Sustainable wooden key cards attract 10.5m SEK investment from regional VC investors in Northern Sweden

SamInvest Mitt AB, Investa AB and Sånfjällsgruppen AB have invested 10.5 million SEK in Sustainable Cards AB to help the company grow its wooden hotel, loyalty and gift cards on an international market.

“The company offers a unique product with obvious environmental benefits. The market is global and fast growing with keen interest from customers looking for environmentally friendly alternatives” - Eva Nordlander, CEO of SamInvest Mitt AB.

“There are three key reasons for our investment in Sustainable Cards AB.  Environmentally friendly products represent a high growth market, wood products represent a strategic sector for our region and, finally, it is important for us and our owners to make investments that reduce our carbon footprint “ - Mats Lundqvist, Investa AB.

Wooden cards from Sustainable Cards work just like traditional plastic cards but greatly reduce the toxic oil-based waste. The cards consist almost entirely of an unrefined wood core which is then reinforced with a long fiber cellulosepaper and a thin layer of bio-plastic. The product is one of the few cards that can call itself 100 percent petroleum-free. The goal is to become a world leading producer of the environmentally superior wooden cards that are functionally equivalent to any plastic card.

The founder of Sustinable Cards AB - Peo Akesson - began operations in Colorado, USA. Production is in Hede, Sweden, were 6 million SEK has already been invested in various production equipment including a state of the art printing solution.

“I stumbled across the idea 6 years ago when I checked into a hotel. It has taken time to develop the product and secure funding but the experience has been very rewarding.  We have a great product and the production is based in a remote Swedish area which will really benefit from our expansion. I think we are the first company to move into Hede in 20 years” says Peo Akesson and continues:

“We have chosen to invest in Härjedalen in Northern Sweden as it fits very well with our brand. The environment is what we stand for and all visitors are equally impressed with the cards as they are the natural surroundings.”

For further information:
Peo Åkesson, Sustainable Cards AB: +46 70 145 84 08
Eva Nordlander, Saminvest Mitt AB: +46 70 246 74 79
Mats Lundqvist, Investa Företagskapital AB: +46 70 640 50 11
Peter Thideman, Sånfjällsgruppen AB: +46 70 293 73 16

Sustainable Cards is now the world's largest manufacturer of environmentally sound cards made of wood. The Hede based company is committed to reducing the harmful waste from traditional plastic cards by producing the unique patented wooden cards. Sustainable Cards is a member of  "1% for the Planet" - an organization of companies that come together and donate a percentage of their sales to organizations working to preserve and improve the environment. Read more at www.sustainablecards.com

Investa Företagskapital AB is a regional venture capital company focusing on small and medium sized expanding companies. We operate mainly in the counties of Västernorrland, Jämtland and Gävleborg in Northern Sweden. Read more at www.investa.se

Sånfjällsgruppen AB consists of a group of private local investors who are focused on investing in early stage companies providing environmental solutions. The group's portfolio companies should: (i) seek to deliver a product with good environmental profile, (ii) have a focus on social responsibility and (iii) be established in Härjedalen. Sånfjällsgruppens strength lies in conjunction with other investors to act as an intellectual and economic resource for their portfolio companies' further development and expansion.