Barnes & Noble Publishes Ecosystem: An Eco-Friendly Line of Planners & Journals

Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world’s largest bookseller, today introduced "Ecosystem,” a new line of planners and journals to be sold exclusively at Barnes & Noble stores and online at Barnes & Noble.com. Created by Sterling Publishing, its publishing subsidiary, the new line of planners and journals are priced between $9.95 and $19.95, made with 100% post-consumer recycled paper and manufactured in the United States.

"Planners and journals are a big business for Barnes & Noble so we wanted to do something very innovative, with careful attention to aesthetics, functionality and manufacturing,” said Marcus Leaver, president of Sterling Publishing. "We know that ‘earth friendly’ products appeal to our customers so we committed to making the ecosystem line with 100% post-consumer recycled paper. We also wanted to go beyond merely ‘being green’ by also taking a strong stance on the manufacturing front: making them in the United States was a big deal for us.”

Ecosystem Products

Ecosystem planners and journals come in three sizes – small, medium and large, and are available in both hard cover and flexi formats. The ecosystem artist presents blank pages for individuals who utilize their imagination to produce works that are beautiful and kind to the Earth. The ecosystem author offers lined pages for writing with the well-being and sustainability of the Earth in mind. The ecosystem architect delivers a grid journal for an environmentally aware person who creates strength and order with lines; and the ecosystem advisor provides calendars and organization for an ecologically friendly provider of professional or personal advice to another.

Customers can purchase several components that fit into the planner or journal’s back pocket. The variety of inserts, which are available from the ecosystem website www.ecosystemlife.com, includes additional blank, grid and lined paper inserts as well as personal information, "to do,” and calendar inserts. With these pieces, customers may customize their book even further for their specific needs.

The ecosystem experience continues online at www.ecosystemlife.com and embraces five guiding interests: the desire to Customize, Aspire, Investigate, Expand and Inspire:

• Customize: Customers can add on pieces to their journals and planners and soon will be able to design their own customized end-pages.
• Aspire: Visitors can learn more about the stories of ecosystem authors, artists, advisors and architects.
• Investigate: Customers can find out what specifically makes their ecosystem item ecologically friendly. They can trace the origin of their planner or journal’s specific components and gain greater understanding of ecologically friendly products with ecosystem’s online glossary. Additionally, they can find a nearby recycling center and learn the proper way to recycle all components of their book.
• Expand: Visitors can see the entire range of ecosystem products, suggest new items and colors, keep abreast of new product introductions and find nearby ecosystem retailers. In addition, they will be able to link to select retailers to make online purchases.
• Inspire: People can join the ecosystem community and are able to register themselves as ecosystem authors, artists, advisors or architects as well as share information with other ecosystem customers.

Ecosystem Design

Ecosystem was created on the premise that being "green” doesn’t have to be boring. Products come in five vibrant colors: Kiwi, Lagoon, Clementine, Onyx and Watermelon. In addition, the 100% post-consumer recycled paper used in ecosystem journals and planners was specifically chosen to provide a better customer experience in terms of weight, feel and use than from similar products on the market. Each ecosystem planner and journal comes with detailed instructions for recycling the various components and enables customers to track and share the ‘past, present and future’ of their notebook.

Ecosystem Manufacturing

All ecosystem products are 100% made in the United States, employing people from all across the country. The process of making an ecosystem planner or journal takes the product on a path through manufacturing facilities in a variety of regions in the U.S., from Lewiston, Maine to Duncan, South Carolina and Park Falls, Wisconsin, creating jobs in those areas. More than 200 people are employed in the creation of each book. For information on the exact journey of a particular ecosystem product, how many people were employed in each step, and the environmental benefit based on the exact specifications of the book, customers can simply enter the product book number on the ecosystem website at www.ecosystemlife.com.

"Consumers today care a great deal about how and where products are manufactured,” said Jaime Carey, chief merchandising officer of Barnes & Noble, Inc. "We think that our approach of combining earth friendly manufacturing practices and a Made in the U.S.A. label will resonate with our customers.”

About Barnes & Noble, Inc.

Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world’s largest bookseller and a Fortune 500 company, operates 777 bookstores in 50 states. Barnes & Noble is the nation’s top bookseller brand for the sixth year in a row, as determined by a combination of the brand’s performance on familiarity, quality, and purchase intent; the top bookseller in quality for the second year in a row and the number two retailer in trust, according to the EquiTrend® Brand Study by Harris Interactive®. Barnes & Noble conducts its online business through Barnes & Noble.com (www.bn.com), one of the Web’s largest e-commerce sites.

General information on Barnes & Noble, Inc. can be obtained via the Internet by visiting the company’s corporate website: www.barnesandnobleinc.com.

About Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.

Sterling Publishing is one of the world’s leading publishers of nonfiction titles with more than 5,000 books in print. It publishes a wide range of nonfiction and illustrated books, consisting primarily of reference and "how-to” titles on subjects such as crafts, food and wine, home design, woodworking, puzzles and games, and children’s books. Among its bestselling titles are Windows on the World Complete Wine Course by Kevin Zraly, Puff the Magic Dragon by Peter Yarrow & Lenny Lipton, Chapman Piloting & Seamanship and Great Expectations: Your All-In One Resource for Pregnancy & Childbirth by Sandy Jones & Marcy Jones.

Sterling Publishing is a wholly owned subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, Inc.