2017-02-17 Fri

It was revealed that little portions of tallow, made out of cows and sheep, was used to make the first plastic five-pound note of England. Over 1,30,000 people signed an online petition to stop using animal products in banknotes. Some Hindu temples and vegetarian cafes have stopped using or exchanging new five-pound note.

Alternatives, for example palm or coconut oil are being tried and the signing of contracts for the new batch of banknotes has been delayed. The release of the new notes will happen in 2020 and a fully fat-free option is being considered.

For now, the notes will use little amounts of animal fat as it would cost England 80 million pounds to switch back to paper. If the notes are withdrawn now, it would increase the risk of counterfeiting and confusion as well. The five-pound polymer note will remain in circulation and the 10-pound note will be released as planned. 46 million pounds were spent on printing the new five-pound note, and 24 million pounds for producing the 10-pound notes.

The recycling methods used on the existing paper 20 pound and 50-pound notes also use little amounts of animal products. This process is being reviewed as well. If an alternative is not found till July then the waste paper will not be recycled