Directa Plus Regulatory News (DCTA)

RNS Reach

12 April 2024

Directa Plus plc

("Directa Plus", the "Group" or the "Company")

GiPave® installed at Imola Circuit ahead of Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix

Directa Plus (AIM: DCTA) a leading producer and supplier of graphene nanoplatelets based products for use in consumer and industrial markets, is pleased to announce the installation of GiPave® at the Imola Circuit ahead of the upcoming Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in May 2024 as part of the Formula 1 World Championship, making it the first circuit to feature green, sustainable and high-tech asphalt utilising graphene and recycled plastics.

GiPave® was developed by Iterchimica and resulted from a multi-year research programme conducted in collaboration with G.Eco of the A2A Group, the University of Milano-Bicocca, and Directa Plus. The product uses graphene supplied by Directa Plus alongside hard-to-recycle plastics, such as certain types of toys, fruit crates, and old CD cases that would not normally be recycled. The asphalt containing GiPave® can itself be entirely recycled, further reducing waste and the need for new materials.

The access road paving to the paddocks at Imola, which experiences the highest volume of heavy vehicles and people at race events, has been resurfaced with GiPave®, guaranteeing higher performance in terms of resistance and durability, extending the pavement's life beyond the best technologies currently available on the market and significantly reducing environmental impacts thanks to lower maintenance requirements.

The use of GiPave® also reduces energy and raw materials consumption. Over the useful life of the pavement, the installation of GiPave® is expected to result in savings including more than 78,000 kg of bitumen, 1.623 million kg of aggregates (equivalent to the weight of 955 cars), about 115 truck trips for transporting materials, over 1,182,125 kWh of energy (equal to the monthly needs of approximately 5,254 families), and 74,000 kg of CO2eq (equivalent to the absorption capacity of about 3,000 adult trees in a year). In addition, 3,700 kg of selected hard recycled plastics have been recovered and repurposed.

Giulio Cesareo, CEO of Directa Plus, commented: "I am thrilled to see that the Imola Circuit is now the first in the world to implement an innovative, green asphalt solution incorporating our Graphene Plus®, thanks to our partnership with Iterchimica. This project underlines the limitless applications of Gipave-from bridges and motorways to airports and now race tracks. The outstanding properties of Graphene Plus continue to pave the way for more sustainable infrastructure globally.

"Iterchimica and Directa Plus are pushing the boundaries of technology and sustainability and we are delighted to be collaborating with the Group with which we with share the same goal to build a greener future."

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Notes to Editors

Directa Plus (www.directa-plus.com) is one of the largest producers and suppliers of graphene-based products for use in consumer and industrial markets. The Company's graphene manufacturing capability uses proprietary patented technology based on a plasma super expansion process. Starting from natural graphite, each step of Directa Plus' production process - expansion, exfoliation and drying - creates graphene-based materials and hybrid graphene materials ready for a variety of uses and available in various forms such as powder, liquid and paste.

This proprietary production process uses a physical process, rather than a chemical process, to process graphite into pristine graphene nanoplatelets, which enables Directa Plus to offer a sustainable, non-toxic product, without unwanted by-products.

Directa Plus' products are made of hybrid graphene materials and graphene nano-platelets. The products (marketed as G+(R)) have multiple applications due to its properties. These G+(R) products can be categorised into various families, with different products being suitable for specific practical applications.

Directa Plus was established in 2005 and is based in Lomazzo (Como, Italy) and has been listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange since May 2016. Directa Plus holds the Green Economy Mark from London Stock Exchange which recognises companies that contribute to the global green economy.