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
Almost Impossible have been an outstanding agency partner throughout our work together. From the Mashreq Sustainable Cards initiative to a range of other strategic projects, they brought genuine creative ambition and a willingness to challenge convention. What truly sets Jobi apart is his ability to think beyond the brief, he never treats a creative brief as just a creative brief. Instead, he walks through the entire customer journey, and that approach is what makes his thinking and creative output so distinctive. That mindset flows through the whole team, and it’s why they integrate so naturally with us. They don’t just execute briefs, they help shape them. The result is marketing that feels bold, purposeful, and truly aligned with where Mashreq is headed.
Benazir PoonawalaSenior Vice President, Head of Marketing & Customer Experience, MCG - Customer Experience Unit, Mashreq Bank
Connect on LinkedInJobi 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.
Asih WulansariVice President, Marketing Strategy I MCG - Customer Experience Unit, Mashreq Bank
Connect on LinkedIn
The case film shows how a payment card became a gateway to conservation action.
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.
Project Scope
- 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
Strategic Pivot
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.
Card Specs
Material: 100% recycled ocean-bound PVC
Weight: 4.8g per card
The sustainability story extended beyond the card into the welcome pack and customer materials.
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
AR Technology
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.
Notice Nature
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.
730K+
New cards issued
39K+
Plastic bottles equivalent removed from circulation
3K
Kilos of plastic waste prevented annually
10+
Tonnes of CO₂e saved annually
11M+
Customers reached via multi-channel campaign
11K+
Cardholders signed up for Notice Nature
40K+
Kilos of paper saved through digital statements
900+
Species identified for preservation
3,200+
Wildlife observations logged via Notice Nature
Blanford's Fox
Rare species spotted using Notice Nature camera traps
Regional and industry media covered Cards of Hope as a sustainability-led banking innovation.
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
Winner
GoldSustainability Initiative of the YearThe Great Marketing & Business Minds UAE, 2026
Customer (CX) / UX & DesignMMA Smarties MENA, 2025
Shortlist
Banking, Finance & InsuranceMENA Effies, 2024
Shortlist
Crisis Response / Critical PivotMENA Effies, 2024
Shortlist
Positive Change: EnvironmentalMENA Effies, 2024
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
