Johannesburg, South Africa - Mondi was rated the number one company in the new WWF (World Wildlife Fund) voluntary rating tool for paper companies to report on their global ecological footprint.

WWF assessed key environmental criteria, such as use of recycled fibre or fibre coming from well-managed forests, energy use and CO2 emissions, water consumption and water pollution.

David Hathorn, Mondi Group CEO said, "We have a strong commitment to sustainable development and continuous improvement in reducing our environmental footprint. This is also evident in our Green Range of products which consist entirely of FSC certified office and printing paper from responsibly managed forests, chlorine-free paper or 100% recycled paper and ensures that our customers can conduct their business in a sustainable and environmentally conscious way.

We hope that the index will attract many global paper companies as it provides an opportunity for participating companies to present progress they continue to make in reducing the impact of their operations on the environment."

WWF commended Mondi for its responsible procurement of wood, virgin fibre and biomass; its policy to eliminate all controversial timber supply sources and its current level of FSC-certified fibre content for fine paper production, which, at 43.2%, is the highest of the fine paper producers listed publicly.