Press Releases

Vertis Communications Announces Sustainable Forestry Initiative® Certification

Premier Marketing Services Provider Helps Customers "Think Green"

Baltimore (May 20, 2009) - Vertis Communications, a premier marketing services provider of targeted print advertising and direct marketing solutions to America's leading retail and consumer services companies, announced today that it has achieved Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI®) program chain of custody certification for seven of its 21 advertising inserts production facilities. With this new certification, Vertis offers customers the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to responsible forestry management practices by using SFI certified papers and displaying the SFI logo on insert materials produced at these facilities.

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative program (http://www.sfiprogram.org/) tracks raw material chain of custody to assure that paper used in printed products come from organizations with forestry practices that integrate the perpetual growing and harvesting of trees with the protection of wildlife, plants, soils, and water.

"Vertis' certification reinforces our commitment to sound environmental practices," said Doug Mann, senior vice president and general manager of Advertising Inserts for Vertis Communications. "The independent, third party evaluations that led to this certification affirms that our supply chain and production practices support our customers' needs and deliver consistency across our manufacturing platform."

The newly certified facilities produce advertising inserts and newspaper products and are located in Tampa; Lenexa, Kan.; Marengo, Iowa; Manassas, Va.; York, Pa.; Sacramento, Calif.; and Portland, Ore. Vertis anticipates additional certifications in July for facilities in Riverside and Pomona, Calif.; Salt Lake City; Dallas; Columbus, Ohio; and Saugerties, N.Y.

Quincy L. Allen, chief executive officer of Vertis Communications, added, "This SFI recognition is a great complement to the existing Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) chain of custody certification attained by five of Vertis' direct marketing facilities located in North Brunswick, N.J.; Monroe Township, N.J.; Chalfont, Pa.; Bristol, Pa.; and Irvine, Calif. As our customers' environmental awareness increase, Vertis is committed to supporting their goals by working diligently with established organizations and industry councils to maintain environmentally and socially conscious forest management practices."

To learn more about Vertis' SFI and FSC certifications, contact Grace Platon at 800.365.8957 or gplaton@vertisinc.com.

Sustainable Forestry Initiative® and SFI® are registered marks owned by Sustainable Forestry Initiative, Inc.

About SFI Inc.
SFI Inc. is a 501(c)3 non-profit charitable organization, and is solely responsible for maintaining, overseeing and improving the Sustainable Forestry Initiative program (http://www.sfiprogram.org/), that is internationally recognized and among the largest in the world. It is one of the fastest-growing forest certification programs with over 160 million acres (65 million hectares) of SFI-certified forests across North America. The SFI Standard also includes unique fiber sourcing requirements that promote responsible forest management on all suppliers' lands and a chain-of-custody certification, which is used to tell buyers how much certified fiber is in a specific product. The SFI forest standard is endorsed by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes, a global umbrella organization that has strict requirements for endorsement. SFI Inc. is governed by a three-chamber board of directors representing environmental, social and economic sectors equally. For more information about the SFI program, visit http://www.sfiprogram.org/.

About FSC
Forest certification enables consumers to make informed choices when selecting wood and other forest products. The Forest Stewardship Council, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, is the global and national leader in the independent certification of forests managed to exemplary standards covering environmental, social and economic issues. FSC promotes responsible forest management by evaluating and accrediting certifiers, by encouraging the development of national and regional forest management standards, and by providing public education and information about independent, third-party certification as a tool for ensuring that the world's forests are protected for future generations. There are currently more than 23 million acres of FSC-certified forestland in the U.S. and more than 225 million acres globally. Further information about FSC-US can be found at http://www.fscus.org/.

About Vertis Communications
Vertis Communications is a premier provider of targeted print advertising and direct marketing solutions to America's leading retail and consumer services companies. Vertis delivers marketing programs that create strategic value for clients by using creative services, proprietary consumer research, database targeting and digital technologies, premedia and media placement services, combined with its world-class printing expertise. With more than 100 locations in North America, Vertis' extensive suite of services includes advertising inserts, direct mail, out-of-home displays, newspaper special sections, POP, marketing collateral, online interactive and multimedia. For more information, visit http://www.vertisinc.com/.