NewPage Releases 2010 Sustainable Development Report

Report Highlights Include Responsible Forestry and Renewable Energy Initiatives

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Aug 30, 2011, 10:00 ET

MIAMISBURG, Ohio, Aug. 30, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- NewPage Corporation, the leading producer of printing and specialty papers in North America, announced today the release of its 2010 Sustainable Development Report titled Big + Little.

"As a pulp and paper producer, we strive to make sustainable practices -- big and little -- a part of everything we do at NewPage from responsibly managing and sourcing natural resources; to operating cost-effectively utilizing best practices; to producing dependable products that are transported efficiently; to collaborating with our customers to improve and grow our businesses; to giving back to the communities in which we operate," said George F. Martin, president and chief executive officer for NewPage. "The report title, Big + Little, emphasizes that the path to sustainability at NewPage is not just one of big, global programs or small, individual actions day in and day out, but one that encompasses both. Taken together, these ongoing actions and steps shape who we are at NewPage, as we work together for a more sustainable future."

NewPage annually produces a sustainable development report to illustrate to its stakeholders what the company is doing to drive and measure its progress in preserving human, natural and financial resources for the future. The company focuses on five key areas of sustainability:

Responsible Sourcing of Raw Materials
Efficient and Sustainable Manufacturing
Responsible and Safe Products
Healthy, Safe and Engaged Employees
Strong, Viable Communities

The 2010 report highlights the following achievements for each of these key areas:

All wood-based fiber, the largest component of our products, continues to be sourced from responsibly managed forests in North America. Forty-nine percent of the fiber NewPage used came from certified and recycled sources and we continued to support several initiatives to increase the amount of certified forest acreage in our wood procurement regions. Additionally, NewPage continued to work to promote responsible management of forests globally through initiatives such as Project POTICO (Palm Oil, Timber, Carbon Offsets) with the World Resources Institute (WRI) to combat illegal logging and preserve virgin rainforests in Indonesia by diverting new palm oil plantations to degraded lands.

Fifty-one percent of the energy used in 2010 was produced from biomass fuels; a renewable energy source primarily derived from the company's manufacturing byproducts. NewPage is actively researching and supporting new ways to generate renewable energy through a number of partnership projects such as a biorefinery in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin; a wind farm in Mineral County, West Virginia and a biomass cogeneration facility in Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia.

Approximately 70 percent of the ingredients used to manufacture our products come from renewable resources such as wood fiber, recycled fiber and starch. In 2010, products containing recycled fiber accounted for 16 percent of total sales, and chain-of-custody certified fiber accounted for 26 percent of total sales.

NewPage continued to invest in its employees through safety, training and health and wellness programs. Capital of $68 million was invested in 2010 to make improvements in areas such as safety, equipment reliability and product quality.

Nearly $1 million was contributed to charitable organizations and nonprofit strategic partnerships in 2010. In addition, employees donated countless hours to volunteer programs in their own communities.

"We are very proud of what we have achieved thus far and continue to challenge ourselves to improve our environment through research, technology and strategic partnerships," added Martin.

To download a printable PDF of the report, or to learn more about NewPage Corporation, please visit www.NewPageCorp.com/sustainability.

About NewPage Corporation

Headquartered in Miamisburg, Ohio, NewPage Corporation is the leading producer of printing and specialty papers in North America, based on production capacity, with $3.6 billion in net sales for the year ended December 31, 2010. The company's product portfolio is the broadest in North America and includes coated freesheet, coated groundwood, supercalendered, newsprint and specialty papers. These papers are used for corporate collateral, commercial printing, magazines, catalogs, books, coupons, inserts, newspapers, packaging applications and direct mail advertising.

NewPage owns paper mills in Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Nova Scotia, Canada. These mills have a total annual production capacity of approximately 4.1 million tons of paper, including approximately 2.9 million tons of coated paper, approximately 1.0 million tons of uncoated paper and approximately 200,000 tons of specialty paper.

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SOURCE NewPage Corporation