Wirex Joins Mastercard’s Priceless Planet Coalition

Region: Europe
Nov 1, 2021, 2:00:00 PM Published By Wirex Team

At Wirex we may be known for our signature green cards, but we’re also committed to being green in other ways. Crypto is an industry that’s constantly evolving, so it’s important that we do too.

Back in March we launched our brand new Wirex Mastercard in the EEA region, have recently introduced exclusive offers for our Mastercard cardholders, and today, we’re excited to announce that we’ve joined Mastercard’s Priceless Planet initiative!

Mastercard’s Priceless Planet Initiative

So, what is it? Mastercard is on a mission to restore forests around the world and has set a goal to plant 100 million trees by 2025.

What are the benefits? It’s no secret that climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing the world. Restoring forests is a simple and powerful way to help capture CO2 and tackle the effects of climate change.

  • Forests help regulate the world’s oxygen and carbon cycles
  • Trees help mitigate the impact of global greenhouse gas emissions
  • Sustainable restoration helps reduce the occurrence of climate-related disasters such as flooding
  • Growing trees brings economic benefits to local populations

Intrigued, and want to know how you can help?

  • If you haven’t ordered your Wirex card yet you can do so now from the app, and we’ll plant five trees
  • Got your card and ready to put it to use? Simply make your first purchase with your card and we’ll plant five trees on your behalf

It couldn’t be easier!

Green Committee

We recently launched a dedicated Green Committee within Wirex to look for new opportunities to keep us on the green path. We’re excited to be participating in Plastic Free July – a campaign that’s dedicated to reducing and eliminating single-use plastic.

In the UK, plastic packaging accounts for nearly 70% of our plastic waste. It’s difficult to recycle, meaning it ends up in landfills or the ocean, and, what’s more, it requires huge amounts of energy to produce.

Our Wirex Mastercard packaging may look swanky, but it does more than just look good and make for great pictures. Our stylish Burgopaks are not only 100% recyclable, they're stripped back to reduce material usage and water consumption.

The Evolution of the Crypto Industry

Wirex is on a mission to help make crypto more accessible, and much like the rest of the crypto industry, this requires constant evolution and innovation. Many sceptics have said crypto is too niche to enter the mainstream, but the number of wallet holders worldwide has continued to grow. What’s more, when we created the world’s first crypto-enabled debit card in 2015, it meant people could spend crypto in their day-to-day life.

This also means that the industry is continuing to evolve from an environmental standpoint. Over the past couple of months, many countries have committed to carbon neutrality when it comes to Bitcoin mining. The Ethereum network has also expressed their plans to move to a more sustainable model with their 2.0 upgrade. By moving to a proof-of-stake system as opposed to a proof-of-work system, the need for mining will disappear, which will also drastically decrease the network’s energy usage.

Bitcoin may have been the first cryptocurrency, but it’s no longer the only one. Thanks to pioneers within the crypto space, there are now coins for just about everything – including the environment. Coins such as Cardano, Nano and Ripple don’t require any kind of mining and, as a result, use basically no energy. What’s even better, both are already available on the Wirex app.

Being green doesn’t need to be complicated, so whether you want to help plant trees, cut back on single-use plastic or look for some more eco-friendly currencies, Wirex have got your back.

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