1 April 2025

James Cropper plc

("James Cropper", the "Company" or the "Group")

Ready2Stack™ Solution for Hydrogen Production

Strategic Collaboration with HOERBIGER

James Cropper (AIM: CRPR), the Advanced Materials and Paper & Packaging group, announces that it has entered a strategic collaboration with global industrial technology leader HOERBIGER, to deliver Ready2Stack™; a fully integrated bipolar plate (BPP) solution for proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysers used in the production of hydrogen.

The solution addresses key barriers to the scale-up of hydrogen production by consolidating all design and manufacturing processes in the production of BPPs - a critical component within PEM electrolysers - into a single point of supply.  This reduces complexity, improves quality, and reduces the overall cost of hydrogen production.

Combining James Cropper's advanced electrochemistry and coating expertise and HOERBIGER's industrial-scale manufacturing, metal forming and automation capabilities, Ready2Stack™ delivers reduced production downtime and enhances long-term reliability, making green hydrogen more accessible and commercially viable.  It offers a differentiated solution for OEMs seeking to simplify supply chains, optimise their offering, and accelerate green hydrogen ambitions.

For more information, please visit: www.ready2stack.com.

David Stirling, Chief Executive Officer at James Cropper, commented:

"We are delighted to partner with HOERBIGER in this strategic collaboration, which brings together complementary expertise, cutting-edge technology, and a shared vision for a sustainable future. Ready2Stack™ could be pivotal in the race to net zero, addressing key challenges in the hydrogen industry and the broader energy transition.

"By combining advanced metallurgy, electrochemistry, and precision engineering, we are driving efficiency, reducing costs, and enabling the rapid scaling of PEM electrolyser production accelerating the shift to a cleaner, more sustainable energy landscape."

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Notes to Editors

About HOERBIGER

HOERBIGER is active in 43 countries on all continents. It has 6,174 employees at 133 locations - including 30 production plants - deliver reliable solutions for better performance, increased safety, and fewer emissions. In 2023, HOERBIGER generated sales of 1.416 billion euros. For renowned customers from the energy sector, the process industry, the automotive industry, the mechanical engineering industry, safety technology, and the electronics industry, performance-determining products, and services from HOERBIGER make the difference. With innovations for decarbonisation and energy transition, HOERBIGER is already enabling change today for a better tomorrow. As majority shareholder, the HOERBIGER Foundation preserves the 129-year-old entrepreneurial heritage and guarantees stability, independence, and a future-oriented strategy.

About James Cropper:

James Cropper is a market leader in Advanced Materials and Paper & Packaging, centred around four market audiences: Energy Solutions, Composite Solutions, Luxury Packaging and Creative Papers. A purpose-led business, built upon six generations of the Cropper family, James Cropper has a 600+ international workforce and an operational reach in over 50 countries. Established in 1845, the Group manufactures creative papers, luxury packaging and advanced materials incorporating pioneering non-wovens and electrochemical coatings. James Cropper is a specialist provider of niche solutions tailored to a unique customer specification, ranging from substrates and components in hydrogen electrolysis and fuel cells to bespoke colours and textures in paper and moulded fibre packaging designed to replace single use plastics. The Group operates across multiple markets from luxury retail to renewable energy. It is renowned globally for service, capability, pioneering and multi award-winning commitment to the highest standards of sustainability.