Baku. 10 August. REPORT.AZ/ Plastic banknotes will continue to be made with a trace of tallow as the Bank of England has rejected calls to change production to use palm oil or another non-animal fat.
Report informs citing the Interfax, an outcry from some vegan and religious groups led the Bank to look for alternatives to the greasy ingredient, and palm oil appeared to be the most likely contender.
However, that too has ethical problems as it would be difficult for the Bank to reliably source sufficient quantities of the oil from sustainable sources. Palm oil has a record of coming plantations which are deemed to cause environmental harm. The expense of switching the production process is also an issue, with alternative ingredients estimated to cost an additional £ 16.5 m ($ 21 mln).
Also, representatives of the Bank of England stressed that animal fats are found in a wide range of everyday items made of plastic.