Banks Shift to Eco-friendly Solutions Supported by Innovative Thales Cards, Certified Sustainable by Mastercard

• Thales is leading the sustainable transformation of the payment market, investing in solutions that address environmental awareness in the banking sector.

• Its deployment of innovative technologies and sustainable materials make Thales the first company to offer a full portfolio of cards with a worldwide manufacturing footprint certified by the Mastercard Sustainable Card Program.

• In 2021 only, that’s about 25 million of these eco-friendly cards, made with bio-sourced materials or recycled plastic, shipped worldwide. 

(BUSINESS WIRE) -- The amount of plastic used to produce payment cards every year is equivalent to the weight of 125 Statues of Liberty¹. With environmental challenges now a growing, global concern, Thales, the leader in high tech security, has developed solutions for a greener world, recently certified by Mastercard’s Sustainable Card Program. To date, Thales has deployed 30 million eco-friendly payment cards for banks and card issuers that address consumer concerns without compromising the user experience.

All eco-friendly cards offered by Thales are made with innovative and sustainable components. For example, one solution is a card made from 85% PLA (polylactic acid), which is produced from corn. Another innovative approach reduces the amount of new plastic while fighting sea pollution, with a card made of Ocean Plastic® collected by Parley for the Oceans. This innovative material comes from plastic waste collected from coastal clean-up operations, in partnership with “Parley for the Oceans”. Banks can also reduce their first-use plastic with a recycled PVC card that is made entirely with plastic waste from the packaging and printing industries.

Thales not only works to minimise the carbon footprint of all its products and services but also offers a carbon offset program to make the cards carbon neutral.

By assessing sustainability claims on behalf of the industry, the Mastercard Sustainable Card Program aims to pivot all card selection programs towards eco-friendly solutions, making sustainable choice the norm rather than the exception. This certification demonstrates that Thales solutions have an environmental advantage that is meaningful, verified and sustainable.

“A year ago, Findomestic became a pioneer BNP Paribas Personal Finance branch by adopting Thales eco-friendly cards made of PLA, with the goal of removing the use of PVC cards by 2024. This was a significant step to illustrate our commitment to social and environmental responsibility. This common environmental awareness shared with Thales enables us to deliver to our customers secure solutions that are respectful of the environment”. Donatella Ciambellotti, Card Development Officer at Findomestic

“The time is right to combine sustainability with the latest payment solutions by focusing on Reduction and Compensation. Indeed, Thales sustainable products and services cover every aspect of a bank card's life. Moving away from plastics isn’t simple when embedding sophisticated technology in the card, such as the contactless chip and antenna. But we are committed to finding new eco-friendly solutions for our customers and making them proud to do business with a responsible and sustainable player.” Sylvie Gibert, VP Payment Cards at Thales.

¹ Eco-friendly credit cards (2022 update) (thalesgroup.com)

About Thales

Thales (Euronext Paris: HO) is a global leader in advanced technologies, investing in digital and “deep tech” innovations – connectivity, big data, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and quantum technologies – to build a confident future crucial for the development of our societies. The Group provides its customers – businesses, organizations and governments – in the defense, aeronautics, space, transport, and digital identity and security domains with solutions, services and products that help them fulfil their critical role, consideration for the individual being the driving force behind all decisions.

Thales has 81,000 employees in 68 countries. In 2021, the Group generated sales of €16.2 billion.

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