MEADWESTVACO TO OPEN PLANT IN ELIZABETHTOWN, KENTUCKY

STAMFORD, CONN, April 17, 2003 – MeadWestvaco Corporation (NYSE:MWV), in conjunction with Governor Paul E. Patton and Gene Strong, Secretary of the Cabinet for Economic Development, announced today that it will open a plastic manufacturing plant in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, this summer. The new plant will produce DVD cases using plastic injection molding and will be part of the company's AGI Polymatrix group.

"This is a home run for Elizabethtown/Hardin County," said Joe Prather, chairman and chief executive officer of the Elizabethtown/Hardin County Industrial Foundation. "We are extremely pleased with the decision by MeadWestvaco to locate in Elizabethtown. They will be a wonderful corporate citizen, will increase job opportunities for our community and will continue the diversification of our industrial base."

"We selected Elizabethtown after visiting a number of potential locations across several states in the region," said Leo Mulcahy, vice president and general manager of AGI Polymatrix. "Our Massachusetts' plants are at capacity, and Elizabethtown is well-situated to serve the rapidly expanding DVD packaging needs of many of our key customers. We considered a range of factors including community infrastructure, business climate, workforce quality, and state and local incentives. Kentucky and Elizabethtown came out on top."

The new plant will be located in an existing facility in the Hughes Industrial Park. Employment could reach approximately 100 by the end of the year. The plant will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The facility will be the second in the U.S. of the company's AGI Polymatrix group, producer of specialty plastic components for DVD, CD and other entertainment packaging, and a part of MeadWestvaco's Consumer Packaging Group. The company currently produces the products at its three plants in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, as well as at plants in the U.K. and Germany.

MeadWestvaco operations in Kentucky include facilities in Wickliffe and Louisville. The company has approximately 800 employees in the state.

"The Foundation is extremely pleased to have AGI Polymatrix join our excellent group of existing industry in Elizabethtown. We would like to thank all of our Economic Development partners for seeing this project to completion, " said Rick Games, president of the Elizabethtown/Hardin County Industrial Foundation.

MeadWestvaco's Consumer Packaging Group is a leading global supplier of packaging for the media and entertainment, pharmaceutical and healthcare, and cosmetics and personal care markets.

MeadWestvaco Corporation, headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, is a leading global producer of packaging, coated and specialty papers, consumer and office products, and specialty chemicals. Among the principal markets it serves are the automotive, beverage, consumer products, healthcare, media and entertainment, and publishing industries. The company operates in 29 countries and serves customers in nearly 100 nations. Its highly recognized consumer and office brands include AT-A-GLANCE®, Cambridge®, Columbian®, Five-Star®, and Mead®. MeadWestvaco manages strategically located forestlands according to stringent environmental standards and in conformity with the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® program.

The Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development is the primary state agency in Kentucky responsible for creating new jobs and new investment in the state. New business investment in Kentucky in 2002 totaled more than $3.2 billion with the creation of nearly 13,000 new jobs. Information on available development sites, workforce training, incentive programs, community profiles, small business development and other resources is available at www.thinkkentucky.com.