Columbia, Maryland (October 22, 2008)—Nemetschek North America is pleased to announce that it is now using Forest Stewardship Council-certified papers in its product packaging and much of its collateral materials. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) ensures that paper carrying its certification comes from well-managed forests that are environmentally responsible, socially equitable, and economically viable.

"Our customers are increasingly asked to—and interested in—creating buildings and landscapes that are environmentally intelligent," says Nemetschek N.A. CEO Sean Flaherty. "Using FSC-certified papers for a significant portion of our printed material is one way that we can align our values with those of our customers. And, even better, we were able to create a stellar, high-design product box, far from the classic brown-paper-bag look that has come to be a hallmark of environmentally sensitive paper choices."

FSC balances values of forest management, such as biodiversity, sensitive aquatic habitats, unique species, and plant and animal habitats along with labor rights, indigenous people and social and community values. FSC works in a stakeholder-based process with members such as major global environmental groups, foresters, scientist, native tribes, forest products manufacturers, and advocates for human and civil rights.

"This year we decided not to send out our rather-massive, paper-based software manuals," says Stewart Rom, Vice President of Sales and Marketing. "Inside that decision, we redirected internal resources to fortify our online and digital support materials, and deliver critical information electronically. Still, we wanted to do more. Though we jumped through a lot of hoops to accomplish this, we felt that our cost savings would best be directed toward forest stewardship and the good work that the FSC does."

Says Flaherty, "Our clients design habitats. We're helping to protect them. We're grateful to the Forest Stewardship Council for setting the gold standard in forest management practices, and we're pleased to strengthen their capacity by choosing FSC-certified papers."

FSC is an independent, non-governmental, not for profit organization established to promote the responsible management of the world's forests. For more information, visit www.fsc.org

Nemetschek North America is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nemetschek AG. A global leader in design technologies, Nemetschek North America has been developing CAD software for the AEC, entertainment, landscape design, and manufacturing fields since 1985. For more information, visit www.vectorworks.net

To read more about Nemetschek North America's social responsibility position, visit www.vectorworks.net/green