Technical Trends

Make less plastic work

With unmatched security from within.

Sustainability as a global megatrend does not stop at the banknote industry. Ever-scarcer resources and the impact of CO₂ and microplastics are global challenges that can only be met with innovations- like Hybrid ADDvance®, for example, our banknote substrate that combines the best of several worlds.

When it comes to banknotes, sustainability is a supposedly simple calculation: resource-saving production and high durability in the cash cycle make a banknote a sustainable means of payment. But that’s only half the story. After all, a banknote is not printed on simple paper. It must be produced in such a way that it creates the highest-possible level of confidence among the public. This is only possible with uncompromising security. And that’s why the discussion about sustainable banknotes must start right here. Because even the most durable banknote is not progress if security is at risk.

Embedding security features in the substrate makes it counterfeit-proof. Using less plastic makes it future-proof.

While counterfeiters are better at the pure printing process today than they were a few years ago embedding the security features intrinsically in the banknote substrate is a virtually insurmountable hurdle.

The core of Hybrid ADDvance therefore contains a cotton fibre substrate. Watermarks, security threads, foils and machine-readable elements can be embedded in this core to protect the banknote substrate against counterfeiting.

This core is protected by an ultra-thin film of polymer to significantly increase the durability of the banknote in the cash cycle and reduce wear and tear. Even under extreme circulation conditions, Hybrid ADDvance remains clean and stiff. The innovative film structure of Hybrid ADDvance ensures a banknote architecture that allows the full potential of modern security and printing features while retaining the familiar haptic feel of banknotes.

Making the best use of the best materials.

Let’s go back to sustainability. While pure-polymer banknotes can only score points here in terms of their longer durability compared to pure-cotton notes, the sustainability concept of Hybrid ADDvance already starts in the production process – and exactly where the security advantage is: in the cotton substrate. The cotton used to produce the substrate consists of the short fibres that cannot be used in the textile industry and are a by-product there; Hybrid ADDvance is, in a sense, recycled before it is recycled.

And the plastic that Hybrid ADDvance uses to protect the uncompromising security of the banknote is, above all, less plastic. The protective film is only a fraction of a human hair thick – yet strong enough to take full advantage of the undisputed benefits of polymer in the cash cycle. As little plastic as possible and as much as necessary is used to combine the best of both worlds. The fact that Hybrid ADDvance can be easily processed by all standard machines in the cash cycle also contributes to sustainability and, of course, to efficiency.

This is how Hybrid ADDvance uses the advantages of polymer – without being affected by its disadvantages. It is a true innovation and a step towards more sustainability in the cash cycle.

Embedding security features in the substrate makes it counterfeit-proof. Using less plastic makes it future-proof.

Making the best use of the best materials.

Further Reading