Eco – Congregation Green Sheet no.6.
Finance Charity Credit Cards
·
Charity affinity cards are an excellent idea ( if you
are determined to have a credit card ), because they continually raise money
for good causes without serious cost to the customer.
·
A charity credit card raises money for a charity (or
several) when the card is first taken out or first used, and from then on a
small percentage, like 25p for every £100 used goes straight to the charity.
·
The charities benefit from the extra revenue and also
because the cards and associated marketing can raise their profile and thus
recruit new members.
·
In terms of ethics, it makes little difference whether
our card is Visa or Mastercard. It is more appropriate to ask which bank the
charity has teamed up with to issue its credit card.
·
Co – op Bank cards support among others Amnesty
International, Greenpeace, Help the Aged, Save the Children, Oxfam, and the
RSPB. Beneficial bank has several cards which benefit animal welfare charities
as well as the Wildlife and Wetlands Trust, English Heritage and Unicef.
Frizzell supports the Cancer Research Campaign, while People’s Bank has cards
for Comic Relief and The Vegetarian Society. The Bank of
·
Co – operative Bank has been researching alternatives
to PVC for its credit cards and hopes to make a biodegradable plastic known as
polyethylene teraphthalate, completely free of hazardous chemicals. No other
information courtesy of the
Good Shopping Guide. – your guide to shopping with a clear conscience.
The following may be useful
if you are considering investing some money and would like some information on
Ethical companies to put your trust into.
·
EIRIS’s Guide To Ethical Funds covers the ethical
retail funds (such as unit trusts, OEIC’s, investment trusts) available to the
UK investor, giving a summary of each fund’s ethical policy, top ten holdings,
and outlining what products (pensions, ISA, etc) are available with that fund.
·
EIRIS was established in 1983 by a group of churches
and charities, today it is one of the leading providers of independent
corporate research for socially responsible investors. EIRIS has a wealth of
information for people who want to apply their principles to their investment
and finances. EIRIS can provide a directory of financial advisors who have
expertise in advising on ethical investments. (available from www.eiris.org) EIRIS ,80 –84 Bondway
·
The
·
The European Sustainable and responsible Investment
Forum is a non- profit organisation promoting the concept, practice and
development of responsible and sustainable investment, www.eurosif.org
If you are interested there is a long list of ethical funds
which EIRIS are happy to publish in The Good Shopping Guide which is at the
back of Church for your reference.