Mastercard’s Milestone: 1 Billion Sustainable Material Cards

Mastercard is advancing its commitment to remove first-use plastics from all newly produced physical payment cards on its network by 1 January 2028.

Since launching the Sustainable Card Program in 2018, to date, one billion Mastercard cards have been made from more sustainable materials such as recycled plastics, agricultural waste and sugar-based polymers. 

This progress complements a digital-first strategy that will reduce the need for physical cards over time.

Standards and partnerships that scale impact

Momentum is building across the network: more than 330 issuers in 80 countries have joined the programme, including 90 issuers across 15 Asia Pacific markets. 

Working with major card manufacturers, Mastercard has already transitioned more than 168 million cards, more than 31 million in Asia Pacific, to recycled and bio-based inputs like rPVC, rPET and PLA. 

From 2028, all newly produced cards on the network must meet a certification standard, with third-party validation of materials and sustainability claims. 

Eligible cards can carry a Card Eco Certification mark, helping issuers and consumers identify credible, lower-impact options.

“Mastercard is committed to advancing climate action and reducing waste by driving our business toward net zero emissions and leveraging our network and scale to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon, regenerative economy,” says Ellen Jackowski, Chief Sustainability Officer for Mastercard. 

Decarbonising payment methods

Reducing plastic use is only part of the equation. 

Mastercard is accelerating digital-first issuance, tokenisation and wallet-based experiences that can eliminate the need for a physical card altogether, cutting material use, manufacturing emissions and end-of-life waste while maintaining security and convenience. 

Industry collaborations, including the Greener Payments Partnership with leading manufacturers, are reshaping supply chains to phase out virgin PVC and scale circular materials.

“The world has a plastic problem," says Sandeep Malhotra, Executive Vice President, Products & Innovation, Asia Pacific, Mastercard. 

"Solving it will be a whole-of-society task, yet efforts are often taken in isolation or without coordination.

“With this sustainable cards effort, Mastercard is bringing its global network of banks, financial institutions and consumers, who collectively hold more than three billion Mastercard cards, together to build a greener payments sector through collaboration and partnership.”

Climate, nature and inclusion

Mastercard’s broader sustainability platform targets climate action, nature restoration and inclusive growth. 

The company is progressing toward net zero emissions by 2040, mobilising partners through the Priceless Planet Coalition to restore 100 million trees by 2025 across 18 global projects and enabling consumer engagement with the Mastercard Carbon Calculator developed with Doconomy. 

Building a more sustainable digital economy also means expanding access.

The company is advancing toward bringing one billion people into the digital economy by 2025 and supporting 50 million small and micro businesses, including 25 million women entrepreneurs.

By redesigning a ubiquitous product, setting clear standards and activating a global network, Mastercard is translating sustainability goals into tangible results, shrinking plastic footprints today while accelerating a digital, low-carbon payments future.

Collaborating for sustainability

Bringing sustainability to The Open helps to reflect how Mastercard is turning big stages and everyday transactions into climate action.

In 2022, Mastercard supported The Open’s water initiative to cut single-use plastics while channelling funding to the Priceless Planet Coalition, alongside programs that link spending to restoration, such as planting one tree for every fifty transactions on ekko’s “good vibes” debit card and giving WHSmith shoppers a way to back global reforestation. 

Beyond events and retail, Mastercard is expanding access to clean energy through a simple PAYG solar model in Uganda as well as improving urban sustainability by partnering with more than 150 cities to make public transport smarter and more efficient. 

The company is also accelerating landscape-scale restoration with 15 new Priceless Planet projects across six continents toward a 100 million tree goal and advancing its own climate roadmap by accelerating our net zero timeline and scaling sustainable commerce solutions announced at the UN Climate Change Conference.