The business of providing membership and ID-type cards to people has transformed along with the demand for eco-friendly, or green, products.

In years past, such products — everything from membership cards to rewards or loyalty cards — provided little in the way of environmentally-friendly design. But today, a company that doesn’t provide its customers with a biodegradable membership card is behind the times. Practices such as insurance card printing, for example, frequently now use techniques to make the cards laser compatible and digital compatible.

What does this mean? That the card can be literally etched onto the paper, or easily punched out after the laser or digital printing process. In most cases, virtually all of such insurance card printing ends up with an eco-friendly product. All but about 2 percent of the card is considered eco-friendly, and that 2 percent typically is the thin, plastic laminate on the back of the card and on the sheet where the card is attached. This small amount of laminate, while not usually considered environmentally friendly, is so tiny in proportion as to have practically no effect.

That means that the purchaser can be assured of an environmentally sound product, one which will appeal to the companies producing and sending out a biodegradable membership card, or sending out some other type of loyalty card, gift card or insurance card.

For those who may be interested in spending just a small amount more, many companies are offering products that are so earth-friendly that even the laminate is ecologically sound as well, providing little or no harm to the environment, yet producing, for example, a biodegradable membership card with vivid images and durability as well.

Typically, the paper on which the cards are printed are compostable and totally recyclable. The attention to the ability to recycle and use recycle materials pays off both in cost and in attractiveness to the purchaser.

Using this type of paper and formats to produce these cards also usually means a cost savings in materials and less heavy-duty wear and tear on the printing equipment.

Lastly, the digital method of creating earth-friendly products such as insurance card printing or other types of membership or loyalty cards provides a final result that can be stunning. On this high-quality, yet earth-friendly paper that is designed to accept digital- and laser-compatible, the images are crisp and clear. Yet, the maker of this product knows that the reason why people need earth-friendly cards is not just for a clear image, and not just for price, but so that they can be assured they are using a biodegradable, eco-friendly product which will ensure a tomorrow that takes such important features into account.