Electronic Membership Cards

In preparation for 2024, the BCA has committed to adopting more environmentally friendly practices by reducing the distribution of plastic cards. Currently, the BCA sends out over 7,000 plastic cards annually, with the majority being club caving member cards.

These plastic cards have a short lifespan of just one year and generate additional waste through envelopes and packaging, along with the carbon footprint associated with their distribution. In place of these plastic cards, the BCA will introduce electronic membership cards for the upcoming year. These electronic cards can be saved to your mobile device or printed as a hard copy, depending on your preference.

Similar to the current plastic cards, individual BCA members will receive their electronic cards directly from the BCA, while club cavers will receive theirs through their caving clubs. We are confident that the majority of our members will welcome this change, though we will still provide plastic cards for 2024 upon request, subject to card stock availability.

We have already communicated this news to club membership representatives, and the initial response has been overwhelmingly positive, especially from larger clubs that will no longer need to mail out over 200 cards each year. This transition is excellent news for the environment, for the BCA, and for club membership representatives. However, it may come as a slight inconvenience to those cavers who have relied on their BCA cards as impromptu ice scrapers for their windshields over the years!