<SEC-DOCUMENT>0001628280-21-011171.txt : 20210527
<SEC-HEADER>0001628280-21-011171.hdr.sgml : 20210527
<ACCEPTANCE-DATETIME>20210527130245
ACCESSION NUMBER:		0001628280-21-011171
CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE:	SD
PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT:		2
<RULE>
<RULE-NAME>13p-1
<ITEM>
<ITEM-NUMBER>1.01
<ITEM-PERIOD>20201231
</ITEM>
<ITEM>
<ITEM-NUMBER>1.02
<ITEM-PERIOD>20201231
</ITEM>
</RULE>
FILED AS OF DATE:		20210527
DATE AS OF CHANGE:		20210527

FILER:

	COMPANY DATA:	
		COMPANY CONFORMED NAME:			LINDE PLC
		CENTRAL INDEX KEY:			0001707925
		STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION:	INDUSTRIAL INORGANIC CHEMICALS [2810]
		IRS NUMBER:				000000000
		STATE OF INCORPORATION:			L2
		FISCAL YEAR END:			1231

	FILING VALUES:
		FORM TYPE:		SD
		SEC ACT:		1934 Act
		SEC FILE NUMBER:	001-38730
		FILM NUMBER:		21970721

	BUSINESS ADDRESS:	
		STREET 1:		THE PRIESTLEY CENTRE, 10 PRIESTLEY RD
		CITY:			GUILDFORD
		STATE:			X0
		ZIP:			GU27XY
		BUSINESS PHONE:		00441483242200

	MAIL ADDRESS:	
		STREET 1:		THE PRIESTLEY CENTRE, 10 PRIESTLEY RD
		CITY:			GUILDFORD
		STATE:			X0
		ZIP:			GU27XY

	FORMER COMPANY:	
		FORMER CONFORMED NAME:	ZAMALIGHT PLC
		DATE OF NAME CHANGE:	20170622

	FORMER COMPANY:	
		FORMER CONFORMED NAME:	PRAXAIR
		DATE OF NAME CHANGE:	20170614

	FORMER COMPANY:	
		FORMER CONFORMED NAME:	ZAMALIGHT PLC
		DATE OF NAME CHANGE:	20170530
</SEC-HEADER>
<DOCUMENT>
<TYPE>SD
<SEQUENCE>1
<FILENAME>linde2020formsd.htm
<DESCRIPTION>SD
<TEXT>
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd"><html><head>
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<title>Document</title></head><body><div id="i55221b3accc840a6bc5273e944df6b72_1"></div><div style="min-height:42.75pt;width:100%"><div><font><br></font></div></div><div style="text-align:center"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%">UNITED STATES</font></div><div style="text-align:center"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%">SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION</font></div><div style="text-align:center"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%">Washington, D.C. 20549</font></div><div style="text-align:center"><font><br></font></div><div style="text-align:center"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%">___________________________________</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">&#160;</font></div><div style="text-align:center"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:14pt;font-weight:700;line-height:174%">FORM SD</font></div><div style="text-align:center"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:14pt;font-weight:700;line-height:174%">Specialized Disclosure Report</font></div><div style="text-align:center"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%">___________________________________</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">&#160;</font></div><div style="text-align:center"><font><br></font></div><div style="text-align:center"><font><br></font></div><div style="margin-bottom:5pt;margin-top:5pt;text-align:center"><table style="border-collapse:collapse;display:inline-table;vertical-align:top;width:267.00pt"><tr><td style="width:1.0pt"></td><td style="width:265.00pt"></td><td style="width:1.0pt"></td></tr><tr style="height:27pt"><td colspan="3" style="padding:2px 1pt;text-align:center;vertical-align:bottom"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:25pt;font-weight:700;line-height:100%">LINDE PLC</font></td></tr><tr style="height:14pt"><td colspan="3" style="border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:center;vertical-align:bottom"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)</font></td></tr></table></div><div style="text-align:center"><font><br></font></div><div style="text-align:center"><font><br></font></div><div style="margin-bottom:5pt;margin-top:5pt;text-align:center"><table style="border-collapse:collapse;display:inline-table;vertical-align:top;width:477.00pt"><tr><td style="width:1.0pt"></td><td style="width:157.00pt"></td><td style="width:1.0pt"></td><td style="width:1.0pt"></td><td style="width:157.00pt"></td><td style="width:1.0pt"></td><td style="width:1.0pt"></td><td style="width:157.00pt"></td><td style="width:1.0pt"></td></tr><tr style="height:14pt"><td colspan="3" style="padding:2px 1pt;text-align:center;vertical-align:bottom"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:100%">Ireland</font></td><td colspan="3" style="padding:2px 1pt;text-align:center;vertical-align:bottom"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:100%">&#160;001-38730</font></td><td colspan="3" style="padding:2px 1pt;text-align:center;vertical-align:bottom"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:100%">98-1448883</font></td></tr><tr style="height:26pt"><td colspan="3" style="border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:center;vertical-align:bottom"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)</font></td><td colspan="3" style="border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:center;vertical-align:bottom"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">(Commission File Number)</font></td><td colspan="3" style="border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:center;vertical-align:bottom"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">(IRS Employer Identification No.)</font></td></tr></table></div><div style="margin-bottom:5pt;margin-top:5pt;text-align:center"><table style="border-collapse:collapse;display:inline-table;vertical-align:top;width:477.00pt"><tr><td style="width:1.0pt"></td><td style="width:157.00pt"></td><td style="width:1.0pt"></td><td style="width:1.0pt"></td><td style="width:157.00pt"></td><td style="width:1.0pt"></td><td style="width:1.0pt"></td><td style="width:157.00pt"></td><td style="width:1.0pt"></td></tr><tr style="height:59pt"><td colspan="3" style="padding:0 1pt"></td><td colspan="3" style="padding:2px 1pt;text-align:center;vertical-align:bottom"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">The Priestley Centre                                                                           10 Priestley Road,                                                                        Surrey Research Park,                                                           Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XY                                                                  United Kingdom</font></td><td colspan="3" style="padding:0 1pt"></td></tr><tr style="height:24pt"><td colspan="3" style="padding:0 1pt"></td><td colspan="3" style="border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:center;vertical-align:bottom"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">(Address of principal executive offices)</font></td><td colspan="3" style="padding:0 1pt"></td></tr></table></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div style="margin-bottom:5pt;margin-top:5pt;text-align:center"><table style="border-collapse:collapse;display:inline-table;vertical-align:top;width:477.00pt"><tr><td style="width:1.0pt"></td><td style="width:475.00pt"></td><td style="width:1.0pt"></td></tr><tr style="height:14pt"><td colspan="3" style="padding:2px 1pt;text-align:center;vertical-align:bottom"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:100%">Kelcey E. Hoyt (203) 837-2000</font></td></tr><tr style="height:14pt"><td colspan="3" style="border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:center;vertical-align:bottom"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">(Name and telephone number, including area code, of the person to contact in connection with this report.)</font></td></tr></table></div><div style="margin-bottom:36pt;text-align:center"><font><br></font></div><div style="text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Check the appropriate box to indicate the rule pursuant to which this form is being filed, and provide the period to which the information in this form applies&#58;</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div style="margin-bottom:48pt;text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Wingdings',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">&#254;</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">&#160;&#160; Rule 13p-1 under the Securities Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13p-1) for the reporting period from January 1 to December 31, 2020.</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:5pt;margin-top:5pt;text-align:center"><table style="border-collapse:collapse;display:inline-table;vertical-align:top;width:512.25pt"><tr><td style="width:1.0pt"></td><td style="width:510.25pt"></td><td style="width:1.0pt"></td></tr><tr style="height:3pt"><td colspan="3" style="border-bottom:3pt double #000000;padding:0 1pt"></td></tr></table></div><div><font><br></font></div><div style="height:42.75pt;position:relative;width:100%"><div style="bottom:0;position:absolute;width:100%"><div><font><br></font></div></div></div><div id="i55221b3accc840a6bc5273e944df6b72_4"></div><hr style="page-break-after:always"><div style="min-height:42.75pt;width:100%"><div><font><br></font></div></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%">Section 1 - Conflict Minerals Disclosure</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%">Item 1.01 Conflict Minerals Disclosure and Report</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%">Conflict Minerals Disclosure</font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Linde plc (&#8220;Linde&#8221; or &#8220;the Company&#8221;) is filing a Conflict Minerals Report as Exhibit 1.01 to this Specialized Disclosure Form (Form SD), because, as further described in the Conflict Minerals Report, certain products manufactured by Linde (or its consolidated subsidiaries) are required to be reported for the year ended on December 31, 2020. Refer to Exhibit 1.01, Conflict Minerals Report, for a description of Linde's reasonable country of origin inquiry, due diligence process and the results, which report is incorporated into this Item 1.01 by reference.</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Linde is hereby filing this Form SD, including the Conflict Minerals Report, and has also posted those documents to Linde's website at </font><font style="color:#0000ff;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%;text-decoration:underline">www.linde.com.</font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Certain statements in this Form SD and the Conflict Minerals Report filed as Exhibit 1.02 may contain &#8220;forward-looking statements&#8221; within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are identified by terms and phrases such as&#58; anticipate, believe, intend, estimate, expect, continue, should, could, may, plan, project, predict, will, potential, forecast, and similar expressions. They are based on management&#8217;s reasonable expectations and assumptions as of the date the statements are made but involve risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation&#58; the performance of stock markets generally&#59; developments in worldwide and national economies and other international events and circumstances, including trade conflicts and tariffs&#59; changes in foreign currencies and in interest rates&#59; the cost and availability of electric power, natural gas and other raw materials&#59; the ability to achieve price increases to offset cost increases&#59; catastrophic events including natural disasters, epidemics, pandemics such as COVID-19, and acts of war and terrorism&#59; the ability to attract, hire, and retain qualified personnel&#59; the impact of changes in financial accounting standards&#59; the impact of changes in pension plan liabilities&#59; the impact of tax, environmental, healthcare and other legislation and government regulation in jurisdictions in which the company operates&#59; the cost and outcomes of investigations, litigation and regulatory proceedings&#59; the impact of potential unusual or non-recurring items&#59; continued timely development and market acceptance of new products and applications&#59; the impact of competitive products and pricing&#59; future financial and operating performance of major customers and industries served&#59; the impact of information technology system failures, network disruptions and breaches in data security&#59; and the effectiveness and speed of integrating new acquisitions into the business. These risks and uncertainties may cause actual future results or circumstances to differ materially from accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, International Financial Reporting Standards or adjusted projections, estimates or other forward-looking statements. </font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Linde plc assumes no obligation to update or provide revisions to any forward-looking statement in response to changing circumstances. The above listed risks and uncertainties are further described in Item 1A Risk Factors in Linde plc's Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 filed with the SEC on March 1, 2021. Please consider Linde plc&#8217;s forward-looking statements in light of those risks.</font></div><div style="text-align:justify"><font><br></font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%">Item 1.02 Exhibit</font></div><div><font style="color:#212529;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">The Company has filed, as an exhibit to this Form SD, the Conflict Minerals Report required by Item&#160;1.01.</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%">Section 2 - Exhibits</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%">Item 2.01 Exhibits</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:13.2pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">The following exhibit is filed as part of this report&#58;</font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Exhibit 1.01 - Conflict Minerals Report as required by Items 1.01 and 1.02 of this Form.</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:13.2pt"><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div style="margin-bottom:6pt;text-align:center"><font><br></font></div><div style="margin-bottom:6pt;text-align:center"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%">SIGNATURES</font></div><div style="height:42.75pt;position:relative;width:100%"><div style="bottom:0;position:absolute;width:100%"><div><font><br></font></div></div></div><hr style="page-break-after:always"><div style="min-height:42.75pt;width:100%"><div><font><br></font></div></div><div style="margin-bottom:6pt;text-align:right"><font><br></font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:5pt;margin-top:5pt;text-align:center"><table style="border-collapse:collapse;display:inline-table;vertical-align:top;width:512.25pt"><tr><td style="width:1.0pt"></td><td style="width:33.25pt"></td><td style="width:1.0pt"></td><td style="width:1.0pt"></td><td style="width:211.00pt"></td><td style="width:1.0pt"></td><td style="width:1.0pt"></td><td style="width:13.00pt"></td><td style="width:1.0pt"></td><td style="width:1.0pt"></td><td style="width:247.00pt"></td><td style="width:1.0pt"></td></tr><tr style="height:14pt"><td colspan="3" style="padding:0 1pt"></td><td colspan="3" style="padding:2px 1pt;text-align:left;vertical-align:bottom"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">Linde plc</font></td><td colspan="3" style="padding:0 1pt"></td><td colspan="3" style="padding:0 1pt"></td></tr><tr style="height:14pt"><td colspan="3" style="padding:0 1pt"></td><td colspan="3" style="padding:2px 1pt;text-align:left;vertical-align:bottom"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">(Registrant)</font></td><td colspan="3" style="padding:0 1pt"></td><td colspan="3" style="padding:0 1pt"></td></tr><tr style="height:14pt"><td colspan="3" style="padding:2px 1pt;text-align:center;vertical-align:bottom"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">By&#58;&#160;</font></td><td colspan="3" style="padding:2px 1pt;text-align:center;vertical-align:bottom"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">&#47;s&#47; Kelcey E. Hoyt</font></td><td colspan="3" style="padding:0 1pt"></td><td colspan="3" style="padding:2px 1pt;text-align:left;vertical-align:bottom"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">Date&#58;    May 27, 2021</font></td></tr><tr style="height:29pt"><td colspan="3" style="padding:0 1pt"></td><td colspan="3" style="border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:left;vertical-align:bottom"><div style="text-align:center"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:100%">Kelcey E. Hoyt</font></div><div style="text-align:center"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-style:italic;font-weight:700;line-height:100%">Chief Accounting Officer</font></div></td><td colspan="3" style="padding:0 1pt"></td><td colspan="3" style="padding:0 1pt"></td></tr></table></div><div><font><br></font></div><div style="height:42.75pt;position:relative;width:100%"><div style="bottom:0;position:absolute;width:100%"><div><font><br></font></div></div></div></body></html>
</TEXT>
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<DOCUMENT>
<TYPE>EX-1.01
<SEQUENCE>2
<FILENAME>a123120exhibit101.htm
<DESCRIPTION>EX-1.01
<TEXT>
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd"><html><head>
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<!-- Copyright 2021 Workiva -->
<title>Document</title></head><body><div id="i7866de1f7fa84cfdb046cfbb36a0f546_1"></div><div style="min-height:42.75pt;width:100%"><div><font><br></font></div></div><div style="margin-top:5pt;text-align:right"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-style:italic;font-weight:700;line-height:120%">Linde plc </font></div><div style="margin-bottom:5pt;margin-top:5pt;text-align:center"><table style="border-collapse:collapse;display:inline-table;vertical-align:top;width:512.25pt"><tr><td style="width:1.0pt"></td><td style="width:510.25pt"></td><td style="width:1.0pt"></td></tr><tr style="height:3pt"><td colspan="3" style="border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:0 1pt"></td></tr></table></div><div style="margin-bottom:5pt;text-align:right"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%">EXHIBIT 1.01</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt;text-align:right"><font><br></font></div><div style="text-align:center"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%">Linde plc</font></div><div style="text-align:center"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%">Conflict Minerals Report</font></div><div style="text-align:center"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%">For The Year Ended December 31, 2020</font></div><div style="text-align:center"><font><br></font></div><div style="margin-bottom:13.2pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Linde plc (together with its consolidated subsidiaries, &#8220;Linde&#8221;, &#8220;Company&#8221;, &#8220;we&#8221; or &#8220;our&#8221;) is filing this Conflict Minerals Report (&#8220;CMR&#8221;) pursuant to Rule 13p-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.  This CMR is also available on Linde's website at www.linde.com.</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:13.2pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">In August 2012, the Securities and Exchange Commission (&#8220;SEC&#8221;) approved final rules to implement the requirements of Section 1502 (&#8220;Conflict Minerals Provision&#8221;) of the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (&#8220;Dodd-Frank Act&#8221;). The Conflict Minerals Provision of the Dodd-Frank Act imposes certain reporting obligations on SEC registrants who manufacture or contract to manufacture products that contain &#8220;conflict minerals&#8221; which are necessary to the functionality or production of those products (&#8220;necessary conflict minerals&#8221;). Conflict minerals are generally defined under the Conflict Minerals Provision as tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold (commonly referred to as &#8220;3TG&#8221;).</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:13.2pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">If a registrant can establish that its necessary conflict minerals originated from sources other than the Democratic Republic of the Congo (&#8220;DRC&#8221;) or an adjoining country (collectively the &#8220;Covered Country(ies)&#8221;), or from recycled or scrap sources, registrants are required to submit only a Form SD which describes the reasonable country of origin inquiry (&#8220;RCOI&#8221;) completed. The term &#8220;adjoining country&#8221; is defined to include Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:13.2pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Further, if a registrant has reason to believe that any of the necessary conflict minerals may have originated in the Covered Countries and did not come from recycled or scrap sources, or if it is unable to determine the country of origin of those conflict minerals, then the registrant must exercise due diligence on the source and chain of custody of its conflict minerals. In this case, the registrant must also annually submit a CMR to the SEC that includes a description of those due diligence measures, unless as a result of the due diligence, the registrant determines its conflict materials did not originate in the Covered Countries or did come from recycled or scrap sources.</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:13.2pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">On April 14, 2014, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (&#8220;D.C. Circuit Court&#8221;) issued a decision holding it unconstitutional for issuers to be required to disclose whether their products are &#8220;DRC conflict free&#8221; or not having been found to be &#8220;DRC conflict free&#8221; because it would compel speech in violation of the First Amendment.  On August 18, 2015, the D.C. Circuit Court upheld its prior 2014 decision and remanded the case back to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (&#8220;U.S. District Court&#8221;) for further proceedings.   </font></div><div style="margin-bottom:13.2pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">In light of the D.C. Circuit Court decisions, the SEC has issued a statement that a registrant is not required to disclose their conflict minerals status.  If a registrant voluntarily elects to describe any of its products as &#8220;DRC conflict free&#8221; in its CMR, it would be permitted to do so, provided it has obtained an independent private sector audit (&#8220;IPSA&#8221;).</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:13.2pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">On April 3, 2017, the U.S. District Court issued its final judgment holding the requirement to disclose whether a company&#8217;s products are &#8220;DRC conflict free&#8221; or not having been found to be &#8220;DRC conflict free&#8221; a violation of free speech under the First Amendment, thereby invalidating this disclosure portion of the rules.  The U.S. District Court has remanded to the SEC to take appropriate action in furtherance of the U.S. District Court&#8217;s decision.  To date, the SEC has not yet issued any definitive guidance that would modify the remaining requirements under Form SD or updated its previous statement regarding conflict mineral status.</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%">1.</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%;padding-left:28.5pt;text-decoration:underline">Business and Product Overview</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:6.6pt;text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Linde plc was formed in connection with the business combination between Praxair, Inc. (&#8220;Praxair&#8221;) and Linde Aktiengesellschaft (&#8220;Linde AG&#8221;), which was completed effective October 31, 2018.  Praxair was determined to be the accounting acquirer in the business combination. Accordingly, the historical financial statements of Praxair for the periods prior to the business combination are considered to be the historical financial statements of the Company. The results of Linde AG are included in Linde consolidated results from the date of the completion of the business combination forward. </font></div><div style="height:42.75pt;position:relative;width:100%"><div style="bottom:0;position:absolute;width:100%"><div><font><br></font></div></div></div><hr style="page-break-after:always"><div style="min-height:42.75pt;width:100%"><div><font><br></font></div></div><div style="margin-bottom:6.6pt;text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">The Company has applied the phase-in reporting exemption with respect to Linde AG.  This exemption allows an issuer that obtains control over a company which manufactures or contracts for the manufacturing of products with necessary conflict minerals that did not previously have a specialized disclosure reporting obligation for those minerals to delay reporting on the acquired company&#8217;s products until the end of the first reporting calendar year that begins no sooner than eight months after the effective date of the acquisition. Therefore, the 2020 conflict minerals report applies RCOI due diligence measures to all consolidated Linde sales, and no exclusions have been applied to the acquired business.</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:6.6pt;text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Linde serves a diverse group of industries including healthcare, petroleum refining, manufacturing, food, beverage carbonation, fiber-optics, steel making, aerospace, chemicals, electronics and water treatment. Approximately 83% of Linde's 2020 consolidated sales are generated from industrial gases and other related products in three geographic segments (Americas, EMEA, APAC), and the remaining 17% of sales are related to the Engineering segment and Other.</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-style:italic;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Industrial Gases&#58;</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">  Linde's primary industrial gases products are atmospheric gases (oxygen, nitrogen, argon, and rare gases) and process gases (carbon dioxide, helium, hydrogen, semiconductor process gases, and acetylene). There are no conflict minerals included in these products. Linde also distributes hardgoods and welding equipment purchased from independent manufacturers for resale. Resale products are not within the scope of the Conflict Minerals Provision. However, Linde sells certain equipment related to its gases business where it has influence or control over the manufacturing or assembly process where tin and&#47;or gold may be present in component parts used in the production of equipment. These products that either contain or may contain necessary conflict minerals represent less than 1% of Linde's 2020 consolidated sales.</font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-style:italic;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">Engineering&#58;</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%"> Linde&#8217;s Engineering business has a global presence, with its focus on market segments such as olefin, natural gas, air separation, hydrogen and synthesis gas plants. The company utilizes its extensive process engineering know-how in the planning, design and construction of highly efficient turnkey plants for the production and processing of gases. With its state-of-the-art sustainable technologies Engineering helps customers avoid, capture and utilize CO2 emissions. Its technology portfolio covers the entire value chain for production, liquefaction, storage, distribution and application of hydrogen which supports the transition to clean energy. Its digital services and solutions increase plant efficiency and performance. The Engineering business either supplies plant components directly to the customer or to the industrial gas business of Linde which operates the plants under a long-term gases supply contract. The plants and plant components Linde supplies directly to customer may contain tantalum, tin, tungsten and&#47;or gold where necessary.  Linde's Engineering 2020 sales are less than 11% of the Company's 2020 consolidated sales, and the components that either contain or may contain necessary conflict minerals represent approximately 30% of total component cost of Engineering's sales.</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-style:italic;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">Other Sales&#58;</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">&#160;Linde&#8217;s sputtering targets are used by certain customers in the production of semiconductors and the</font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:115%">surface technologies business supplies wear-resistant and high-temperature corrosion-resistant metallic and ceramic coatings and powders. Linde has determined that such products and certain coating processes use materials that either contain or may contain tantalum, tin, tungsten and&#47;or gold. Approximately 3% of  consolidated Linde sales relate to the sputtering targets and surface technologies businesses.</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">In summary, Linde has determined that approximately 15% of its 2020 consolidated sales relate to products that Linde manufactures or contracts to manufacture that may contain necessary conflict minerals.</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Refer to our 2020 Annual Report on Form 10-K, Part I, Item 1 Business for further details about the Company&#8217;s business.</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%">2.</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%;padding-left:28.5pt;text-decoration:underline">Country of Origin Determination</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%">Framework</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:13.2pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Linde&#8217;s process has been designed to conform, in all material respects, with the framework set forth in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (&#8220;OECD&#8221;)</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-style:italic;font-weight:400;line-height:120%"> Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%"> (OECD Guidance) and the related supplements for gold and for tin, tantalum and tungsten.</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%">Management Systems</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-style:italic;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Conflict Minerals Policy</font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">Linde has adopted a Conflict Materials Supply Policy.  This policy is available on our website at https&#58;&#47;&#47;www.linde.com&#47;-&#47;media&#47;linde&#47;merger&#47;documents&#47;global-procurement&#47;linde-conflict-free-materials-supply-policy.pdf</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-style:italic;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Internal Team</font></div><div style="height:42.75pt;position:relative;width:100%"><div style="bottom:0;position:absolute;width:100%"><div><font><br></font></div></div></div><hr style="page-break-after:always"><div style="min-height:42.75pt;width:100%"><div><font><br></font></div></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Linde established an internal management team comprised of executive level and business unit representation. The executive members of the team are responsible for the oversight of the conflict minerals compliance strategy.  The business unit representatives are responsible for implementing, improving and maintaining Linde's conflict minerals compliance strategy which is led by a senior manager within our procurement organization.</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-style:italic;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Control Systems</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Due to the complexities of the supply chain, Linde must rely on sourcing information provided by its suppliers. To validate this sourcing information, the Company reviews the smelters, if any, against the smelter list maintained by the Responsible Minerals Initiative (&#8220;RMI&#8221;). Linde's Code of Business Integrity policy outlines expected behaviors for all directors, officers, employees and representatives of the Company&#59; and its Supplier Expectations statement sets forth Linde&#8217;s expectations of its suppliers. Linde expects its business dealings with suppliers and contractors to be based on fairness, honesty, lawfulness, safety, environmental stewardship and social consciousness, including respect for human rights. New suppliers are subjected to a supplier qualification process.</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-style:italic;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Supplier Engagement</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Linde contacted suppliers whose products we purchase which may contain 3TG. These suppliers were notified that Linde is subject to Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Act, and that we expect their cooperation in our RCOI process.</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-style:italic;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Grievance Mechanism</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">The Company&#8217;s external website allows both internal and external parties to report suspected violations of Company policies, anonymously if desired.</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-style:italic;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Maintain Records</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Linde retains conflict minerals program documentation which complies with the OECD framework.</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:13.2pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:174%">Carry Out Independent Third Party Audit of Smelters and Refiners Due Diligence Practices</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">We do not perform or direct audits of smelters and refiners that process 3TG within our supply chain. However, we utilize audits of smelters and refiners through the Responsible Minerals Assurance Process (&#8220;RMAP&#8221;) developed by the RMI which uses an independent third-party audit to identify smelters and refiners that have systems in place to assure sourcing of only conflict-free materials.</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:13.2pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:174%">Identify, Assess and Respond to Risks in the Supply Chain</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Linde's first step in the RCOI process was to review its worldwide purchases to identify product lines where necessary conflict minerals may be used. Consistent with prior years and after analyzing various approaches, Linde decided to use a &#8220;parts-centric approach&#8221; to identify products that may contain necessary conflict minerals by reference to product bills of material or engineering specifications, and by engaging internal business experts.  By taking this approach, we were able to target specific suppliers for further inquiry.</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">The Company determined the country of origin of its purchased necessary conflict minerals by conducting supply-chain surveys with suppliers we identified primarily using the Responsible Business Alliance (&#8220;RBA&#8221;) Conflict Minerals Reporting Template (CMRT) as a guide. This template facilitates disclosure and communication of information regarding smelters that provide material to our suppliers and includes questions regarding the origin of conflict minerals included in their products sold to Linde, as well as supplier due diligence.  We use a third party system to facilitate the collection and tracking of CMRTs.</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-style:italic;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Supplier Surveys</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">For the sputtering target and surface technologies businesses, Linde sent surveys to 99 suppliers, which we determined may have supplied necessary conflict minerals. A total of 69 suppliers responded to the surveys. The responses were reviewed for various items including inconsistencies within the data reported (&#8220;red flags&#8221;). The Company had follow-up communication with the suppliers, as appropriate, to resolve any inconsistencies and obtain adequate documentation. For suppliers that provided smelter information, the names were cross-referenced against the list of smelters in the RMAP.</font></div><div style="height:42.75pt;position:relative;width:100%"><div style="bottom:0;position:absolute;width:100%"><div><font><br></font></div></div></div><hr style="page-break-after:always"><div style="min-height:42.75pt;width:100%"><div><font><br></font></div></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Equipment sales supporting our gases business, although small, is the other area where Linde believes products may contain 3TG.  This equipment consists of various components and subsystems that are generally assembled by contractors local to the receiving region.  These regional suppliers adhere to our specifications&#59; however, due to the complexity and turnover of their supplier base it is more difficult to trace every component to a specific smelter.  We are much further removed from smelters in this supply chain and many of these suppliers are not subject to the SEC&#8217;s conflict minerals reporting requirements. Therefore, to address this complex area we have identified our key components and subsystems for equipment we sell that may contain 3TG and requested our global preferred suppliers to complete the Conflict Minerals Reporting Template for the products which they supply.  We sent surveys to 116 suppliers and 68 suppliers responded to the surveys, the responses were reviewed for various items including red flags. The Company had follow-up communication with the suppliers, as appropriate, to resolve any inconsistencies and obtain adequate documentation. For suppliers that provided smelter information, the names were cross referenced against the list of smelters in the Conflict Free Smelter Program.  We also conducted follow ups to request responses from those suppliers that did not respond to our initial request.</font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">Engineering sales were analyzed to determine which plant components potentially contained 3TG.  737 surveys were sent to suppliers of these components, of which 386 suppliers responded to the survey.  Responses were reviewed for red flags and follow-up communications were initiated when appropriate.  We also conducted follow ups to request responses from those suppliers that did not respond to our initial request.</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%">3.</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%;padding-left:28.5pt;text-decoration:underline">Due Diligence</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">From the RCOI process, several suppliers were identified that may have provided 3TG sourced from mines within the Covered Countries. A small number of these suppliers included an identification of the specific smelters or refiners or indicated that the supplier sources 3TG product from the Covered Countries&#59; these suppliers were unable to specify with certainty whether the 3TG supplied to Linde came from mines within the Covered Countries. Also, many of our suppliers that identified the names of smelters&#47;refiners and country of origin information did so only on an entity-wide basis without distinguishing between 3TG purchased for products supplied to Linde.  For the above reasons, we are unable to determine with certainty whether the 3TG in products that we purchased during 2020 are sourced from any Covered Country.</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%">4.</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%;padding-left:28.5pt;text-decoration:underline">Continual Improvement Efforts</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">During 2020 we have made the following enhancements in our conflict minerals processes&#58;</font></div><div style="padding-left:36pt;text-indent:-18pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">a)</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%;padding-left:10.24pt">The legacy Linde AG business, previously excluded from our due diligence procedures, is now included in Linde&#8217;s existing RCOI due diligence process. This scope increase lead to a significant increase of the number of supplier surveys that were sent and the responses received.</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div style="padding-left:36pt;text-indent:-18pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">b)</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%;padding-left:9.67pt">In 2020 Linde utilized a new supplier qualification system stressing the importance that conflict minerals shall be only sourced from certified sources.</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">During 2021 we will continue our due diligence to mitigate risk that necessary conflict minerals in our products could benefit armed groups in the Covered Countries. These efforts include the following steps&#58;</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:6pt;padding-left:36pt;text-indent:-18pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">a)</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%;padding-left:10.24pt">Linde is continuously enhancing its processes to document its RCOI procedures.</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:6pt;padding-left:36pt;text-indent:-18pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">b)</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%;padding-left:9.67pt">We will continue to review our scoping and documentation of products containing 3TGs. </font></div><div style="margin-bottom:6pt;padding-left:36pt;text-indent:-18pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">c)</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%;padding-left:10.24pt">Improve, via targeted communication, cooperation with our suppliers.  </font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%">5.</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%;padding-left:28.5pt;text-decoration:underline">Independent Audit</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Linde is not required to obtain an IPSA of this CMR for 2020.</font></div><div style="height:42.75pt;position:relative;width:100%"><div style="bottom:0;position:absolute;width:100%"><div><font><br></font></div></div></div></body></html>
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