CARD CYCLING

Abstract

Approximately 6 billion credit cards are produced each year, primarily out of PVC, and almost none of these cards are recycled. The small size of the cards make it hard for recycling companies to process. Not to mention the embedded components including the ICC chip and the magnetic strip cannot be recycled while still attached to the card. The cards that end up in the landfill are detrimental to the surrounding ecology as heavy metals from the card components leech into the neighbouring environments. In addition to this, the fear of disclosing personal information hinders the disposal process.

This new card design allows the magnetic strip to be peeled away and the ICC Chip to be snapped and removed leaving just the PVC body behind. This PVC can now be recycled into more cards. The same modular principle can also be applied to hotel keycards which are replaced yearly. This new recovery system is set up in collaboration with the banks and hotels to have the most tangible impact. This collaboration would allow customers to return their expired cards directly to the source thereby safeguarding personal data and establishing trust. If successful this new system could recover over 480 million dollars annually.

Prototyping

Service Design

Stages: Circular Service Flow

Design: Mini Card ShredderÂ