Postage Stamps, Like Shipping Supplies, Better for Mother Earth

Stamps, Stamped Products Cradle to Cradle Certified

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- For more than two centuries, the U.S. Postal Service has issued postage stamps and postal stationery to portray the American experience to a world audience. Now, those stamps and stamped products are Cradle to Cradle Certified(CM).

Products meet Cradle to Cradle requirements when every ingredient tested is either biodegradable or recyclable, when their toxicity is 100 parts per million or less, and when company operations are powered by renewable energy and consider people and ecosystems.

"Our Cradle to Cradle products are designed to be safe and environmentally responsible," said Sam Pulcrano, vice president, Sustainability. "In 2009, the Postal Service provided one billion eco-friendly mailing and shipping supplies to our customers. Now, 27 billion stamps and stamped products join our Cradle to Cradle Certified(CM) product line."

The Postal Service is the only mailing and shipping company worldwide to provide packaging supplies that are Cradle to Cradle Certified(CM). To achieve this designation for its stamps and stamped products, more than 175 materials used by the agency's 58 suppliers were assessed and met requirements by MBDC (McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry) for:

• Impact on human and environmental health.
• Recyclability/compostability and recycled/renewable content.

In addition, the product manufacturing processes were evaluated for:

• Renewable energy use.
• Water stewardship.
• Social responsibility.

"The Postal Service is working hard to create a culture of conservation among our nearly 600,000 employees," Pulcrano said. "Our Cradle to Cradle Certification and other green practices are widely recognized. They include our recycling and mail-back programs, green purchasing programs, and energy efficient facilities, including our green roof in New York City."

The Postal Service's sustainability initiatives decrease greenhouse gases and save money and resources.

A number of the agency's recent successes include:

• a 10.8 trillion reduction in British thermal units (Btu) in facility energy use since 2005.
• $400 million in savings in energy costs since 2007.
• $314 million in savings due to reduced contracted transportation fuel use.
• 10 million saved sheets of paper through Human Resources online initiatives.
• a 2-cent-per-mile cost to operate three-wheeled electric delivery vehicles.

The Postal Service has won more than 75 environmental awards, including 40 White House Closing the Circle, 10 Environmental Protection Agency WasteWise Partner of the Year, Climate Action Champion, Direct Marketing Association Green Echo, and the Postal Technology International Environmental Achievement of the Year, 2009.

For more information about USPS green initiatives, visit usps.com/green and the green newsroom.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

Please note:  For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at www.usps.com/news.

A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 150 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no direct support from taxpayers. With 36,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, the Postal Service relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency six consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $68 billion and delivers nearly half the world's mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 28th in the 2009 Fortune 500.

About MBDC:

MBDC is a global consulting and certification firm that helps clients create a positive footprint on the planet by implementing the Cradle to Cradle® framework. In May, MBDC announced the transfer of the protocol for Cradle to Cradle Certification of products to the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, a non-profit organization based in California www.c2ccertified.org/. Cradle to Cradle® is a registered trademark of MBDC. Cradle to Cradle Certified(CM) is a certification mark of MBDC. www.mbdc.com.

SOURCE U.S. Postal Service