Neenah, Wisconsin, USA, 24 February 2010 -- Bemis Company, Inc. (NYSE: BMS), today announced that it has reached agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice that addresses its concerns regarding Bemis' pending acquisition of the Food Americas operations of Alcan Packaging, a business unit of international mining group Rio Tinto plc (LON: RIO; ASX: RIO).

The agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice requires Bemis to divest certain Alcan Packaging Food Americas packaging assets in the United States after closing. Annual net sales associated with the packaging assets that will be divested represent approximately USD 100 million of annual net sales and include two facilities with production equipment used to produce packaging for fresh meat and retail natural cheese products. This agreement has been filed with the U.S. Federal District Court in Washington, D.C. Bemis will notify investors once the court has approved this agreement.

Bemis Company is a major supplier of flexible packaging and pressure sensitive materials used by leading food, consumer products, healthcare, and other companies worldwide. Founded in 1858, the company is included in the S&P 500 index of stocks and reported 2009 net sales of USD 3.5 billion. The company's flexible packaging business has a strong technical base in polymer chemistry, film extrusion, coating and laminating, printing, and converting. Headquartered in Neenah, Wisconsin, Bemis employs more than 16,000 individuals in 61 manufacturing facilities in 11 countries around the world. More information about the company is available at www.bemis.com.