In time for Earth Day, Pitney Bowes Inc. (NYSE: PBI) is strengthening its commitment to protect one of earth's vanishing resources - old-growth forests. Pitney Bowes has volunteered to adopt new office paper purchasing guidelines, since the Coastal Rainforest Coalition (CRC) has identified old-growth forests as a source of virgin wood fiber commonly used in paper production. To kick off this initiative, Pitney Bowes has notified its suppliers that they must insure that all fiber-based products supplied to the company are not derived from old-growth forests. Further, suppliers must identify the percentages of recycled materials found in these products.

The commitment to more "green" sources of paper could not come at a better time. Overall, nationwide paper usage is on the rise. Currently, the average office worker uses 12,000 sheets of paper per year, and one fifth of all wood harvested ends up in paper. This is significant for endangered areas like the Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia. The area contains one half of North America's remaining ancient rainforests and represents one of the world's last great tracts of primary forest. Of the original 353 intact valleys in B.C.'s coastal range, only 69 remain unlogged, and these have been identified by the CRC to soon be clearcut logged.

"Pitney Bowes is concerned about the protection of the world's resources and in this particular case about preserving our remaining old-growth forests," stated Michael J. Critelli, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Pitney Bowes. "We are committed to implementing policies that will help to protect these natural resources."

Part of the Pitney Bowes Environmental Stewardship Initiative
This initiative is just a part of the company's award winning environmental strategy. The Company has instituted a highly effective recycling program, for instance, that has won the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Waste Wise Program Champion Award two years in a row. Focusing on office paper usage is part of an aggressive program to promote recycling and minimize waste and fiber consumption throughout Pitney Bowes facilities. Additional recycling programs include replacing disposable manufacturing wipes with reusable laundered rags, minimizing incoming and outgoing packaging by working with customers and suppliers on reusable packaging, and increasing existing recycling programs. Increasing the recycled content of purchased paper closes the consumption loop.

Additionally, Pitney Bowes was recently recognized by EPA as the Green Light's Partner of the Year, for its commitment to preserving natural resources and by reducing energy consumption through installation of energy-efficient lighting. In 1997, Pitney Bowes embarked on its Managing Energy Wisely Program. Since then, annual energy consumption on weather normalized basis has been reduced by close to 15%, or 66 billion BTU's. This equals the energy used by approximately 640 households.

Pitney Bowes Inc.

Pitney Bowes Inc.

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