner’s equity interest in Dongfang Paper. The exercise price for the options shall be RMB1 which Baoding Shengde should pay to each of Dongfang Paper Equity Owner for all their equity interests in Dongfang Paper; (iv) Share Pledge Agreement, which provides that Dongfang Paper Equity Owners will pledge all of their equity interests in Dongfang Paper to Baoding Shengde as security for their obligations under the other agreements described in this section. Specifically, Baoding Shengde is entitled to dispose of the pledged equity interests in the event that Dongfang Paper Equity Owners breach their obligations under the Loan Agreement or Dongfang Paper fails to pay the service fees to Baoding Shengde pursuant to the Exclusive Technical Service and Business Consulting Agreement; and (v) Proxy Agreement, which provides that Dongfang Paper Equity Owners shall irrevocably entrust a designee of Baoding Shengde with such shareholder’s voting rights and the right to represent such shareholder to exercise such owner’s rights at any equity owners’ meeting of Dongfang Paper or with respect to any equity owner action to be taken in accordance with the laws and Dongfang Paper’s Articles of Association. The terms of the agreement are binding on the parties for as long as Dongfang Paper Equity Owners continue to hold any equity interest in Dongfang Paper. A Dongfang Paper Equity Owner will cease to be a party to the agreement once it transfers its equity interests with the prior approval of Baoding Shengde. As the Company had controlled Dongfang Paper since July 16, 2007 through Dongfang Holding and the trust until June 24, 2009 and continued to control Dongfang Paper through Baoding Shengde and the Contractual Agreements, the execution of the Contractual Agreements is considered as a business combination under common control.

On February 10, 2010, Baoding Shengde and the Dongfang Paper Equity Owners entered into a Termination of Loan Agreement to terminate the above-mentioned $10,000,000 Loan Agreement. Because of the Company’s decision to fund future business expansions through Baoding Shengde instead of Dongfang Paper, the $10,000,000 loan contemplated was never made prior to the point of termination. The parties believe the termination of the Loan Agreement does not in itself compromise the effective control of the Company over Dongfang Paper and its businesses in the PRC.

An agreement was also entered into among Baoding Shengde, Dongfang Paper and the Dongfang Paper Equity Owners on December 31, 2010, reiterating that Baoding Shengde is entitled to 100% of the distributable profit of Dongfang Paper, pursuant to the above- mentioned Contractual Agreements. In addition, Dongfang Paper and the Dongfang Paper Equity Owners shall not declare any of Dongfang Paper’s unappropriated earnings as dividend, including the unappropriated earnings of Dongfang Paper from its establishment to 2010 and thereafter.

On June 25, 2019, Dongfang Paper entered into an acquisition agreement with the shareholder of Hebei Tengsheng Paper Co., Ltd. (“Tengsheng Paper”), a limited liability company organized under the laws of the PRC, pursuant to which Dongfang Paper will acquire Tengsheng Paper. Full payment of the consideration in the amount of RMB320 million (approximately $45 million) was made on February 23, 2022.

QianrongQianhui Hebei Technology Co., Ltd (“Qianrong”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Shengde holding, was incorporated on July 15, 2021. It is a service provider of high quality material solutions for textile, cosmetics and paper production.

The Company has no direct equity interest in Dongfang Paper. However, through the Contractual Agreements described above, the Company is found to be the primary beneficiary (the “Primary Beneficiary”) of Dongfang Paper and is deemed to have the effective control over Dongfang Paper’s activities that most significantly affect its economic performance, resulting in Dongfang Paper being treated as a controlled variable interest entity of the Company in accordance with Topic 810 - Consolidation of the Accounting Standards Codification (the “ASC”) issued by the Financial Accounting Standard Board (the “FASB”). The revenue generated from Dongfang Paper and Tengsheng Paper for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 was accounted for 100%%and 99.88% of the Company’s total revenue, respectively. Dongfang Paper and Tengsheng Paper also accounted for 96.07% and 94.93% of the total assets of the Company as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.

As of December 31, 2024, and 2023, details of the Company’s subsidiaries and variable interest entity are as follows:

	Date of	Place of	Percentage
	Incorporation	Incorporation or	of
Name	or Establishment	Establishment	Ownership	Principal Activity
Subsidiary:
Dongfang Holding	November 13, 2006	BVI	100%	Inactive investment holding
Shengde Holdings	February 25, 2009	State of Nevada	100%	Investment holding
Baoding Shengde	June 1, 2009	PRC	100%	Paper production and distribution
Qianrong	July 15, 2021	PRC	100%	New material technology service

Variable interest entity (“VIE”):
Dongfang Paper	March 10, 1996	PRC	Control*	Paper production and distribution
Tengsheng Paper	April 07, 2011	PRC	Control**	Paper production and distribution

*	Dongfang Paper is treated as a 100% controlled variable interest entity of the Company.

**	Tengsheng Paper is 100% subsidiary of Dongfang Paper.

However, uncertainties in the PRC legal system could cause the Company’s current ownership structure to be found to be in violation of any existing and/or future PRC laws or regulations and could limit the Company’s ability, through its subsidiary, to enforce its rights under these contractual arrangements. Furthermore, shareholders of the VIE may have interests that are different than those of the Company, which could potentially increase the risk that they would seek to act contrary to the terms of the aforementioned agreements.

In addition, if the current structure or any of the contractual arrangements were found to be in violation of any existing or future PRC law, the Company may be subject to penalties, which may include, but not be limited to, the cancellation or revocation of the Company’s business and operating licenses, being required to restructure the Company’s operations or being required to discontinue the Company’s operating activities. The imposition of any of these or other penalties may result in a material and adverse effect on the Company’s ability to conduct its operations. In such case, the Company may not be able to operate or control the VIE, which may result in deconsolidation of the VIE. The Company believes the possibility that it will no longer be able to control and consolidate its VIE will occur as a result of the aforementioned risks and uncertainties is remote.

The Company has aggregated the financial information of Dongfang Paper in the table below. The aggregate carrying value of Dongfang Paper’s assets and liabilities (after elimination of intercompany transactions and balances) in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2024, and 2023 are as follows:

	December 31,		December 31,
	2024		2023
ASSETS
Current Assets
Cash and bank balances	$	5,850,910	$	2,807,608
Restricted cash		1,034,203		472,983
Accounts receivable		287,576		575,526
Inventories		2,351,876		3,555,235
Prepayments and other current assets		17,922,229		18,617,351
Due from related parties		-		289,173
Total current assets		27,446,794		26,317,876

Operating lease right-of-use assets, net		421,868		528,648
Property, plant, and equipment, net		142,702,663		158,027,099
Deferred tax asset non-current		-		-
Total Assets	$	170,571,325	$	184,873,623

LIABILITIES

Current Liabilities
Short-term bank loans	$	-	$	-
Current portion of long-term loans		3,559,902		2,780,014
Lease liability		245,604		100,484
Accounts payable		-		4,991
Advance from customers		11,773		136,167
Due to related parties		26,244		-
Accrued payroll and employee benefits		172,239		231,568
Other payables and accrued liabilities		11,536,047		11,843,973
Income taxes payable		80,905		-
Total current liabilities		15,632,714		15,097,197

Long-term loans		1,112,904		4,503,932
Lease liability - non-current		231,147		483,866
Total liabilities	$	16,976,765	$	20,084,995

The Company and its consolidated subsidiaries are not required to provide financial support to the VIE, and no creditor (or beneficial interest holders) of the VIE have recourse to the assets of Company unless the Company separately agrees to be subject to such claims. There are no terms in any agreements or arrangements, implicit or explicit, which require the Company or its subsidiaries to provide financial support to the VIE. However, if the VIE does require financial support, the Company or its subsidiaries may, at its option and subject to statutory limits and restrictions, provide financial support to the VIE.

IT TECH PACKAGING, INC. 10-K