News

Environmentally friendly bank cards

posted 11 Jun 2021 2 mins

We are pleased to announce the launch this week of our new, environmentally friendly bank cards. This initiative supports the bank’s wider ambition to drive sustainability and we know that many of our customers share our values in this sphere.

The new cards are significantly more sustainable than traditional bank cards. While traditional cards are produced from petroleum-based products or a blend of plastics, our new cards are produced using only polylactic acid (PLA) in the main body of the card.* PLA is derived mainly from corn and is already used successfully in products ranging from medical implants to sunglasses. CO2 emissions for PLA cards are also lower than those of a standard PVC card: at polymer-production level, emissions are approximately 73% lower, and emissions when the cards are industrially incinerated are approximately 68% lower.

The eco-friendly cards will be introduced over a three-year period to avoid generating additional waste by replacing plastic cards before the end of their natural life cycle.

We are proud to be one of the first UK banks to take this small but important step towards a more sustainable future and, as ever, we welcome your views. Equally, if you have any questions about our new cards, your relationship manager will be delighted to help.



*Note: The technological elements of the card (chip, antenna, hologram, signature panel and magnetic stripe) are not biodegradable. Worldwide, no environmentally friendly alternatives are currently available for the manufacture of these elements.