Transcontinental Northern California receives Silver LEED certification from
U.S. Green Building Council

MONTREAL, March 15 /CNW Telbec/ - For its environmentally conscious design and features, Transcontinental Northern California, which opened in July 2009 in Fremont, California, has been awarded LEED Silver certification for new construction by the U.S. Green Building Council. Transcontinental built the 338,000-square-foot printing plant to print the San Francisco Chronicle and related products under an exclusive 15-year contract with Hearst Corporation.

Transcontinental Northern California is one of the first printing plants in North America to be built to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards in the United States. McCarthy Building Companies and Kwan Henmi Architecture/Planning oversaw construction of the green and highly energy efficient four-storey building. The use of recycled materials, purchase of locally manufactured supplies, selection of state-of-the-art equipment for highly efficient printing, thermal comfort, air quality and employee safety are all elements that helped earn the plant its Silver certification.

"It was of key importance for Transcontinental to build a plant that is environmentally friendly and meets and even exceeds standards," said François Olivier, President and Chief Executive Officer. "This certification proves that we were right to take this approach and that we are helping to move things forward in sustainability by setting an example and showing that it can be done. We knew we were making the right choices for today and for the future."

On the energy savings front, envelope performance and technologies (robotics and automated systems, etc.) employed throughout the building work together to reduce energy consumption by approximately 20%. Not only that, employees can commute to work using public transportation, while those who use alternative energy vehicles or carpool have preferred parking.

Transcontinental invested about US$230 million in the Transcontinental Northern California printing plant, which has a unique production model.

Profile

Transcontinental provides printing, publishing and marketing services that deliver exceptional value to its clients and provide a unique, integrated platform for them to reach and retain their target audiences. Transcontinental is the largest printer in Canada and in Mexico, and fourth-largest in North America. It is also the country's leading publisher of consumer magazines and French-language educational resources, the second-largest community newspaper publisher, and its digital platform delivers unique content through more than 120 Web sites. Its Marketing Communications Sector provides advertising services and marketing products using new communications platforms supported by database analytics, premedia, e-flyers, email marketing, and custom communications. Transcontinental is a growth-oriented company with a culture of continuous improvement and financial discipline, whose values, including respect, innovation and integrity, are central to its operation.

Transcontinental (TSX: TCL.A, TCL.B, TCL.PR.D) has approximately 12,500 employees in Canada, the United States and Mexico, and reported revenue of C$2.3 billion in 2009. For more information about the Corporation, please visit www.transcontinental.com.

For further information: Media: Sylvain Morissette, Vice President, Corporate Communications, Transcontinental Inc., [phone], [email protected], www.transcontinental.com; Financial Community: Jennifer F. McCaughey, Director, Investor Relations, Transcontinental Inc., [phone], [email protected]