IDEMIA and BBVA Partner to Launch Spain’s First Payment Card Made of Recycled PVC

IDEMIA, the global leader in Augmented Identity, is supplying the very first cards made out of recycled plastics in Spain to BBVA. The bank will first distribute the cards to their Spanish customers with a BBVA Youth Account in June 2020. This new payment card is a strong commitment from BBVA to contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for the fight against climate change.

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Each year, approximately 6 billion plastic payment cards are produced according to the 2018 Nilson Report¹. In the context of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement, IDEMIA’s cutting-edge technology has been selected by BBVA, one of the largest banks in Spain, to migrate part of its existing first-use PVC cards to innovative recycled PVC cards.

By the end of the year BBVA will enable more than half a million Spanish customers to benefit from an eco-friendly alternative in payment. The new model will include a symbol on the back indicating that is made of recycled plastic, and will initially be distributed to BBVA’s account for young people.

“Young people in particular, are aware of the importance of protecting the environment and their demand for sustainable solutions is growing. We have chosen IDEMIA’s trusted solutions in order to accompany our customers in the environmental transition journey,” says Ana Pitarch, the Head of Individual Customers for BBVA in Spain.

Thanks to its expertise in the field of card manufacturing, IDEMIA has been able to produce a card that promotes a responsible use of natural resources without compromising on quality and security. This card is made out of recycled PVC materials originating from industrial waste, in line with the circular economy principles to limit consumption and waste of natural resources while contributing to waste reduction. IDEMIA has also obtained from its recycled PVC supplier an “Environmental Claim Validation Summary” issued by UL Environment, Inc.

The partnership between IDEMIA and BBVA will progressively allow the bank to deliver cards made of “eco-friendly” materials to customers in all countries where it has a presence by the end of 2021, with the commitment to rapidly reduce first-use PVC plastic in card manufacturing at worldwide level.

Amanda Gourbault, Executive VP of the Financial Institutions Business Unit at IDEMIA said: “This first card made of recycled plastic in Spain is a big leap forward for the adoption of cards made from recycled plastics. We are thrilled to be making history in this market by bringing the best of our expertise to contribute to the good of society as a whole.”

About IDEMIA

IDEMIA, the global leader in Augmented Identity, provides a trusted environment enabling citizens and consumers alike to perform their daily critical activities (such as pay, connect and travel), in the physical as well as digital space.

Securing our identity has become mission critical in the world we live in today. By standing for Augmented Identity, an identity that ensures privacy and trust and guarantees secure, authenticated and verifiable transactions, we reinvent the way we think, produce, use and protect one of our greatest assets – our identity – whether for individuals or for objects, whenever and wherever security matters. We provide Augmented Identity for international clients from Financial, Telecom, Identity, Public Security and IoT sectors. With close to 15,000 employees around the world, IDEMIA serves clients in 180 countries.

For more information, visit www.idemia.com / Follow @IdemiaGroup on Twitter

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1} Nilson Report, Card Manufacturer Shipments - Payment Cards 2018

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Contact information

Press:
PR firm: Havas Paris
Hanna Sebbah
+33 (6) 63 73 30 30.
idemia@havas.com