Green Gift Cards is the brand name for the new product from the Caerphilly-based packaging manufacturer, developed with support from marketing agency Jellyfish Livewire.

The cards are printed on FSC-certified Invercote paperboard from Iggesund,  using Transcend’s HP Indigo 30000 digital press. Transcend selected the material to have a more premium feel than plastic alternatives, while also offering increased personalisation and shorter runs made possible on the digital system.

Transcend CEO Lorenzo Angelucci said: “The gift card industry is worth in excess of £6bn annually in the UK but until now, brands have been restricted by the incredibly wasteful use of plastic – something which is becoming a turn-off for consumers.

“With our HP Indigo 30000 digital press, we can get cards to market much quicker, help brand owners hit their launch dates, print in smaller batches and potentially customise the design of every card they print, opening up endless possibilities.

“This collaboration allows companies to change to a renewable, environmentally friendly material for their gift cards while placing multiple small orders and eliminating the need to keep stock, reducing waste and allowing scope for quick design modifications.”

In the UK alone, approximately 600 million gift cards are produced each year, using up to 3,100 tonnes of plastic, usually either PVC or two sheets of plastic heat pressed together.

Established in late 2017, Transcend Packaging is a relatively new entrant into the UK market.

The first major producer of paper straws in the UK, it now employs 12 members of staff and was named Economic Disruptor of the Year for the North West and Wales by political magazine The Spectator.