UK Five-Pound Notes: New Bills Contain Animal Fat, an Issue for Many

The polymer making the U.K.’s new five-pound notes stronger and longer-lasting contains an unexpected ingredient that is causing dismay among vegans: trace amounts of tallow, which is animal fat.

Innovia Films, which made the polymer for the bank notes, did not even know until recently that the material used trace amounts of animal products, according to CNN Money. Innovia spokesperson Patricia Potts said the company has a policy not to “knowingly add any animal ingredients” into its products.

Innovia also makes polymers used in currency for 23 other countries, including Australia, Mexico, and Canada.

A Change.org petition to the Bank of England to make the five-pound notes vegan-friendly had more than 100,000 signatures Wednesday.

There are many religious groups in the U.K. that practice the avoidance of animal products, including Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains. While bank notes are not meant to be eaten, many vegans see the use of animal products as supporting the slaughter of animals, which they disavow.

The new five-pound bank notes are cleaner and can last up to two-and-a-half times longer than older varieties, The New York Times reported. They also have security features that make them harder to counterfeit. The tallow was added by a supplier of Innovia to make the material more anti-static.

Neighboring Scotland, which prints currency through the Bank of Scotland, said on Twitter that it does not have any animal products in its five-pound notes.

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