Each year, approximately 30 million kilograms of PVC is used globally to produce bank and access cards — the equivalent weight of nearly 150 Boeing 747s. Most of those cards end up in landfill or are incinerated, releasing toxic gases.
For hotels that have invested in sustainability credentials — green building certifications, food waste programmes, responsible sourcing — a constant stream of plastic cards is a visible inconsistency. Hotel gift cards present an obvious first step: they are issued in volume, are customer-facing, and switching to paperboard requires no changes to existing systems.
Green Gift Cards' Invercote paperboard is the platform for all of our products. The same premium material that delivers your hotel gift card can also be used for room key cards and access cards — meaning one switch can address multiple parts of your card programme.
All cards can carry the Plastic Free Trust Mark — an independent certification that visibly communicates your commitment to reducing plastic to every guest who receives one. Cards are also FSC certified, confirming the paperboard comes from responsibly managed forests.
Room keys are used multiple times daily by guests who are not thinking carefully about how they handle them. Our cards have been swipe-tested over 400 times with no performance degradation.
They also passed an 80 degrees Celsius wick test — sitting in water at that temperature for 20 minutes — while other paperboards tested alongside de-laminated and had to be discarded.
For smart card applications, the paper-based RFID inlay and chip technology is CTF repulpable certified, meaning the card can still be recycled at end of life.
Sustainability is now a booking criterion for a growing number of travellers. Hotels with visible environmental commitments attract a premium-paying audience. Plastic-free hotel cards are a simple, tangible part of that story — one that guests can see and touch.
Switching also makes commercial sense. Our paperboard cards can save up to 40% compared to plastic, and with no operational changes required to existing card terminals or processors, the transition is straightforward.
The best way to understand the quality difference is to hold one. Request a sample pack and see how our hotel gift cards compare to your current plastic cards. Get in touch to discuss volumes, formats and card design.
Customers
Green Gift Cards works with a diverse range of customers, from global brands to independent retailers, all committed to reducing plastic waste.
