In the beginning there was corn. Then thousands of years later plastic came along, with all its climate-ruining chemicals and toxic waste in tow.

So as a global technology fintech company, we thought — what can we do to make a small contribution to the fight against the biggest threat to humanity? Our debit card is the only physical thing we produce. And, like most bank cards, it’s plastic. Not fantastic for the environment.

Enter corn. Non-edible, biodegradable corn. You can make debit cards out of it. So we did.

Meet the Wise eco card.

But what’s in it? Not a lot.

01 - Less ink, less waste
You’ll notice the eco card is light on printed details. Ink isn’t biodegradable, so anything that wasn’t completely necessary to the card — your pan number, for one — was taken off.

That meant some tough choices. No green, a pared-back logo. Maybe that means it doesn’t look very “Wise”. But it was more important to us for the eco card to be as eco as possible. What’s the point otherwise?

02 - Made to biodegrade

An easy way for us to avoid plastic waste was to just not use plastic. Not a typical one anyway.

Bioplastic is an alternative material that you’ll find in things like biodegradable cutlery. And bioplastic can be made of sweet, non-edible corn. It was perfect for the eco card.

Unlike more common petroleum-based plastics, bioplastic is non-toxic. So it won’t emit polluting gases if it’s burned, like a lot of waste is. And when your eco card expires, it’ll simply biodegrade.

Using bioplastic is the most efficient way for us to shrink the card’s carbon footprint. Simple, and more sustainable.

03 - Planet-friendly packaging

The pursuit of eco doesn’t end with the card. It’s also in the packaging for the card's journey to you.

The paper envelope is made with Incada Silk, which is FSC-certified. That means we’re supporting responsible, renewable forestry.

And we took the same line on ink, or lack of it, as with the card itself. We embossed our logo. There’s a QR code that helps you activate your card, and not much else.

Less of everything = less waste.

Get them before they’re gone.

The cards are limited for now, so be sure to order yours before they run out. And let us know if you’ve got any feedback. We’re looking for ways to make this even more sustainable.

Because our mission — to make money move for free — shouldn’t come at the expense of the planet. Which is why “Emission zero” is our commitment to reach net-zero by 2030. Eco cards are a small piece of that puzzle.

So thanks from us, and the planet.