Versarien Regulatory News (VRS)

Versarien plc

("Versarien" or the "Company")

Consumer Goods Collaboration

Versarien plc (AIM: VRS), the advanced materials engineering group, is pleased to announce that it has signed a collaboration with a FTSE listed European manufacturer and supplier of co‑manufactured and private label consumer products for the household and personal care markets.

The collaboration will see both parties working on a number of projects involving the incorporation of Versarien's proprietary Nanene few layer graphene nano-platelets into polymer structures.  In particular, the collaboration will aim to provide alternative solutions for packaging and the enhancement of existing products utilising graphene enhanced polymers.

Versarien and this collaboration partner, which has multiple manufacturing plants across Europe, will examine a number of formulations comprising existing polymeric packaging materials with graphene loading to assess the feasibility of these nanocomposites in packaging solutions. The key potential benefits of the use of graphene in these packaging systems is the increased performance of a moisture barrier, increased material strength and weight reduction, with a consequent reduction in plastic usage. Initially the focus will be on the development and evaluation of rigid materials for blow moulded bottles. In addition to the materials properties, the processing parameters will be evaluated to include cooling time, part shrinkage and recycling potential.

Neill Ricketts, CEO of Versarien, commented: "We are delighted to have signed this latest consumer goods collaboration. The incorporation of graphene into packaging materials has the potential to reduce plastic usage, increase the mechanical strength of packaging materials and improve their ability to be recycled. These are important goals for any consumer goods manufacturer as we all seek to reduce the impact of plastic packaging on the environment."

This announcement includes inside information as defined in Article 7 of the Market Abuse Regulation No. 596/2014 and is disclosed in accordance with the Company's obligations under Article 17 of those Regulations.

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About Versarien

Versarien plc (AIM:VRS), is an advanced engineering materials group. Leveraging proprietary technology, the Group creates innovative engineering solutions for its clients in a diverse range of industries. Versarien has five subsidiaries operating under two divisions:

Graphene and Plastics

2-DTech Ltd, which specialises in the supply, characterisation and early stage development of graphene products. www.2-dtech.com  

ACC Cyroma Ltd, which specialises in the supply of vacuum-formed and injection-moulded products to the automotive, construction, utilities and retail industry sectors. Using Versarien's existing graphene manufacturing capabilities, AAC will have the ability to produce graphene-enhanced plastic products.  www.aaccyroma.co.uk  

Cambridge Graphene Ltd, supplies novel inks based on graphene and related materials, using patented processes to develop graphene materials technology for licensing to manufacturers.  www.cambridgegraphene.com  

Thermal and Hard Wear Products

Versarien Technologies Ltd. has developed an additive process for creating advanced micro-porous metals targeting the thermal management industry and supplies extruded aluminium. 

www.versarien-technologies.co.uk 

Total Carbide Ltd, a leading manufacturer in sintered tungsten carbide for applications in arduous environments such as the oil and gas industry. www.totalcarbide.com