Day 14: I Bought Organic And Bio-Degradable Produce With My Plastic Card
On November 8 2016 the Indian Prime Minister jolted the land beneath the feet of 13242 crore people to announce that India would be banning some of its currency notes. Modi claimed that he wanted India to go digital and function without the physical exchange of currency. While this was truly a noble thought its execution wasnt as noble.
On November 8, 2016, the Indian Prime Minister jolted the land beneath the feet of 132.42 crore people, obviously, some of them were aware of what was happening. The PM took it to the national television to announce that India would be banning some of its currency notes in a bid to eradicate the indistinct presence of black money in our system.
The following days from 8th November were loaded by members of the party announcing the 'good' motive behind the move, one of which was the excessive dependence on physical currency notes. In one of his speeches, Modi claimed that he wanted India to go digital and function without the physical exchange of currency. He wanted all of us to use payment applications like PayTm, PayPal, PayU, credit cards, debit cards and more to transfer money for any transaction.
Read more: Day 13: I Ask You, Can You Live The Way I Am Living?
While this was truly a noble thought, it's execution wasn't as noble. With the constantly changing movie of the campaign, the idea of making India free from the physical exchange was lost in between. Anyhow, let's take a step back and try to bridge the gap between two of the biggest campaign in ran in his past reign.
Demonetization was indubitably the biggest shift we saw in any sphere, but along this campaign, BJP also ran a crusade against plastic, through the highly admired Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. While the later argues to eradicate plastic from the country, the former in fact is finding new ways to induce.
As I write this, I take this into consideration that this thought will attract a lot of criticism from a certain section of his followers, for I have transgressed to make fun of this coveted diorama, but the use of debit and credit cards made of plastic is a mushrooming threat too.
Read more: Day 12 - How Despite So Many Conscious Efforts, I Failed
Every day, millions of cards get delivered across the world. Plastic cards wrapped inside a plastic bubble wrap inside a plastic polythene. How can we ignore this when we are taking into consideration all the other aspects of the no plastic revolution? To have a holistic approach, we first need to understand that hostility is not the way and only be preaching the right through and through will get us out of this mess.
Furthermore, as new cards make their way to pockets and wallets, old cards get thrown away or simply dumped. These expired and/or no longer in use card too are creating heaps and heaps of trash outside our city and is being dumped in the landfills. Is anyone out there recycling them? I guess not.
No, you can't really burn them off and neither can you get rid of them fully. So where exactly are your expired and/or no longer in use plastic credit cards and debit cards going? #NotAPlastoholic pic.twitter.com/3fWdUfuV5h
¡ª Shewali Tiwari (@aBlahNari) June 15, 2018
These plastic are not known for being environmentally friendly but not many organizations have taken any step against this. To tell you the truth, it's not that difficult for companies to go environment-friendly, it will only be a longer cycle of the process and a little bit of extra effort, but who wants to take those responsibilities?
Apparently, American Express did. The company just launched a first-ever credit card made primarily from plastic debris recovered from the ocean. In a press release, the company said that they will make these cards available for everyone within the next 12 months.
¡°Every second breath we take is created by the oceans. Without them, we can¡¯t exist. American Express is creating a symbol of change and inviting their network to shape a blue future, one based on creativity, collaboration and eco-innovation.¡± Cyrill Gutsch, founder of Parley for the Oceans.
We¡¯re collaborating w/ @parleyxxx to combat marine plastic pollution. Learn abt our plans to introduce an Amex Card made primarily from plastics recovered from the ocean & our journey to reduce single-use plastic globally https://t.co/tAWsHPjWES #AmexLife #KeepItBlue #AmexParley pic.twitter.com/7WdNeGBz3H
¡ª American Express (@AmericanExpress) June 7, 2018
American Express¡¯ first ocean plastic Card will be made with upcycled marine plastic debris. The Card is currently a prototype and will be tested and refined over time with public availability anticipated in the next 12 months. The inspiration for the card is to combat plastic pollution in the oceans and to raise awareness of this important issue. the release said.
