As part of our effort to reduce our plastic footprint and focus on plastic neutrality, we’re excited to announce a new initiative that offers our customers the choice to issue physical cards made with recycled plastic through our platform. We’ve partnered with rePurpose Global on this new product offering, which aims to remove 380,000 pounds of ocean-bound plastic from the environment in 2021 and channel it towards sustainable reuse.

Through our recycled plastic card initiative, our customers will be able to order physical cards made from 43 percent recycled material, offered in partnership with our card fulfillment partner Perfect Plastic Printing. Latin American grocery delivery platform Cornershop will be the first customer to issue recycled cards through Marqeta.

“When we saw that the quality and durability of the cards our delivery drivers use was not sacrificed when using recycled plastic cards, it felt like a no-brainer to use this new offering through Marqeta,” said Oskar Hjertonsson, Founder and CEO of Cornershop by Uber. “We applaud Marqeta for taking the initiative with this new recycled card product, and address the environmental impact of plastic cards.”

It is estimated that eight million metric tons of plastic are entering our oceans every year, a number expected to grow. Globally, less than 10 percent of plastic waste gets recycled. Even if the world’s governments meet the ambitious commitments they have set for themselves, annual plastic emissions could reach 53 million tons by 2030. Through small changes like offering payment cards made with recycled plastic with our partner rePurpose Global, we can work toward positive change to reduce the environmental impact of the cards we issue.