Mastercard Leads the Payments Industry Forward to a More Sustainable Future

 

• Directory of Sustainable Card Materials and Vendors Now Available
• 60+ Financial Institutions have Issued Cards Made from Recyclable, Bio-Sourced, Chlorine-Free, Degradable and Ocean Plastics

 

More than three quarters of people say they are “very concerned”  about the environment and feel companies should be doing more to address their impact on the planet . As consumers look for ways to help tackle climate change through their own positive actions, many are limiting their use of single-use plastics. To address this growing concern, Mastercard has worked with global industry players to develop a sustainable card program for all card issuers globally.  A new directory of sustainable materials and vendors for card products aims to make sustainable choice the preferred option for all financial institutions worldwide and drive enhanced innovation.

Today, Mastercard’s sustainable card offerings are available to consumers in over a dozen countries globally and more than 60 financial institutions have issued cards with approved materials made from recyclable, bio-sourced, chlorine-free, degradable and ocean plastics. These institutions include DBS Bank (Taiwan) and Crédit Agricole, as well as Santander, which will issue cards shortly. With this resource, banks can learn more about these alternatives, connect to card manufacturers and ultimately augment their own sustainability initiatives with a systemic change to their supply chain.

 

This initiative is a new milestone in a multi-year effort that will lead to the launch of Mastercard’s global certification scheme for approved sustainable cards.  It builds on the Greener Payments Partnership (GPP) formed by Mastercard and card manufacturers Gemalto, Giesecke+Devrient and IDEMIA in 2018 to establish environmental best practices and reduce first-use PVC plastic in card manufacturing.  Six billion payments cards are produced each year, typically from PVC.  These cards are replaced on average every three to four years, with discarded cards going to landfills across the world.

 

“Our goal is simple: we want to help banks offer more eco-friendly cards to consumers, and we are taking concrete steps to bring about that change.  This way, everyone benefits – it’s better for the environment, it’s better for business and it meets evolving consumer needs,” says Ajay Bhalla, president of Cyber & Intelligence, Mastercard. “We’re excited to see our efforts gaining traction in so many parts of the world and hope more organizations will join us, as we collectively use our power for good to address these urgent environmental challenges.”

 

“We’re pleased to partner with Mastercard on this important environmental initiative with the new DBS Eco Card, the first credit card in Asia made from polylactic acid — a renewable and biodegradable polymer material that emits no toxic gases during incineration,” said LIM Him Chuan, General Manager of DBS Bank (Taiwan). “With DBS and Mastercard focused on sustainability, this card underscores our commitment to protecting the environment as the way forward for everyone.”

Mastercard continues to invest in new technology and resources to bring new learnings and insight to the global market in support of sustainable choice across all payment rails. Mastercard’s Global DigiSec Lab in the UK, which works to maximize product innovation and security investments, has invested in technology that analyses the material makeup of a card to assess environmental claims on behalf of the industry, so that customers can be confident that any Mastercard they are issuing from a sustainable material has been evaluated and independently verified.  In addition, the Lab is investing in leading academic research related to environmentally friendly ways to recycle existing plastic cards.

 

“We know our customers are looking for more sustainable products and looking for ways to effect positive change in the world. This approach has enabled us to not only deliver on a consumer need but also offer a product that’s in line with our corporate sustainability values,” says Marco Briata, Head of Digital & Payments – Crédit Agricole Italia.

 

“MCB is fully committed towards protecting the environment and our local heritage. We are converting our cards portfolio to Polylactic Acid (PLA), which reduces traditional PVC use by more than 80%.  In addition, every time that a customer uses our Mastercard debit card, we make a contribution to the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation to save threatened Mauritian species through the restoration of entire ecosystems,” says Stephanie Ng Tseung, Head of Cards at MCB.

 

Inspiring Environmentally Conscious Choices

Mastercard makes Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) central to its business model; applying the full scale and scope of technology, partnerships and people to pioneer inclusive and sustainable growth for all.  The company has an extensive track record in creating products, services, partnerships and experiences that enable consumers to make sustainable consumption choices that are better for the planet – easily, intuitively, to their benefit.

 

The Priceless Planet Coalition (PPC) is a platform to unite corporate sustainability efforts and make meaningful investments to preserve the environment. Together with partners who share a commitment to doing well by doing good, PPC is pledging to plant 100 million trees over five years, inspiring positive consumer action.  Additionally, a partnership with the Swedish fintech startup Doconomy enables consumers to track, understand and take accountability of their environmental footprint through digital tools that set a new standard for purpose-driven payment solutions.  The company has also recently joined RE100, furthering its commitment to renewable energy, and set a new ambitious Greenhouse Gas Emissions target to meet a 1.5°C, approved by The Science Based Target Initiative (SBTi).  To learn more about Mastercard’s commitment to environmental sustainability, please visit https://www.mastercard.us/en-us/vision/corp-responsibility/sustainability.html.

 

Mastercard is committed to building a more inclusive digital economy that works for everyone.  That includes connecting 1 billion people and 50 million SMEs to the digital economy by 2025 and supporting 25 million women entrepreneurs grow their businesses.

WILKINS: N CHOOSING PURIFIED WATER, ARE YOU SURE IT’S ‘UNTOUCHED BY HUMAN HANDS’?

Sanitation concerns in the ongoing pandemic calls for ‘contactless’ procedures—that is, human touch at barest minimum during transactions whenever possible. This prevents the potential spread of the virus through human hands.

It makes sense that this same norm should also be applied in the production of packaged goods we buy, especially in something as essential as bottled water.  When you wonder about your cleanest, safest choice for your everyday drinking water, it’s worth asking: which among the countless water brands available are bottled with the least hand contact?  Is zero human intervention even possible in the bottling process?

 

It’s reassuring to know that Coca-Cola Philippines has Wilkins Pure which is guaranteed to be ‘untouched by human hands.’ A state-of-the-art and fully-automated production line helps ensure that every bottle is safe and free from harmful contaminants unseen to the naked eye, and is at peak quality for your daily hydration needs.

 

It doesn’t stop there.  Every bottle of Wilkins Pure undergoes all of the 7 stages of purification — micro-filtration, multi-media filtration, carbon filtration, polishing filtration, reverse osmosis, UV treatment and ozonization. Such a thorough process ensures high quality water that is pure to the last drop.

 

This certainty of purity is authoritatively vouched for by international global safety standards. Wilkins Pure has qualified for: Food Safety System Certification version 5 as recognized by the Global Safety Initiative; NSF Certification; Certification of Good Manufacturing Practices, Certification for Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) Codex Alimentarius and ABWA Certification under the International Bottled Water Association; among other certifications for Occupational Health and Safety Management and Environmental Management.  That’s all on top of the exacting the exacting global audit standards of the Coca Cola Company, acknowledged for its longstanding quality reputation worldwide.

 

“We know how important water is for our daily health and hydration. But in these times of uncertainty, we also know that the last thing consumers need to worry about is what bottled water to buy,” says Teejae Sonza, Marketing Director of Coca-Cola Philippines. “With Wilkins Pure, they can be assured that what they’re buying is internationally certified safe and free from unseen contaminants, giving them peace of mind knowing what they are drinking is indeed pure and good for every day consumption.”

 

At a time where each day is faced with the threat of unseen enemies, don’t leave one’s health and safety to chance. Go with guaranteed safe drinking water, and ‘para sure’ choose Wilkins Pure. Order Wilkins Pure via cokebeverages.ph or call the hotline at (02) 8813-2653 for deliveries within Metro Manila and 1800-1-888-2653 for orders outside Metro Manila.

 

 

 

 

 

Taiwan offers knowledge in combating Covid-19 through smart solutions and effective communications

New Covid 19 info drive website offers information for stakeholders, local and foreign expertise.

There is no doubt that the best and most effective way of combating the Covid-19 virus and prevent its further spread, aside from an effective vaccine, is for the public to be well informed.

Taiwan is among the more than 200 countries around the world affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The World Health Organization (WHO) said there are 18,354,342 confirmed cases globally, with deaths amounting to 696,147. Despite these alarming numbers, Taiwan met the challenge with effective contact tracing measures, smart products and solutions, advanced preparations, swift action, and enough forward-thinking vision. Thus, the country became one of the most successful when it came to early containment and prevention to minimize the virus’ impact.

To date, Taiwan is largely considered as among the global “gold” standards in fighting the dreaded Covid-19. The Global Covid-19 Index (GCI), which compiles and analyzes daily data from 184 countries around the world, in its July 25, 2020 report, ranked Taiwan as among the Top 5 countries that can best recover from Covid-19.

Taiwan believes effective communication should be at the forefront of the fight against Covid-19 so it recently launched https://www.anticovid19tw.org, a website where Taiwan shares its experience in fighting Covid-19 to affected countries around the world, including the Philippines. The website provides information to various stakeholders and also features some of Taiwan’s most advanced and state-of-the-art epidemic prevention measures and smart technologies in fighting the virus.

Equipping the Public with Information

 For the general public, the website effectively and comprehensively answers common questions and other information the public needs to know regarding the virus, such as the virus transmission, risks and complications that affect various age and gender demographics, even mental health concerns, the usual symptoms, and also what to do immediately in case of suspected infection and where to go for medical assistance.

Measures that the government can consider
In the Philippines, Local Government Units (LGUs), mostly the densely populated ones, may also benefit from the website since they can learn how the Taiwanese government conducts its own “Contact-Information-Based Measures” or “Contact Tracing” as it is called locally. It also shows how the Taiwanese government responds in terms of providing assistance to foreigners in Taiwan who may have Covid-19 related concerns, and how the Taiwanese government implements health and safety regulations and other important protocols to help prevent the spread of the virus upon initial reporting. It even shows how foreign governments can enter into collaborative and cooperative agreements with Taiwan and seek its knowledge in combating the virus.

Empowering the medical industry
Finally, by browsing the website, the Philippine medical community can also discover various Covid-19 diagnostic and treatment modes employed in Taiwan for confirmed cases that can be adopted locally. Medical professionals are also presented with different scenarios on how patients with special needs can be treated in case they are infected.

Enabling the business community to cope
To help them cope with the pandemic, the Philippine business community may also browse through the website and learn how to keep their businesses afloat in such a difficult time. Information on smart supply management solutions, plus measures on how companies can help protect their employees through face masks and other protective equipment, may be found on the website. There are also actual experiences by Taiwanese businesses that enabled them to mitigate the devastating impact of the Covid-19 contagion.

Over the past few years, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) has been a reliable partner of Filipino businesses in connecting and doing business with quality Taiwan suppliers, products and services. TAITRA continues to introduce Taiwan companies to its Philippine counterparts through frequent dialogues and business familiarization tours even prior to Covid-19. The contagion did not stop TAITRA in its endeavors as it organized various online events for the benefit of stakeholders amid the pandemic, such as “Taiwan’s Medical Services and Epidemic Prevention Experience Sharing” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ndgzjkjUqU&feature=youtu.be) held last July, and even the online product presentation via YouTube of “Taiwan Biomedical Solution to Covid-19 and Genetic Analysis,” organized by Hsinchu Science Park and TAITRA, and featured some of the top biomedical companies in Taiwan.

Taiwan believes that the fight against the virus continues and there should be no letup to control it. Its model of excellence in fighting the disease has become a hallmark, and the Taiwanese government is more than willing to share to other affected countries in the world its best practices to help finally end this debilitating pandemic.