Reducing Plastic Waste: What we’re doing to combat our plastic use

We’re aware that our products may be impactful on the environment, which is why we’ve made sustainability a core mission. Whilst it may not be possible to eliminate the use of plastics entirely, we’re conscious of wasting as little of it as we can. Over the years, we’ve been searching for the best alternatives to offer to our customers, and we try not to use plastic where it’s not strictly necessary.

To try and reduce the impact of plastic and microplastics on the environment, we have partnered with Plastic Bank, an organisation that helps remove discarded plastics and empowers poor communities.
 

By setting up recycling systems in certain areas, Plastic Bank allows those who live there – who may not have much money – to collect plastic materials, such as bottles. Once they’ve brought their collection to the recycling system, they will receive basic necessities such as groceries, schooling, health insurance, and even money.

Our partnership with Plastic Bank means that every order placed through ID Card Centre’s website generates the removal of 10 items of plastic material. And if you’re purchasing products that are certifiably eco-friendly, you can feel reassured that your ID and access control requirements are still meeting sustainability standards.

As a company, we take as many steps to reduce waste as possible. We ensure that all of our waste is separated by type and sent for recycling, and we also donate some of our packaging – such as empty boxes – to local nurseries, so children can let their imaginations run wild and create sculptures.

We reuse as many materials in our packing as possible, including boxes, airbags, bubble wrap, and packing paper, and our team is specifically trained to use a minimal amount of packaging whilst ensuring your orders will remain safe and secure in transit.

Within our office, we’ve made sure that all paper printing is reduced to a minimum. All invoices and statements are sent electronically, and any in-house documents are sent between the team via network.

We’ve also installed solar panels on the roof of our office and replaced all building lighting with energy-saving LED panels. We even compost our used tea bags and coffee grounds!

In order to understand what plastics go into the products you’re using, it’s important to know the most common types of plastic. You can find that information in our helpful guide.

All of the plain and printed lanyards on our online shop are made from RPET material (recycled polyethene terephthalate). This means that prior to the lanyards’ creation, the plastic made up another object, such as a bottle, carton, or tub. 

RPET is also recycled widely across the UK, so once the life cycle of your lanyard is complete, it can be recycled and broken down to create poly-fil materials that are often used in winter coats or sleeping bags. However, we do recommend sanitising and reusing lanyards where possible before the option of recycling.

For further sustainability when it comes to your ID card accessories, the standard Evohold card holders can be thrown in with your normal recycling collection, where they’ll be taken away to be broken down and used to create an array of new plastic products.

Disposing of ID cards incorrectly could result in a GDPR penalty. For ID card printer ribbons, we’ve noticed that many companies overlook this as a possible security breach.

It’s important to note that ribbons contain all the data that has been printed onto your cards, so secure recycling is important.

We also aim to provide our customers with as many eco-friendly solutions as possible, so please contact our expert team to discuss your requirements.