New account benefits bundle expands Visa’s sustainability solutions for clients as part of company’s climate positive goal
Visa (NYSE: V), a leading global payments technology company, announced today the launch of Visa Eco Benefits, a new package of sustainability-focused benefits for account issuers designed to enable and encourage their cardholders to engage in sustainable consumption behaviors. The Visa Eco Benefits bundle will be available first in Europe and then rolled out globally during the next year to Visa’s clients. With this new offering, Visa continues to play a leading role in driving sustainable commerce and climate action in the payments industry, supporting its clients’ objectives to meet increasing demand from cardholders to enable sustainable consumption and living.
The Visa Eco Benefits bundle will allow Visa issuers to add sustainability-focused benefits to existing Visa cardholder credit/debit products, enabling cardholders to understand the impact of their spending on the environment, as well as encourage sustainable consumption and behaviors. Available features at launch or over time are expected to include:
- Carbon footprint calculator: insights offered by ecolytiq for cardholders into the estimated carbon footprint of their spend, including a new temperature score, which helps cardholders understand the climate impact of their personal spending behavior and how their consumption choices contribute to the 1.5°C Paris Climate Change Agreement goal
- Carbon offsets: ability for cardholders to offset their greenhouse gas emissions impacts
- Personalized education for customers on how to encourage more sustainable consumption
- Sustainable card materials, including a collaboration with CPI Card Group and digital receipts
- Donations to environmental organizations when Visa cards are used, including One Tree Planted, a global reforestation non-profit organization
- Expanded rewards for cardholders for sustainable behaviors
“At Visa, we recognize the urgency of climate change and are committed to a new era of sustainable and inclusive economic growth,” said Charlotte Hogg, executive vice president and chief executive officer, Europe, Visa. “As an engine of global commerce, we have the opportunity to work with clients and partners around the world to help embed sustainability into the payments ecosystem and support cardholder and business choices through the transition.”
According to a recent GlobeScan study of 31,000 people across 31 markets, consumers continue to have high ambitions for sustainable living. According to Visa cardholder research, these high aspirations for sustainable living carry through to banking and payments. For example, a majority of U.S. cardholders surveyed agreed that sustainability is important to them, with 62% very likely or somewhat likely to apply for a sustainability-focused payment card and trends skewing higher in the millennial generation. In Europe, cardholders ranked sustainability-focused features most important after traditional card benefits like fraud protection and acceptance in choosing their next payment card.
The Visa Eco Benefits bundle is a continuation of Visa’s global aspiration to be a climate positive company, using its products, services, data, network and brand to drive sustainable commerce and support the transition to a low-carbon economy. Earlier this year, Visa announced a pledge to reach net-zero emissions by 2040, ten years ahead of the Paris Climate Agreement goal.
“Sustainability is the challenge of our time, but also one of the greatest opportunities for the finance industry,” said Ulrich Pietsch, co-founder and chief executive officer, ecolytiq. “Equipped with the right tools like the Visa Eco Benefits bundle, the finance industry becomes the driving force for change by educating millions of consumers about their impact and by empowering them to take effective climate action to build the sustainable future we all deserve.”
Visa’s Eco Benefits bundle is the latest milestone in Visa’s sustainability leadership. The company’s recognition includes inclusion on the following: Dow Jones Sustainability North American Index, America’s Most Responsible Companies, and 100 Most Just Companies.
For more information on Visa’s commitment to sustainability, please visit: visa.com/ESG.
About Visa Inc.
Visa is a world leader in digital payments. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable and secure payment network – enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. Our advanced global processing network, VisaNet, provides secure and reliable payments around the world, and is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second. The company’s relentless focus on innovation is a catalyst for the rapid growth of connected commerce on any device. As the world moves from analogue to digital, Visa is applying our brand, products, people, network and scale to reshape the future of commerce. For more information visit usa.visa.com/about-visa.html, usa.visa.com/visa-everywhere/blog.html and @VisaNews.
This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally are identified by words such as “will,” “plans,” “is expected,” and other similar expressions. Examples of forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements we make regarding the timing and likelihood of taking actions related to our strategy, plans for future climate initiatives and goals, and the potential impact of our actions. By their nature, forward-looking statements: (i) speak only as of the date they are made; (ii) are not statements of historical fact or guarantees of future performance; and (iii) are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions or changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict or quantify. Therefore, actual results could differ materially and adversely from Visa’s forward-looking statements due to a variety of factors, including those contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2020, and our other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. You should not place undue reliance on such statements. Except as required by law, we do not intend to update or revise any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.
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