American Greetings Uses Environmental Defense Fund Tool to Calculate Savings

New Eco-friendly Card Line Combines Substance and Sentiment

Contact: Frank Cirillo or Meghan Olmstead, 216.252.4938

Cleveland, Ohio (July 21, 2009) – What do 1,300 trees, one Olympic-sized pool of water, two garbage trucks of waste and the carbon dioxide emissions from 13 vehicles have in common? That is the equivalent of savings created by American Greetings’ (NYSE: AM) new line of eco-friendly greeting cards, using estimates from the Environmental Defense Fund’s Paper Calculator.

Utilizing the Paper Calculator, American Greetings quantified the benefits of the new card collection, which was made from 100 percent post consumer recycled materials and printed in the United States. This information is now printed on the back of each card, so that consumers can see firsthand how they are helping American Greetings create products that help them celebrate special occasions in an environmentally-friendly manner.

“This valuable tool helps us combine the perfect sentiment with 100 percent recycled materials,” said Jeffrey Binczyk, director of general merchant management at American Greetings. “At the end of the day, we not only want to help consumers enhance their relationships with friends and family, but also to know that they’re doing their part for the environment by selecting a quality product.”

American Greetings has also been creating company-wide initiatives in regards to waste management, use of post consumer materials, environmentally responsible sourcing and utilization of renewable resources in order to ensure a more sustainable final product.

“We are continually taking steps to find innovative ways to create environmentally friendly products, reduce waste, and explore options to make our operations more energy efficient,” said Binczyk. “We know that our shoppers are passionate about celebrating their most important relationships, and that they are striving to do so in a way that is also environmentally friendly. This new line of cards is one step we are taking to help our consumers achieve both of these goals.”

This new line of greeting cards features a wide variety of sentiments for birthdays, thank you, and other special occasions. The card art itself breaks from the traditional mold of eco-friendly cards with styles ranging from artful photography to expressive graphic designs.

Consumers can find recycled greeting cards from American Greetings at leading specialty, mass, grocery and drug store channels nationwide. Visit www.corporate.americangreetings.com for more information and store locations. You can also follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/amgreetings.

Environmental impact estimates were made using the Environmental Defense Fund Paper Calculator. For more information visit http://www.papercalculator.org.

About American Greetings Corporation

For more than 100 years, American Greetings Corporation (NYSE: AM) has been a manufacturer and retailer of innovative social expression products that assist consumers in enhancing their relationships. The Company's major greeting card brands are American Greetings, Carlton Cards, Gibson, Recycled Paper Greetings and Papyrus, and other paper product offerings include DesignWare party goods, American Greetings and Plus Mark gift-wrap and boxed cards. American Greetings also has the largest collection of electronic greetings on the Web, including cards available at AmericanGreetings.com through AG Interactive, Inc. (the Company's online division). AG Interactive also offers digital photo sharing and personal publishing at PhotoWorks.com and Webshots.com and a one-stop source for online graphics and animations at Kiwee.com. In addition to its product lines, American Greetings also creates and licenses popular character brands through the American Greetings Properties group. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, American Greetings generates annual revenue of approximately $1.7 billion, and its products can be found in retail outlets domestically and worldwide. For more information on the company, visit http://corporate.americangreetings.com.