Environment friendly credit cards - 05/03/08
Banks are getting in on the green act.
The saying: "paying with plastic" is soon
going to be a thing of the past as financial institutions
promise the development of a new biodegradable credit
cards.
Virgin Money, headed by staunch environmentalist
entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson is leading the pack,
with a green credit card (it will literally be coloured
green), which will be manufactured out of biodegradable
materials. A launch date for this "save the planet"
innovation is still to be announced.
A Virgin Money spokesperson admits there is "work
to be done" to establish which materials and
processing techniques are most suitable.
"It is important that this doesn't just pay
lip service to the environment but has a lasting positive
effect as part of our overall drive and commitment
to environmental practice," he said.
Barclaycard, is yet another major UK financial services
provider which is going the green route with the introduction
of a credit card, called Breathe. This card will be
manufactured from PETG, an environmentally friendly
alternative to PVC cards.
Green Energy
Illustrating his further commitment to the environment,
Richard Branson, has recently launched Virgin Fuels,
which will contribute up to $400m (US) in green energy
projects.
The funds will be invested in schemes to develop
new renewable energy technologies. Sir Richard said
that transport and energy companies "must be
at the forefront of developing environmentally friendly
business strategies".
Save the Environment; Become a Millionaire
In a bid to get the rest of the world on the path
towards a greener planet, Branson, unveiled the Virgin
Earth Challenge earlier in the year. This competition
encourages people to conceive a way of removing one
billion metric tons of lethal carbon dioxide from
the earth's atmosphere every year for 10 years without
further harming the earth. It's definitely worthwhile
putting some thought into this as the winner will
earn a whopping $25 million.
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