NOTICE OF 2018 ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS AND PROXY STATEMENT PolyOne Corporation MESSAGE FROM OUR CEO ............................................................................................................................................................................................ i NOTICE OF 2018 ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS .......................................................................................................................... ii PROXY SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 1 PROXY STATEMENT ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 7 PROPOSAL 1 — ELECTION OF BOARD OF DIRECTORS ................................................................................................................................. 8 PROPOSAL 2 — ADVISORY VOTE TO APPROVE NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICER COMPENSATION ......................................... 13 PROPOSAL 3 — RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM .................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 14 CORPORATE GOVERNANCE ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 17 2017 NON-EMPLOYEE DIRECTOR COMPENSATION.................................................................................................................................... 23 OWNERSHIP OF POLYONE SHARES ..................................................................................................................................................................... 25 COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS ............................................................................................................................................... 27 Executive Summary .................................................................................................................................................................................... 27 Executive Compensation Philosophy and Objectives .................................................................................................................. 30 What We Pay and Why: Elements of Compensation .................................................................................................................. 32 Other Aspects of Our Compensation Programs ............................................................................................................................. 39 EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION .................................................................................................................................................................................. 42 2017 Summary Compensation Table ................................................................................................................................................. 42 2017 Grants of Plan-Based Awards ..................................................................................................................................................... 46 Outstanding Equity Awards at 2017 Fiscal Year-End ................................................................................................................. 50 2017 Option Exercises and Stock Vested .......................................................................................................................................... 53 2017 Nonqualified Deferred Compensation ................................................................................................................................... 53 Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change of Control ................................................................................................. 54 CEO Pay Ratio Disclosure ......................................................................................................................................................................... 59 Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation ............................................................................................ 59 Policy on Related Person Transactions ............................................................................................................................................. 59 Risk Assessment of the Compensation Programs ......................................................................................................................... 60 Compensation Committee Report ........................................................................................................................................................ 60 MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS............................................................................................................................................................................... 61 APPENDIX A...................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Avient CDP Climate Change Questionnaire 2022 Friday, July 29, 2022 10 ii.

wind turbines, solar panels), EVs and EV infrastructure, lightweight vehicle, plane, and train parts, high-performance building materials, advanced battery storage, composite materials, and many more that enables lower greenhouse gas emissions in a range of industries and sectors. In support of this climate transition, Avient has focused its continuous improvement efforts on: (i) Investing in resources and existing technologies to optimize operations, including improvements in energy efficiency and waste reduction (ii) Maximizing the use of renewable energy in our operations (iii) Adopting new technologies in our global network of facilities (iv) Continuing to develop new and innovative products that have sustainability attributes that decrease GHG emissions and enable the world’s transition to a lower-carbon economy (v) Advancing circularity in our operations and our customers’ products and (vi) Partnering with our suppliers to enhance the eco-efficiency of our supply chain.