CCL Secure to Again Supply Majority of Polymer Substrate for New £20 Note

WIGTON, England, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CCL Secure has been awarded 75% of the future supply of polymer substrate for the new £20, continuing to supply the majority of substrate for the Bank of England's plastic banknotes. 

With the very first polymer £20 to be issued on 20 February 2020, the new notes feature Romantic artist JMW Turner as well as complex security features including two windows and a two-colour foil.

The polymer substrate produced by CCL Secure, called Guardian, acts like the base of a banknote.

A transparent film produced exclusively for banknotes is opacified, becoming substrate, and contains integrated security features, mainly windows. This process all happens at dedicated CCL sites in Wigton, Cumbria, where both the transparent film and opacified substrate are made. The substrate is then sent to a printer where the coloured inks and foils are added on top.

Vice President and Managing Director of CCL Secure, Neil Sanders, said the company is honoured to continue supplying Guardian substrate for the Bank of England, which has already provided significant benefit for the bank.

"CCL Secure is very proud to continue the majority supply of polymer substrate for the £20 note and we are honoured by the bank showing such confidence in us. We are looking forward to seeing the British public use the notes soon.

"Like the £5 and £10 on Guardian polymer, the latest £20 will provide a stronger, safer, cleaner and greener currency.

"Polymer notes last longer than the previous paper versions and feature sophisticated windows and other effects making them difficult to counterfeit. They also offer environmental benefits, with the £5 and £10 recognised by the Carbon Trust's Footprint Label for having a lower carbon footprint over the notes' life," Mr Sanders said.

The news follows the bank's announcement late last year to award the majority of the first call-off volume for the initial launch stock of the £50 to CCL Secure.

"With the £20 and then £50 soon to be released, the Bank of England will complete a full family on Guardian polymer, alongside many other countries around the world including Australia, Brunei, Canada, Costa Rica, Mauritania, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Romania," Mr Sanders said.

Guardian is manufactured at the highly secure and state-of-the-art site in Wigton, Cumbria, built specifically to support the Bank of England's new polymer family.

CCL Secure has worked closely with the Bank of England over the last ten years, assisting the initial concept design for the new £5, developing the full substrate design of the £5 and £10 notes, and supporting the design and consultation processes for all the bank's future polymer notes.