Launching on the opening day of COP26, ekko has pledged its commitment to the fight against climate change, with the unveiling of its climate-friendly debit card, app and ecosystem, empowering consumers to make a difference in the fight against climate change.
The firm underlined that when using ekko for routine actions like shopping, banking, or paying bills, consumers can ‘feel good about doing good while having a positive impact on the planet’.
With ekko, every five transactions pays for one ocean-bound plastic bottle to be collected and every fifty transactions pays for a tree to be planted and maintained. The ekko app also keeps users up to date with their green activity, tracks their progress and monitors their carbon footprint via a carbonmeter.
Oli Cook, co-founder and CEO of ekko, said: “As the world’s leaders come together at COP26 to advocate collaborative action, so starts our own journey. We have spent the past 24 months building a powerful collection of financial tools that mobilises people from every walk of life to do good and to live more sustainably effortlessly. We are excited to introduce ekko to the world and for this next stage in our journey.”
Reducing plastic waste and deforestation are key objectives for COP26’s delegates. Last year, deforestation increased sharply. 42,000 sq km of tree cover was lost in key tropical regions, according to this report. Helping to reverse this harmful activity is one of ekko’s main objectives and that of its partner, Mastercard.
Backed by Mastercard, ekko is the first UK fintech company to become a Priceless Planet Coalition partner. By 2025, the Priceless Planet Coalition aims to restore 100 million trees. Every newly planted tree is maintained for years after it has been planted, to ensure that it lives a long and healthy life and has a beneficial impact on the environment.
Scott Abrahams, Senior Vice President, Business Development, Mastercard UK & Ireland, added: “We are really delighted to be partnering with ekko, not only to bring much needed greener payment solutions to consumers, but we also welcome them into our growing Priceless Planet Coalition. Commitments around global reforestation will be a critical goal for the COP26 Summit and as a coalition we will contribute 100 million trees by 2025.”
