12 Apr 2021 • 4 minute read
Today marks the opening of non-essential retail along with hair and nail salons, outdoor bars and restaurants for table service, libraries and gyms, since having to close their doors for the third, and hopefully final, time on the 6th of January. Although it is a small step back to some form of normality, customers will still be required to shop alone or with household groups as we see these premises reopen.
To bolster the high street and encourage, safe numbers and social distancing, retailers will be allowed to open until 10 pm. There is also a new campaign calling for a 'Shop Out to Help Out' initiative that would operate similarly to the ‘Eat out to help out’ scheme in August last year. This campaign is designed to aid Britain's independent high street shops, many of which could not continue operating due to low online presence. According to The British Retail Consortium, it is estimated that non-essential retail stores lost around £22bn in sales in 2020 due to lockdown measures, as footfall declined by 40%.
Retailers now must have the relevant health and safety measures in place for opening to ensure customers and staff's safety. For example, controlling the number of customers who can safely shop at one time, using floor markings to control the flow of shoppers, encouraging contactless payments where possible and ensuring staff have access to handwashing facilities.
There are other ways in which you can add additional preventative methods into the retail environment. Here at Green Gift Cards, we are excited to launch our new gift card coating that helps protect against the spread of COVID-19.
The new coating, SafeTouch, is proven to inhibit the growth of the virus by up to 99%. SafeTouch uses silver ion technology, which is already used in medical, food and water applications safely and has been thoroughly tested to ISO standards. More specifically, ISO 21702 and ISO 18184, for both porous and non-porous substrates –meaning it works on both our coated and non-coated gift cards. What's more, the effectiveness lasts for the lifetime of the product that it is added to.
The gift card coating is exclusive to us at Green Gift Cards and can be recycled effectively, which falls nicely in line with what we're trying to achieve in reducing the amount of plastic on our planet.
How does it work?
SafeTouch binds itself to the cell wall of the product, which disrupts any virus growth. The silver ions then interfere with the virus enzyme production, which stops it from producing any energy. It then interrupts the cell's DNA so it can't replicate. Thus, preventing the virus from spreading.
*Results show the efficacy of SafeTouch protected products only. It does not guarantee protection to the user or others against viruses.
Greener
Compostable and recyclable
Cheaper
Save up to 40% compared to plastic
Quicker
Turnaround average 20 working days
Introducing our range of plastic-free cards
Since 2006 we have been innovating and disrupting in the card market to develop what is a leading range of environmentally-friendly card solutions. So what sets us apart?
Well that’s the thing, there’s a number of reasons why Green Gift Cards are renowned in the world of card production. It is the material we use for our cards and the certification that the cards come with. It is also the compelling environmental story (we urge you to watch the video) that is behind all of our cards and the fact that, once finished with, our cards are compostable and can be recycled in normal household waste streams. Oh and we’ll say it again – being environmentally-friendly doesn’t mean they are more expensive. In fact they offer great value compared to plastic cards.
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Read our latest white paper to find out one simple change organisations can implement today to help tackle the issue of single and limited use plastic.
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We work closely with some of the biggest and best in their field to bring you market leading environmental solutions for your cards. Learn more about our partners.
