Fostering sustainable behaviours at the heart of innovative new recycling pilot
"It is easy to get excited when Visa’s technology is used to help partners such as TOMRA accelerate sustainable commerce and support consumers and businesses to make greener choices"
Visa has recently announced a new partnership with TOMRA, a Norwegian corporation specialising in collection and sorting technology, that provides instant payouts for a new innovative system for reusable takeaway packaging.
In collaboration with Shift4, a leading acquirer, the strategic partnership aims to empower consumers to contribute to adopt sustainable choices while enjoying immediate financial rewards. TOMRA, renowned for its innovative collection and sorting systems, has been at the forefront of sustainable solutions, manufacturing collection products that redefine how we obtain, use and reuse our planets resources. With this partnership, TOMRA will be leveraging Visa's technology to enable instant payouts to consumers utilising their new system of bespoke collection points for reusable takeaway packaging.
Recycle for immediate payout
This is part of a pilot project being launched between TOMRA Reuse and the municipality of Aarhus in Denmark. The payout system being provided by Visa and Shift4 as part of the pilot project allows the deposit attached to the reuseable packaging to be paid back to the consumer immediately when the packaging is returned to a TOMRA Reuse automated collection point. The financial incentive thereby not only promotes the use of reuseable packaging, but also transforms consumers into active contributors to a greener planet.
In the first stage of this trial, the new deposit system focuses on hot and cold drink containers, like a takeaway coffee cup. When depositing the cup into a TOMRA Reuse collection point, the customer taps their Visa contactless payment credential - such as card, phone, smartwatch - on the payment terminal and immediately receives the deposit reimbursement on the account linked to the payment credential that was used. Based on the success of the trial, the plan is to expand the system to also cover other types of takeaway packaging ensuring a holistic, convenient, and sustainable system.
“We are thrilled for this partnership with TOMRA, as it fits perfectly with our core mission. From travel and tourism and resilient cities to urban mobility, electric vehicle infrastructure, circularity, and carbon footprint – sustainability is part of our core. It is easy to get excited when Visa’s technology is used to help partners such as TOMRA accelerate sustainable commerce and support consumers and businesses to make greener choices,” said Heidi Gohn, Visa Head of Merchants Sales & Acquiring in the Nordics & Baltics.
“I am delighted to announce our partnership with Visa! Together, TOMRA and Visa aim to significantly contribute to the circular economy, by deploying new solutions that ensure valuable resources are recycled or reused. We believe our novel automated collection points can play a crucial role in reducing environmental impact by fostering more sustainable behaviours.” said Geir Saether, Senior Vice President Circular Economy & Head of TOMRA Reuse.
Innovating recycling for sustainable behaviour
Through this alliance, Visa, TOMRA, and Shift4 are hoping to foster sustainable behaviours by changing the way individuals participate in reuse efforts. The collaboration is a step towards a circular economy, where technology, finance, and environmental consciousness converge for a more sustainable future.