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They formed Green Gift Cards in 2012 to really drive change in the industry. After reading an article about A Plastic Planet and their ambitious plans, Graham Lycett, Green Gift Card’s Managing Director, contacted Sian Sutherland from A Plastic Planet who was incredibly supportive of their initiative. They then went through the formal certification assessment process, even took the key stakeholders to their paper partner’s mill in Sweden so they could see first-hand what they were doing in the market with their partners Holman Iggesund. 

There are many different marks and logos products carry to show their composition and recyclable status, Green Gift Cards were looking for something that the consumer would understand immediately and implicitly. They chose the Plastic Free certification for their product because of its clarity and simplicity for the consumer. By guaranteeing that a product is 100% plastic free, the Plastic Free Certification Mark clearly spells out to the consumer that the product can easily be recycled without specialist waste management.

The Plastic Free Certification mark appears here on paper based products for the Baftas

Green Gift Cards see their Plastic Free Certification as a key differentiator in the market. They are currently the only card producer certified under Plastic Free, and this resonates with their clients - who in turn are serious about their green credentials. Many of their clients choose to work with them specifically because they have the Plastic Free Certification.

Graham Lycett, Green Gift Card’s Managing Director says

“As we already work with Control Union for other certifications, moving across to them for our Plastic Free certification was easy. They already knew us and knew our products. The process, while rightly rigorous and very detailed was made easier due to their understanding of our business and products. We also had the full support of the team at A Plastic Planet as well.  Our Plastic Free certification is a key USP and one that really resonates with our customers who are serious about their ESG and environmental responsibility.”

The Plastic Free Certification mark appears here on paper based products for the National Garden Gift Vouchers

Control Union is the exclusive certification body for the Plastic Free Certification. If you would like to find out more about how your business could benefit from the Plastic Free Certification, please contact us on: plasticfree@controlunion.com