FinTech firm iZettle, which offers card reading tech from PayPal, has launched what I calls the world’s first card reader made from recycled ocean plastic.
The ‘Ocean Reader’ is made using fishing nets and ropes collected from the North and Baltic seas.
Its creation follows research stating that 46 per cent of the five trillion pieces of plastic polluting the ocean is made up of old fishing nets.
The project has allowed one tonne of plastic from the ocean to be recycled.
Jacob de Geer, the co-founder of iZettle, said: “Every day small businesses set out to make smart decisions, not just for their bottom line but for the planet too.”
“I’m proud that iZettle is launching the world’s first card reader made of recycled ocean plastics, but at the same time, it’s a failure of the entire industry that this is only happening now, in 2019. We all have to do better.”
Juniper Research suggests there are 125 million card readers in the world, and this number is expected to grow by 6 per cent on average every year.
iZettle will donate 20 per cent of Ocean Reader’s sale price to organisations committed to removing plastic from the oceans.
The plastic is produced with Oceanworks® Guaranteed recycled ocean plastics and certified by Oceanworks, a recycled ocean plastics marketplace.
CEO of Oceanworks, Rob Ianelli, said the firm was very proud of the launch of the new card reader.
“iZettle’s innovative approach to ‘payments with purpose’ will catalyze a powerful wave of change in many industries,” he said.