Making the Green Choice That Makes the Difference

April 30, 2008

Pendaflex® shows environmental leadership with SFI® Fiber Sourcing Certification.

Melville, NY (PRNEWSWIRE) April 30, 2008 -- As a part of a broad commitment to corporate social responsibility, Pendaflex, one of the world's premier manufacturers of organizational solutions, announced today that it has achieved Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI Inc.) fiber sourcing certification across the United States.

“At Pendaflex, we have a strong commitment to the environment, and so do our customers,” said Candie Harris, Vice President of Marketing. “SFI® fiber sourcing certification plays a critical role in our environmental policy, and empowers our customers to make an educated environmental choice about the office organization products they buy.”

Pendaflex has a long standing commitment to the environment. In the early 1990’s Pendaflex developed a line of products made from 100 % recycled papers called Earthwise®. Earthwise was the first line of filing supplies to meet or exceed the EPA’s revised guidelines of 30% for post consumer and recycled content. Earthwise products are made from papers that contain 50% post consumer materials. In addition, all Pendaflex paper filing supplies contain at least 10% post consumer materials. For more than 15 years Pendaflex has stood strong on delivering products with superior performance while helping our customers make a world of difference in protecting the planet.

“With SFI fiber sourcing certification Pendaflex is strengthening our environmental commitment and helping our customers demonstrate their own environmental commitment,” said Gary Brooks, President and CEO of Esselte Corporation. “Certification to the SFI Standard means we can meet the increasing market demand for environmentally-friendly products which is good for our business and good for our forests.”

With 152 million acres certified across North America, SFI’s certification program is one of the largest in the world, with a standard based on principles and measures that promote responsible environmental behavior and sound forest management including measures to protect water quality, biodiversity, wildlife habitat, species at risk and forests of exceptional conservation value. Fiber sourcing certification means a company has verified that at least 66% of their supply comes from a SFI certified procurement operation.

SFI’s program stands apart from other certification programs by addressing the fact that 90 per cent of the world’s forests are not certified. SFI participants must track uncertified content and promote responsible forestry by encouraging landowners to reforest areas that have been harvested, use best management practices for protecting water quality and identify and protect important habitat elements for wildlife, including imperiled and critically imperiled species and communities. For areas outside of North America, SFI participants must take measures to procure fiber from known and legal sources, complete a risk assessment to avoid illegal sources and promote conservation of biodiversity hotspots and major tropical wilderness areas as defined by Conservation International.

“Demand for products from responsibly-managed forests is increasing worldwide and with today’s announcement, Pendaflex joins a number of companies that are demonstrating environmental commitment through certification,” said SFI Inc. President and CEO Kathy Abusow. “With just 10 per cent of the world’s forests certified, Pendaflex has taken a leadership role by supporting global efforts to improve forest practices.”

About Pendaflex
Pendaflex is one of the world's premier manufacturers of organizational solutions, bringing innovation, efficiency and style to workplace and home settings. Committed to simplifying consumers' lives, Pendaflex produces a broad range of filing and organizational products, as well as provides solutions and resources through our website www.pendaflex.com and www.PendaflexLearningCenter.com. Located in Melville, NY, Pendaflex is the principal U.S. brand of Esselte Corporation, a $1.2 billion office products company with subsidiaries in 27 countries and distribution in more than 120 countries. Information about Pendaflex can be found at www.Pendaflex.com .

About SFI Inc.
SFI Inc. is a 501c(3) non-profit organization and is solely responsible for maintaining, overseeing and improving the Sustainable Forestry Initiative program. SFI Inc. directs all elements of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative program including the SFI Standard, fiber sourcing requirements, chain-of-custody certification, labeling and marketing. SFI Inc. is overseen by a three-chamber Board of Directors representing social, environmental and economic sectors.
For more information about the SFI program, visit www.sfiprogram.org