Mastercard plans to make its payment cards from recycled plastic by 2028

As part of its commitment to reducing its environmental footprint, Mastercard is phasing out first-use PVC plastic from its payment card network by 2028 and switching to producing cards made only from recycled plastics.

The company launched its Greener Payments Partnership with card manufacturers Gemalto, Giesecke+Devrient, and IDEMIA in 2018 to limit the use of PVC plastic in card manufacturing.

The company's Sustainable Card Program, which was launched the same year, has seen over 330 issuers in 80 countries sign up, transitioning over 168 million cards to recycled and bio-based materials.

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As of January 1, 2028, all newly produced plastic payment cards will be made from recycled or bio-sourced plastics, such as rPVC, rPET, or PLA1, according to a press release from Mastercard.

These cards will also bear the Card Eco Certification mark, which verifies their sustainability credentials through independent third-party auditing.

Mastercard has been focusing on sustainability efforts for over a decade, with initiatives such as the Priceless Planet Coalition, Carbon Calculator, and the Sustainable Card.