Earthworks expands capital markets and investor communications platform to support critical minerals growth strategy

Fairfax Partners Inc. and Trifecta Capital Corp. engaged to broaden investor awareness, strengthen stakeholder relationships and build communications momentum around the Company's modular critical minerals recycling and recovery platform

VANCOUVER, BC, Aug. 12, 2026 /CNW/ -- Earthworks Industries Inc. (TSXV: EWK) (OTCQB: EAATF) ("Earthworks" or the "Company"), a critical minerals recycling and recovery company advancing modular systems designed to recover critical minerals and strengthen Western critical mineral supply chains, announces that it has retained Fairfax Partners Inc. ("Fairfax Partners", Fairfax") and Trifecta Capital Corp. ("Trifecta Capita", "Trifecta") to support the Company's investor relations, capital markets communications, and strategic growth initiatives.

The two independent engagements bring complementary investor relations, capital markets, corporate development, mining, technology and communications experience to Earthworks as the Company advances its mission to develop and deploy modular critical minerals recycling and recovery systems across North America.

Fairfax Partners, led by Daniel Southan-Dwyer, is building at the leading edge of modern investor relations through the development and application of artificial intelligence-powered tools, agents, systems and communications infrastructure. Through its "Fair" AI-powered agentic IR operating system, Fairfax will provide Earthworks with a combination of traditional investor relations services, dedicated professional support and technology-enabled communications capabilities.

Trifecta Capital Corp., led by Patrick Butler, will support the Company's capital markets, investor relations and corporate development activities, drawing on Mr. Butler's more than 15 years of experience working across the investment industry and with junior public companies in the mining, technology and emerging growth sectors.

Together, the engagements are intended to help Earthworks communicate its strategy and progress to a broader audience, improve the rhythm and consistency of its corporate communications and build stronger relationships with retail and institutional investors, industry participants, strategic partners, governments, agencies and other stakeholders interested in critical minerals, recycling, advanced technologies, domestic processing capacity and Western supply chain security.

As Earthworks advances the development of its first modular critical mineral recycling facility in British Columbia, the Company believes that a consistent, modern and increasingly technology-enabled communications platform will be an important part of building awareness, credibility, momentum and long-term growth around its business plan. The Company's communications strategy will focus on clearly presenting Earthworks' mission, reporting meaningful progress, expanding the reach of its story and building an informed community around its objective of becoming a leading North American critical minerals recycling and recovery company.

FAIRFAX PARTNERS AND FAIR

Earthworks has retained Fairfax Partners to provide a combination of traditional investor relations services, dedicated professional support, and technology-enabled communications capabilities to the Company.

Daniel Southan-Dwyer is an investor relations and capital markets professional with more than 17 years of industry experience. He is the President and Founder of Fairfax Partners and has worked with companies across multiple industries and international capital markets. Fairfax is an investor relations firm and venture studio led working with early-stage, private and public companies across North America, the United Kingdom, Europe and Australia.

Under the terms of the initial engagement, Fairfax Partners will provide Earthworks with traditional investor relations activities, access to the "Fair" AI supported IR operating system, and additional awareness activities and the discretion of the Company.

The engagement is effective as of August 11th, 2026, and provides for compensation of CAD $4,950 per month + GST for a 6 month period through January 11, 2026. The engagement may be extended after that date by mutual agreement of Earthworks and Fairfax Partners.

Additionally, the Company shall subscribe to one tier of Fairfax's "Fair" Ai-powered investor-relations operating system, which Fairfax describes as the world's first agentic investor relations operating system, and which comprises:

• An Investor website, management and updates.
• Investor pitch deck and fact sheet.
• A Fair investor relations agent live on the Company's inbound phone line.
• Call summaries and weekly reporting.

The Company intends to begin with the $499 service and grow from this tier to expand the operating system as may be appropriate:

(a) Fair Starter -- CAD $499 per month 
(b) Fair Pro -- CAD $1,195 per month 
(c) Fair Executive -- CAD $2,950 per month 
(d) Fair Partner -- CAD $4,950 per month

Upon activation of the Fair Subscription, Fairfax will also initiate at the Company's request, timing, and upon all management and regulatory approvals, a "Momentum" IR Campaign for a budget of up to CAD $100,000 plus applicable taxes, to be deployed at the sole discretion of the Company's management team across the Campaign components (editorial placements, digital advertising, landing-page and creative development, executive interviews and related activities).

Daniel Southan-Dwyer, President and Founder of Fairfax Partners, commented:

"Earthworks is advancing a timely and important strategy at the intersection of critical minerals, recycling, technology and the future of Western industrial supply chains. The Company's ambition to deploy modular, digitally managed recovery infrastructure strongly aligns with our own work to modernize investor relations through artificial intelligence-powered tools, agents and communications systems Our role will be to help Earthworks build the communications infrastructure, consistency and audience reach required to clearly share its progress with the market. We believe effective investor relations is no longer simply about issuing individual announcements. It is about creating an integrated system that builds relationships, maintains rhythm, connects milestones and steadily compounds awareness over time We look forward to working with management to broaden the reach of the Earthworks story, build an informed investor community and help create the communications momentum required to support the Company's long-term growth."

TRIFECTA CAPITAL CORP.

Earthworks has also retained Trifecta Capital Corp. to provide capital markets, investor relations and corporate development support to the Company.

Patrick Butler has more than 15 years of experience in the capital markets, having worked as an Investment Advisor, Exempt Market Dealer Representative and in the fields of corporate development and investor relations. Mr. Butler is President of Trifecta Capital Corp. and has served as a director of multiple companies listed on both the TSX Venture Exchange and the Canadian Securities Exchange. His experience at the intersection of mining, technology, capital markets and junior public companies is expected to support Earthworks as the Company develops its critical minerals recycling and recovery business, expands its market presence and builds relationships throughout the investment and resource sectors.

Under the terms of the engagement, Trifecta Capital will receive compensation of CAD $5,000 + GST per month for a 6-month period through January 11th, 2026. The engagement may be extended after that date by mutual agreement of Earthworks and Trifecta Capital.

Patrick Butler, President of Trifecta Capital Corp., commented:

"Earthworks is building a business at the intersection of critical minerals, recycling, technology and North American supply chain security. The need for new sources of responsibly recovered strategic materials is becoming increasingly important to governments, industry and capital markets. I look forward to working with the Earthworks team to expand awareness of the Company's strategy, introduce its mission to new audiences and support management as it advances its first modular deployment and broader long-term growth plans. The Company has an opportunity to build meaningful momentum by consistently communicating completed milestones, strengthening relationships across the capital markets and connecting its near-term execution within the larger strategic importance of critical minerals recovery."

BUILDING THE PLATFORM FOR EARTHWORKS' NEXT PHASE OF GROWTH

The addition of Fairfax Partners and Trifecta Capital reflects Earthworks' broader commitment to assembling the people, technologies, systems and relationships required to execute its new critical minerals strategy.

The Company believes that successfully building a large-scale critical minerals recycling and recovery business requires more than processing infrastructure alone. It also requires consistent communications and trusted relationships across the investment community, industry, government, strategic partners, feedstock providers, prospective customers and the communities in which the Company intends to operate.

The two capital markets teams will operate independently and collaboratively, while providing complementary services to Earthworks. Fairfax Partners will focus on traditional investor relations activities, as well as infrastructure, communications systems, audience development and AI-supported investor engagement, while Trifecta Capital will contribute particularly through its capital markets, mining, technology, corporate development and junior issuer experience.

Through these engagements, Earthworks intends to establish a stronger and more consistent communications cadence that reports meaningful completed milestones, expands awareness of the Company's strategy and builds momentum as the business advances. The Company believes that greater rhythm and consistency will help individual developments reinforce one another, enabling Earthworks to build a more cohesive market narrative rather than communicating each milestone in isolation. This communications platform is also intended to support the Company's growth by expanding the reach of its story, increasing engagement with existing and prospective stakeholders and creating stronger connections across the retail, institutional, industrial and government communities relevant to Earthworks' mission.

Furthermore, in demonstrating their commitment to the Company and vision, both Fairfax and Trifecta have agreed to defer payment for their services until the Company is recapitalized.

David Atkinson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Earthworks, commented:

"As Earthworks continues its transition into a critical minerals recycling and recovery company, it is important that our communications capabilities evolve alongside our business. We are building a company with the ambition to develop and deploy modular critical minerals recovery infrastructure across North America. Achieving that objective requires innovative systems and disciplined operational execution, but it also requires trusted relationships with investors, governments, industry participants, strategic partners and the communities we ultimately serve. Daniel, Fairfax Partners and Fair bring a modern and highly complementary approach to investor relations. Their work at the leading edge of artificial intelligence-powered communications, audience development and investor engagement aligns closely with our own intention to operate at the leading edge of critical minerals, technology, AI-enabled infrastructure and the economy of the future. Patrick and Trifecta bring extensive capital markets experience, together with a strong understanding of mining, technology and junior public companies. Together, these engagements will help Earthworks broaden its reach, communicate with greater rhythm and consistency and build an informed stakeholder community around our mission. We believe that stronger communications and broader relationships will help us maintain momentum, connect our progress over time and support the long-term growth of the business."

ABOUT EARTHWORKS' CRITICAL MINERALS RECOVERY SYSTEM

The Earthworks Critical Minerals Recovery System is a full-stack platform for the recycling and recovery of critical minerals from secondary and legacy material streams. The System combines modular physical processing infrastructure with a cloud-based digital operating layer, designed to function together as an integrated, scalable network deployable across multiple locations and material streams.

The platform is built around a hub-and-spoke deployment model, enabling the Company to pursue modular, repeatable facility installations that can be deployed near source material, aggregated regionally and scaled efficiently.

The initial deployment focus is a pilot copper recycling facility in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, with expansion planned vertically through additional throughput, horizontally through new locations and laterally through additional material streams, including precious metals, battery metals, rare earth elements and defense-related materials.

The System is designed to provide Earthworks with a framework for building a distributed recovery network rather than a single centralized facility. Its modular architecture is intended to allow capacity to be added incrementally as feedstock sources, processing requirements and market opportunities are identified.

The cloud-based digital operating layer is intended to support centralized monitoring, reporting and coordination across a growing network of modular facilities, creating the foundation for a technology-enabled critical minerals recovery platform.

ADDRESSING THE CRITICAL MINERALS SUPPLY CRISIS

The race to build and power artificial intelligence infrastructure, electrify transportation, modernize defense systems and expand advanced manufacturing has created an unprecedented and accelerating demand for critical minerals, including copper, rare earth elements, lithium, cobalt, nickel, tungsten, titanium and many other materials that form the physical foundation of the 21st-century economy.

The problem is supply.

Refining and processing capacity for many of these materials is heavily concentrated in foreign jurisdictions, most significantly China, creating vulnerabilities in Western supply chains that are no longer theoretical, but active and urgent.

Both Canada and the United States have responded with major policy commitments, including Canada's Critical Minerals Strategy and initiatives under the United States Defense Production Act and CHIPS and Science Act, directed at building domestic supply chain resilience.

Primary mining alone cannot close the supply gap quickly enough. New mine development frequently requires a decade or more to advance from discovery through permitting, financing, construction and production.

This is where recycling and secondary recovery become strategically essential.

Many of the materials required by Western economies already exist above ground in significant quantities within end-of-life electronics, industrial scrap, manufacturing byproducts, legacy mine waste, tailings, waste rock and other previously processed materials.

Urban recycling and secondary recovery can provide a faster, lower-impact and potentially more capital-efficient path to production than greenfield mine development. However, domestic recovery infrastructure across North America remains fragmented and undersupplied, creating a need for modular, deployable and digitally managed recovery capacity.

Through its acquisition of the Critical Minerals Recovery System, Earthworks holds a full-stack platform developed to address that need, beginning with copper and intended to expand into battery metals, rare earth elements, precious metals and defense-related materials across Canada and the United States.

ABOUT EARTHWORKS INDUSTRIES INC.

Earthworks Industries Inc. (TSX.v: EWK, OTCQB: EAATF) is a critical minerals recycling and recovery company advancing modular systems designed to recover strategic metals and strengthen Western critical mineral supply chains. The Company is developing scalable recycling and recovery infrastructure to help address the growing need for domestic critical minerals production.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its regulation services provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this News Release.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Statements made in this news release, other than purely historical information, including statements relating to the Company's future plans and objectives or expected results, may include forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the Company's plans to develop and deploy modular critical minerals recycling and recovery systems; the proposed development of a pilot copper recycling facility in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia; the expected services and contributions of Fairfax Partners, Fair and Trifecta Capital Corp.; the anticipated ability of the engagements to broaden the Company's audience, improve the rhythm and consistency of its communications, build stakeholder relationships and support business growth; the Company's ability to establish and maintain a consistent communications cadence; the potential expansion of the Critical Minerals Recovery System into additional locations and material streams; and the Company's objective of contributing to more secure and resilient Western critical mineral supply chains.

Forward-looking statements are based on numerous assumptions and are subject to all of the risks and uncertainties inherent in the development, financing, construction and operation of recycling and resource recovery projects. These risks and uncertainties include, among others, the Company's ability to obtain sufficient financing, secure suitable feedstock, identify and acquire an appropriate facility location, procure and commission required equipment, obtain permits and regulatory approvals, enter into strategic partnerships and offtake arrangements, validate anticipated processing performance and successfully commercialize the Critical Minerals Recovery System.

As a result, actual results may vary materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements should circumstances or management's estimates or opinions change.

SOURCE Earthworks Industries Inc.

FAIRFAX PARTNERS CONTACT INFORMATION: For further information regarding Fairfax Partners, please contact: Fairfax Partners, 1221 Bidwell Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6G 0B1, Canada, 604-366-6277; Email: [email protected]; TRIFECTA CAPITAL CONTACT INFORMATION: For further information regarding Trifecta Capital Corp., please contact: Trifecta Capital Corp., Patrick Butler, President, 778-893-9850, Email: [email protected]; For further information, contact: Earthworks Industries Inc. David Atkinson, President/CEO, 604-669-3143, [email protected]