GUARDIAN™
CCL Secure (Australia)
GUARDIAN™ is a polymer banknote substrate developed by CCL Secure, first issued in 1988 and now used across more than 175 denominations by over 40 central banks worldwide.
GUARDIAN begins with a highly specialised polymer film called Propanote™ Clarity C, produced exclusively for Guardian banknotes by CCL Secure's sister company, Innovia Films. The production process involves gravity-feeding a molten polymer, composed of extruded polypropylene and other polyolefins, through a four-storey chamber. The resulting substrate is non-porous and non-fibrous, making it impervious to water and other liquids.
This transparent base film is opacified with printed layers that include advanced security features embedded directly into the three-dimensional polymer structure of the substrate. Security features are therefore integrated into the substrate itself during manufacture, adding complexity that creates additional barriers to counterfeiters.
Large, clear transparent windows are a hallmark security feature of GUARDIAN substrate. The smooth surface and transparent film enable a wide range of diffractive and optical effects, as well as colour-shifting inks, integrated during manufacture of the substrate.
GUARDIAN lasts three to five times longer in the cash cycle than cotton-paper notes, reducing replacement frequency and cutting cash cycle costs. GUARDIAN banknotes are also compatible with existing automated processing machinery across a wide range of cash cycles worldwide, requiring very few changes to banknote printing processes or cash handling equipment.
There is a proven process for recycling GUARDIAN banknotes, supported by CCL Secure's Global Recycling Program. Globally, 85 per cent of GUARDIAN banknotes were recycled between 2017 and 2023, with end-of-life material transformed into durable products such as building materials, bollards, containers and compost bins.
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