Eco-Pens : Articles

Atlanta, December 05, 2012

Climate Counts cites UPS for environmental leadership

For the fourth consecutive year, UPS (NYSE: UPS) has earned the No. 1 ranking in the consumer shipping category of the Climate Counts Company Scorecard. UPS tied for second overall in this year's global list of 145 companies and is the only transportation and logistics provider to appear in the top tier of the list.

Climate Counts shares its rankings via a consumer shopping guide, available atwww.climatecounts.org and, for easy mobile access, an iPhone App.

The accolades come during the company's busiest time of year, when consumers' impact on the environment increases due to more shipping during the holidays.

"During this shopping season, the Climate Counts Scorecard offers environmentally-conscious consumers a convenient tool to make more sustainable gift-giving choices," said Scott Wicker, UPS Chief Sustainability Officer. "Being cited by Climate Counts once again validates UPS's industry leadership, our commitment to our customers, and our commitment to sustainability."

Climate Counts, a non profit organization, categorized UPS as "soaring" which recognizes companies that are "demonstrating truly exceptional leadership on climate change." Only 15 companies earned that accolade.

The annual report rates major consumer brands on their approach to climate change based on 22 criteria that measure efforts to assess their climate footprint, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, support progress on climate legislation and communicate their efforts clearly and comprehensively to consumers.

This year's report shows that 66 percent of companies scored have publicly available climate and energy strategies, compared to just 25 percent in 2007, the first year the company issued the report. The scorecard, which rates UPS at 89, also shows the average score for all companies is 52.1, the first time the overall average has exceeded the 50 point margin since the first report in 2007.

As a proven industry leader in sustainability, UPS continues to offer customers products and services that emphasize efficiencies and easily address environmental concerns, including UPS carbon neutral shipping, Carbon Impact Analysis and an Eco Responsible Packaging Program. Consumers can select UPS carbon neutral shipping on all UPS package products via UPS shipping systems. This measurement and offset process, which is available in more than 36 countries, is transparently reviewed and certified by reputable global third party organizations. Carbon Impact Analysis calculates the carbon emissions of a customer's UPS shipments, allowing them to more precisely measure the climate impact of their shipping. The UPS Eco Responsible Packaging Program is a contract program created to evaluate a customer's packaging systems for damage prevention, right-sizing and materials content.

More Information
About UPS
UPS (NYSE: UPS) is a global leader in logistics, offering a broad range of solutions including the transportation of packages and freight, the facilitation of international trade, and the deployment of advanced technology to more efficiently manage the world of business. Headquartered in Atlanta, UPS serves more than 220 countries and territories worldwide. The company can be found on the Web at UPS.com and its corporate blog can be found at blog.ups.com. To get UPS news direct, visitpressroom.ups.com/RSS.

About Climate Counts
Climate Counts is a non-profit organization bringing consumers and companies together to address climate change. The Climate Counts Company Scorecard was developed with oversight from a panel of business and climate experts from leading non-governmental organizations and academic institutions. Since 2007, Climate Counts researchers have used the scorecard to rate the climate actions of nearly 150 companies (representing approximately 3,000 brands) in 16 industry sectors. Companies are given the opportunity to confirm or provide public data sources. Information on all scored companies is available at www.climatecounts.org.

To ask about this press release, contact:

Natalie Black

UPS Public Relations

404-828-4665

New line of pens and mechanical pencils help consumers go green with a majority of components that break down in soil/home compost in about a year?

ATLANTA, May 4, 2010 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Newell Rubbermaid (NYSE: NWL) today announced its Paper Mate® brand is bringing innovation to the everyday writing experience and helping consumers go green with the introduction of Paper Mate Biodegradable* – the first widely available line of pens and mechanical pencils made with a majority of biodegradable components, which break down in soil/home compost in about a year.

"The Paper Mate Biodegradable* pen and pencil were developed based on insights that consumers desire simple, affordable ways to incorporate greener practices into everyday activities at school, home or the office," said Bill Mullenix, President ofNewell Rubbermaid's Everyday Writing global business unit. "This is the first line of biodegradable* writing instruments to be widely available to consumers globally. By offering a unique combination of performance and affordability, we're making it easy for consumers to be greener."

The Paper Mate Biodegradable* line is the latest demonstration of Paper Mate's ongoing commitment to the environment. In 2009, the brand launched a line of products made from recycled sources that includes the Paper Mate FlexGrip Ultra® Recycled Ball Point Pen made from 70 percent recycled material, Paper Mate Earth Write® Recycled Pencil made from 100 percent recycled wood and Paper Mate Write Bros.® Recycled Ball Point Pen made from 80 percent recycled material, along with Liquid Paper® DryLine® Grip Recycled Correction Film made from 67 percent recycled material. In addition, Newell Rubbermaid Office Products brands including Paper Mate®, Sharpie® and Expo® this year announced partnerships with TerraCycle™, the upcycling company that finds new ways to repurpose items that would otherwise be thrown away, to create the world's first program to collect and reuse or recycle pens, markers and other writing instruments. These products and programs add up to a robust green offering from the Paper Mate brand.

"Across Newell Rubbermaid businesses and brands, we are continually studying our consumers to help us design and deliver innovative solutions that also offer performance and value," said Lisa King, Vice President of Insights and Innovation for Newell Rubbermaid. "Paper Mate Biodegradable* was developed as a direct result of consumer insights that showed a significant consumer desire for more environmentally conscious products offered at an affordable price."

While refreshing the image of the iconic Paper Mate brand and bringing innovation to the everyday writing category, Paper Mate Biodegradable* continues to provide the smooth writing experience consumers desire. In fact, Paper Mate Biodegradable* pens feature a new writing system that delivers darker, more vibrant lines and greater smoothness than many conventional ball point systems.

Paper Mate Biodegradable* products look and feel like conventional plastic, but their compostable components are a bio-plastic made from plant-derived sugar, an annually renewable resource. When disassembled and placed in yard soil or home compost, they decompose in about a year, increasing compost and reducing waste. Additionally, the products are packaged in 100-percent PVC-free recyclable material.

The Paper Mate Biodegradable* pen is available in black, blue, red or purple ink and retails for approximately $1.70. The mechanical pencil comes in 0.5mm or 0.7mm lead sizes and retails for about $2.70. Both are currently available in the United States and Canada and will be available globally later this year.

For more information about Paper Mate Biodegradable* pens and mechanical pencils, the TerraCycle upcycling program or the full portfolio of Paper Mate green products, visit www.papermate.com.

* The majority of the Paper Mate Biodegradable pen and pencil components biodegrade in soil or home compost in about a year. See disassembly instructions on packaging.

Newell Rubbermaid Inc., an S&P 500 company, is a global marketer of consumer and commercial products with 2009 sales of approximately $5.6 billion and a strong portfolio of brands, including Rubbermaid®, Sharpie®, Graco®, Calphalon®, Irwin®, Lenox®, Levolor®, Paper Mate®, Dymo®, Waterman®, Parker®, Goody®, Technical Concepts™ and Aprica®.

This press release and additional information about Newell Rubbermaid are available on the company's Web site,www.newellrubbermaid.com.

Green Dentistry – Eco-Friendly Patient Giveaways

Creating an eco-friendly green dental practice begins with the new ways you practice dentistry. You can continue that conscious effort by using eco-friendly patient giveaways for dental marketing. Start your marketing campaign by ordering eco-friendly pens branded (labeled) with your practice logo, your website address and telephone number.

Useful and inexpensive product. A branded or imprinted pen is an example of a product that you and your staff will use daily in all areas of your practice. It is inexpensive to purchase which makes it an inexpensive dental patient giveaway. Why not promote your green dental practice by giving patients an eco-friendly pen.

The most beneficial aspect of a dental patient giveaway is retention of interest. Giving your patient a useful and durable item like a pen imprinted with your logo that they can use immediately at home, at work and in their everyday life keeps your practice name in the forefront of their minds. This pen becomes a frequent reminder of your dental practice making the connection with your brand stronger.

There are many eco-friendly pens available in the marketplace all of which can be branded (imprinted) with your logo. A pen is considered eco-friendly because it is made from biodegradable materials or is made from recycled materials. Here are a few examples:

1) Eco-Element by PAPERMATE is produced from renewable resources, is 35% biodegradable, and is refillable. Go to Eco-Pens.com

2) Clic Stic by Bic is made from 67% pre-consumer recycled plastic. Go to Eco-Pens.com

3) Kernel Pen by Spector and Co is made from corn-based plastic which is a renewable, domestic resource and is recyclable.

Make eco-friendly pens part of your 2010 green dental marketing plan. Contact Sharon Kantor Bogetz at Midwest Dental Solutions, LLC for more information on dental marketing and sustained practice growth.

About two months ago I set out to build a web site that had only three pens on it. I wanted each one to be meaningfully eco-friendly in it's own unique way. I ended up finding one pen that is made from pre-consumer recycled plastic, one that is partially biodegradable and one that is made from corn based plastic.

As I've been researching this topic, it's become difficult to define what a true eco pen is. I found a pen made with a paper laminated barrel. Although on the surface it seems like a winner in the eco-race, it didn't make my cut. To me, it feels pretty cheap and I personally wouldn't write with it....so I figured lots of them would end up in the trash which is not a good eco-friendly option.

There are pros and cons to corn plastic construction in terms of the cradle to grave analysis. Purists question whether pre-consumer plastic equates to recycled material. The real benefit of biodegradable plastic can be a mute point in our great community landfills. As I continue to learn more, I'm going to try and represent the best options available and teach about the benefits in ways that help make sense of the many disparate opinions out there.

My current opinion is that if we are supporting initiatives that are directionally correct with decent products, that's a good thing. I believe that we need to support the products that legitimate manufacturers are making - even if they are not perfect yet. If manufacturers sell these products, more and better alternatives will come. If they don't sell, the ink well will dry up.

So, I built my site and now I wait to see if the customers believe the same thing that I do!

Eco-Pens

Eco-Shopping Guide Scores UPS Tops in Shipping

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New line of pens and mechanical pencils help consumers go green with a majority of components that break down in soil/home compost in about a year?

Green Dentistry – Eco-Friendly Patient Giveaways