By Jennifer Kohlhepp, Managing Editor, ICMA

The shift from embossed to flat cards is no longer just a design trend. Across the global card industry, flat cards are becoming a strategic choice for issuers seeking to modernize their brands, strengthen portfolio performance and expand their sustainability options. 

According to Logan Shurtz, Product Marketing Manager at Entrust, an ICMA member, brand differentiation is the leading force behind the transition. 

“Brand differentiation is the primary catalyst, but that’s also amplified by converging forces that make flat cards the strategic choice for modern issuers,” Shurtz said. 

While branding may be driving the shift, it is not the only factor. Shurtz noted that flat card adoption is also being shaped by market expectations, operational priorities and the realities of today’s digital payments environment. 

In a 2023 Entrust and NewtonX survey, 73% of financial institutions said they transitioned to flat cards primarily because of branding opportunities and the desire for more modern card aesthetics. Issuers also cited competitive advantage, reduced cost and improved efficiency as important drivers. 

“The raised numbers that once enabled carbon-copy imprinting are now legacy artifacts in a world of chip-based EMV transactions and contactless payments,” Shurtz said. 

What many issuers once viewed as a cosmetic update is also proving to have measurable business value. Shurtz said the same Entrust and NewtonX survey found that 77% of financial institutions experienced higher transaction volumes after switching to flat card designs, suggesting that modern card formats can support both brand relevance and cardholder engagement. 

Design Freedom with Strategic Impact 

Flat card technology is also expanding what issuers can do from a design and branding perspective. 

“Flat cards transform the payment card from a functional necessity into a canvas for brand storytelling and emotional connection,” Shurtz said. 

Traditional embossed cards required reserved areas for raised characters, limiting the space available for graphics and visual storytelling. Flat cards remove those constraints, giving issuers the ability to use edge-to-edge printing, uninterrupted layouts and high-resolution imagery across the full card surface. 

Shurtz said that freedom has opened the door to more immersive brand expression, including photorealistic imagery, artistic collaborations and co-branded concepts that would have been difficult or impossible to execute with embossing. 

The rise of vertical card designs is another example of how flat cards are helping issuers move beyond convention. 

“Vertical cards align with how consumers naturally interact with digital devices and create immediate visual differentiation in wallets,” he said. 

Flat card production also supports back-of-card personalization, giving issuers the option to move cardholder details and branding elements to the reverse side for a cleaner, more contemporary front-of-card appearance. Some issuers are going even further by experimenting with full orientation changes, including placing the chip on the right side of the card to reinforce a more modern look. 

Sustainability Expands the Conversation 

Beyond design, flat cards are also helping issuers pursue new material strategies that align with sustainability goals. 

Shurtz said issuers are most actively evaluating recycled PVC (rPVC), polylactic acid (PLA) and recycled PETG (rPETG), with each material offering different advantages depending on program goals, regional pressures and production requirements. 

“Issuers are actively evaluating a range of sustainable card materials, with the most traction seen in rPVC, PLA and rPETG,” Shurtz said. 

He noted that rPVC continues to lead the market because it works within existing manufacturing infrastructure and reduces first-use plastic without compromising durability or personalization quality. That assessment is reinforced by outside market data. According to projections published by ABI Research in May 2025, rPVC remained the dominant material by volume, accounting for more than 66% of sustainable cards in circulation globally. 

At the same time, Shurtz said growth is accelerating in biobased and reclaimed materials. PLA is projected to see the fastest growth among eco-substrates, driven in part by its appeal in markets facing stronger regulatory pressure or consumer demand for compostable or non-petroleum-based solutions. Reclaimed and ocean-bound plastics are also attracting attention from issuers that want their card programs to visibly reflect environmental commitments. 

Across markets, several factors are shaping material decisions, including pressure to reduce single-use plastics, the need to meet ESG targets, demand from Gen Z and Millennial consumers for visible sustainability commitments and the brand value of signaling environmental leadership. 

“As the industry moves toward Mastercard’s 2028 initiative to eliminate first-use PVC, issuers are balancing sustainability goals with cost, supply chain maturity and card performance,” Shurtz said. 

When Sustainability Meets Production Reality 

Even with strong momentum behind eco-friendly issuance, sustainable card programs still have to work within the practical realities of manufacturing, personalization and portfolio economics. 

“Cost premiums are often the first hurdle issuers face when considering entering the eco-friendly issuance market,” Shurtz said. 

Alternative materials can carry higher upfront costs than traditional PVC, depending on the substrate, order size and maturity of the supply chain. To manage that challenge, many issuers are taking a phased approach, introducing eco-friendly cards in test markets or limited portfolio segments before scaling adoption more broadly. 

That approach gives issuers the opportunity to evaluate customer response, monitor key performance indicators and measure progress toward ESG goals before making larger investments. 

Durability has also been an important consideration. Earlier generations of eco-materials did not always meet ISO durability standards for payment cards, particularly in areas such as abrasion resistance and UV exposure. That created a potential conflict for issuers seeking to reduce environmental impact without shortening the usable life of the card. 

Shurtz said the industry has made meaningful progress in addressing those tradeoffs. 

“Advanced personalization technologies have largely resolved this tradeoff, particularly with UV-curable thermal transfer technology and inks,” he said. 

Those improvements are helping sustainable card materials become more practical at scale and reducing the gap between environmental ambition and production reality. 

Global Adoption, Regional Differences 

Flat card adoption is spreading globally, but not at the same pace in every region. 

Shurtz said North America and Europe are approaching maturity, supported by strong digital infrastructure, sustainability mandates and consumer demand for premium, design-forward cards. Meanwhile, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East and Africa are in earlier but faster-growth phases, driven by digital banking innovation, evolving consumer expectations and the availability of more cost-effective production technologies. 

For issuers planning programs across multiple markets, those regional differences matter. 

“Programs must balance global brand consistency with localized execution, such as adapting to regional regulations, consumer expectations and infrastructure realities,” Shurtz said. 

That balance increasingly depends on modular card design strategies, scalable personalization technologies and partnerships with providers that understand diverse regulatory and market conditions. 

As the global card industry continues to evolve, flat cards are proving to be far more than a style upgrade. They offer issuers a platform for sharper brand expression, stronger consumer engagement, broader material flexibility and more meaningful progress toward sustainability goals.