How Online Banker N26 is Helping Plastic Oceans Europe
Alliances between companies and non-profit organizations bring benefits for both: favorable brand image and opportunities to become more sustainable for the first, and visibility and funds to achieve organizational goals for the latter, among others.
With so many causes to support these days, however, it can be a challenge to come up with innovative ways to get and offer that support. But it was a challenge that N26, a fully digital bank based in Germany that recently partnered up with the branch of Plastic Oceans in Europe, was ready to accept and overcome.
This partnership is a new addition to the many that Plastic Oceans has built up globally in an effort to reduce plastic pollution, just like the one with Kate Somerville in 2018, when the brand pledged to use 100% recyclable packaging by the year 2022.
As a bank whose functions are all performed digitally, N26 already has a focus on sustainability. “We continue to look for ways to ensure sustainability across our operations and all aspects of our business. We believe that this will not only make our organization more sustainable but also more competitive in the future”, explains Andrea Isola, General Manager of Italy and Southeast Europe.
N26 customers can easily donate to Plastic Oceans Europe via their banking app.
Honoring this commitment, the bank launched a new feature in its app that allows customers to make donations straight from their digital bank account in a few taps. “The feedback we received from our customers has been fantastic,” Andrea says “and so we decided to extend the functionality to other NGOs.”
A survey discovered that 45% of N26’s customers would appreciate the idea of donating to a climate or carbon offsetting organization directly via the app. Moreover, 84% of them believed that they could do something as individuals about the climate emergency, and 82% indicated that they would need to be advised on concrete steps in order to do so.
With this information, and on the occasion of “Plastic Free July”, the partnership with Plastic Oceans Europe was formed, allowing customers to donate to a cause they believe in.
“This partnership with Plastic Oceans and the in-app donation functionality will allow the power of N26 products and the scale of our customer base to contribute to a worthy cause and support Plastic Oceans in its noble aim to end plastic pollution,” concluded the General Manager.
As a bank with over 7 million customers around the world, it surely has a big potential when it comes to mobilizing people to take action for a good cause. Hopefully this initiative inspires many other companies around the world to continue taking the lead to promote change and create a better future together. Innovative solutions to old problems are in demand, and the moment to find them is now.
