Case studies include the Royal Australian Mint, which is funding solar panel investment and improvements of its processes to reduce water usage. It halved its water usage between 2019 and 2020 (from 4,093 tonnes to 1,954 tonnes), and is targeting a further 2.5 times reduction this year to reach 750 tonnes or less. The Royal Dutch Mint built a new plant and achieved an almost 100 percent reduction in carbon footprint by making it gas-free and including on-site solar energy production expected to exceed its own consumption. The UK’s Royal Mint has also employed solar arrays alongside wind turbines, and between these and its grid electricity, 100 percent of its energy needs are met with renewably energy.
Across the board, the organisations surveyed are reducing energy, water and materials consumption and increasing reliance on renewable energy sources. Transport is moving away from reliance on fossil fuels and improving route efficiency to minimise fuel or electricity consumption. At end of life, recycling or reuse of cash materials is also being introduced and—where recycling is already commonplace, such as the retrieval of metal from coins—processes are being made more efficient.
Looking ahead, the report foresees improved overall management of cash, with the potential for shared sorting and banking facilities that would provide multiple services across different industries (e.g., post offices that also offering banking and shopping options). Material and energy consumption can be further reduced as technology improves, and investment in renewable energy generation should continue. Cash can also be made even more resilient, using longer-lasting materials, and central banks can support this and other measures with their future policies.
