Business News

Lexmark joins U.S. EPA SmartWay Transport Partnership, exceeds requirement for freight shipments with SmartWay carriers

Wednesday 17. September 2008 - Lexmark International, Inc. (NYSE:LXK) today announced that it has joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) SmartWay Transport Partnership (SmartWay), a collaboration between the EPA and the freight industry designed to increase energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution.

Lexmark has exceeded the program’s requirement regarding the amount of freight that must be shipped using SmartWay carriers.

“I am pleased to welcome Lexmark to the SmartWay Transport Partnership,” said Margo T. Oge, Director of EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality. “They join the Partnership with a commitment to make environmental improvements in their freight operations.”

In joining SmartWay, Lexmark has pledged to continuously improve the environmental impact of its product shipments in the U.S. This will contribute to the EPA’s goal of reducing 33 to 66 million metric tons of carbon dioxide and up to 200,000 tons of nitrogen oxide per year by 2012. According to the EPA, carbon dioxide is the most common greenhouse gas, and nitrogen oxide is an air pollutant that contributes to smog.

“We are taking steps to reduce our carbon footprint at Lexmark, including the reduction of the energy used to transport our products,” said Paul J. Curlander, Lexmark chairman and chief executive officer. “In addition to shipping our products with environmentally sound carriers, we are working to optimize our product packaging to be lighter and smaller to efficiently utilize cargo space. We are pleased to become a member of SmartWay, and we look forward to working with the EPA to achieve its goals.”