Personal Finance | 30 May 2023
Award-winning Coutts debit card - a planet-friendly way to support a good cause
Our new debit card combines social and ecological inspiration and supports the Coutts Charitable Foundation.
Our new debit card is inspired by social and ecological reciprocity, bringing together these themes through its function and aesthetic.
Made from 86% recycled materials, the card recently won Best Product Design at the 2023 Card and Payments awards. Its design is based on a sculpture by Laura Moriarty, made from the beeswax produced by the bees that live on the roof of our London headquarters at 440 Strand.
The bees support our roof gardens, which in turn provide sustainable produce for our kitchens. As a bank and a B Corp, we want to reflect that symbiosis, not only by looking to invest sustainably to protect the environment, but also in what we do to support society.
Laura’s sculpture is itself inspired by Angela Burdett-Coutts, the granddaughter of our bank’s founder Thomas Coutts. Angela (1814-1906) was noted as one of the 19th century’s greatest philanthropists, giving the modern equivalent of over £150 million to social causes. Each layer of the sculpture represents one of Angela’s humanitarian endeavours.
Our new debit card will continue this philanthropic legacy: with every transaction made with one, Coutts will donate 10p to the Coutts Charitable Foundation, registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (number 1150784), up to a maximum of £1 million per year.
The foundation’s mission is to support sustainable approaches to tackling the causes and consequences of poverty, focusing on the communities where Coutts has a presence.
This builds on Angela’s legacy. She was concerned with breaking cycles of poverty and providing basic human needs.
Currently, the core focus of the foundation is supporting vulnerable women and girls, as well as empowering young people through the performing arts. The Coutts Foundation is an independent corporate foundation supported by Coutts, last year we donated £719,938.10 to it as a result of this charitable agreement.
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