Earth Day, On Us: How Every On Me Gift Helps the Planet 🌎

April 14, 2025
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This Earth Day, discover how On Me’s 100% digital gift cards help reduce plastic waste and CO₂ emissions—one thoughtful gift at a time.

With Earth Day around the corner, we’re taking a moment to reflect on how each gift we send plays a small part in a much bigger movement. Every day, we try to make gifting more personal, more delightful — and a whole lot more sustainable.

Because the truth is, the old way of gifting? It’s not just outdated. It’s a problem for the planet.

A Greener Way to Give

The traditional gift card industry produces 3.4 billion plastic cards every year in the U.S. alone, generating over 17,000 metric tons of plastic waste annually1. That’s the weight of about 2,800 adult African elephants — and nearly all of it ends up in landfills or floating around as microplastics in our oceans.

But it’s not just plastic. Physical cards require manufacturing, packaging, shipping, and delivery, which all add up to a serious carbon footprint.

At On Me, we think there’s a better way.

100% Digital, 100% Thoughtful

Every On Me gift card is fully digital — no plastic, no postage, no unnecessary waste. It’s not just more convenient (though it totally is). It’s also significantly better for the planet.

Here’s how it adds up:

  • 1 On Me gift = 5 grams of plastic waste prevented
  • 1 On Me gift = 19 grams of COâ‚‚ saved (compared to manufacturing + shipping a physical gift card)

Multiply that across tens of thousands of gifts, and the impact adds up fast.

No More Gifts to the Landfill

Every year, Americans spend over $16 billion on gifts that go straight to the trash2. Unwanted sweaters. Random gadgets. Last-minute candles. We’ve all been there.

With On Me, each gift is curated by category and packed with personality — plus recipients can choose exactly what they want from our roster of top brands. That means fewer wasted gifts and more meaningful moments.

Whether it’s a Coffee, On Me card for the coffee lover in your life or a Running, On Me card for your 5K buddy, every gift is personal, intentional, and low-impact.

Built for the Planet We Want

We’re proud to say that On Me is more than a digital gift card. It’s a platform for thoughtful, secure, and sustainable gifting. It’s also our way of showing that small changes — like how we give — can add up to something bigger.

So this Earth Day, we hope you’ll celebrate with us:

  • Send a digital gift instead of a physical one
  • Choose reusable over disposable
  • Give with intention — and with care

Because when it comes to protecting the planet, every swipe, tap, and message counts.

It’s not just a gift card. It’s On Me. And it’s a gift to the Earth, too.

Footnotes

  1. https://abcnews.go.com/Business/paper-plastic-gift-cards-trash/story?id=93502280 ↩

  2. https://www.marketwatch.com/story/americans-spend-16-billion-on-holiday-gifts-that-end-up-in-the-garbage-2017-12-22 ↩

It’s not just a gift card. It’s On Me.

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Cards are issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC. Secure Gift Holdings is a financial services company, and not itself an FDIC-insured institution. FDIC deposit insurance coverage only protects against the failure of an FDIC-insured deposit institution; FDIC insurance coverage is subject to pass-through insurance requirements per ownership category. Certain conditions must be met for pass-through coverage to apply. Third-party trademarks referenced for informational purposes only; no endorsements implied.© 2025 On Me Gifting, Inc
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