BRITAIN TO CONTINUE POLYMER WITH TALLOW

Britain’s new bank notes are harder to forge than their predecessors. They are also more durable, able to survive a washing machine cycle. They can even be dipped in curry with no adverse effects.

None of that is much consolation to vegetarians, however — the notes are printed on polymer, which uses tallow, a hard, fatty substance usually made from rendered meat, rather than on the cotton-based paper that was used before.

On Thursday, the Bank of England, which prints bills circulated in England and Wales, said that it would continue to use the polymer for the 5-pound note, worth about $6.50, introduced last year, as well as the £10 bill that debuts in September and the £20 note that will enter circulation by 2020.

“This decision reflects multiple considerations including the concerns raised by the public, the availability of environmentally sustainable alternatives, positions of our central bank peers, value for money, as well as the widespread use of animal-derived additives in everyday products, including alternative payment methods,” the Bank of England said in a news release.

The bank said it had not taken the decision lightly.

An online petition to stop the use of tallow garnered more than 135,000 signatures.

The Bank of England explored alternatives in a monthslong consultation. About 3,500 people responded to the bank’s request for opinions on the use of animal products in its notes. Of those who expressed a preference, 88 percent were against the use of animal-derived additives, while 48 percent were against the use of additives derived from palm oil, which the bank had explored as a possible alternative to the tallow.

Despite the overwhelmingly negative response to the use of tallow, the Bank of England said it had to balance those concerns against its “other public duties and priorities.”

To read the complete article, see:
Britain’s New Bank Notes: Secure. Durable. Not for Vegetarians. (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/10/business/dealbook/uk-pound-note-vegan-vegetarian.html)

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
MORE ON ANIMAL FAT IN THE POLYMER BANKNOTES (http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v19n49a29.html)
NEW POLYMER NOTES CONTAIN ANIMAL FAT (http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v19n50a34.html)

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