The Bank That Turned Card Payments Into a Weapon to Save the Sea / THE BANK OF ÅLAND "ÅLAND INDEX / BALTIC SEA PROJECT"

The problem

The Baltic Sea is one of the most polluted inland seas in the world. It's a strange contradiction: one of the richest, most developed regions in the world sitting right next to one of its dirtiest seas. The Bank of Åland has supported environmental causes since 1997, and Finland happens to be one of the most cashless countries on earth.

The insight

In the Nordics, almost all spending goes through card payments. So why not let that payment data itself tell the story of environmental impact? The Bank of Åland teamed up with MasterCard and KPMG to build the Åland Index, a system that calculates CO2 emissions based on the category of each merchant.

The idea

Every month, customers receive a 'climate profile' along with their regular card statement. Instead of just showing how much you spent, it's a bill that shows how much of a toll you put on the planet. The bank also issued a biodegradable credit card and even suggests ways to offset your footprint.

What happened

In 2017, the bank's CEO presented this system at a UN climate change conference at its headquarters. That same year, it won the Grand Prix at Cannes. The bank opened up the system for free, even to competitors, and it has since become a global standard used by more than 90 banks.

Afterthought

They simply combined their own specialty, payments, with their love for the local sea. And just like that, an advertising idea became infrastructure. Because they gave it away instead of keeping it to themselves, it spread this far. That's the kind of work I'd love to do too.

Awards

• Cannes Lions Grand Prix 2017

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