European Commission Officially Launches European Raw Materials Alliance

VANCOUVER, BC, Sept. 29, 2020 /CNW/ - Leading Edge Materials Corp. ("Leading Edge Materials" or the "Company") (TSXV: LEM) (Nasdaq First North: LEMSE) (OTCQB: LEMIF) is pleased to report on today's official launch of the European Raw Materials Alliance which was announced by the European Commission as part of an Action Plan on Critical Raw Materials¹ earlier in September.

The European Raw Materials Alliance ("ERMA") will be managed by EIT Raw Materials² and overseen by the European commission in the context of a secure and sustainable access to critical raw materials being considered a key enabler for delivering the European Green Deal. Initial focus will be rare earth and magnet value chains before extending to other raw materials required for Europe's green and digital transitions. To achieve its goals, ERMA will target deliverables such as an inclusive stakeholder consultation process, support EU industrial policy to mitigate regulatory and financing bottlenecks, set up a Raw Materials Investment Platform to stimulate investment into key projects, and lastly to promote public awareness and acceptance on the role of critical raw materials and their role in the transition to a green and digital economy. The deliverables will be targeted through two workstreams, value chain-specific consultation processes and an investment channel for raw materials projects. The consultation processes will primarily address raw material challenges along industrial ecosystems, provide tailored solutions to industry needs and unlock regulatory bottlenecks. The investment channel will select and prioritize cases to secure primary and secondary raw materials supply for European industrial ecosystems, launch a platform to bring investors and investees together, define case-specific financing strategies and mechanisms and assess EU funding opportunities and financing sources for investment opportunities inside and outside Europe. More information on ERMA is found at www.erma.eu.

Filip Kozlowski, CEO states "As a founding stakeholder in the European Raw Materials Alliance, Leading Edge Materials is looking forward to working with EIT Raw Materials, current and future stakeholders to deliver on the goals of the European Commission to achieve a secure and sustainable supply of critical raw materials to deliver on the European Green Deal. Our portfolio of projects all located within the EU - the Norra Karr heavy rare earth element project, the Woxna Graphite mine, the Bergby lithium project and the Bihor Sud Nickel-Cobalt exploration alliance - is directly aligned with the objectives of the alliance. I commend EIT Raw Materials in their preparatory work on ERMA which has successfully addressed the most pressing challenges facing primary critical raw material sources in the EU from being developed, namely de-risking projects across the value chain, promoting public awareness and acceptance and unlocking investment channels for key projects aligned with EU policy."

On behalf of the Board of Directors,
Leading Edge Materials Corp.

Filip Kozlowski, CEO

About Leading Edge Materials

Leading Edge Materials is a Canadian public company focused on developing a portfolio of critical raw material projects located in the European Union. Critical raw materials are determined as such by the European Union based on their economic importance and supply risk. They are directly linked to high growth technologies such as lithium-ion batteries and permanent magnets for electric motors and wind power that underpin the sustainability transition of society. The portfolio of projects includes the 100% owned Woxna Graphite mine (Sweden), Norra Karr HREE project (Sweden), Bergby lithium project (Sweden) and the 51% owned Bihor Sud Nickel Cobalt exploration alliance (Romania).

Additional Information

The Company's consolidated financial statements and related management's discussion and analysis are available on the Company's website at www.leadingedgematerials.com or under its profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com

The information was submitted for publication through the agency of the contact person set out above, on September 29, 2020, 12:00 PM Vancouver time.

Leading Edge Materials is listed on the TSXV under the symbol "LEM", OTCQB under the symbol "LEMIF" and Nasdaq First North Stockholm under the symbol "LEMSE".  Mangold Fondkommission AB is the Company's Certified Adviser on Nasdaq First North and may be contacted via email CA@mangold.se or by phone +46 (0) 8 5030 1550.

Reader Advisory

This news release may contain statements which constitute "forward-looking information" under applicable Canadian securities laws, including statements regarding the Company's expectation on the  European Raw Materials Alliance, the Company's objectives and expectations regarding Norra Karr, Woxna, Bergby and Bihor Sud; as well as the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of the Company, its directors, or its officers with respect to the future business activities of the Company. The words "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company, or its management, are intended to identify such forward-looking information. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future business activities and involves risks and uncertainties, and that the Company's future business activities may differ materially from those in the forward-looking information as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, fluctuations in market prices, successes of the operations of the Company, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such information will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. The Company does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking information except as required under the applicable securities laws.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

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