IDEMIA strengthens its GREENPAY initiative in Brazil on World Environment Day

• The company intensifies its socio-environmental commitment by offering ecological solutions to financial institutions.
• The use of recyclable PVC reduces up to 3.19 grams of plastic and 7 grams of CO₂ per card, in addition to saving water and energy in the production process.

World Environment Day, celebrated on June 5, reminds us of the importance of promoting initiatives that make life possible on our Planet. IDEMIA, the leading company in Augmented Identity, reinforces its GREENPAY initiative, through which it seeks to support the change of the environmental paradigm of financial institutions and present its recycled PVC cards to the Brazilian market.

Produced from recycled raw materials of natural origin, each PVC card is made with recycled polyvinyl chloride (PVC) – the largest percentage of the global industry – which allows a reduction of 3.19 grams of plastic vis-à-vis traditional PVC and saves 7 grams of carbon dioxide (CO₂). Considering the volume of cards issued per year in Brazil, with the adoption of the new card, there is the possibility of reducing up to 7 tons of CO₂ per year.

The recycled PVC card promotes the reutilization of materials, thus avoiding unnecessary proliferation of plastic. In addition, it minimizes the card’s impact on the environment. Replacing the traditional card by the recycled card reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 36%, water usage by 75% and energy consumption by 50%.

GREENPAY cards meet the growing demand of global markets for solutions that protect the environment, something in which Brazilian institutions have also shown interest in the cards should be launched in Brazil later this year.
Marcelo Annarumma, President of IDEMIA in Latin America

The quality of the material used in GREENPAY cards is certified by UL, formerly Underwriters Laboratories, a global quality certification company, which means that their cards deliver on their promises.

The PVC used in the manufacturing of the GREENPAY card gives it the same malleability, durability and quality of a traditional PVC card; it’s almost indistinguishable from the traditional card from the point of view of application, quality, and reliability, and with the added benefit of being recycled.
Marcelo Annarumma

IDEMIA’s plant in Cotia, in the interior of São Paulo state, produces cards with recyclable PVC to serve the countries in the region. Latin America now accounts for more than one third of the world’s demand for recycled cards within IDEMIA.

According to a study conducted by IDEMIA in 2020, together with “Data2decisions”, among 2,800 people in 10 countries, 92% of consumer would like that their banks contributed to the preservation of the planet; 87% believed that their banks should offer cards made with ecological materials; 71% would want their banks to recycle expired cards, and 65% expected their banks to offer alternatives to paper-based documentation and explanatory brochures .

IDEMIA partners with several important environmental protection institutions, NGOs, companies, and banks, such as ClimateSeed, in projects that foster sustainability, to meet the UN’s sustainable development goals. In addition, the company offers environmentally-friendly packaging solutions and on-demand printing of its cards to avoid inventory obsolescence.

Pin codes, usage instructions and related documents, including all marketing materials can be sent by safe means to cardholders to eliminate physical paper documentation and their transport in order to further reduce the company’s carbon footprint.

IDEMIA’s social responsibility commitment (CRS) has also led it to develop environment-friendly payment solutions such as long-lasting metal cards. IDEMIA is a world leader in innovative solutions for digital payment media and has already managed to reduce its carbon footprint by 63%.