Interview with Tim Berridge, Director of R&D, Marketing and Design
What is GUARDIAN™ ENVIRO?
GUARDIAN ENVIRO is the more sustainable option for GUARDIAN. It shares all the same physical properties as GUARDIAN, but is produced using bio-renewable feedstocks. The primary difference between GUARDIAN and GUARDIAN ENVIRO lies in the reduced reliance on fossil feedstocks, traditionally used in the production of polymer film.
Instead of using fossil raw materials, central banks have the option to utilise by-products from the food and forestry industries, such as used cooking oil and tall oil. Both GUARDIAN and GUARDIAN ENVIRO offer identical product performance and construction, with the key distinction being the use of feedstocks from more sustainable sources.
It is important to note that the transition towards GUARDIAN ENVIRO can be implemented gradually, allowing central banks to designate the degree of substitution. This approach enables them to maintain control over the cost and pace of the transition, while providing a clear, scalable pathway towards reducing the use of fossil feedstocks.
Do the sustainable feedstocks reduce product performance?
Not at all. The product specifications remain exactly the same. GUARDIAN ENVIRO is guaranteed to provide the same performance in the cash cycle as traditional GUARDIAN notes, in terms of durability, security, and existing environmental benefits. The only difference is a reduction in the reliance on fossil feedstocks, with all the environmental benefits this brings.
How can the product specifications remain the same when some feedstocks are different?
The performance guarantee comes from the fact both banknotes are based on the same polymer film, which is Propanote™ Clarity C, and that underpins durability and security features.
While the sustainable feedstocks draw their raw materials from tall oil and used cooking oil, they undergo a pre-production process that ensures they’re chemically identical to the fossil feedstocks which are being replaced. The film manufacturing process itself does not change.
Central banks can be assured that the sustainable feedstocks will be chemically identical and interchangeable with fossil feedstocks because this is a requirement of International Sustainability & Carbon Certification – a regulatory scheme GUARDIAN ENVIRO complies with.
What is International Sustainability & Carbon Certification?
ISCC is the independent and globally recognised framework for verifying the sustainability characteristics of alternative feedstocks. It provides a standardised system for authenticating environmental claims. The ISCC also supplies the methodology, rules and guidelines to track sustainable feedstocks within the supply chain, including through an active auditing process.
This third-party accreditation and accounting system provides central banks with a transparent and verifiable method of documenting environmental advances, which supports credible communication with stakeholders while streamlining environmental reporting at the same time.
How are different feedstocks tracked under the ISCC framework?
There are different accounting systems under the broader umbrella of ISCC. We have chosen the ‘mass balance’ method. It’s a chain-of-custody model designed to support manufacturing processes that mix fossil feedstocks with sustainable alternatives in one industrial process.
Mass balance doesn’t guarantee the sustainable feedstocks are ‘physically’ there. Instead, it relies on detailed bookkeeping to track these as a proportion of all feedstocks used. This ensures central banks receive accurate information about the percentage of final product produced using sustainable feedstocks as opposed to fossil raw materials.
Does the CCL Group have experience working within the ISCC framework?
Yes. CCL Secure’s sister company, Innovia Films, has extensive experience working with the ISCC mass balance model, through its Encore range, and we’ve been able to leverage this deep in‑house knowledge. Innovia Films is our sole film supplier and produces Propanote™ Clarity C, the polymer film that underpins both traditional GUARDIAN banknotes and GUARDIAN ENVIRO.
Innovia Films’ experience has helped ensure the most environmentally advantageous and cost‑effective alternative feedstocks are used. It will also support ongoing compliance, research and development as CCL continues to innovate and create pathways towards a greener cash cycle.
Stronger, Safer, Cleaner, and even Greener. Building on the GUARDIAN legacy
Interview with Neil Sanders, CCL Secure Vice President and Managing Director
Why did CCL Secure develop GUARDIAN ENVIRO?
Sustainability is a core value for CCL Secure, and GUARDIAN ENVIRO is best understood as the next step in a journey towards stronger environmental outcomes that stretches back decades.
Since the first GUARDIAN banknotes were issued, in 1988, they’ve been the green choice, but as the importance of sustainability continues to grow, it’s incumbent on companies to meet that demand.
Of course, sustainable outcomes can’t be achieved overnight. It’s an ongoing journey. We wanted to provide a pathway that supports gradual change, and while GUARDIAN banknotes remain the first step on that journey, central banks can now go further with GUARDIAN ENVIRO.
What are the environmental benefits of traditional GUARDIAN notes?
GUARDIAN banknotes can be fully recycled, after a long life in circulation, and compared to banknotes based on cotton‑paper substrate, they last three to five times longer in the cash cycle. This durability drives a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from transport and production. Raw materials use is also reduced, because the banknotes last longer. This lowers procurement volumes and increases seigniorage in turn. Over time, central banks can re‑invest those savings to upgrade to GUARDIAN ENVIRO and achieve even more sustainable outcomes.
How much does it cost to upgrade to GUARDIAN ENVIRO?
As you might expect, bio-circular feedstocks are more expensive. That’s why central banks will be able to choose the level of substitution – meaning the extent to which fossil feedstocks are replaced with sustainable alternatives accredited by the ISCC.
We felt it was important to ensure central banks retain control over the cost and speed of transition, because individual issuing authorities will be at different points in their green transition. For some central banks, initial polymerisation with GUARDIAN will be the next step. Others will be ready to start phasing out fossil feedstocks with GUARDIAN ENVIRO.
I’d encourage central banks to reach out directly with any questions about how to progress their transition to a greener cash cycle, whether that’s through GUARDIAN or GUARDIAN ENVIRO.
How does GUARDIAN ENVIRO fit into CCL Secure’s broader sustainability program?
As I mentioned before, GUARDIAN ENVIRO is the latest initiative to enhance environmental performance, but it’s part of a deeper commitment to sustainability. One tangible example of this commitment is that CCL Secure has been working with central banks to facilitate recycling for decades, and we’ve achieved real and measurable outcomes. The data shows that between 2017 and 2023 we were able to support central banks to recycle 85 per cent of GUARDIAN banknotes at end-of-life, and GUARDIAN ENVIRO can be recycled in exactly the same way.
How does CCL Secure work with central banks to increase the rate of recycling?
This is an outcome that has been driven by our GUARDIAN Global Recycling Program. It’s an award-winning initiative that combines comprehensive support services, direct infrastructure investment, and complementary capacity building throughout supply chains. As part of this program, our sister company Innovia Films has established a banknote recycling facility in Zacapu, Mexico, with specialised pelletising and extraction systems to support central banks.
Has CCL Secure taken action to reduce emissions from its operations and plants?
Yes, this has been another area of significant investment. CCL Secure has partnered with environmental consultants at Verco to define the carbon profile of our operations and implement initiatives that drive down emissions across incoming transport, on-site energy use, and the carbon embodied in materials throughout our supply chains.
The plant in Wigton is a good example. Between 2018 and 2022 we were able to reduce emissions by 26 per cent, energy consumption by 31 per cent, and water usage by 40 per cent. That work was recognised with an Energy Institute Award for environmental management.
Of course, these efforts continue. As I said earlier, sustainability is a journey, and we all have an obligation to do what we can to support stronger environmental outcomes. That’s why I’m so thrilled to be launching GUARDIAN ENVIRO as the next big step towards greener cash cycles.
Is GUARDIAN ENVIRO ready to order and issue right now?
Yes. GUARDIAN ENVIRO is cash cycle ready and guaranteed to match the performance of traditional GUARDIAN banknotes in terms of durability, security, and existing environmental benefits. Central banks that are ready to take the next step towards a greener cash cycle should get in touch.