MASTERCARD ANNOUNCING NEW CHANGES BY 2028

[Legally_Speaking2512]

MasterCard announced the other day that by 2028 they are going to require that all banks that issue their cards, be it debit or credit, issue only cards made from sustainable materials. They said that they will continue to be made of plastic but recycled plastic only.

I know they issue a lot of new MasterCards every year but I never dreamed that the number of new cards they issue yearly is around 6 billion. 

I I also didn't realize that the plastic that credit cards are made from (non-sustainable ones) are incredibly difficult to recycle - learn something new everyday I guess. Kudos to MasterCard though for doing the right thing.

[pizzadude]

I'll go ahead and say it.....Are metal cards sustainable?! 

[IntegerIntrovert]

RIP Apple card

[Drifter73]

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@pizzadude wrote:

I'll go ahead and say it.....Are metal cards sustainable?! 

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Generally, metal can be melted down and reformed into something else (making it recyclable). I would like to think they would allow metal cards and would hope more lenders start issuing metal cards now. 😀

[CreditCuriosity]

Likely most will be digital by then anyways by whatever payment method being Apple pay, Samsung, etc and future ones to come before then.  Sure physical credits cards will be around for the foreseeable future, but less as time goes on.  For businesses to accept mobile payments many of them need new terminals etc which has an expense and the irony of it tons of plastics and metals and all kinds of other stuff and huge expenses to businesses

[ptatohed]

I'm envisioning thin, flimsy plastic cards. 

But, that may just be welcomed, I can barely close my wallet as it is now.    

[pizzadude]

@ptatohed:

[CYBERSAM]

They should make all of them out of metal then! Much better for recyclables...

[Zoostation1]

I'm thinking a lot of plastic cards will end up similar in physical structure to what the Amex Green cards are like (70% reclaimed pastic is the claim).  My coporate green card for work is easily my thinnest and most flexible.  It's got the same feel and flexibility as my driver's license.

[Anonymalous]

I'm envisioning rows and rows of plants, growing roughly rectangular leaves. When each leaf first started to bud, a chip was affixed near the base, and the leaf grew around it. The filaments used as antennae for the near field signal are pulled into position by the growth of the leaf. After they mature, natural dyes are injected, causing specific patterns to appear, like tattoos in human.

Of course you'd have to replace your credit every fall, when the biocard turns a brilliant color (depending on the lender's choice in cultivars), and then a crumbly brown. The terms of service would require you to compost the remains, and then extract the chip and antennae for disposal.