Those of you who have followed Sustainable is Good know I've been interested in the growing trend in retail companies where “green” materials are being used in the production of gift cards.
I think the trend is interesting as it represents a rather odd place for companies to green their operations.
One of our readers recently let us know about two new greener gift card offerings he had noticed from LL Bean and Best Buy.
LL Bean is producing cards made from the corn-based Ingeo PLA material. The new cards make sense and seem to fit with LL Bean's overall image as an outdoor company.
The Best Buy cards are puzzling there are three of them in the series and not much is known about their makeup. A reader told us the new cards have a green magnetic strip instead of the traditional black and all throughout the strip are the words "recycled materials." We weren't able to get any from Best Buy with more details.
Perhaps they are testing the cards and then may consider expanding their use? The company has so many different gift cards on the market – switching to a greener material may actually be beneficial.
The beat goes on with the green gift cards and its something I remain interested in.
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Thank you for your site. As a marketing professional and an a human striving to be as conscious as possible, it is a true gift. Looking into eco-friendly packaging has been a new plight of mine at work. I found your blog incredibly helpful.
Posted by: Adrienne | September 23, 2008 at 05:43 PM
I think more companies should follow L.L Beans example. I believe all companies should move towards a biodegradable product. I think you guys blogged about recycling gift cards, and I think that a great idea. I work for a company that manages and tracks gift cards, and we blog about gift card issues on savvywallet.com. This post-holiday season. I'm working with our local malls and setting up gift card recycling boxes and getting them recycled. Next, is to get retailers on board with the corn based products. Gift cards are used only for such a short amount of time. Maybe this way, people will use their cards quicker because they think they will bio-degrade.
Posted by: Austin Chu | September 23, 2008 at 06:23 PM
There is now a RECYCLABLE alternative to plastic for gift cards!
Monadnock Paper Mills just launched Envi Card Stock. It contains no PVC, is made from renewable wood fiber, FSC certified, manufactured carbon neutral with 100% renewable electricity and recyclable in the mixed-waste bin. This stock is also great for loyalty cards, membership cards and hotel keys and is available in 14 and 28pt weights.
Read more about Envi Card Stock here: http://goo.gl/guZ4k
Posted by: Monty | April 13, 2011 at 03:11 PM