Why Guardian™ Polymer?
Guardian™ is the world's most sophisticated banknote substrate, uniquely constructed using CCL Secure’s proprietary method and the high security Clarity™C base film which is manufactured and supplied exclusively for banknotes.
The performance of Guardian™ polymer substrate in regard to security, durability, cleanliness and environmental-friendliness has been proven unequivocally across the last three decades with central bank-generated data providing a wealth of compelling evidence that Guardian™ polymer is the most effective currency management strategy a central bank can use to transform its operations. In 2020 we launched CINEMA™, a new dimension in banknote security.
Benefits* over paper and coated-paper notes include:
- Three to five times more durable — less banknote replacement means significant cost savings
- Waterproof — whether it's saltwater, freshwater or in the washing machine, polymer notes remain useable
- At least ten times more secure — across every market in which Guardian™ has replaced paper, the rates of counterfeiting are significantly lower often by at least 80-90 per cent
- 75 per cent cleaner — they carry less bacteria than paper and can be wiped clean
- Up to 60 per cent more environmentally-friendly – across all nine internationally-accepted measures of environmental impact
Central Banks adopting Guardian™ also receive the support of PolyTeQ Central Bank and Print Services, providing advice on cash cycle, banknote policy, counterfeit trends, design and feature selection.
*Sources: central banks’ published data, and research below.
Research
Conclusive research shows Guardian™ is more hygienic than cotton paper
Findings of a comprehensive study in which 1,280 banknotes were obtained from food outlets in ten different countries (including Guardian™-using nations Australia, New Zealand and Mexico) and their bacterial content enumerated.
Independent Canadian banknote substrate lifecycle assessment: Paper vs Polymer
An independent assessment of polymer versus traditional cotton-paper notes conclusively proves that polymer outperforms paper on every one of the nine criteria used to assess environmental impact.