Hybrid™ and Hybrid ADDvance®

Type: Cotton/polymer composite banknote substrate — cotton fibre core laminated with ultra-thin protective polymer film

Overview

Hybrid™ and Hybrid ADDvance® are Louisenthal's family of cotton/polymer composite banknote substrates, designed to combine the security heritage and familiar tactile properties of traditional cotton paper with the soiling resistance and durability of polymer. Both substrates share the same foundational architecture — a cotton fibre core protected by an ultra-thin polymer laminate — but differ in their denomination scope, security feature integration depth, and sustainability credentials. Together they represent Louisenthal's primary answer to the central bank demand for more durable, cost-efficient banknotes that do not require a full transition to polymer.

Since the first Hybrid™ banknote was issued in Eswatini in 2008, this premium substrate has been continuously enhanced, culminating in the introduction of Hybrid ADDvance® in 2018 as its innovative successor. 

Hybrid™

Hybrid™ has proved its success for lower denominations in many countries worldwide. Encased in an ultra-thin but tough polyester film, Hybrid™ banknotes are durable, resisting soiling, tearing and creasing even in tropical climates and other difficult circulation conditions. The cotton core can be customised with watermarks, security threads, and machine-readable elements, and the substrate is compatible with the same printing processes as conventional banknote paper — intaglio, offset, and screen — requiring no press-room process changes. Hybrid™ is comprised of recycled cotton with only minimal fossil-based materials (polyester), giving it a significantly lower plastic content than full polymer banknotes. It is primarily designed for lower-denomination notes that experience high transaction volumes and demanding handling conditions, particularly in tropical and humid circulation environments.

Hybrid ADDvance®

Hybrid ADDvance® is the next-generation evolution of Hybrid™, extending the composite substrate concept to cover the full denomination range — including high-value notes — while substantially raising the security feature integration capability and reducing the polymer content further.

The defining architectural advance is the embedding of security features within the cotton core itself, beneath the protective polymer film, rather than relying solely on surface-applied features. Hybrid ADDvance® enables the embedding of key security features such as watermarks and security threads directly into the cotton core of the substrate, protected by an ultra-thin layer of polymer — offering the best of both worlds by combining cotton and polymer into a unique banknote substrate. This substrate-embedded approach solves a critical durability problem: in developing Hybrid ADDvance®, the key goal was to integrate high-quality security foils in such a way that they retain their optical brilliance until the end of the banknote's life, and can thus be authenticated. Fine structures are usually damaged early when exposed to unusually high stresses, especially through perspiration and mechanical strain — in contrast, the fully embedded foil element in Hybrid ADDvance® remained completely intact for several weeks under synthetic sweat testing conditions. 

The cotton fibres used for Hybrid ADDvance® are short-fibre by-products of the textile industry — a recycled material — enhancing the substrate's contribution to sustainability. Hybrid ADDvance® allows use of the full portfolio of effective security features, combining the greatest possible security with exceptional freedom in design across the entire denomination range. 

The Green Banknote® — Hybrid ADDvance® at its most sustainable

The Green Banknote® is a further evolution of Hybrid ADDvance® developed under Louisenthal's Green Banknote Initiative, pushing the sustainability credentials of the platform to their current maximum while maintaining full security feature compatibility and circulation performance.

The Green Banknote builds on the proven Hybrid ADDvance® concept, using a core based on natural renewable fibres consisting of 50% cotton from certified sources of organic cultivation and 50% European grown fibres from FSC®-certified wood pulp from responsible forestry — leading to a massive reduction in carbon emissions compared to conventional cotton fibres. For the first time ever in banknotes, the carrier foil for the security thread and the security patch are made of 70% recycled polyester from post-consumer recycled materials such as PET bottles. The protective layer film thickness is also reduced from 6μm to 4μm, leading to 86% less plastic compared to banknotes made from polymer. Mineral oil-free printing inks are also used throughout. The Green Banknote generates 29% less CO₂ than finished polymer banknotes, while achieving the same lifespan. 

Security Levels & Feature Compatibility

All variants of the Hybrid family support the full range of substrate-embedded security features: multi-tone watermarks, security threads (including windowed threads), foil elements, and machine-readable covert features. Hybrid ADDvance® additionally protects applied foils and patches from environmental degradation through the encapsulating polymer layer, effectively extending their functional authentication lifetime relative to the same features on unlaminated cotton paper. The cotton-like look, feel, and machine-processing behaviour of all Hybrid variants means that existing ATM, banknote examination machine (BEM), and cash sorting infrastructure requires no recalibration.

Notable Deployments

The first Hybrid™ banknote was issued in Eswatini in 2008.  Subsequent Hybrid™ deployments include the Bahamas $1 note (2017) and the Polish 500 Złoty. The Lesotho Green Banknote — built on a variant of Hybrid ADDvance® comprising 75% Cotton Made in Africa and 25% FSC®-certified wood pulp, and the first banknote globally to hold the Cotton Made in Africa certification — was awarded the prestigious Regional Banknote of the Year award. The Central Bank of Suriname's new 200 and 500 Suriname Dollar banknotes, which won Best New Banknote at High Security Printing Latin America 2024, also use Hybrid ADDvance® technology under the Green Banknote concept, with a core of 50% certified cotton and 50% FSC®-certified European wood pulp fibres. Kazakhstan's 20,000 Tenge (2022) also featured Hybrid ADDvance®.

Name

Hybrid™ and Hybrid ADDvance®

Category

Substrate

Company

Louisenthal
Company Website

Product Page

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Linked Substrates

5 substrates