Altdorf/Wiesbaden – The Uri-based start-up Swiss Wood Solutions has signed a licensing agreement with Copecto for its wooden payment cards. The cards are already being tested with several partners. A pilot project with Zürcher Kantonalbank was also launched in August.
Swiss Wood Solutions is one step closer to launching its plastic-free and biodegradable wooden payment card: the spin-off of the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research(Empa) has signed a licensing agreement with Copecto GmbH, according to a statement on LinkedIn. According to the information, Copecto, a subsidiary of the German company DG Nexolution, will take over the global marketing, marketing and production control of the cards.
The Uri wood card is already being tested in several pilot projects with banks, as Copecto CEO Christian Lehringer, explains in an interview with the industry platform holzmagazin.com. The test partners include Volksbank Haselünne, Hamburger Volksbank eG and Hannoversche Volksbank eG. In Switzerland, a pilot project with Zürcher Kantonalbank and another four banks started in August 2023, Lehringer said.
Swiss Wood Solutions produces certified alternatives to plastic payment cards for financial service providers and healthcare insurers. The portfolio also includes wooden cards for non-certified applications, such as business cards. According to the company, the wooden cards contribute to the resource-saving use of raw materials, the reduction of plastic waste and the reduction of climate-damaging greenhouse gases.
Veneers of maple, curly maple, cherry, oak, spruce and other Swiss wood species are used for card production. According to the company, they offer “the full functionality of conventional cards in addition to a completely new sensory experience.” ce/heg
