Some of you may remember learning about the British East India Company using beef and pig fat to seal cartridges and lube the musket balls. Of course, this caused problems with both Hindu and Muslim soldiers. Read more about that, here: http://www.guns.com/2013/01/19/how-gun-l...sh-empire/
A similar situation is happening again, but this time with the new Five Pound Note. Apparently tallow is used in making the plastic notes from the very beginning. The plastic polymer pellets are coated, apparently in small amounts, with animal fats. The new notes may contain trace amounts of the fat, angering different religious groups as well as vegans and vegetarians.
They are, of course, looking to use vegetable based oils now and there is no estimate how much the change will cost. It's quite an interesting topic. I wonder if other plastic notes also have traces of animal fat. It also brings up some arguments about how far a society is willing to accommodate certain groups. I don't know if I'd classify the religious objections as from "special interest groups," but to what extent should minority beliefs dictate national policies of accommodation? I'm not sure that I would support an increased cost for the production of currency if only trace amounts are used and the religious have the option of using other forms of payment. I would also venture that tallow is used for many other plastic goods such that these groups are already in contact with various animal fats.
https://www.coinworld.com/news/paper-mon...proar.html
While we are discussing the new note, you might be interested to know that it can be erased with a pencil eraser.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/2067478/vi...ubbed-out/
A similar situation is happening again, but this time with the new Five Pound Note. Apparently tallow is used in making the plastic notes from the very beginning. The plastic polymer pellets are coated, apparently in small amounts, with animal fats. The new notes may contain trace amounts of the fat, angering different religious groups as well as vegans and vegetarians.
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[I]t has so horrified vegans, vegetarians, Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, and Orthodox Jews, among others, that 130,000 people have signed a petition demanding the Bank of England do something about it.
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The Bank of England’s statement said: “We are aware of some people’s concerns about traces of tallow in our new five pound note. We respect those concerns and are treating them with the utmost seriousness. This issue has only just come to light, and the Bank did not know about it when the contract was signed.
They are, of course, looking to use vegetable based oils now and there is no estimate how much the change will cost. It's quite an interesting topic. I wonder if other plastic notes also have traces of animal fat. It also brings up some arguments about how far a society is willing to accommodate certain groups. I don't know if I'd classify the religious objections as from "special interest groups," but to what extent should minority beliefs dictate national policies of accommodation? I'm not sure that I would support an increased cost for the production of currency if only trace amounts are used and the religious have the option of using other forms of payment. I would also venture that tallow is used for many other plastic goods such that these groups are already in contact with various animal fats.
https://www.coinworld.com/news/paper-mon...proar.html
While we are discussing the new note, you might be interested to know that it can be erased with a pencil eraser.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/2067478/vi...ubbed-out/