Nationwide Building Society is to issue 'eco-friendly' debit and credit cards made from recycled plastic - which aims to save 35 tonnes of carbon emissions a year.
The provider, which issues 5.4 million cards annually, said it is the first major UK bank or building society to take such a step.
Nationwide, which is the UK’s largest building society, has pledged to eliminate single-use plastics by 2025.
When will the new cards be rolled out?
The new cards made from recycled PVC materials will be rolled out from next spring.
They will be issued to current account members first, before being rolled out across Nationwide’s product range.
The Society said the move is part of a wide focus on sustainability.
What have Nationwide Building Society said about the move?
Claire Tracey, chief strategy and sustainability officer at Nationwide Building Society, said: “We’re proud to be the first high street lender in the UK to offer cards made from recycled plastics. Our members tell us that, despite the tough times right now, they still want to make the world a greener place.
“Earlier this year we became carbon neutral for energy and emissions for all internal operations and Society vehicles.
"We’ve also set aside £1 billion for our members to borrow at a special low interest rate if they want to make their homes greener.
"Today’s news is another step for us in helping the UK to achieve net-zero by 2050 and a significant step in us eliminating single-use plastics by 2025.”
What do Nationwide do with expired cards for customers?
Nationwide currently offers customers an in-branch recycling service for expired cards.
The new “eco-friendly” cards will be produced in partnership with payment cards supplier Idemia.
Amanda Gourbault from Idemia said: “We’re proud to be a long-term partner of Nationwide Building Society and delighted to support the Society’s sustainability goals through the recycled plastics payment card, which is manufactured from sustainable resources and significantly reduces plastic waste.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article