Avis Reduces Printed Paper Use By 100 Tons Per Year

Reducing in-car clutter responds to customer information preferences and advances environmental efforts

PARSIPPANY, N.J., May 15 -- Avis Rent A Car announced that it will discontinue the printing and distribution of scores of customer brochures and other collateral marketing materials. The effort is expected to reduce paper consumption by 100 tons per year, preserving about 1,500 trees annually, and reducing Avis' costs.

"Avis has always made it a priority to deliver information about our programs and services to our customers in the format that they prefer. In today's wired world, our customers have told us that they want to obtain this information electronically, via Avis.com," said Becky Alseth, senior vice president of marketing for Avis Budget Group, parent of Avis. "This presented us with the opportunity to reduce our environmental footprint, which is also very important to Avis customers."

Avis.com offers comprehensive information about all aspects of renting from Avis, including:

  -- Deals: Specials, promotions and partner offers;
  -- Renter's Guide: Maps and weather, vehicle descriptions, policies &
     procedures and Avis locations;
  -- Programs: Avis Preferred, My Avis, customer preference profiles and
     business programs;
  -- Customer Service; and
  -- Company Information.

"In addition to providing all this information in an easy-to-find way, Avis.com also features a very robust search tool that enables customers to simply write in their question, hit enter, and be taken directly to the information they seek," said Alseth. "It's all part of how 'We Try Harder' both to serve our customers, and to be a responsible steward of the environment."

Avis and the Environment

Avis has implemented several initiatives to protect the environment in addition to reducing its use of printed materials. Avis offers gas/electric hybrid vehicles in subcompact (Toyota Prius), full size (Nissan Altima) and small SUV (Ford Escape) car classes, as well as a full range of fuel-efficient standard-engine vehicles. Approximately half of the Avis fleet is rated at 28 miles per gallon or better (highway), while approximately one fourth is rated at 32 miles per gallon (highway) or better. Sixty-three percent of Avis vehicles are U.S. EPA Smartway(R) Certified; Smartway Certification, which is based on EPA analyses of vehicle fuel efficiency and tailpipe emissions, is designed to help consumers identify the cleanest, most fuel efficient vehicles available.

In addition to offering vehicles that enable renters to minimize the environmental impact from their rental car use, Avis also has begun the process of creating a formal Environmental Management System (EMS) in accordance with ISO 14001 international standards. This will result in a comprehensive plan to reduce environmental impacts including water conservation, energy use, noise emission, use of natural resources, landfill contribution and other areas in which Avis operations interact with the environment.

"At Avis, we're committed not only to offering vehicles that limit the environmental impact from greenhouse gas emissions, but also to exploring opportunities throughout our operations to help protect the environment," said Alseth.

About Avis

Avis Rent A Car System, LLC and its subsidiaries operate one of the world's leading car rental brands, providing business and leisure customers with a wide range of services at more than 2,100 locations in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the Latin American / Caribbean region. Avis is one of the world's top brands for customer loyalty, ranking as the number-one car rental company in the 2007 Brand Keys(R) Customer Loyalty Index. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Avis Budget Group, Inc. . For more information, visit AVIS.