Bank of Ireland rolls out bio-sourced debit, credit cards

By Gloria Methri

Bank of Ireland has begun rolling out bio-sourced debit and credit cards across its entire cards portfolio. Available for both personal and business customers, the card is made from 84% bio-sourced renewable materials such as field corn and takes just six months to decompose unlike its plastic equivalent, which takes around 400 years.

When the full portfolio of cards is switched to bio-sourced cards, a project expected to be completed by 2026, Bank of Ireland will save 17 tonnes of carbon dioxide and 4.48 tonnes of plastic (equivalent to over 160,000 500ml plastic bottles) per year.

Besides switching to sustainable cards, the bank has also upgraded its design with flat-printed numbers, increased font size and a notch cut out of the card to help people insert it into a card machine or ATM easily.

The bio-sourced cards will be provided to all new customers, existing customers once their old cards expire, and as a replacement for damaged, lost or stolen cards. The bank first introduced bio-sourced debit cards for third-level students in September 2020.

Eamonn Hughes, Chief Sustainability & Investor Relations Officer at Bank of Ireland Group, said, “The environmental credentials of these bio-sourced cards are exceptionally strong and with 60,000 already being used by third-level students, we will now radically expand the rollout across our entire cards business in Ireland and the UK.”

“We understand the important role that banks can play in the move to a low-carbon environment, whether it is enabling customers to move into greener homes or switch to electric vehicles, or through financing the development of the green energy sector. The climate crisis is a critical threat – we are committed to making a positive contribution today, while also investing in tomorrow.”