In Spain, CaixaBank is introducing a biodegradable gift card made from corn starch and biomass. To be launched in September, the bank says the cards cut the carbon footprint of traditional gift cards by 50%.
“The launch of this product represents a significant step forward in a plan specifically designed to reduce the environmental impact of the Company’s cards,” a CaixaBank spokesperson tells Cards International. “From now on, all gift cards issued by CaixaBank will be biodegradable. The plan includes both replacing the manufacturing material of the range of gift cards, and creating a new recycling program for all card types.”
The bank is looking to distribute approximately 150,000 cards per year. They can be acquired at all CaixaBank branches and last for about two years. A system for recycling both the traditional plastic and new biodegradable cards will also be created.