Reducing waste with recycled plastic credit cards

HSBC was the first in India to launch a credit card made with recycled PVC plastic (rPVC). We aim to phase out single-use PVC cards by the end of 2026.

This is just one of our many groupwide strategies to set ourselves, and our customers, on a path to a net zero-carbon future by 2030, or sooner. 

The HSBC Cashback Credit Card is now made from 85% recycled plastic; we plan to roll this initiative out to all our payment cards.

In order to be as sustainable as possible, we'll only replace your card when it naturally expires or is lost, stolen or damaged.

See our FAQs section on what to do if you've lost your HSBC Credit Card.

Plastic is a part of our everyday, modern lives. It's convenient and low-cost to produce. Unfortunately, it's also a top global waste problem, polluting our waters and impacting wildlife.

Conventional credit, debit and commercial cards are made from polyvinyl chloride acetate (PVC).

The industrial waste produced from this material is challenging. Across the world, 6 billion plastic payment cards are produced every year. A report by the Central Pollution Control Board Report Delhi states that 3.4 million metric tonnes of plastic waste are generated every year in India alone.[@annual-report]

Both recycled PVC plastic (rPVC) and PVC products last about 5 years. However, rPVC is less harmful to the planet as we're using material that would otherwise be incinerated or sent to landfill.

This is just one of the steps we're taking to reduce our carbon emissions and reduce the amount of plastic waste.

We expect that our global initiative to roll out HSBC rPVC cards in markets around the world will reduce CO₂ emissions by 161 tonnes and plastic waste by 73 tonnes per year.[@switches] These figures are based on the 23 million cards we currently issue every year.

This is the CO₂ equivalent of 250 return flights between Delhi and Singapore.[@carbon]

Our collective awareness is growing, thanks to zero-waste challenges in recent years targeting plastic waste. Movements such as "Plastic Free July®" motivate consumers and businesses to reduce everyday plastic use.

From using less plastic to saving energy and reducing waste, more of us are adopting positive habits and making eco-friendly purchasing decisions.

Small changes can, and do, add up – not only to benefit the environment, but to save you money too.