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[jointer13] 26/7/2019 15:20

the man is desperate...he's messed up big style and that's putting it politely.

[fireball xl5] 26/7/2019 15:18

Just digesting your post SCRUTABLE, it's well worth chewing over in a discerning fashion. Noting the flavours and nuances in the eclectic mix on offer. Thanks for the seasoned pros.

[woolybanana] 26/7/2019 15:12

It seems that TW cannot resist having a daily go at VRS. What the heck is wrong with the guy, cant he celebrate growing success?

[fireball xl5] 26/7/2019 15:02

Apparently modern rads are made of plastic and can't be repaired, cue graphene, lighter, stronger and better heat dissipation, get on it.

[lovat scout] 26/7/2019 14:51

Who are you gonna call? CO2 busters! VRS should meet this II trade body at the appropriate point in time.

Climate Change: fund houses push cement groups

Fund managers are calling on cement companies to cut carbon output, given the industry produces 7% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Aberdeen Standard Investments, Hermes, Sarasin & Partners and other members of the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC) have written to cement or construction materials companies, demanding they achieve zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Among the companies contacted are Irish but London-listed CRH (CRH), Franco-Swiss business LafargeHolcim (LHN.S) and St Gobain (SGOB.PA) of France.

Aberdeen owns more than five million CRH shares, representing a 0.7% position and Sarasin holds more than 900,000 shares, or 0.1% of the company, according to Refinitive data.

The biggest shareholder in CRH is BlackRock, which owns 8% of the business, or 61 million shares. Other top 10 investors include Vanguard at 3%, or 23 million and Baillie Gifford at 1%, or 9 million shares.

In addition to requesting that the likes of CRH become carbon netural by 2050, investors also urged them to align business practices with the UN climate change initiative the Paris Agreement.

They also expected the cement industry to develop a strong governance framework, assigning climate change responsibility to a board committee or member, as well as providing greater corporate disclosure on the matter.

IIGCC chief executive Stephanie Pfeifer said it was ‘business-critical’ for the cement sector to reduce its contribution to climate change.

‘Major economies such as the UK and France are increasingly adopting economy-wide net zero emission targets,’ she said. ‘The cement sector needs to get ahead of the profound transformation their sector faces by addressing barriers to decarbonisation in the short- to medium-term if companies are to secure their future.’

According to the IIGCC, if the cement industry were a country, it would be the third largest carbon dioxide emitter behind China and the US.

Vincent Kaufmann, chief executive of the Swiss sustainable development foundation Ethos, warned companies ultimately risked divestment if they failed to tackle the issue.

‘Thus, investors expect construction materials companies to substantially increase the R&D budgets available for research into decarbonizing cement production,’ he said.

Investors urged the companies to follow the example of German business HeidelbergCement (HEI.DE), which has already committed to meeting some of their demands.

Though it is Indian cement producer Dalmia Cement who has been the most ambitious with its climate change targets, in aiming to be carbon negative by 2040, despite the fact there is currently no single route for the deep-decarbonisation of the industry.

IIGCC has more than 170 members, mainly pension funds and asset managers, with more than €23 trillion (£21 trillion) assets under management.

[ashehzi] 26/7/2019 14:50

ade, good to report buys but not sells?

[adejuk] 26/7/2019 14:48

lord forgive me
i've done it again
only 5k this time
await september

[affc21] 26/7/2019 14:48

Moreover, coexistence of FE and antiferroelectric (AFE) phases and the associated AFE/FE phase transition can enable practical applications of layered NbOX2 as 2D dielectric capacitors, with the potential to achieve nearly 100% efficiency for electrostatic energy storage.Obviously early days, but you do wander what new amazing devices will be around in the years to come...nice find.

[woodpeckers] 26/7/2019 14:32

NanoSteve's Friday Fact out:
Nanosteve
‏

@Nanosteve1
9m9 minutes ago
More
Happy Friday #vrsfamily Niobium oxide dihalides NbOX2 - a new family of 2D materials that simultaneously exhibit intrinsic in-plane ferroelectricity and antiferroelectricity.
…

[ridicule] 26/7/2019 14:04

Even better 1Teepee!

[1teepee] 26/7/2019 13:49

Good point apart from it's 5000 new materials;) igtv

[scrutable] 26/7/2019 13:48

superg - re securing earlier cashflow by selling licences for IP.

I accept that Ceres' global leads in replacing the IC engine with a SOFC stack and bettering the battery are in a very hot sector, but OXB has exploited the same cash generating model for collaboration in an esoteric sector: Biochemical. By commercialising lentivector IP, they too have transformed their finances during the development stage that VRS is now in. They wiped out huge debt and built a £50m cash pile from three licences sold in a single year and can also look foreward to easy royalties ahead for decades..

What is missing from the VRS conversation is an agreement on Milestones and payment for them. Even though graphene is snake oil to most people, at the time a collaboration is mooted, the milestones are distant and the cash payment arranged on their achievement is easier for execs inside the collaborator to sell to colleagues than cash up front for unproven Ip from graphene, which is still suspect.

I worked for 15 years as local CEO in Germany, for Baker Perkins a conservative 10,000 man engineering group which took out a licence for a simple but clever movement in packaging machinery developed in the USA around 1939. They paid 10% royalties on every machine they built in their wrapping machine division, for forty years. The stranglehold was tolerable and enabled them to build world markets for the machines because they continuously developed the product beyond the US licensors dreams, because the licence allowed them to set off the development costs against the royalties. The result win:win for both parties, a concept relatively easy to sell.

I have sent the above to Chris at VRS and hope it will lead to a conversation.

[ridicule] 26/7/2019 13:44

I think it all hinges on the NDA aspect Fest. That said some well written feedback ought to start a movement up.

[festario] 26/7/2019 13:40

Nice post Rid, and thanks for the welcome at the other place.I'm surprised that the volumes have been so low following the event, there are no signs of urgent accumulation like there was before it?

[festario] 26/7/2019 13:26

Adejuk, I agree, an afternoon surge to leave this irritating 130 zone behind us!

[shammytime] 26/7/2019 13:24

He mentioned Battery technology, amongst other things. The UK has a second chance with this guy. Hopefully he delivers

[adejuk] 26/7/2019 12:50

btw
boris doesn't know which boris he is going to be until he wakes up in the morning

[adejuk] 26/7/2019 12:49

i anticipate a surge before close but wtfdik
i'm expert at losing money :-)

[runthejoules] 26/7/2019 12:42

Sorry I doubt Boris has a clue who £vrs are even if he did meet Neill 7 years ago. If he did he would he have sacked Fox? He probably means the unicorn tech that's going to magic the ni border out of existence or build him a garden bridge or airport island for free. His knowledge of materials science is probably 'the Romans had concrete that could set underwater, don't you know. Believe in Rome!'

[zooskeeper] 26/7/2019 12:33

Are we getting a pod cast today?

All this good news and strong buying now, would hope the 1.30p resistance is to go.

Looking forward to next week & all the weeks after as we grow

[senden11] 26/7/2019 12:24

Spike, I think Strife and I may have helped lift that sp, after a surprisingly short discussion ;-). With this week's double news, the business story has become more compelling and that overly used word "imminent" seems to be growing more credibly applicable. Good weekend all and GLALTH.

[alchemy] 26/7/2019 12:11

Very good . Candidate!

[alchemy] 26/7/2019 12:11

You loved something Boris said?