The Cash Sustainability Forum (CSF) is the only event that brings together all the stakeholders in the cash cycle to work towards sustainability in the production, circulation and destruction of one of the world’s most enduring and widely used products. Following two successful global events (in Edinburgh and Frankfurt in 2022 and 2024 respectively), the next CSF will be a regional one-day event, taking the form of a workshop, on Monday 9 June at the High Security Printing (HSP) Latin America conference in Rio de Janeiro.
Latin Americans continue to be major users of cash even as digital payments grow. Good policy decisions and well executed operational strategies offer the opportunity both to reduce the cost of cash and its environmental impact. While every country is unique, there is much good practice available to learn from and to adapt and adopt.
The CSF workshop, which is being co-hosted by Reconnaissance International (organisers of the HSP event) and the sustainability working group of the International Currency Association (ICA) is arranged in two parts.
The first half will focus on the role of central banks in sustainability, the production of banknotes and how to dispose of unfit banknotes either as part of the circular economy or with the least environmental impact.
The second half will consider how to organise, manage and optimise the cash cycle from the point that cash is issued to end of life. It concludes with a discussion about how central banks can help producers, and how producers can help central banks be more sustainable in their cash operations.
This is intended to be a workshop with delegate interaction and opportunities to share experience with each other. As a result, the programme is organised with panel discussions, quick fire presentations, round table discussions and ‘speed dating’.
New Environmental Project Award
One of the highlights of the HSP Latin America conference, which follows the one-day CSF workshop, is the presentation of the Best Regional Banknote and ID Documents of the Year awards at the conference dinner, which the year takes place on top of the iconic Sugarloaf Mountain.
A new award category is being introduced this year – the Best Environmental Project Award.
Organisations, both government and private sector, are striving to reduce the environmental impact of what they do and how they do it. Sometimes the change made is small, a process change or a change of material, sometimes it is a system-wide change involving significant capital expenditure, large numbers of people and business model changes. In all cases somebody has had to lead, and the organisation has had to support the idea.
The award is being introduced to support and recognise these endeavours, with particular weighting given by the judges to the breadth of thinking, the creative drive, the determination to succeed and the difference made.
The deadline for nominations is 2 May 2025.
Delegates to HSP Latin America can register for the regional CSF as an optional extra, or they can attend it as a standalone event. More information on the conference, and the awards, can be found at hsp-latinamerica.com.
