Polymer banknotes replaced paper for the first time in 1988, when Australia became the first country to convert all its banknotes to plastic. As of 2023, over 60 countries have followed suit. Longevity, cost, and advanced security features have motivated the shift.
The polymer of choice is Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene (BOPP) film. One of the key security challenges in polymer banknotes is securing the BOPP substrate, to make sure counterfeiters cannot use widely available film to reproduce banknotes. Security tags are embedded into BOPP film during the extrusion process, which produces highly transparent film with thickness between 60 and 80 microns.
Now, BOPP film with attributed recycled content is being used to produce polymer banknotes for the first time. Toray Plastics America, a subsidiary of Japan-based Toray, has developed the film using ExxonMobil’s ISCC Plus certified recycled polymers.
Toray Plastics America is the exclusive partner of Spectra Systems Corporation, a US-based banknote security company, which is producing the new polymer banknotes. The recycled content in its Fusion polymer banknotes is attributed via a free allocation mass balance method, meaning that for every kilogram of polymer utilised in the substrate, an equal amount of polymer was recycled and repurposed as part of a sustainable supply chain.
Spectra Systems will launch its new substrate at the upcoming Banknote 2024 conference in Fort Worth, Texas, from May 13 to 16.