How Silkpay is becoming a sustainable payment startup?
Towards a sustainable payment system by the end of the year
Sustainability within Silkpay:
Sustainability is very important to the mission of Silkpay. With our payment methods, we strive to help merchants and consumers reduce their paper waste and carbon footprint. The rise in e-commerce has already been positive, as it is a step in the right direction. By digitizing payments, merchants can become more environmentally conscious.
Cashless payments to preserve the environment:
Cashless payments help minimize emissions from paper and energy used to produce coins. A lot of time and energy goes into the creation of paper. On average, 1 tree can produce approximately 17 reams of paper. It takes around 100 years for it to grow to this size. Producing the paper from these trees will release hundreds of pounds of CO2 into the atmosphere. By taking away the trees that absorb this excess of CO2, we continue to negatively impact the climate. Therefore, reducing paper usage in purchases could make a substantial impact on our carbon footprint.
Cashless payments also are important in reducing the harms done by ATM usage. ATMs have become an issue due to its contributions in the normalization of cash payments and electricity generated to take out cash at any point. The Institute and Faculties of Actuaries claims they are one of the worst payment systems for the environment.
The production of coins is expensive and uses natural resources and energy. Even the transportation of currency produces thousands of tons of CO2. Additionally, physical credit and debit cards also contribute to climate change. Plastic currency poses its own environmental risks. Cashless payments take away a lot of the consequences.
Small habits make big changes
At Silkpay, we are dedicated to sustainability inside the offices and outside of work. Walking, biking, the metro, and other forms of public transportation are all popular modes of commuting for our employees. None of our employees drive to work.
In the office, we use sustainable items like recycled paper and other supplies. When business trips are necessary, we prefer traveling by train throughout the European Union instead of taking cars.
We have taken extra steps to reduce our carbon emissions by banning the unnecessary emails. At Silkpay, we would rather talk face-to-face. We have chosen sustainable options.
Equality is a priority at Silkpay
At Silkpay, we are dedicated to creating an equal work environment for our teams. Through a signed agreement with La French Tech, we have set diversity and inclusion goals for the company. La French Tech has encouraged over 100 companies to join together to generate strides towards equality for men and women. They have several commitments in their pact, and we have already accomplished most of them.
As a company, 67% of our employees are women. Additionally, 50% of the entire company’s employees are women. We make sure that through the job hiring process, our careers are aimed towards both men and women equally.
We have already surpassed many of the expectations outlined by La French Tech, and we hope to continue to foster an equal workplace for our employees. We will continue to respect differences in age, gender, ethnic origin, race and religion or any other between individuals. Diversity is one of our greatest strengths.
About the author: Silkpay
Founded in 2016, Silkpay is a fintech company and provider of customized payment solutions in Europe, headquartered in Paris (France). Silkpay offers secure omnichannel payment solutions that enable physical stores and e-commerce stores in Europe and the United States to use the world's most popular payment methods: Alipay, WeChat Pay, UnionPay, Visa, Mastercard, CB, PayPal, Google Pay, as well as bank transfers and direct debits.
Silkpay is a winner of the LVMH Innovation Award and was present at the LVMH stand at Vivatech in 2019. The company was also selected as a finalist for the "Money 2020" Best Startup and in the "MPE Berlin” Startup Awards. Silkpay also won the "Best Fintech" awards from Capgemini and BPCE.
Silkpay helps merchants deliver the smoothest payment experience to their customers. We are a talented and international team driven by a single goal: to improve the customer experience and make payments simple and secure.