Certifications Deepen Company’s Commitment to Environmentally Conscious Forest Management

Baltimore (April 27, 2010) – Vertis Communications, a results-driven marketing communications company that delivers inventive advertising, direct marketing and interactive solutions to prominent brands across North America, today announced a series of sustainability certifications that support the company’s ongoing commitment to environmentally and socially conscious forest management. The latest Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC© 1996 Forest Stewardship Council A.C., certificate number SGSNA-COC-000019 23-Mar 2010) chain of custody certifications were issued by an independent certification body, SGS, after successfully meeting the standards of SFI and FSC.

Vertis launched the certification process at the request of several clients, including Safeway, Inc., one of the largest food and drug retailers in North America, who desired to use SFI paper in the development of its printed marketing communications pieces. With Vertis’ certifications, Safeway is now able to display the SFI logo on their advertisements, further reinforcing their sustainability initiatives.

According to Doug Mann, senior vice president of operations for Vertis Communications, the company now holds SFI custody certifications for all of its locations that support advertising inserts production, and FSC certifications for eight of the company’s facilities. “The expansion of our certification achievements is a testament to Vertis’ commitment to environmentally conscious forest management and demonstrates to our clients that we are invested in helping them achieve their own eco-friendly initiatives,” stated Mann.

Both the SFI and FSC certifications are designed to recognize the responsible sourcing of raw materials and support businesses that offer forest products, including paper, supported by these organizations. The SFI program tracks the chain of custody of raw materials to assure that paper used in printed products are derived from organizations that integrate the perpetual growing and harvesting of trees while ensuring the protection of wildlife, plants, soils, and water. FSC certifications provide chain of custody verification for wood and paper products, ensuring that the products used were sourced through responsible forestry management practices.

To learn more about Vertis’ SFI and FSC certifications, please contact Nicole Smith at 212.219.0321 or smith@formulapr.com.

About Vertis Communications
Vertis Communications is a results-driven marketing communications company that delivers inventive advertising, direct marketing and interactive solutions to prominent brands across North America. Our deep industry knowledge and extensive range of offerings—including integrated data solutions, digital program management systems, creative services, world-class print and mail production, logistics, out-of-home and business process outsourcing—are used to deliver superior program performance that drives bottom line results for our clients. With 100 strategically positioned locations and 5,500 dedicated professionals, we deliver impeccable quality and fast turn-around to any market. For more information, visit www.vertisinc.com.

About Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc.
SFI Inc. is an independent 501(c) (3) non-profit charitable organization, and is solely responsible for maintaining, overseeing and improving the internationally recognized Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) program (www.sfiprogram.org). Across North America, close to 200 million acres/80 million hectares are certified to the SFI forest management standard, making it the largest single standard in the world. SFI chain-of-custody certification tells buyers how much certified, responsibly sourced and/or recycled content is in a product. The SFI program’s unique fiber sourcing requirements promote responsible forest management on all suppliers’ lands. SFI Inc. is governed by a three-chamber board of directors representing environmental, social and economic sectors equally.

About Forest Stewardship Council
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 www.fscus.org.

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