Transcontinental presents its first Sustainability Report based on the Global
Reporting Initiative standard

MONTREAL, Feb. 26 /CNW Telbec/ - At its annual meeting of shareholders on February 18th, Transcontinental, in its role as a leader in environmental protection and as a company that strives to serve the communities in which it operates, officially tabled its Sustainability Report 2009 -- Committing ourselves to performance. In it Transcontinental actively commits "to sustainable development by integrating social, financial and environmental considerations into its day-to-day business operations and long-range planning". The report is available on the company website.

"In the past, our commitment was part of our effort as a good corporate citizen to combine business success with social responsibility," said President and Chief Executive Officer François Olivier. "We did it our way: by mobilizing our employees and working with our partners. So it is a natural step for Transcontinental to now integrate sustainable development in a manner that is consistent with and broadens our environmental commitment."

This first sustainability report was based on the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standard, an international reference for methodology. In accordance with the GRI approach, Transcontinental identified a series of indicators which the Corporation will monitor regularly, with reports on future progress. "You can't improve what you don't measure," said Jean Denault, Transcontinental's Vice President, Procurement and Technology and Chair of the Sustainable Development Steering Committee. "The 2009 report will be used as a benchmark to track our results and establish guidelines for our actions, with the transparency and rigour provided by the GRI standard." The report has also been verified by the GRI organization.

In the coming year, the Steering Committee --which is composed of employees from all operating sectors--wil guide the internal process of defining the objectives, performance targets and timeframes required for the next stages in the GRI reporting procedure.

A dynamic and ongoing commitment

The very first thing the report does is set out Transcontinental's commitment to sustainable development. As indicated by past achievements, namely its Paper Purchasing Policy that favours environmentally preferable papers, the Corporation's commitment encourages the mobilization and accountability of its partners, as well as innovation, concrete and tangible actions and the sharing and communication of results. It is around these four themes, essential to a successful process, that Transcontinental's path to sustainable development wil be built.

    
    - Engagement and ownership: Mobilize employees at all levels of the
      organization, and our suppliers, customers and partners.
    - Innovation is the key driver, internally and externally: Supporting and
      rewarding innovation as key component of the strategy.
    - Connecting words to actions: Setting targets and key performance
      indicators to measure progress.
    - Shared journey: Communicating challenges and progress at each step of
      the way.
    

Lastly, preparation of the Sustainability Report 2009 made it possible to identify initiatives and projects central to responsible management of the organization which, without being called sustainable at the time they were implemented, are consistent with the spirit of sustainable development.

    
    - Greenhouse gas emissions: reduction of 11% in 2009 and implementation
      of a global energy management program to reduce emissions by 15% by
      2012 compared to the level in 2008.
    - Paper Purchasing Policy: increase in the use of Gold and Gold Plus
      papers, the highest ranked papers in the environmental classification
      developed by Transcontinental, which represent 48% of the paper
      purchased in 2009, compared to 22% in 2008.
    - Chain-of-Custody: triple forest product chain-of-custody certification
      (FSC/SFI/PEFC) in 42 Transcontinental printing plants.
    - Recycling programs: recovery of 700 tonnes of paper in the Montreal
      subway system and contribution of $480,000 to provincial and municipal
      recycling programs.
    - Health, Safety and Wellness: decrease in the accident frequency rate,
      from 1.30 in 2008 to 1.08 in 2009.
    - Corporate philanthropy: investment of about $5.7 million in social and
      humanitarian causes in 2009, in the form of donations and sponsorships.
    - LEED certification: LEED Silver certification for Transcontinental
      Northern California, the plant built in Fremont, California to print
      the San Francisco Chronicle.
    

The report also recognizes the contribution of Transcontinental employees. It identifies some 25 awards and prizes won by our business units or employees at every level of the organization.

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 sixth-largest in North America. It is also Canada'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]