Waterloo, IA
- - - Veridian Credit Union is joining the ranks of big business leaders such as Newman's Own Organic by providing products
made of corn plastic. When a new member opens an account at Veridian, they receive a card displaying their credit union
account information. Recently, new members began receiving that card in the form of corn plastic.
"Corn Cards are virtually identical in look and feel to traditional cards and provide all of the same convenience and
functionality that other plastic cards provide," said Shelly Carrasco, Veridian's Manager of Member Services.
Veridian is already using beverage mugs made of the biodegradable corn plastic for promotions and had been working to
find an alternative plastic for their membership cards. The cards as well as the mugs, come from NatureWorks, a leading
manufacturer of the product.
NatureWorks is located just outside Blair, Nebraska, thirty minutes north of Omaha. NatureWorks turns corn into a resin
known as polylactic acid (PLA). The pea-sized white pellets are then melted and formed into products like the mugs and cards
Veridian is using. Cargill, the world's largest corn merchant, owns the lactic-acid plant.
According to industry supporters, PLA is quickly becoming the future of plastic. It comes from an abundant and annually
renewable resource. In a controlled composting environment, PLA will decompose into harmless natural compounds like water
and carbon dioxide in fewer than 90 days. The process of creating PLA requires 65 percent less energy than is required to
produce other conventional plastics, according to an independent analysis commissioned by NatureWorks. That same study shows
the resin generates 68 percent fewer greenhouse gases, and contains no toxins.
"Veridian Credit Union is committed to supporting the communities we serve," said Jean Trainor, Veridian President and CEO.
"We are very excited to incorporate processes that keep our communities ecologically healthy. In addition, this new plastic
supports agriculture, an industry on which our state and communities depend."
Because the Corn Cards look and function the same as the previous new member cards, Veridian will not be issuing
replacement cards to current members.
"It is likely most individuals will not notice the difference in the cards," said Trainor. "The product the cards are made
of is different, but the way in which they serve our members is still the same."
Veridian Credit Union, founded in 1934 in Waterloo, Iowa, is a not-for-profit financial cooperative owned by its members.
The credit union offers a full range of consumer financial services and employs more than 450 Iowans throughout 21 branches.
For more information, visit www.veridiancu.org or call (800) 235-3228.
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For Immediate Release
June 4, 2007
Photos Included:
Click here for a Corn Cards Question and Answer fact sheet.
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