25 Mar 2021 • 4 minute read
We’re thrilled to share our story working with The Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) in providing them with their new gift cards.
Like many other organisations in the UK, HTA has made the switch from plastic to environmentally friendly paperboard for their gift cards.
The HTA and their new gift cards
The Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) is the trade association for the UK’s significant and growing garden centre industry. The association’s National Garden Gift Voucher scheme is the UK's longest-running garden consumer promotion. It drives around 2 million visitors into garden centres each year.
The new gift cards for 2021, which can be purchased from most garden centres in the UK, were produced by our team at Green Gift Cards UK using Iggesund’s Invercote paperboard. Invercote is a high-quality paperboard, often used by prestigious brands for packaging due to its strength a robustness. The board we use is a little thicker than plastic cards and less water absorbent that other paperboards, making it perfect for our gift cards.
The range of M6 snap cards are printed on the uncoated iteration of Invercote which is exclusive to us at Green Gift Cards. The natural and earthy feel of the uncoated paperboard really complements the stunning designs that beautifully reflect the seasons and some of our favourite countryside animals.
We produced around 500,000 gift cards for the HTA’s 2021 programme, working with epay, Europe’s leading full-service provider, for prepaid solutions and payment processing with a Retailer Network of over 673,000 Points of Sale in 34 countries.
Working with HTA
The HTA were attracted to working with us due to our unrivalled green proposition based around Invercote and its unique environmentally friendly properties. Plus, each new card proudly states on the back “This responsibly sourced card can be recycled or composted”.
The HTA is an example of another forward-thinking brand that sees the value in being bold about their environmental choices, taking their duty of care seriously when it comes to products they put into the market. So bold in fact, that they display the ‘Plastic Free Trust’ mark on the front of their cards. It’s all too easy for brands to ‘greenwash’ their way through their responsibilities, yet, the HTA have proved they are serious through their adoption of our cards, making full use of the green credentials to convey a strong statement to their customers.
We certainly encourage our customers to make the most of our unique Plastic Free accreditation as part of their marketing and customer communications.
Benefits of Green Gift Cards for HTA
HTA’s choice to go for the M6 snap card means no carriers that need a card glued to them – another smart move from an environmental point of view – less production, less energy and no glue. Even small moves like this make a difference in a world where it is easy to over engineer and to unnecessarily waste ‘stuff’
If we had produced a CR80, credit sized card, and affixed it with glue to the carrier we would have used approx. 12.5kg (27lbs) of glue. The M6 snap card negates the need for that - another small win for the environment.
What are the HTA gift cards made from?
As always, our recyclable and compostable, Plastic Free certified Green Gift Cards for this project were produced on our 790-micron Invercote Duo; this time on our exclusive uncoated board and, to ensure the maximum green credentials.
Not only does Invercote outshine others from an environmental point of view, it is technically superior too. It is rigid but still flexible, the OBA (Optical Brightening Agents) is not overly blue, so colours can be printed accurately on it and the quality of the print is strong. In addition, and this deals with the only real potential weakness in paperboard cards when compared to plastic generally, the water absorbency of Invercote is far less than other boards. In recent wick tests where the amount of water absorption is measured by placing a card in warm water for 20 mins, Invercote outperformed the other ‘specialist paperboard for cards’ by a significant margin.
At Green Gift Cards, we are dedicated to providing sustainable solutions and eco-friendly products for your cards, from inception and creation to the end of the product life.
If you’re interested in getting your hands on your own branded gift cards, give us a call on 01794 725 454 or make an enquiry to see how we can help you.
Greener
Compostable and recyclable
Cheaper
Save up to 40% compared to plastic
Quicker
Turnaround average 20 working days
Introducing our range of plastic-free cards
Since 2006 we have been innovating and disrupting in the card market to develop what is a leading range of environmentally-friendly card solutions. So what sets us apart?
Well that’s the thing, there’s a number of reasons why Green Gift Cards are renowned in the world of card production. It is the material we use for our cards and the certification that the cards come with. It is also the compelling environmental story (we urge you to watch the video) that is behind all of our cards and the fact that, once finished with, our cards are compostable and can be recycled in normal household waste streams. Oh and we’ll say it again – being environmentally-friendly doesn’t mean they are more expensive. In fact they offer great value compared to plastic cards.
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If you would like to talk to us about your next card order or would like to know more about what makes our products so unique, call us on 01794 725 454 or request a call back.
White paper
Read our latest white paper to find out one simple change organisations can implement today to help tackle the issue of single and limited use plastic.
Request a sample pack
If you would like to actually feel and see the quality of our Green Gift Card, we will happily send you some samples.
Partners
We work closely with some of the biggest and best in their field to bring you market leading environmental solutions for your cards. Learn more about our partners.
