Aperam S.A.

Environmental & Social Information • Feb 10, 2023

Aperam S.A. | News - EQS News biosourced nickel for the stainless steel industry.

Corporate | 10 Februar 2023 07:03

Aperam S.A. / Key word(s): Joint Venture Aperam & Econick have formed a JV called Botanickel to become a world leader in the responsible and sustainable production of biosourced nickel for the stainless steel industry.

10-Feb-2023 / 07:03 CET/CEST

Botanickel

Luxembourg, 10 February 2023 (07:00 CET) - Aperam & Econick have formed a JV called Botanickel to become a world leader in the responsible and sustainable production of biosourced nickel for the stainless steel industry.

Using plants to extract nickel from soil and then turning that nickel into stainless steel may sound like science fiction, but that's exactly what Botanickel is doing.

Aperam, a leading global producer of stainless steel, together with Econick, a spin-off of France's University of Lorraine that specialises in the phytoextraction sciences, have formed a new joint venture. Called Botanickel, the company seeks to become a world leader in the responsible and sustainable production of biosourced nickel for the stainless steel industry. To accomplish this goal, the company is leveraging the incredible power of hyperaccumulator plants.

BOTANICAL POWER IN ACTION

Hyperaccumulator plants are unique in that they can grow in specific metalliferous soils that are often inhospitable for cultivating traditional crops.

These plants have developed the ability to safely accumulate extraordinarily high amounts of heavy metals in their aerial parts, including cobalt, cadmium, manganese, zinc, and of course nickel.

TAKING SUSTAINABLE STAINLESS STEEL TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL

With nickel being a key raw material in the production of stainless steel. Botanickel will leverage the Alyssum murale plant's hyperaccumulator capabilities to extract the metal from the soil. The native plants will be cropped in soils that are naturally rich in nickel and allowed to grow to full maturity.

Once harvested, the plants are dried and their energy is recovered and used by local communities. Nickel is then concentrated and transferred to Recyco, Aperam's European recycling unit initially dedicated to recovering and treating the metallic content from melting shop dusts.

Botanickel's process also generates by-products that can be used as high value fertilizers, exemplifying its commitment to the circular economy.

OUR APPROACH

Biosourced Nickel Done Right

Botanickel's activity is designed to meet the needs and challenges of a world well-aware of the limits of planetary resources, around a value chain that is innovative, is environmentally friendly and creates shared values over the long term.

OUR LOGO

Our logo illustrates how Botanickel is both circular and integrative. Not only do our plants grow up from the ground, they also extract nickel out of the ground. Both plant and nickel are the basis of Botanickel's cycle, respectively serving as biomass for the production of renewable energy and as a raw material for the production of stainless steel, which itself is 100% recyclable!

Botanickel's innovative, circular and biosourced nickel production process is the outcome of decades of research happening at the University of Lorraine, which is globally renowned for its role in developing the field of phytoextraction.

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23 and its overall sustainability performance consistently receives top ratings from external analysts. For further information, please visit the website at: www.aperam.com

About Econick

Econick is a young spin-off company from the University of Lorraine (Nancy, France) which develops the technology of producing biosourced metals from hyperaccumulator plant crops.

Econick has gathered the leading scientists globally from botanical research to adapted hydrometallurgy in order to ecodesign this new technology after 30 years of cutting-edge R&D in Nancy and

elsewhere in the world. Today, Econick is designing production chains for several metals, including nickel, zinc and REE.

It also operates several soil remediation operations using hyperaccumulator plants in Europe. Production of biosourced nickel has started for some commercialized artifacts sold by Econick's customers.

For further information, please visit the website at: www.econick.fr

Contact

Investor Relations (Aperam) / Thorsten Zimmermann: +352 661 570 250 Environmental Project Manager (Aperam I Botanickel) / Aurélien Buteri: +33 (0)6 46 83 20 64 Manager (Econick) / Claire Hazotte: +33 (0)6 10 52 56 62

Dissemination of a Financial Wire News, transmitted by EQS Group.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.