NORCROSS, GA, April 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Celebrating its commitment to environmental responsibility, Unisource Worldwide, Inc., released a statement of support for Earth Day 2008, to be observed throughout the world on April 22.

"April 22, 2008, promises to be a most memorable Earth Day," said Al Dragone, CEO of Unisource Worldwide, Inc., one of the leading distributors of paper, packaging and facility supplies in North America. "Hundreds of events are taking place all over the globe today to focus our attention on climate change, pollution abatement, a clean water supply and other vital initiatives, as well as three movements that we champion at Unisource - sustainable forestry; 'green' buildings and 'green' cleaning; and sustainable packaging.

"It has been our mission to build Unisource into a North American distribution operation that is second to none in delivering our customers the best value every time," added Dragone. "It is my privilege to announce that Unisource will expand upon its current strategic platform of Operational Excellence to include Sustainability as a core strategy and goal. Our vision for the future of Unisource is to build the best company possible - the healthiest, the most competitive, and the most profitable - with the most talented people setting the highest standards in the industry."

Over the past three years, Unisource has dramatically transformed its global distribution operations to foster respect for the environment, people and the rights of future generations. The company has developed new processes and marketing strategies, adapted facility maintenance procedures and enhanced the product lines and services offered to its customers.

"Earth Day reminds us of what can happen when a group of passionate people decide to change the world," Dragone said. "At Unisource, we have significantly improved the productivity and efficiency in our distribution operations which has allowed us to achieve substantial savings in power and fuel consumption, proving to ourselves that being environmentally responsible is fundamental to our future success. In 2008, we are taking our environmental commitment to the next level - pulling all our leadership resources together - to define our path forward toward running our businesses with higher efficiency, diminishing waste and improving the cleanliness and healthiness of our facilities."

To propel this sweeping corporate strategy, Unisource recently named Nancy C. Geisler to a newly-created position - Vice President of Sustainability. With 25 years of marketing and consulting experience, she has developed innovative "green" programs for the company's Packaging and Facility Supplies business units. Now, her responsibilities are to increase Unisource's commitment to environmental responsibility throughout all of its operations.

"Nancy is now providing leadership in our ongoing efforts to implement sustainable business practices across all of our business and facilities," Dragone emphasized. "Focusing our teams and resources, Unisource is now an industry leader, paving the way in a bold new 'Green Era' with initiatives to help our customers and other businesses achieve Sustainability."

Unisource is well-regarded in the distribution industry for the quality of its product stewardship programs in paper, packaging and facility supplies. It has established world-class "green" programs in its Paper and Facility Supplies business units, its Technology Packaging Group and with its recently developed Sustainable Packaging Initiative.

The company's Paper unit has achieved system-wide Chain-of-Custody certification from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and the Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes (PEFC), ensuring that the certified sustainable paper and board products ordered by customers are accurately tracked through the distribution chain. The unit offers a complete line of Respect(R) fine paper products with these certifications.

As an active member of the U.S. Green Building Council, Unisource's Facility Supplies unit has adopted the LEED-EB standard for its Respect(R) green cleaning product line. As a result, our customers can be assured that their cleaning products meet the requirements of the de facto national standard for green building operations.

Unisource's Technology Packaging Group delivers cutting-edge packaging and supply chain optimization for sophisticated electronics customers. Its Design Centers show customers how to turn excess packaging into extra profits and are now beginning to use that expertise to achieve sustainable optimized package configurations.

"We aim to be the industry leader," said Dragone. "Our green journey started a few years ago, as we listened to our customers to understand their needs. Now, we are adapting our products and services to meet their green needs, and to meet our corporate responsibilities to leave the world a better place for future generations. This is, in essence, what Earth Day is all about."

For more information about Unisource products, please visit www.unisourcelink.com, or contact Unisource at 1-800-unisource.

About Unisource Worldwide, Inc.

Unisource Worldwide, Inc., (www.unisourcelink.com) is a leading independent marketer and distributor of commercial printing and business imaging papers, packaging systems and facility supplies and equipment in North America. Headquartered in Norcross, Ga., Unisource is one of the largest private companies in the United States and offers the most comprehensive suite of products and services in the industry. With approximately 6,000 team members - including sales, customer service and technical support specialists; approximately 85 distribution centers; and a fleet of "Big Red" trucks - Unisource can deliver what your business needs when and where you want it - locally, regionally and nationally.

Unisource Worldwide, Inc.

Unisource Worldwide, Inc.

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