The Bank of England's polymer £5, £10 and £20 notes carry a trace of tallow, added early in making the plastic pellets, and the Bank has said this is standard practice, not a one-off. Paper and cotton notes are made a different way.
Confirmed inUK polymer £5, £10 and £20 notes
The additiveA trace of tallow (animal fat) in the plastic pellets
Not confirmed inPaper and cotton-fibre notes
VerdictSometimes
Where it hides
Polymer £5, £10 and £20 notes (Bank of England)
Likely other countries' polymer banknotes too, by the Bank's own account
Not in paper or cotton-fibre notes, made by a different process
What the Bank of England actually confirmed
In 2016, shortly after the UK's plastic £5 note launched, campaigners and religious groups pressed the Bank of England on what the polymer was actually made from. In 2017 it gave a direct answer.
Primary source 01 / 02
An extremely small amount of tallow is used in an early stage of the production process of polymer pellets, which are then used to create the base substrate for the £5 note.
The Bank ran a public consultation on switching to a palm-oil-derived alternative. Most respondents wanted the tallow gone, but many also distrusted the environmental record of that replacement, and the numbers on both sides shaped what came next.
In August 2017 the Bank confirmed it would keep the existing formulation for the £5 and £10 notes and use it in the new £20 note too, citing cost, the unresolved sustainability of palm oil, and advice from HM Treasury that switching would not represent value for money for taxpayers.
Primary source 02 / 02
The manufacture of Bank of England polymer notes using trace amount of animal-derived additives is in line with other polymer issuers.
That last point is the useful one for a note-holder: this isn't a one-country quirk. Paper and cotton-fibre notes, including the pre-2016 fiver and most non-polymer currency, are made by an entirely different process and weren't implicated in the Bank's findings, so the format of the note, not just its country of issue, is the real variable.
TallowTallow is rendered beef or mutton fat. It has had a small comeback in frying and skincare, and the comeback does not make it plant-based.
CandlesCandle wax has been made from animal fat, insect wax and petroleum at different points in history, and today's shelf still mixes vegan and non-vegan waxes side by side. The wax name on the label tells you which.
Frequently asked
Why does UK money contain animal fat?
Tallow, a rendered animal fat, is used in a trace amount early in making the plastic pellets that form the base of the Bank of England's polymer £5, £10 and £20 notes. The Bank has confirmed this and said it matches the practice of other polymer-note issuers.
Did the Bank of England remove the tallow?
No. After a public consultation in which most respondents opposed animal-derived additives, the Bank decided in 2017 to keep the existing formulation, citing cost, the environmental record of the palm-oil alternative, and advice from HM Treasury.
Are paper banknotes vegan?
Usually, on this specific point. Paper and cotton-fibre notes are made by a different process than polymer notes and weren't implicated in the Bank of England's findings on tallow, though no manufactured product can be guaranteed animal-free on every input.
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