The Central Bank of Samoa on June 6 released a new $10 polymer bank note to commemorate the XVI Pacific Games 2019, which will be held in Samoa from July 7 to 20.
The note is possibly the first in which environmental impact was a consideration in its production.
Governor Ainuu-Enari said in a press release, the new 10-tala bank note design “celebrates the youth of Samoa and our sporting legacy. Their stories of daily life and the realization of their sporting dreams are told through images placed on the note.”
The note was designed and printed by De La Rue. It is Samoa’s first with a horizontal face and a vertical back.
Its security features include the Pacific Games logo depicted as a clear window with color flames also in the clear window. De La Rue’s MASK feature next to the window appears as a plain printed green pattern when held up to the light. The number 10 appears as a pattern of raised dots to help the visually impaired.
It is the second polymer bank note issued in Samoa and is being called the first carbon neutral bank note created from a polymer substrate.
De La Rue said “The Central Bank of Samoa and De La Rue are both extremely proud to have been able to work with Carbon Footprint Ltd. to make this banknote Carbon Neutral by offsetting the emissions from production used through funding an equivalent carbon dioxide saving elsewhere. This is a first for both the Central Bank of Samoa and De La Rue. For this banknote, the carbon impact of both the materials and manufacturing process have been calculated and offset by supporting a high-quality power generation project in Indonesia.”
The notes will circulate with the regular 10-tala note, which will remain legal tender.