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Can a credit card combat pollution in the earth's oceans? American Express believes they can. They have teamed up with Parley, an organization working toward combating marine plastic pollution, to not only raise the awareness level about marine pollution but to also create a new credit card made out of plastic recovered from the ocean and along the coastline.
This new card will be a first ever for American Express in terms of its environmentally friendly design and manufacturing. The card is slated to be available to the general public sometime over the next twelve months.
American Express will be creating their new ocean plastic card out of upcycled marine plastic that is basically debris found in the ocean and strewn on the coastline. Right now they are in the middle of crafting a prototype, which they will then test and refine before rolling it out to the general public.
“Our oceans play a vital role in our lives, the health of our planet and the health of travel and tourism, which American Express has long supported. It's important that we raise awareness and do our part to keep our oceans blue,” said Doug Buckminster, Group President of Global Consumer Services, American Express.
“Partnering with Parley is the right next step as we pursue our larger vision of backing our communities and sustaining the planet we share,” he added.
Amex operations combating marine pollution too
American Express will start changing its day-to-day operations to reflect Parley's AIR (Avoid, Intercept, Redesign) philosophy. What does this mean for the company as a whole? It means they will be phasing out their use of plastic straws and coffee stirrers over the next 30 days in both their offices and at Centurion airport lounges around the world. And by the end of the year, they will be phasing out other kinds of single-use plastic being used in their Centurion lounges.
They will also begin exploring ways to lower the use of virgin plastic in their cards. American Express is also committed to developing a strategy to not only diminish single-use plastic but increase recycling levels companywide. This expected to be complete by the end of 2018.
“Every second breath we take is created by the oceans. Without them, we can't exist. American Express is creating a symbol of change and inviting their network to shape a blue future, one based on creativity, collaboration and eco-innovation.” Cyrill Gutsch, founder of Parley for the Oceans.
