Mastercard is embarking on a sustainable card initiative aimed at encouraging card issuers to adopt greener alternatives, including recycled, biodegradable, and ocean plastics.
Each year, approximately six billion payment cards are manufactured, predominantly from non-biodegradable materials like polyvinyl chloride (PVC). With a replacement cycle of every three to four years, these cards collectively contribute around 5.7 million tons of plastic waste to global landfills.
In 2018, Mastercard established the Green Payments Partnership (GPP) to facilitate the payments sector’s transition away from first-use PVC in card production.
“Our objective is straightforward: we aim to empower banks to provide more environmentally friendly card options to consumers, taking tangible steps to drive this change,” states Ajay Bhalla, President of Cyber & Intelligence at Mastercard. “This effort benefits everyone — it supports environmental sustainability, boosts business, and aligns with evolving consumer preferences.”
Over 60 financial institutions, including prominent banks like DBS, Santander, and Crédit Agricole, are set to begin issuing cards made from approved sustainable materials.
“We are excited to collaborate with Mastercard on this significant environmental initiative, launching the DBS Eco Card, which is the first credit card in Asia crafted from polylactic acid — a renewable and biodegradable material that emits no harmful gases when incinerated,” remarks LIM Him Chuan, General Manager of DBS Bank (Taiwan). “This card highlights our shared commitment with Mastercard to sustainability as a pathway for the future.”
To assist in this transition, Mastercard has developed a directory of sustainable card materials, providing card issuers with information on sourcing options.
Additionally, Mastercard’s Global DigiSec Lab in the UK is dedicated to researching the material compositions of cards to verify environmental claims within the industry.
“As customers increasingly seek sustainable products and avenues to instigate positive change, this strategy enables us to address consumer demand while upholding our corporate sustainability values,” notes Marco Briata, Head of Digital & Payments at Crédit Agricole Italia.
The momentum toward sustainable plastics gained traction recently when Visa announced its plans to introduce cards made from recycled materials accessible to financial institutions worldwide. This program has partnered with CPI Card Group to produce the ‘Earthwise High Content Card,’ composed of up to 98% upcycled plastic.