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Visa Europe has launched what it calls its first "green" credit card for European business cardholders. The Visa ClimaCount card is the latest credit card marketed to environmentally concerned consumers as global warming commands more public attention. Every purchase made with the card results in a carbon offset, which can include support for forestry or renewable energy projects. RePay International, a firm based in the Netherlands, will operate a calculating system that "works out the carbon emissions associated with every purchase," a Visa Europe spokesperson tells CardLine Global. The calculating system "takes into account aspects such as retailer, brand, whether the transaction was conducted online, the monetary value of the purchase, country-specific data and merchant category codes such as airlines, petrol stations, hotels and car rental," the spokesperson says, adding that the calculations are "100% transparent and audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers." Visa says its 4,600 member banks in Europe can issue the cards. In 2004, Visa Europe launched the Visa GreenCard, a "carbon neutral" credit card, in the Netherlands. The spokesperson declines to say how many of those cards have been issued. "The product is moving away from being a niche product into a mass consumer product," the spokesperson says.
