Electrocomponents Completes Another Chapter in Eco-Friendly Catalogues

OXFORD, England, February 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

- UPM EcoLite Offers Sustainable Savings for RS Catalogue

Electrocomponents PLC (LSE:ECM), the world's largest high service distributor of electronics and maintenance products, operating under the trading brand of RS Components (RS), has announced significant savings from the adoption of UPM EcoLite paper to produce its eco-friendly RS catalogue.

RS prints over 760,000 copies of its catalogue every year for customers across Europe and Asia Pacific and with the company's commitment to operate an eco-friendly business RS chose UPM, a paper supplier with renowned environmental credentials.

"The decision to upgrade our catalogue paper to a more environmentally friendly solution is not only in line with the company's green policy, but also brings significant cost savings," said Patrick Bramman, Media Account Services Manager at Electrocomponents. "Although 50% of our business is now traded online, our catalogue is still favoured by many customers so we're pleased to be able to provide them with one of the most eco-friendly versions in the industry.

UPM's paper mill is based in Kaipola, Finland and is one of the most environmentally efficient in Europe. UPM EcoLite, the company's new uncoated paper available in very low basis weights, 29 g/m2 and 31 g/m2, minimises the weight of the RS catalogue while retaining a high quality look and feel. Containing 40% recycled fibre, UPM EcoLite is both PEFC and EU Ecolabel certified, which indicates that all the fibre used in the paper originates from sustainable sources.

"We're thrilled that RS chose us to produce its catalogue paper," said Samantha Casciani, Head of Retailers & Cataloguers at UPM. "We pride ourselves in being the frontrunner of the new forest industry, offering our customers a wide range of high quality sustainable papers for all printing methods

About UPM

UPM leads the integration of bio and forest industries into a new, sustainable and innovation-driven future. Our products are made of renewable raw materials and are recyclable. UPM consists of three Business Groups: Energy and pulp, Paper, and Engineered materials. The Group employs around 23,000 people and it has production plants in 15 countries. In 2009, UPM's sales amounted to EUR 7.7 billion. UPM's shares are listed on the Helsinki stock exchange. UPM - The Biofore Company - http://www.upm.com

About Electrocomponents plc

Electrocomponents is the world's largest distributor of electronics and maintenance products serving 1.5 million customers worldwide. Through operations in 27 countries and 17 warehouses, the Group distributes 500,000 products ranging from semiconductors and optoelectronics to power tools and protective clothing. The product and service portfolio supports the entire product lifecycle from R&D through pre-production to maintenance and repair, shipping around 40,000 orders on the same day they are received.

RS Components and Allied Electronics are the trading brands of Electrocomponents plc. The Group is listed on the London Stock Exchange and in the last financial year to 31 March 2010 had revenues of GBP972.6 million. For more information, please visit the website at www.electrocomponents.com

Further information is available via these links:

Twitter: @RSElectronics

Tweet: RS Components completes another chapter in eco-friendly catalogues http://bit.ly/upmecolite

Hashtags: #sustainability #environment

RS Components on Linkedin

http://www.linkedin.com/company/rs-components

Relevant Links:

Electrocomponents plc

http://www.electrocomponents.com

RS Components

http://www.rs-components.com