Cards of Hope
Case Study
Cards
of Hope
Turning a card redesign into a national conservation tool.
Mashreq set out to transition its debit and credit cards from virgin plastic to 100% recycled plastic. We pushed the brief further, turning a routine redesign into a platform that helps protect endangered plants and animals in the UAE, and invites every cardholder to become part of the solution.
Client
Mashreq Bank
Year
2023
Category
Finance & Banking
Partners
Emirates Nature–WWF, Visa
Services
At a Glance
- Programme PartnerEmirates Nature–WWF
- PlatformNotice Nature
- Card NetworkVisa
- DeliveredCard portfolio redesign, illustration system, AR-enabled education layer, multi-channel storytelling, sustainability-led welcome pack design
In Their Words
Testimonials
Jobi and the Almost Impossible team are a truly reliable agency partner. Together with the wider Mashreq team, we worked hand in hand to push the limits of Mashreq Sustainable Cards and other strategic initiatives to bring bold, innovative concepts to life. Their collaborative spirit and shared commitment to rethinking what’s possible make them a natural extension of our team, enabling us to create impactful, forward-looking marketing that delivers real value.
Case study film showing how we reframed the brief and turned a payment tool into a currency of hope.
01 — The Brief
A complete card redesign
with an environmental theme
Mashreq was moving from 100% virgin-plastic cards to 100% recycled-plastic cards and asked for a complete redesign with an environmental theme.
Full card portfolio redesign
Card tiers across consumer & business
100% recycled ocean-bound plastic
100% FSC certified recycled paper
02 — The tension we challenged
A recycled card is a positive operational shift, but for a customer, it can feel abstract
A payment card is still a payment card, and at roughly 5 grams of plastic per card, “eco-friendly plastic” alone is rarely meaningful enough to change behaviour or build pride.
So we challenged the brief with a simple question:
Why should a customer care, beyond the bank hitting ESG targets?
This was the Define moment:
Reframing the problem from “redesign the card” to “make the card matter.”
03 — The Strategic Reframe
What if the card did not just signal sustainability, but actively enabled it?
We proposed a bolder role for the product:
Turn every card into a gateway to protecting the UAE's biodiversity.
That meant partnering with an organisation with genuine on-ground impact, then building a mechanism for cardholders to participate in conservation.
Key Insights
- 5g of recycled plastic per card is invisible to the customer.
- The card needed a story, not just a material.
From: Card redesign brief
To: Behaviour change platform
04 — The Idea
Cards of Hope
A card portfolio illustrated with endangered UAE species, designed to spark curiosity, highlight vulnerability status, and prompt action.
A simple premise:
Design creates visibility.
Visibility creates action.
A payment tool becomes
a currency of hope.
05 — What We Made
The three layers of engagement
A card collection built around UAE biodiversity
We identified over 20 endangered plants and animals, illustrated across the portfolio by tier, and designed each card to feel like a collectable artefact that people would actually look at.
Material: 100% recycled ocean-bound PVC
Weight: 4.8g per card
Augmented Reality that turns curiosity into knowledge
We layered Augmented Reality onto the portfolio so cardholders could:
- Discover the species featured on their card
- Understand its vulnerability status
- Take action immediately through sign-up
Engine: WebAR (no app download)
Trigger: Card surface recognition
Content: 3D species model + info overlay
Action: Direct link to Notice Nature
A direct pathway into citizen science
Through partnerships with Emirates Nature–WWF and Notice Nature, cardholders can register and contribute to spotting vulnerable species in the wild, helping conservation teams identify habitats that may need protection.
Platform: Mobile web app
Features: Species ID, camera trap data, sighting log
Impact: Real conservation data collection
Partnership
Emirates Nature–WWF
Mashreq Foundation
This was the Deliver moment:
Craft, systems, and experience design working together to make the idea real.
06 — How it showed up in the world
A product-led story, amplified through a multi-channel campaign, anchored by the cards themselves
This was the Delight moment:
The card stops being a bank object and becomes something people want to share, talk about, and participate in.
07 — Impact
The numbers
speak volumes.
New cards issued
Plastic bottles equivalent removed from circulation
Kilos of plastic waste prevented annually
Tonnes of CO₂e saved annually
Customers reached via multi-channel campaign
Cardholders signed up for Notice Nature
Kilos of paper saved through digital statements
Species identified for preservation
Wildlife observations logged via Notice Nature
Rare species spotted using Notice Nature camera traps
Press
“UAE’s Boldest Wildlife Mapping mass-scale citizen science movement”
08 — Why This Matters
Even a small object
can become an engine
for change.
Many agencies can redesign a card.
We believe the real value is in turning a brief into a behaviour change opportunity — where brand, customer, and community all win.
Cards of Hope is proof that even a small everyday object can become an engine for participation, pride, and positive change.
Recognition
Awards
Work Delivered
Capabilities
Design & Branding
- Product & Service Design
- Brand Identity & Guidelines
Digital Experience & Content
- Mobile Experiences
- Digital Film & Motion
- Digital Platforms & UX
Brand Experience & Activation
- Interactive & Phygital
- Experiential Activations & Events
Cross-cutting Capabilities
- Creative Strategy & Concepts
- Creative Direction
- Effectiveness & Results
