Greener than green: Wise launches eco cards

Wise (LON: WISE), the global tech company building the best way to move money around the world, has today launched its first eco card.

The environmental impact of the Wise eco card has been significantly reduced by using Polylactic acid (PLA), a sustainable plastic substitute made with renewable bio-sourced resources like non-edible corn. The choice of material is not only more sustainable to source than plastic, it doesn’t release toxic gases when incinerated.

Wise’s design also significantly reduces the amount of ink used, resulting in the card’s plain white design and small “fast-flag” logo. With modern card authentication having moved to tokens and much of the needed information available via apps, the information printed is as minimal as possible. The results are that there is no signature panel, PAN number, CVV, expiry date, or Visa hologram. The Visa logo is printed on the back and in addition, there remains a notch in the card to help those with visual impairments use it more easily.

The delivery envelope is produced from a resourceable fibre paperboard, and also uses minimal ink printing. Wise has replaced the normal packaging details with a QR code to a web page where customers can find more information. The eco card costs £9 in total for new customers (Wise’s regular green card costing new customers £7). Existing customers can upgrade to the new card for £4.50 (with replacement green cards costing existing customers £2.50).

The green card remains an option for customers, however they now have the chance to opt for a white card instead. New and existing Wise Account customers in the EU will be able to order the card as of today.

Nilan Peiris, Chief Product Officer at Wise commented: “We always speak to our customers before launching new products to the market, and they were very clear they wanted the option of a more environmentally friendly card.

Some people can go completely plastic free, using our digital cards and Apple / Google / Samsung pay, but we know that some people might still need to spend with a physical card. Ultimately, it comes down to choice, and we want to make sure we can offer our customers what they want, now in a more sustainable way.

At Wise, we’ve been carbon neutral since 2020 and are committed to being net zero by 2030. We aim to measure our footprint as comprehensively as possible, reduce that footprint as much as possible, and offset and remove that which we can’t reduce.”