The Costs of Credit Cards

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We all know the costs of owning credit cards – the introductory rates, annual fees and APRs.  What are not often discussed are the environmental consequences of using credit cards.  These environmental costs can be divided into 2 sectors – the footprint of their usage and the credit cards themselves.  A credit card’s environmental footprint can be decreased by going paperless.  Nearly every company offers this service.  We recommend pursuing this option not only to save more trees, but as a matter of convenience.  Today, we will briefly discuss the environmental impact of the credit cards themselves.

Credit cards are made from PVC and last about three years.  Afterwards, they are cut up and thrown out to live the rest of their indestructible lives in a landfill.  So why is this important?  Well, a closer look at the numbers reveals the problem.  In 2006, The U.S. Census Bureau determined that 1.5 billion credit cards are in use in the United States.  A recent article on NYTimes.com said this stack of credit cards would reach 70 miles into space and be almost as tall as 13 Mt. Everests.  If this number of cards were thrown away every 3 years, the stack would reach almost the height of 43 Everests after a decade.

Discover Card is the first credit company to address the PVC issue of credit cards.  In December they introduced a biodegradable card.  The BIOPVC card allows 99 percent of the card plastic to be safely absorbed when exposed to landfill conditions.  The card will begin to break down in soil, water, composts or wherever microorganisms are present and fully degrade in five years.   It will withstand use like a traditional card without the toxic effect on our environment.