New payment card made with up to 98% upcycled plastic

A new payment card from CPI Card Group and Visa is made with up to 98 per cent upcycled plastic.

Called the Earthwise High Content Card, it was made by CPI – which is a Littleton, Colo.-based payment technology company – and endorsed by Visa to help reduce first-use plastic in payment cards and reduce plastic waste entering landfills. Through an exclusive agreement, the companies will initially provide all Visa-issuing financial institutions worldwide access to the Earthwise High Content Card, which is EMV-compliant and dual interface capable, enabling both contact and contactless payment.

Photo Credit: CPI Card Group

The card is produced using rPETG – a type of upcycled plastic. “Upcycled” is defined as the act of taking something no longer in use and giving it a second life and new function. The card created by CPI combines post-industrial rPETG with the essential, non-plastic components, including the EMV chip, antenna and adhesives, to create a card containing up to 98 per cent upcycled plastic, depending on the final card design for each particular issuer.

The new card joins Earth Elements, CPI’s portfolio of more eco-friendly payment cards, which includes Second Wave, an EMV-compliant, dual interface capable, high-quality payment card featuring a core made with recovered ocean-bound plastic.

The Earthwise High Content Card will initially be Visa-branded. This is the first time Visa has proactively worked with a partner to develop a financial card made with more sustainable materials to meet increasing interest from both issuers and consumers.

Source: CPI Card Group