Natuurmonumenten and Visa GreenCard team up to erase carbon footprints
Dutch environmental organisation offers its members a Visa GreenCard for carbon neutral shopping
’s-Graveland, Den Bosch, February 4th 2008 - Today Natuurmonumenten and RePay International, the company behind the Visa GreenCard, announced their collaboration. Over 880,000 members of Natuurmonumenten, a Dutch association for the preservation of natural reserves, will be offered a Visa GreenCard for carbon neutral shopping.
Every product and every service generates a certain amount of carbon emissions. This green credit card compensates the carbon footprint of products and services purchased with the card, by investing in afforestation and environmental projects. Members of Natuurmonumenten will pay a one-off charge of EUR 75 for the Visa GreenCard, of which EUR 50 will be transferred to Natuurmonumenten.
Repay International has combined a unique carbon compensation program with its Visa GreenCard. This means that for every purchase, RePay calculates the impact of the product or service on the environment, with the unit of account being the amount of carbon emissions. The calculation and conversion method is assessed by research institute TNO and PricewaterhouseCoopers. The emissions are compensated, without additional costs for the consumer, by investments in sustainable energy, afforestation projects and innovative environmental-friendly technology. Through their internet account the card holder can indicate their preferred projects to invest in. By using the Visa GreenCard, members of Natuurmonumenten support the environment. At the same time they erase their carbon footprint by compensating the CO2 emissions caused by the production of the products and services they purchase.
The unique compensation program of Repay International is gradually spreading around the world through collaboration programs with banks and other partners. To calculate the CO2 emissions, Visa GreenCard closely cooperates with independent institutes, such as environmental consultancy firm CE Delft and scientific research institute TNO. The entire calculation process is assessed by PricewaterhouseCoopers.
“We are honoured to see that a top-rank environmental protection organisation in the Netherlands has chosen Visa GreenCard to team up against global warming,” said Patrick Bunnik, CEO of RePay International. “The members of Natuurmonumenten are more aware than other people of how important our environment is. By simply paying with their Visa GreenCard, instead of their bank card or other credit card, the holders of the Visa GreenCard become part of the global warming solution.”
Gerard Brinkman, head of Fund Raising for Natuurmonumenten said: “I’m really excited about this collaboration. Every payment made with this credit card signifies a sympathetic contribution to the environment in the Netherlands. This support is more than welcome. Besides that, this is a shining example of how companies and Natuurmonumenten can work together and at the same time offer our members the possibility to contribute to the solution of this enormous environmental issue we are facing. We truly hope that many of our members will respond to this offer.”
About Natuurmonumenten
Natuurmonumenten literally means natural monuments. This organisation is an independent association which preserves nature, landscape and cultural history in the Netherlands. For this purpose Natuurmonumenten purchases, manages and protects reserves with environmental value. Natuurmonumenten is supported by almost 880,000 members. The association protects and manages approximately 99,000 hectares spread over 345 nature reserves.
About Repay International
RePay International issues the ClimaCount Credit Card. In the Netherlands the company is known for its Visa GreenCard. RePay International is a division of Tendris Holding, an organisation which creates ideas and programs regarding corporate social responsibility. Besides this, Tendris develops strategic alliances with banks, companies in general, credit card companies and NGOs. Organisations combine the Visa GreenCard concept with their own credit cards. In this way they are able to offer their clients the opportunity to consume carbon neutral. For the introduction of the ClimaCount Credit Card, RePay International collaborates with independent expert organisations such as environmental consultancy firm CE Delft, PricewaterhouseCoopers and scientific research institute TNO. RePay International is located in Den Bosch, the Netherlands and has a branch office in San Francisco, U.S.A.
For more information:
Lammers van Toorenburg Benelux PR
Stella Jansen
Tel.: +31 (0)30 - 65 65 070
Email: repay@lvtpr.nl
Natuurmonumenten
Jan Kooning
Tel. +31 (0)35 - 6 55 99 61
Email: j.kooning@natuurmonumenten.nl
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