Whether in the realms of IoT connectivity, identity technology, or digital infrastructures: we are the trusted partner for digital security of governments, public authorities and enterprises worldwide.
We create holistic customer journeys from onboarding and authentication over card issuance to a frictionless checkout in eCommerce – taking the complexity out of financial services.
As a market leader and reliable partner for currency technology, we provide highly secure and efficient solutions at all stages of the currency cycle – both in physical and digital ecosystems.
Spotlight, the G+D magazine, explores the big topics of our time, offering expert opinion and insights into technological innovation, security and efficiency.
Giesecke+Devrient (G+D) is a global SecurityTech company headquartered in Munich. As a trusted partner to customers with the highest demands, G+D makes the lives of billions of people more secure with its solutions.
Our employees are at the heart of everything we do. We pride ourselves on our diversity, human values and our daily work. Join us and be part of an international team that’s both inspiring and inspired. Contribute to making the lives of billions of people around the world more secure.
Convego® Wood: reconnect your customers with nature across every generation
The organic and vibrant look, feel, scent, and touch of genuine wood build an emotional connection to nature for your customers, with immediate benefits to their well-being now and for future generations.
More and more, customers are looking to brands to offer products that fit in with their lifestyles and aesthetic sensibilities, searching for a connection to their values that makes sense for them and their families and loved ones. A product's look, feel, and sound can unlock emotional connections that, in turn, reaffirm and support a brand’s relationship with its customers.
Leverage wood's unique, rich, and reassuringly authentic nature for your wooden payment card – with Convego® Wood from G+D.
The natural "ambassador" for your banking initiative
The rich grain and subtle aroma of Convego® Wood, the wooden payment card, unlock a connection to nature for your customers, every time they pay. Banks can use this emotive link to encourage their customers to consider sustainability and the natural environment in their everyday lives, bolstering a broader connection to any potential nature-related initiatives the bank might choose to offer.
Rich, sensory experiences
Launch a card that feels like wood through every sense – touch, feel, and smell.
Supporting reforestation
Enable your customers to support tree-planting programs, enhancing their sustainability mindset and bringing positive social impacts.
Growing social impacts
Your customers will share their experiences on social media with their friends and family – enhancing your brand in ever-widening circles.
Aesthetic, sensory appeal
82% of customers surveyed strongly agreed that wood is a beautiful, appealing material.
They particularly called out the “natural grain appearance” as compelling – meaning your wooden payment card will stand out in a crowded market.
Convego® Wood: The wooden payment card harnessing the power of nature
A new kind of payment card has arrived, a wooden payment card – Convego® Wood by G+D. Hand your customers a touch of nature – rich timber hues and individual grains that make every card innately unique. Connecting your customers with nature. Due to the natural wood grain, every card is a one-off. Your cardholders – who’ve grown weary of plastic – will delight in owning a unique payment method.
The cards have an enticing aroma and feel that evokes the call of the outdoors – for a truly unique payments experience:
Engage with the senses
A wooden payment card with no plastic foil and a genuine connection to nature. The subtle aroma and texture of Convego® Wood cards evoke the environment every time your customer pays.
Naturophilia
Convego® Wood acts as a lifestyle product, offering a unique payment experience that your customers will associate with a like-minded nature-loving community – all with a pleasing touch of nature.
Uniqueness at every tap
Every Convego® Wood card has a unique texture and pattern from the natural wood grain. The unforgettably unique appeal of a Wood card helps banks stand out against the competition.
Responsible consumption
The wood used in the Convego® Wood card is responsibly sourced and manufactured in Europe.
The benefits of wood – mental and physical
Here are just some of the ways wooden materials have a positive impact on our overall health and wellbeing:
Relieves stress
Studies have shown a measured reduction in blood pressure, heart rate and stress levels.
Unlocks creativity and self-expression
Various studies and education programs have reported that when exposed to wood on a regular basis, people report an increase in creativity and emotional expression.
Reduces tension and fatigue
Researchers discovered that people who worked in rooms with a lot of wooden furniture and surfaces experienced less tension and fatigue than other colleagues.
Enriching your payment program with the power of community
Formed from responsibly sourced maple wood, the unique grain and whorls of the material make it the perfect representative of a nature-loving program for banks.
For example, G+D’s eco-partner Patch make it easy for banks and financial institutions to appeal to climate-conscious consumers. With a global network of over 275 climate projects including reforestation, forest protection and regenerative agriculture, Patch and G+D make it easy for consumers to turn everyday spending into positive climate action. Customers can choose to apply credits accrued from everyday spending to a global range of REDD+ reforestation and forest protection projects:
Encouraging reforestation
Earth’s forests naturally absorb 7.6 billion tonnes of CO2 per year, approximately one-and-a-half times the U.S.'s annual emissions.
Safeguarding biodiversity
80% of terrestrial species live in forests, many of which are the most diverse ecosystems on the planet. Preventing deforestation is critical to preserving biodiversity.
Supporting local populations
1.6 billion people (including 60 million indigenous people) depend on forests. Revenues from REDD+ credits can provide crucial income to local communities managing the land.
FAQs
G+D’s Convego® Wood delights the eye with its rich timber hues and individual grains, making every card unique. Wood is familiar and is prominent throughout everyday life, representing reliability in its strength and prosperity in its renewal. The intricate patterns of the grain and the delicate aroma of wood delight the senses and unlock a genuine connection with nature – every time they pay.
As an exciting new payment card, Convego® Wood has attracted significant interest and many customer questions. We’ve set out to answer some of the most popular questions our customers ask us:
Why is Convego® Wood innovative?
Wood is beautiful, strong, and renewable – an extraordinary natural material with endless uses. Wood products can have a long life and are often reused or recycled again and again. However, significant challenges must be overcome to use wood to create a payment card.
Most importantly, Convego® Wood must comply with strict card scheme requirements that, when written, were based on the use of plastic for the payment card body. These requirements – for example, the durability and longevity of the card – needed to be balanced with preserving the sustainable aspects of using wood as a material and keeping the aesthetic qualities that make Convego® Wood so appealing.
Is wood or plastic more ecological?
Unlike metals and fossil-fuel-based products (such as plastics), our forests can be a renewable resource. With proper management, a flow of wood products can be maintained indefinitely. Many trees are purposely grown to extract timber for production and development. Wood is more energy-efficient than plastic and metal. The majority of the energy utilized in timber production comes from drying the lumber, making wood a more ecologically sound material than plastic.
If planting trees is good for us, why do we cut trees to create a wood card?
There is a difference between deforestation and sustainably managed forests. When you manage a forest to grow lumber and wood products, another tree is planted for each one cut down.
How many cards can be made from one tree?
As trees come in all different shapes, sizes, and thicknesses, it is difficult to predict how many payment cards can be created from one tree. Also, the different parts of a tree, once cut down, can be used for many different purposes. We only use lumber to create our payment cards, leaving the chips, sawdust and bark for other applications. Instead of counting a “number of trees”, the industry uses m3 of wood when it refers to quantities.
Why did we choose Maple trees as the source for Convego® Wood?
Maple is one of the most popular types of wood used worldwide. It is incredibly strong, durable, and looks great. Woodworkers and furniture aficionados gravitate towards maple for its light, creamy color, smooth grain pattern, and impressive longevity. In a nutshell, we chose maple for its aesthetic appeal and commercial usefulness.
Does the card function in the same way as a plastic card?
Yes. Apart from being made from wood, a Convego® Wood card functions precisely like a conventional card made from plastic. Inside the card, the technical components; antenna, chip, magnetic stripe, and contactless functionality are identical to any other card in your customers’ wallets.
Is Convego® Wood prone to damage in daily use?
No. The Convego® Wood card is designed for everyday use, so mechanical and environmental stresses associated with regular card use do not affect it. Customers can rest assured that their Convego® Wood card will last as long and be just as tough as a conventional card.
Can I use the wood card in an ATM?
Yes. Convego® Wood can be used in precisely the same way you would use any other payment card. In ATMs, in-store payments, or contactless payments – all are possible with Convego® Wood.
Will the card bend if I carry it in my wallet?
In the same way that plastic cards can be slightly deformed if placed under continuous pressure, so too can Convego® Wood cards. If this happens, gentle hand pressure in the opposite direction can usually correct it.
How unique is each wood card?
The card is made from slices of genuine maple wood – each one will look different and unique. They will generally all have gentle, straight grains and vary in color from light to caramel-brown tones. This variance is expected, and part of the charm of owning a payment card made from natural wooden materials.
Related solutions
Eco-innovation at every step
Your customers are looking to bank with providers that share their values. And it’s not enough to say that you share their values; customers expect that businesses demonstrate their commitment to eco-conscious causes through action. That’s where we can help.
For Fintechs to succeed, understanding the underlying payments landscape is as key as working with the right partner: G+D and Fintechs, a partnership for success!
If you have any questions about our end-to-end business solutions or about our SecurityTech company, seek expert advice, or want to give us your feedback, our team is here to support you, anytime.
