Oct. 9, 2007 Universal Studios is releasing the DVD of its comedy "Evan Almighty" in a rail-thin cardboard sleeve.

Canada's Winnepeg Sun reports that the package redesign which is available so far in Canada only goes beyond efficient use of recyclable materials. Virtually everything about the new packaging is green, from printing with soy ink using a waterless printing process to sourcing of the paper products from sustainably managed forests.

The innovation has been in development throughout 2007, according to Richard Bicknell, vice-president of marketing for Universal Studios Home Entertainment Canada. "We've actually been trying to develop an eco-friendly DVD package for some time, working with a variety of Canadian suppliers to try and get to a place where we were comfortable with the impact on the environment and also something that our customers would be happy with," he says.

The new packaging costs Universal more per unit (though costs are expected to come down with mass production), but Universal is already seeing savings with shipping, Bicknell says. Boxes holding 30 traditional DVDs hold 100 of the new ones.

There is no word as yet on whether or when the package redesign wiill be expanded to other DVD titles or outside Canada.