Bank of Åland Baltic Sea Card (Mastercard)

Overview

The pictured item is the Bank of Åland "Baltic Sea Card" — a Mastercard-branded debit/credit card carrying the text "I support a clean Baltic Sea" and multilingual Baltic Sea Project wording. The card is part of Ålandsbanken's Baltic Sea Project initiative and is issued to customers as a co-branded environmental card. (itameriprojekti.fi)

Manufacturing & Materials

Ålandsbanken has used bio‑sourced Optelio EMV payment cards produced under contract by Gemalto (now part of Thales). These environmentally oriented cards were manufactured from PLA (polylactic acid) bio‑sourced material and personalized by the card supplier. Card production and personalization are handled by global card manufacturers and personalization centres, so physical manufacture occurs in multiple locations under contract rather than a single country. (acnnewswire.com)

Brand origin & ownership

The Baltic Sea Card and the Baltic Sea Project are initiatives of Bank of Åland (Ålandsbanken), a bank that originated on the Åland Islands (Finland) and remains the issuing/owning institution. The Bank of Åland is the ultimate owner of the Baltic Sea Card program; the card program is supported operationally by third‑party card manufacturers and payment network partners (Mastercard). (alandsbanken.fi)

How the program works

The card is tied to the bank’s environmental work (the Baltic Sea Project) and to the Åland Index — a system Ålandsbanken developed to estimate the carbon footprint of card transactions and to engage customers in offsetting or changing consumption patterns. The physical card artwork emphasizes support for Baltic Sea conservation; the card is issued and managed by the bank while production is outsourced to specialist card manufacturers. (alandsbanken.fi)

Summary

• Product: Bank of Åland Baltic Sea Card (Mastercard) — a co‑branded debit/credit card supporting the Baltic Sea Project. (itameriprojekti.fi)
• Manufacturer/Personalization: Produced under contract by card manufacturers such as Gemalto (now Thales) using bio‑sourced Optelio materials; production takes place in multiple manufacturing/personalization facilities. (acnnewswire.com)
• Brand/Owner: Bank of Åland Plc (Ålandsbanken Abp), headquartered in Mariehamn, Åland, Finland. (alandsbanken.fi)