Wednesday 17 June 2020

VISA issues card made with 98% upcycled plastic for greener payments

Visa will soon give consumers the chance to put more sustainability in their wallets with a payment card made with up to 98% upcycled plastic.

Aimed at reducing first-use plastic and diverting plastic waste which might otherwise enter a landfill, the 'Earthwise' card combines post-industrial recycled thermoplastic polyester (rPETG) with the essential, non-plastic components, including the chip.

The global payments technology company says it's the first time it is working with a partner to develop a financial card made with more sustainable materials to meet increasing green interest from both issuers and consumers.

Douglas Sabo, Vice President and Head of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability at Visa, commented: "Visa is committed to advancing sustainability in everything we do, from the 100% renewable electricity which processes transactions in our data centres, to the sustainable card materials coming to cardholders’ wallets."

The new payment card will be developed by the provider of credit, debit and prepaid solutions CPI Card Group, which found in a recent survey that 91% of debit and credit cardholders are concerned about plastic waste.