After pitching the multiple ideas to the crit group, people were most favoured towards the eco conscious bank notes. Comments were made to further develop some of the aspects that made the bank notes environmentally friendly.
Because the notes are being made from recycled paper, the durability of the paper will be lower than the paper that is used in circulation today. This is a big concern because of how much we interact with our money and the amount of transactions that can occurs just in a day. Therefore to increase the durability of the note, may be it could be strengthened by a film of polymer. However this would devoid the whole idea of the note being environmentally friendly.
Instead of simply printing the note just in one colour, there was a suggestion to take the idea of saving ink further and experiment with embossing. This idea holds a lot of potential in terms of drastically saving the amount of ink used during the printing process. By incorporating the aspect of embossing, it allows for the note design to only use ink on the essential areas that help identify the note to the user. For example just having the notes value printed in ink and the rest of the design is embossed. Embossing is also an opportunity to increase the designs engagement with the user.
There was a suggestion to maybe experiment with making handmade paper, further developing that idea of using recycled paper. However in the context of bank notes, this method may not be appropriate for the mass production bank notes require.
The type of inks used are also a factor to consider when aiming for a eco-friendly note.
In the book SustainAble by Aaris Sherin, water based inks are the best overall option in terms of being able to use it in mass amounts as well as reduce the impact printers have on the environment. Water based inks release no VOCs and are easier to clean up compared to their vegetable and petroleum based inks. VOCs are the fumes emitted from solvents, inks, and cleaners used in the printing process. Prolonged exposure to VOCs can negatively impact the persons health and is a major contributor to the ozone depletion in the atmosphere. However one of the main drawbacks of water based inks are that they are not in wide use. Furthermore by limiting the amount of inks used within the design, it also reduces the amount of heavy metals such as barium, copper and zinc used to produce colour pigments, seeping into the ground water.
Whilst there are more alternative ways to print inks that are more environmentally friendly such as Waterless Printing, however in terms of the brief, the process is narrowed down to monoprint, screenprint and digital. But within these options, there are opportunities to experiment and push what can be done with these inks.
Using recycled paper does have it drawbacks, according to SustainAble, paper can be recycled only up to six times before the natural fibers begin to break and are too short to be used to make new paper. The more time fibers have been reused, the lower the grade of paper that can be made from them and greater amounts of virgin fiber that needs to be added to counter the quality of recycled content.
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