In nearly every instance plastic gift cards are over engineered for their purpose.
Plastic gift cards are energy hungry to manufacture, they are not environmentally friendly, can be challenging to recycle and most of them end up in landfill, where they remain. The UK Government has set out its 25 Year Environment Plan that includes looking across the whole lifecycle and how the tax system or charges could reduce the amount of single use plastics waste.
With more and more businesses now pledging to eradicate single-use plastics in an effort to tackle the global plastic pollution crisis, now is the right time to switch from plastic cards to environmentally friendly ones and it couldn’t be easier.
Small cards
big business
Gift cards are big business. In the UK the total market is currently worth over £6bn1.
Up to now, companies have been restricted to mostly non-environmentally friendly materials and processes when choosing cards. Or faced higher charges and greater creative restrictions on the few green options available. Not any more. Green Gift Cards offer you five card formats. And often cheaper, quicker and greener than the alternatives – without sacrificing quality
£6billion
In the UK gift cards are now a £6bn industry1
Four
out of five
of us spend more on gift cards than we do on actual presents1
98.5%
of consumers redeem gift cards within 12 months1
Source
1 UKGCVA 2018
Green Gift Cards
the benefits
We promise a convenient end-to-end service. We deliver faster and with less environmental impact than many of the other options available to you.
Our proven workflow system and efficient production process ensures a reassuringly smooth service. Our unique patents and revolutionary materials help your organisation reduce the amount of single or limited use plastics that goes into landfill as well as helping you to meet your corporate social responsibility targets. And at all times reducing your carbon footprint and keeping costs low.
All of which means going green doesn’t have to be expensive.
Cheaper
Thanks to Green Gift Cards, taking the greener option doesn't have to come with a hefty price tag. Our environmentally-friendly varnished cards cost up to 58% less than PVC. You can also save in postage charges by taking advantage of Royal Mail's discounts on sustainable advertising mail. Even more savings are available both in terms of cost and the environment as Green Gift Cards weigh half as much as their PVC equivalent, therefore less expensive to transport, using less fuel.
GRAPH This illustrates cost saving based on a run of 250,000 GGC3 on 790 micron compared to the equivalent card from the leading PVC alternative
Quicker
Because our production process contains fewer stages than other less green options, we can save you time.
We offer a turnaround of:
- 10-15 working days for print and data application with no magnetic stripe
- 15-20 working days for print and data application including magnetic stripe
Our end-to-end service also ensures that your project runs smoothly and efficiently, from start to finish.
WORKFLOW
10-15working days
turnaround for print and data application with no magnetic stripe
15-20working days
turnaround for print and data application including magnetic stripe
Greener
Our Green Gift Cards can help you reduce your environmental impact.
They’re produced using materials that have been thoroughly tested, and which come with environmental accreditation.
They’re created with Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) certified paper, which means that wood used to make this paper comes from responsibly managed forests and other controlled sources. This makes them the only true alternative for businesses wishing to choose sustainable printed products and reduce their plastic consumption. Switching to Green Gift Cards will help you to reduce landfill from obsolete and spent gift cards and at the same time remove the burden on brands and consumers when it comes to managing their gift card waste …our cards can go into landfill where they compost or be recycled easily with no negative environmental impact.
Our card comes from responsible sources produced at FSC® certified mills to a ISO14001 environmental management standard
Our products
Green Gift Cards are available in 5 different formats. The patent for our unique snap format M6 card die cut means we’re the only manufacturer able to produce M6 cards with a CR80 snap in cardboard with a clean edge, no nasty perforation.
You can choose from a wide range of embellishments including gloss laminate, soft touch, textured, gloss or matt varnish, foils and Micro Motion® on the card face, and a range of options on the reverse. Minimum order quantity 5000.
Browse our products
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GGC1
GGC1
CR80Size: 86mm x 54mm Printing: Printed 4 colour process to face and either black or 4 colour process to reverse Finish: Gloss and matt machine varnish, eco gloss and matt laminate Finishing: Ram punch with option with and without eco laminate Personalise: Magnetic stripe and encoding, DOD barcode, PIN with scratch panel, signature panel Minimum Order Quantity: 5000 
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GGC2
GGC2
CR80 SnappySize: 86mm x 92mm Printing: Printed 4 colour process to face and either black or 4 colour process to reverse Finish: Gloss and matt machine varnish, eco gloss and matt laminate Finishing: Cut to shape, ready to be affixed to a carrier. Features snap for activation mag stripe section removal. Personalise: Magnetic stripe and encoding, DOD barcode, PIN with scratch panel, signature panel Minimum Order Quantity: 5000 
-
GGC3
GGC3
M6 no snapSize: 86mm x 124mm Printing: Printed 4 colour process to face and either black or 4 colour process to reverse Finish: Gloss and matt machine varnish, eco gloss and matt laminate Finishing: Ram punch with Euro slot Personalise: Magnetic stripe and encoding, DOD barcode, PIN with scratch panel, signature panel Minimum Order Quantity: 5000 
-
GGC4
GGC4
M6 snapSize: 86mm x 124mm Printing: Printed 4 colour process to face and either black or 4 colour process to reverse Finish: Gloss and matt machine varnish, eco gloss and matt laminate Finishing: Ram punch with patented Concora Cut (to give separate CR80) and Euro slot Personalise: Magnetic stripe and encoding, DOD barcode, PIN with scratch panel, signature panel; options available to apply data to both body of the card and CR80 Minimum Order Quantity: 5000 
-
GGC5
GGC5
M6+ snapSize: 86mm x 124mm Printing: Printed 4 colour process to face and either black or 4 colour process to reverse Finish: Gloss and matt machine varnish, eco gloss and matt laminate Finishing: Ram punch with 2 x patented Concora Cut (to give two separate CR80s) and Euro slot Personalise: Magnetic stripe and encoding, DOD barcode, PIN with scratch panel, signature panel; options available to apply data to both CR80 cards Minimum Order Quantity: 5000 
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Green Gift Cards Paperboard
100% recyclable, biodegradable and responsibly manufactured at one of the world’s most environmentally friendly paper mills. The material used to make Green Gift Cards is a high quality board that boasts superior print and colour reproduction properties. A patented coating formula provides outstanding lightfastness and gives the end product a longer life. With strength, rigidity and thickness comparable to PVC, it is especially suitable for gift, membership and loyalty cards. Feels and looks like plastic with gloss, coated and matt uncoated options available. Ideal for multiple formats including CR80, M6 snap and non snap formats.
Technical Specification
- Paper weight 790 micron
- Paper Type : Solid Bleached Boards, Virgin Fibre
- Created with 94% renewable sources
- Taint and odour neutrality
- FSC Certified
- PEFC Certified
- Feature FSC + PEFC logos, recycle logo.
Features and Benefits
- Biodegradable
- Compostable to EN 13432 standard
- 100% recyclable
- Rigidity and thickness comparable to PVC cards
- Premium look and feel
- Long lasting
- Swipe durability tested to more than 400 swipes
- Ideal for snap card formats
- Bleached using an Elemental Chlorine Free (EFC) process
- EN 13430:2004 Standard Compliant
- Conforms to ISO9706 requirements for performance
- Produced at a mill that is certified to ISO14001 environmental management standards and ISO9001 quality management standards
- High brightness printing quality
- Fossil fuel admission free mills and zero landfill policy
- Mill listed as one of the world’s 100 most sustainable companies by the UN
- Sourced from forests that plant more trees than are felled
- Full FSC CoC available
- Adopt a tree scheme
Finishes & embellishments
- Gloss or uncoated finish
- Water based matt or silk varnish
- UV gloss varnish
- Hot / Cold Foils
- Embossing
- Textured and 3D coatings
- Spot, matt coatings
- Flocking
- Mirror and metallic surfaces
- Mirror and metallic surfaces
Personalisation and data applications
- Magnetic Stripes
- Scratch Panels
- Bar Coding
- Signature Panel
- Die Cutting
Where our cardboard comes from
The cardboard we use is FSC® and produced in state of the art fossil fuel admission free mills.
It conforms to ISO9706 requirements for permanence, and therefore is suitable for applications requiring acid-free paper.
The eco laminate we use also complies with En 13432 and ASTM D 6400 standards for biodegradability and compostability5.
Source
5 Age testing January 2012
Find out more
Find out why our production process is faster, how our materials are greener than other options, and how we can help you save on postage rates. Request our whitepaper and discover more about the growing business opportunities of gift cards, and why Green Gift Cards are the Cheaper, Quicker and Greener alternative.
If you would like to actually feel and see the quality of the three Green Gift Card materials, we will happily send you a sample pack.
Finally, if you would like to place an order, or if you have any questions and would like to speak to someone in person, then either call us on 01794 725 454 or request a call back.
News
Plastic-free gifting is on the cards
Green Gift Cards first card producer to be awarded The Plastic Free Trust Mark
Selfridges switches to Green Gift Cards paperboard as part of their Plastic Free Plan.
The retail industry’s desire to move away from plastic gift cards has been slow but is now gaining momentum – most recently highlighted by a deal with Selfridges to convert its gift cards to paperboard as part of its plastic-free plan and commitment to the environment.
M6 snap cards, done properly
So in the UK the Gift Card industry uses a number of format of gift cards but wouldn’t it just be easier to have a single format? Our M6 Snap card is the best option on the market.
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Green Gift Card sample pack
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