Verso Updates Sustainability Progress in Newly Released Report

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Verso Paper Corp., Memphis, Tenn., USA, this week announced its release of "A Renewable Commitment – Sustainability Report 2009." The report shares Verso's commitment to sustainably balancing environmental, social, and economic needs. The report highlights Verso's

• Commitment to safety excellence demonstrated by a total incidence rate (TIR) for injuries of 1.92, a historic low for the company and nearly two times better than the industry average
• Increased certified fiber use from third party suppliers to 69% from 65%, surpassing the goal of 67% (in addition, Verso expanded its collaboration with other stakeholders to help increase the overall amount of certified fiber available in the marketplace
• Increased amount of carbon-neutral biomass energy used to run its operations to 53.6%, up from 53.1% in 2008
• $9.3 million grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy, which the company matched with an additional $9.6 million, to implement 12 energy projects that will improve energy efficiency by 33% and save about 1.27 trillion BTUs annually
• Partnership with one of its top customers, The National Geographic Society, to measure the carbon footprint of National Geographic magazine, which is printed on paper made at Verso's Androscoggin mill in Maine. This project helped the company further refine the lifecycle assessment model it developed in 2008
• Expansion of its product offerings to include a line of lightweight uncoated printing papers and a line of supercalendered papers for the magazine, catalog, and retail insert markets (lightweight papers require fewer natural resources to produce)
• Maintenance of its previous year's level of giving to United Way (during particularly difficult economic conditions).

"The focus on renewable commitment was particularly important during 2009, a challenging year to be in the paper business," said Mike Jackson, Verso's president and CEO. "Our people took on every challenge with determination and resourcefulness, holding fast to our sustainability principles. We were able to create value for our stakeholders by perpetually driving for performance improvements and demonstrating a truly renewable commitment to financial success, environmental excellence, and social responsibility."