Cards made from recycled plastic implemented in Australian government office
Published: Feb 2025
Best Sustainable Treasury Solution
Highly Commended Winner
Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Australian Government
Elsa Phillips
Director, Travel and Credit Cards
Established by the Australian Government in July 2022, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) was set up to help ensure Australia’s future through climate action.
in partnership with
The challenge
As a newly established department, DCCEEW sought to introduce a robust card programme to better manage the expenses of its 3,000-strong employee base. As well as needing the card programme to go live in tandem with DCCEEW’s new Travel and Expense Management system, Expense 8, the card had to have a customised design that conveys the department’s core philosophy and its crucial role in driving sustainability.
Undoubtedly, DCCEEW required the programme to deliver efficiencies in treasury management. Given the large number of employees, it was critical the programme could be self-managed to accommodate the day-to-day requirements of DCCEEW’s employees, while ensuring ease of reconciliation through integration with Expense 8.
The solution
DCCEEW, in partnership with HSBC, worked closely within a six-month timeframe to deliver a customised card made from recyclable plastic that is vision impairment friendly – where the cardholder can easily identify the location of the chip with a simple touch.
A total of 1,500 DCCEEW-branded cards were delivered and activated on the go-live date on July 27th 2023, which tied in with the launch of the Expense 8 system; the remaining cards were delivered shortly after. The design and material used for the card not only embodies DCCEEW’s core philosophy, but also demonstrates how the department is taking action to protect the environment.
Equipped with a real-time administration platform, the new card programme allows DCCEEW’s employees to self-manage their day-to-day expenses and enquiries, with the flexibility to add the card to mobile wallets, such as Apple Pay and Google Pay.
At the same time, administrators within DCCEEW’s Travel and Credit Card team can also access the platform for better visibility and controls into overall spends. Reporting and reconciliation of employee card spends are also streamlined thanks to integration with the Expense 8 system, thereby improving efficiency of the expense reconciliation process.
Best practice and innovation
The new DCCEEW-branded card embodies the department’s key philosophy pertaining to sustainability. The project also demonstrates how DCCEEW’s objectives go beyond external engagements with the public, as it also takes steps to ensure sustainability in its own internal practices, to drive climate action.
The new card programme was an ambitious project on its own, as DCCEEW worked closely with HSBC to ensure timely approvals on the artwork design and production to launch the programme together with the go-live of Expense 8. The design needed to comply with the branding guidelines across both organisations, while the production of the recyclable plastic itself took nearly 12 weeks, making the project extremely complex.
Key benefits
Process efficiencies.
Increased automation.
Improved visibility.
Increased system connectivity.
Exceptional implementation (budget/time).
“We undertook an ambitious task of implementing a robust card programme for our 3,000 employees, that not only drives improvement in treasury operations, but also reinforces the core philosophy and role of ourselves in driving the sustainable transition to a net zero economy,” concludes Elsa Phillips, Director, Travel and Credit Cards.
John Scott
Country Head of Global Payments Solutions, Australia, HSBC
We are honoured to be involved in developing a groundbreaking employee card programme for DCCEEW that sets a new standard for sustainable and accessible treasury practices, demonstrating that treasury can play a pivotal role in contributing to a net zero economy.
The implementation itself was complex but executed exceptionally, with HSBC and DCCEEW’s teams collaborating closely to develop and roll out the programme in just 12 weeks – to coincide with the launch of their finance system.
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The Adam Smith Awards Asia are the industry benchmark for best practice and innovation in corporate treasury. The 2024 awards attracted 406 nominations. To find out more please visit treasurytoday.com/adam-smith-awards-asia
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