(SPEECH) [MUSIC PLAYING] (DESCRIPTION) Logo, U.S. Bank. A woman holds up a bank card in an outdoor dining area. Vivien Luk, Executive Director, WORK/First Mile (SPEECH) When I hold one of the U.S. Bank cards, it just feels so cool. From the friends and family and folks that I do talk about this card to, there's an incredible reaction. What I want people to think about when they look at cards is the good that U.S. Bank and First Mile are doing. A card is just a piece of plastic. But for U.S. Bank and for our partnership, it's a symbol of something much, much deeper than that. [MUSIC PLAYING] (DESCRIPTION) Text, Early in 2020, U.S. Bank explored ways to offer debit cards consisting of recovered ocean-bound plastic (ROBP). Brian Kellogg, CPI Card Group Relationship Manager IC Group (SPEECH) The U.S. Bank debit cards are produced with recovered ocean-bound plastic versus traditional cards that were made from 100% virgin PVC. (DESCRIPTION) Ted Gamble, Debit Card Product Manager, U.S. Bank (SPEECH) We thought it would be kind of a cool idea to make cards out of recycled plastic. So we talked to our plastic vendor who had a resource at First Mile, and discussions went from there. (DESCRIPTION) A photo shows a street covered with rubble. People walk beside buildings that appear tilted and crumbling. Tents fill an open area. Ian Rosenberger, Founder and Board Chair, WORK First Mile (SPEECH) I went to Haiti after the earthquake way back in 2010. It was one of the largest natural disasters in human history. I spent some time-- a lot of time-- trying to figure out what people needed. And when I asked people what it was that they needed, over and over again, I heard the same two things. I want to put food on the table, and I want my kids to have a better life than me. And when I realized that, I realized that we focus on the wrong things. We focus on distributing vaccinations and food, while we should be thinking about how we can put people back to work. So we said, well, if the real problem is how to place people into jobs, then, ultimately, I think we're going to need to start creating some. I wrote in my journal on the very first trip to Haiti-- if Haiti can turn trash into money equals good. And so First Mile is really about the very first mile of waste material supply chains where some of the most marginalized people work in. And what we really want to do is make sure that, while we are affecting the lives of the people who are working at the First Mile, that we're also connecting them to the people who are buying the materials, the people who are consuming the materials and the goods that are made of it, and understanding the impact that they could be making both ways. So when we started working with ROBP and First Mile and we saw the success there. We approached U.S. Bank. U.S. Bank was ready and willing to be a partner. What sets First Mile apart is they have more than just the plastic supply aspect of our business. There's a real strong human interest story there where they're helping develop individuals and their families and supply more than just a job but a way of life in that they can help their children go to school. They provide medical insurance. And it's more of a holistic view of the person. So what makes First Mile different when a brand buys from us is that they know who is in that supply chain who collected for them. We know who their family members are. We know whether or not their kids are in school and which school they go to. (DESCRIPTION) A man carries a bag of plastic debris in a wheelbarrow. Then a group holding certificates poses for a photo. (SPEECH) We know how much they make out of the collection and what would it take for them to actually make a living income out of collection. And we make sure that all of that information is available to the brands that we work with. When we were able to start working with First Mile, we noticed a huge difference. I mean, they're not only on the ground working with the people, but they're creating that chain of custody so that we know and can authenticate where it came from. (DESCRIPTION) From above, the rooftops of a rural community. Text, Up to 12.7 million tons of plastic enter the ocean each year. (SPEECH) [MUSIC PLAYING] (DESCRIPTION) A woman wearing a straw hat works in vast piles of plastic bottles. (SPEECH) In the first step, our individual collectors in Haiti are picking them up out of landfills, canals, ocean ways in different communities all over the country. They then sort it by color. And then they put them in giant bags. We call them super sacks. And then, they sell it to a local aggregation center who then sorts the material again and then sells it to a local recycling facility that wash and flakes the material. And then, it gets pelletized. And then, it gets sent to a manufacturing from there. [MUSIC PLAYING] (DESCRIPTION) Sign, CPI, 10368 West Centennial Road, Littleton, Colorado From above, a warehouse stands in an industrial park. Text, CPI Card Group Max Michieli, Director of Sustainable Products, C P I Card Group (SPEECH) This plastic that I'm holding right now actually does not come from the ocean. The idea now is to turn off the tap of plastic that goes into the ocean. (DESCRIPTION) He holds a large sheet of plastic. (SPEECH) So what we're using is recovered ocean-bound plastic. So it's on its way to the ocean. Our mantra right after we decided that we were going to do it was we're going to make an impact. It doesn't matter what percentage of recycled plastic we're using. Let's just figure out how to use something. Max is kind of known in our industry as being a guy who can take something and make it happen. And so, it was just exciting to know that, hey, we're going to actually take trash that was headed for the ocean. We're going to get it into a form that we can actually build out a card body and print on it. (DESCRIPTION) A machine stacks sheets of plastic. (SPEECH) Everything we're doing starts off in sheet form. The first step in our process is to print the sheets. This is an eight color press. They come through here. They get cured. And they come out looking like this. This sheet has 56 cards printed on it. So this is the top layer. There will be a bottom layer that is the back. This is the middle layer. (DESCRIPTION) He points to a sheet below the colorful printed top layer that shows sea turtles swimming. (SPEECH) So these sheets will be collated together. This antenna lines up where the chip will go. And then, they will mill out a cavity that they will then implant the chip into. It's just incredible what we were able to do and still have the artwork look like it's vibrant. It looks incredible. I think the images we chose were very appropriate to the cause. And it was pretty exciting. I knew that what we created nobody has ever done before. So as soon as I held those sheets, I knew that we had something special. [MUSIC PLAYING] (DESCRIPTION) A person wearing gloves, fills a box with the completed cards. Text, More than one ton of plastic is diverted from the ocean for every one million debit cards produced. (SPEECH) For us, this isn't a 1 or 2 or 10-year project. This is a lifetime. I think that partners that have been around for as long as U.S. Bank have understand that you don't invest in something, take the money out the next year. You invest in something so that your grandchildren can realize the benefit. And that's what this is. It's not just a business partnership. It feels like a partnership where they care about the people. They want to know about them. And it's not simply that the bank is using recycled material. It's not that. Their choice is I want to use recycled material that has an impact on people. The First Mile card is more than just a really cool design. (DESCRIPTION) In Haiti, two workers talk next to a chain link fence, Plastic bottles sit in piles behind them. (SPEECH) There's a story behind it. And I think that story is really powerful in that we're helping people live their lives. Oftentimes, our families and collectors tell us they didn't think anybody in the world cared about them. For them to know and feel that they are useful, that they can provide a service to the rest of the world doesn't just put food on the table, but it brings hope. (DESCRIPTION) At C P I, an employee sorts sheets of cards. then a machine cuts the cards. Text, More than 1.6 million cards have been issued since February, 2021. Those cards average more than 10 million transactions each month. (SPEECH) It's not only something U.S. Bank is excited about. Cardholders are choosing these cards. They love the story because it's inspiring, and it's important to people. (DESCRIPTION) A person holds a card at an ATM machine. (SPEECH) If I see somebody swiping the card, I want them to know that their choice can not just affect the environment but affect lives of people. When I go into the branches and I see this card sitting at the teller, and you got the beach card right next to it, I mean, I get pumped up about it. My son or my daughter, if they see somebody pull out a card, the beach one particularly, when they're waiting in the checkout line, they want to say, hey, I know a guy. I know something about that card. My dad did that. It's pretty cool to think about that you can carry something in your wallet that doesn't just matter to you but that, every time you hold it and you carry it, you can be reminded that it matters to somebody else. [MUSIC PLAYING] (DESCRIPTION) Logo, U.S. Bank Text, Member F D I C, Copyright 2024 U.S. Bank