Ashland Inc.

Item 1.01 Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement. On July 30, 2026, Ashland Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Ashland”), entered into the Fifth Amendment (the “Fifth Amendment”) to the Receivables Purchase Agreement dated as of March 17, 2021 (as amended, the “RPA”) by and among Ashland, as initial servicer, CVG Capital III LLC, a bankruptcy-remote special purpose entity and subsidiary of Ashland (the “SPE”), PNC Bank, National Association (“PNC”), as administrative agent, PNC Capital Markets LLC, as structuring agent, and certain other persons from time to time named as parties thereto as purchasers, group agents, LC banks and LC participants. Pursuant to the Fifth Amendment, the accounts receivable securitization facility under the RPA will provide for commitments of up to $70 million through the RPA’s termination date, which has been extended to July 28, 2028. Previously, the Fourth Amendment to the RPA, dated September 13, 2024, provided commitments of up to $80 million from September 13, 2024 through (and including) December 31, 2024, and up to $70 million from January 1, 2025 through the RPA’s termination date of September 11, 2026. The Fifth Amendment also makes certain other updates to the RPA consistent with current market standards. The foregoing summary of the Fifth Amendment does not purport to be complete and is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by, the full text of the Fifth Amendment which is filed as Exhibit 10.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and the Receivables Purchase Agreement, which was filed as Exhibit 10.2 to Ashland’s Current Report on Form 8-K on March 18, 2021, both of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Item 2.03 Creation of a Direct Financial Obligation or an Obligation under an Off-Balance Sheet Arrangement of a Registrant. The information set forth in and incorporated into Item 1.01 is hereby incorporated by reference into this Item 2.03. Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits. (d) Exhibits. Exhibit 10.1 Fifth Amendment to the Receivables Purchase Agreement dated as of July 30, 2026, by and among Ashland Inc., as initial servicer, CVG Capital III LLC, a bankruptcy-remote special purpose entity and subsidiary of Ashland, PNC Bank, National Association, as administrative agent, PNC Capital Markets LLC, as structuring agent, and certain other persons from time to time named as parties thereto as purchasers, group agents, LC banks and LC participants* Exhibit 104 Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded with the Inline XBRL document). * Schedules to the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement are on file with the Administrative Agent.