Climate card startup ekko opens crowdfund campaign

Using the ekko debit card, every five transactions a customer makes will pay for one plastic bottle to be collected before it enters the ocean and every 50 transactions will pay for a tree to be planted by the customer.

Customers can track their own personal forest, how many bottles they’ve collected and monitor their own personalised carbon footprint using a ‘Carbonmeter’ in the ekko app. The app also gives customers access to a curated list of sustainable partners, offering climate-friendly goods and services.

The company says it aims to plant over 50m trees and prevent over 500m bottles entering the oceans over the next five years.

Ekko has set a target of £300,000 for its crowdraise and has already achieved over £250,000 from 91 investors on its first day.

Oli Cook, co-founder and CEO of ekko says: “We’re on a mission to make it simple for everyone to fight climate change. We’re starting with a debit card that plants trees and clears ocean-bound plastic bottles, but our goals go far beyond this. Through this funding round, we hope to bring on board engaged investors who want to be part of our journey.”