Cash and COP26

This November, COP26, the UN climate change conference, will take place in Glasgow. Cash & Payment News™ and its sister paper Currency News™ have started work on a paper, ‘Cash: a Roadmap to Sustainability’, ahead of the conference.

There are two audiences for this paper – the decision makers and influencers who will attend COP26, and the worldwide industry who work on cash and the cash cycle from its creation to destruction. There are two messages.

Firstly, given that cash is going to exist and be used in large volumes around the world for decades to come, it is important that COP26 delegates understand that the environmental impact of cash and other payment methods is not a matter of one being good and one being bad, but that the gap is close and, thanks to the efforts of the industry, closing.

Secondly, we all have the opportunity to learn from each other and to do better. This paper will describe best practice and discuss what else can be done.

Over the last ten years the cash industry, from currency manufacture to cash cycle, has worked hard and successfully to reduce its environmental impact. Clearly there is more to be done, but we should celebrate the progress made. All should be confident and comfortable with the position of cash, the work done and the road ahead.

The format of the paper will be an executive summary comparing payment options and telling the cash story, a concise main body describing each key stage of the cash cycle, its environmental impact and best practice and an appendix where further detail, data and examples are available. The paper will be ready for publication ahead of COP26.

Contact [email protected] for more information.