Ice in store card

First UK green card commission for PCS

  • by Extra Mile
  • 07.02.2011
  • Case Studies

A new green loyalty card scheme has chosen Precision Card Services (PCS) as its card production partner.

The Ice™ card contract is the first UK project to benefit from the Cheshire manufacturer’s investment in a unique biodegradable materials and waterless print service offer.

MD of PCS, Rob Nicholls, said he was delighted to be working with such a prestigious reward programme. “It is an ideal fit – a biodegradable card is the perfect partner for a scheme which is about encouraging people to shop more sustainably and being rewarded for choosing green goods and services.”

PCS is handling all elements of the project, including delivering to a very specific design brief, production, personalisation, fulfilment and mailing.

Sharon Hardcastle, Customer and Client Services Director of Ice, said that it was essential to find a green card supplier for the programme. “PCS – like us – has recognised the need for an environmentally sustainable approach to loyalty schemes and are ably supporting our vision to get people to think sustainably when buying products and services. It is a great partnership for us and working well.”

Shoppers can use the loyalty scheme to collect and spend points with dozens of partnering companies, including Eurostar, Green & Blacks Direct and a network of farm shops and independent food retailers around the country. Ice partners are selected because they are environmentally superior to the norm for businesses in their sector.

The biodegradable card degrades in soil in a fraction of the time a normal PVC card would – a few months instead of up to a 1000 years.

Rob Nicholls again: “The bio option is a simple, low-cost switch for loyalty scheme providers. We’ve had a great deal of interest in it. We aim to have 50% of our business converted to bio by 2016.”

An estimated 85% of British shoppers currently hold a loyalty card according to market research from TNS.