about enviricard

Why we exist

Billions of PVC cards are issued globally every year for payments, memberships, events, access and ID. Almost none get recycled. Most end up in landfill or incinerators, where they can release harmful compounds.

We started enviricard because we couldn't accept that. Our passion for ridding the world of plastic cards has become an obsession and turned into a simple mission:

Make switching from plastic the easiest decision a business ever makes.

That means no compromise on quality. No new printers. No retraining. No sustainability claims we can't back up with third-party certification.

What we make

We produce plain and bespoke printed cards that replace PVC across every major use case:

• Contactless payment cards (enviriPay™) for closed-loop and restricted programmes on Visa and Mastercard rails
• Access and ID cards with NXP MIFARE® and DESFire® technology
• Membership and loyalty cards instantly printable, plain white or pre-printed
• Event passes and badges for conferences, festivals, sports and VIP access
• Gift cards and other single- or short-life applications

All are compatible with major direct-to-card printers including Magicard, Zebra, Matica and Evolis.

What makes us different

We are the only independently certified alternative to plastic cards. That's not marketing language, it's a verified position, confirmed by Carbon Quota (carbon footprint) and DS Smith (recyclability).

Three things separate us from every other "eco" card on the market:

1. True circular design. Our cards are made from renewable materials and return safely to the earth. No oil-based plastic, no fossil-fuel-derived coatings, no greenwashing.
2. Zero-compromise compatibility. We work with the printers, chips and payment infrastructure you already use. Migration is genuinely seamless.
3. European supply chain. Materials are sourced and produced in Europe, not shipped from China. Transport is the largest contributor to a card's carbon footprint, and we've engineered that out.

How our cards are made

Our supply chain was built from the ground up to be sustainable and not retrofitted.

Core material: Invercote paperboard from Holmen's Iggesund mill in Sweden. Holmen is EcoVadis Platinum-rated, placing it in the top 1% of the world's most sustainable companies. The mill runs almost entirely on biomass, operates a zero-to-landfill policy, and produces so much of its own energy it feeds excess electricity back into the Swedish grid.

Bio coating: Our proprietary coating is plant-derived, not oil-derived, and certified compostable. It's what allows our cards to work in standard dye-sublimation DTC printers.

Printing: Low-energy Ricoh Pro C9500 digital presses significantly lower emissions than conventional printing.

Adhesive: Water-based PVA. No solvents.

Technology: For cards with chips, our antenna is drawn directly onto the paper and the chip module bonded to it. No plastic "technology sticker" inside.

The numbers

• 8.7g CO₂ per enviricard, seed to end-of-life versus at least 20g for plastic
• 57% lower carbon footprint than a PVC equivalent
• 88% lower carbon footprint when comparing the paperboard-plus-bio-layer construction to plastic alternatives
• Up to 20x recyclable our virgin-fibre paperboard can be recycled up to 20 times in standard paper mills
• EN13432 certified industrially compostable
• Zero carcinogenic dioxins released if incinerated for energy recovery

For a typical run of 450,000 cards, switching to enviricard saves the carbon equivalent of boiling a kettle 658,811 times.

Who we work with

enviricard is used by organisations that need cards to work reliably at scale and want their brand to reflect real environmental commitment, not tokenism.

We serve:

• Finance and fintech closed-loop payment programmes for shopping centres, retail groups, resorts, campuses and event venues
• Enterprise employee ID, access control and credential management
• Events and hospitality conferences, festivals, sporting events, cruise ships
• Membership organisations gyms, clubs, associations, retailers, loyalty schemes
• Retail gift cards, loyalty cards, private-label programmes

We handle everything from card manufacture and personalisation to fulfilment, mailing and compliance so our customers can focus on the experience they're delivering.

The context: why this matters now

The plastic card industry is on borrowed time.

• Mastercard will ban first-use virgin plastic from its payment cards by January 2028
• The EU Green Events Code is pushing PVC out of conferences and exhibitions
• 78% of global consumers actively prefer brands aligned with their values (Deloitte, 2025) and membership cards are one of a brand's most visible touchpoints
• ESG reporting requirements now demand measurable, verifiable data not vague sustainability claims

enviricard gives businesses a certified, drop-in solution before these deadlines arrive.

Our commitments

• Transparency. We publish our certifications and are honest about what our cards can and can't do. They're water-resistant but not waterproof. They're built for use cases from single-use up to around two years not for every plastic card application.
• Independent verification. Every environmental claim we make is backed by a named third party.
• No greenwashing. No "recycled plastic," no offsets dressed up as reductions. Real material change, verified end-to-end.

Get in touch

Whether you're issuing 500 cards or 5 million, we'd like to help you make plastic history.

info@enviricard.com