RE: Re RNS21 Jan 2026 16:24
Chatgpt to the rescue
because the accounting definition of a subsidiary (and the requirement to consolidate) only becomes mandatory when control exists and is effective—or when the subsidiary becomes material—and that point may only have been reached now.
Here are the main reasons this can happen, even if Recyclus has “always” been described as a subsidiary:
1. Legal subsidiary ≠ accounting subsidiary
A company can be a legal subsidiary for years but not consolidated in group accounts if, under accounting standards, it did not meet the control or materiality thresholds.
Under IFRS 10 (and similar UK GAAP principles), consolidation is required only when the parent:
Has power over the investee,
Is exposed to variable returns, and
Can use power to affect those returns.
If any of these were missing or unclear previously, consolidation may not have been required.
2. Control may have changed recently
Even if ownership hasn’t changed much on paper, control can change in substance, for example:
Technology Minerals increased its shareholding or voting rights
Other shareholders exited, giving Technology Minerals de facto control
Board control, veto rights, or decision-making authority shifted
👉 Once control is established (or reassessed), consolidation must begin from that date forward, not retrospectively.
3. Recyclus may previously have been immaterial
Accounting standards allow immaterial subsidiaries to be excluded from consolidation.
If Recyclus:
Had minimal assets,
Little or no revenue,
Was dormant or pre-operational,
…it may have been excluded on materiality grounds.
Now that Recyclus is:
Generating revenue,
Holding significant assets,
Central to the group’s strategy,
…it becomes material, triggering mandatory consolidation.
4. Change in accounting treatment or auditor judgment
Sometimes the change is not economic but technical:
New auditors or stricter interpretation of IFRS
A formal control reassessment
A correction of a previously aggressive or borderline accounting position
This often happens when a subsidiary moves from “development stage” to “operational”.