I know its not my most earth friendly habit but every 4-6 months I pick a new design for my Discover Card. About a month ago I noticed they had a new catagory, Biodegradable. Interesting. Well they had one with Polar Bears which I felt represented our Minnesota Winter so far (23 inches of snow in December) so I got it. Then I started doing some research.
Here are some interesting quotes I found from Discover on inhabitant.com
Discoverlaunched their biodegradable credit card “in response to greater consumer interest in green products, and we hope this will appeal to those interested in living a greener life,” Discover publicist Laura Ingiss wrote in an email.
“The biodegradable Discover Card is another way for environmentally conscious consumers to do their part to help protect our planet,” said Kelly Tufts, director of marketing planning and strategy at Discover. “The card itself is made of biodegradable PVC, which breaks down 99% in nine months to five years in soil, water, compost, or whatever microorganisms are present (e.g. landfills or composts). Plus, the card leaves no toxic effect on the environment,” she wrote in an email.
So sure based on reports and such it might just be green, however the more reports I read I realized a whole other side to credit cards. Something I’ve brought up before, the draw of consumerism. If we had to pay cash (or even debit card straight from the checking account) would we buy _______ A lot of the little extra things, probably not. Humm time to re-evaluate how I use my credit card. We completely pay our bill every month however are we spending more than we need? Interesting thoughts as Christmas shopping wraps up.
So Biodegradable yes, green not really.
All images courtesy Discover Card.
interesting! thanks for the breakdown =) i do like the polar bears and used to live in MN- i believe it ;0)
stopping by and following you from the green blog hop! stacy
crazygreenmommy.blogspost.com
Biodegradable credit card….hmmm, interesting…
Amazingly enough, I don’t use my credit card that often. It’s probably because I live in Japan where paying with cash is more common than using a credit card. Even now, while we’re in California for the holidays, I still carry cash on me instead since it helps me stay aware of how much I have actually spent, something that is hard to keep track of with a credit card.