Contact Information: Contact: Warner Music Group Amanda Collins 201/388-2622 Email Contact
Warner Music Group Announces Industry-Leading Efforts on Ecologically-Superior Packaging and Global Warming
Partners With NRDC and Ivy Hill/Cinram on Recycled Packaging for All Standard CDs/DVDs in U.S.; Carbon-Neutral Grammy Celebration Part of Initiative With NRDC
| Source: Warner Music Group
NEW YORK, NY -- (MARKET WIRE) -- February 9, 2007 --As part of its ongoing environmental initiative
with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), WEA Corp., the U.S.
sales and distribution company of Warner Music Group Corp. (NYSE : WMG ),
today announced that all of its standard CD and DVD products in the U.S.
will use ecologically-enhanced paper packaging by the end of March 2007.
With this, along with changes inside the company's offices that reduce
paper use and promote recycling, the company successfully attains a goal
toward which it has been steadily building.
WMG also announced the development of a new company-wide program to reduce
or offset greenhouse gas emissions associated with global climate change,
beginning with a "carbon-neutral" Grammy party.
"Environmentally responsible behavior is good for corporate America: it's
smart ecology and smart economics," said John Esposito, President and CEO
of WEA. "It lowers the costs of paper procurement and waste. And it
strengthens employee morale. Thank you to our partners at the NRDC, as
well as Ivy Hill/Cinram, and Stora Enso and to every one of our employees,
for their excellence in making business-friendly environmentalism a
reality. There is no downside to being friendly to the planet."
In 2006, the NRDC awarded Esposito its "Forces For Nature" award for his
work on the WEA environmental responsibility initiative. The "Forces For
Nature" award honors individuals for their remarkable leadership in
safeguarding the environment.
Some of the important attributes of the paper to be used by WMG include the
use of post-consumer recycled fibers, avoiding the use of virgin fibers
harvested from any endangered forest, a commitment not to buy paper
manufactured from timber clear-cut off the Cumberland Plateau BioGem, and a
prohibition against the use of paper manufactured with pulping caustic that
contains mercury, a neurotoxin.
According to NRDC Senior Scientist Dr. Allen Hershkowitz, "By committing to
protect the southeastern forests that comprise the Cumberland Plateau
BioGem from being cut down to make disposable paper products, and by
committing to use post-consumer recycled paper instead, Warner Music and
WEA are leading the charge to stop global warming and to preserve the
cultural and ecological home of country music, the region that literally
gave birth to rock and roll. WEA, in partnership with its printer Ivy Hill,
have developed what is arguably the most progressive set of procurement
standards of any music company on Earth. We applaud them for doing this and
we are proud to be collaborating with them on this important work."
"Ivy Hill is proud to be a partner in this milestone initiative. We commend
Warner Music Group as the industry leader in the use of sustainable
packaging materials," said Arthur Kern, President of Ivy Hill Corp. "We
offer special thanks to the NRDC. Their guidance has brought us closer to
our goal of providing the entertainment industry with the
most environmentally responsible printing and packaging materials
available."
Today's announcements represent the culmination of the first of several
phases in the two-year partnership between WEA and the NRDC, a national
environmental advocacy organization with more than 1.2 million members and
on-line activists.
In the program's first phase, WEA worked with its family of labels to
develop CD and DVD packaging, and advertising containing post-consumer
recycled content. This packaging met standards developed by the NRDC and
Ivy Hill/Cinram International, a worldwide provider of pre-recorded
multimedia products and services. Post-consumer recycled paper is made from
wastepaper disposed of by consumers.
WMG has also implemented ecologically responsible and efficient paper
practices across all of its labels and business units in the United States,
including enhanced recycled paper procurement, paper reduction and
wastepaper recycling efforts.
Now entering the program's second phase, the company is undertaking a
comprehensive review of its greenhouse gas emissions with the goal of
developing a program to reduce or offset its "footprint." Greenhouse gases,
such as carbon dioxide, are known to cause global climate change.
Specifically, the NRDC-WEA partnership includes several efforts:
Post-Consumer Recycled Content in All Standard CD and DVD Releases
The transition of all standard WMG CD and DVD packaging to 30 percent
post-consumer uncoated stock will be achieved in March 2007. WMG and Ivy
Hill/Cinram formally selected industry leader Stora Enso to provide the
coated paper stock for CD/DVD jewel case components in the fall of 2006.
Stora Enso selected a 30 percent post-consumer stock paper that is
certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (or FSC). The FSC is an
international organization that has established certification standards for
responsible forest management practices. The WMG-Ivy Hill/Cinram-Stora Enso
partnership is also developing other environmentally responsible papers.
Carbon-Neutral Grammys and Other Environmentally Friendly Events
As part of an initiative to enhance environmental responsibility at all
large-scale company-sponsored events, this year's WMG post-Grammy event
will be "carbon neutral." Similar to other "carbon offset" programs, WMG
will track the amount of energy expended for the February 11 event and
purchase an equivalent amount of renewable energy. Renewable energy, such
as wind and solar power, does not emit greenhouse gases (such as carbon
dioxide) that are associated with global climate change. By purchasing this
carbon-free energy, the company will displace carbon-emitting energy from
the electric grid and offset, or neutralize the total amount of greenhouse
gases emitted.
These investments will be made under the guidance of Oregon-based
Bonneville Environmental Foundation, a non-profit organization supporting
the development of new renewable energy sources. WMG will institute this
practice for all large-scale company-sponsored events, including ecological
standards for vendor and contractor activities.
WMG Waste Reduction and Recycling Program
In partnership with NRDC, WMG has launched an internal program to reduce
waste and recycle wastepaper, as well as increase procurement of
recycled-content paper for office operations and other corporate
activities. This includes conversion of a significant portion of its
materials to electronic format, rather than paper. This program is being
expanded across each of the company's business units.
Carbon-Emission Reduction Plan
Most recently, WMG has also begun work to reduce its "carbon footprint"
through collaboration with Native Energy; a Native American-owned energy
company which helps build Native American, farmer-owned, community-based
renewable energy projects; and REVERB. REVERB (founded by Lauren Sullivan
and her husband, Guster (Reprise) guitarist/vocalist Adam Gardner) seeks to
increase environmental awareness by educating, inspiring and activating
music fans while "greening" artists' tours and the music industry at large.
Together with these organizations, WMG is working on carbon dioxide
emission reduction as well as the development of an offset program
encompassing the company's complete activities -- from new album releases
to employees' daily commuting habits.
About WEA Corp.
WEA Corp. was the first major music distribution company in the U.S. and
has continued to set the standard for sales and marketing in the music
industry for more than thirty years. In addition to the Warner Bros.,
Elektra and Atlantic labels, WEA distributes audio and video releases from
Rhino Entertainment, Asylum Records, Word Entertainment, Time-Life Music,
Warner Music Latina and Curb Records, as well as several other labels. WEA
Corp.'s e-Commerce department works with online and traditional retailers
for all commercial, digital and wireless transactions on behalf of WMG's
U.S. labels. The department develops and delivers sales and marketing
programs to promote WMG's artists to online retailers and other partners.
Headquartered in New York, WEA Corp. has regional offices in Atlanta, Los
Angeles, New York and Minneapolis.
About WMG
Warner Music Group became the only stand-alone music company to be publicly
traded in the United States in May 2005. With its broad roster of new stars
and legendary artists, Warner Music Group is home to a collection of the
best-known record labels in the music industry including Asylum, Atlantic,
Bad Boy, Cordless, East West, Elektra, Lava, Maverick, Nonesuch, Perfect
Game, Reprise, Rhino, Roadrunner, Rykodisc, Sire, Warner Bros. and Word.
Warner Music International, a leading company in national and international
repertoire, operates through numerous international affiliates and
licensees in more than 50 countries. Warner Music Group also includes
Warner/Chappell Music, one of the world's leading music publishers.
About NRDC
The Natural Resources Defense Council is a national, nonprofit organization
of scientists, lawyers and environmental specialists dedicated to
protecting public health and the environment. Founded in 1970, NRDC has 1.2
million members and online activists nationwide, served from offices in New
York, Washington, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Beijing. The
Natural Resources Defense Council's purpose is to safeguard the Earth: its
people, its plants and animals and the natural systems on which all life
depends. It works to restore the integrity of the elements that sustain
life -- air, land and water -- and to defend endangered natural places.
Moreover, it seeks to establish sustainability and good stewardship of the
Earth as central ethical imperatives of human society.
About Ivy Hill/Cinram
Ivy Hill Corporation, a Cinram company, is an award-winning printing and
packaging firm that provides design, printing, packaging and replication
services. Established in 1914, Ivy Hill was the first company in the
United States to design and print record jackets, and today owns patents on
numerous CD packaging configurations throughout the world.