Skip The Slip

The Big Impacts of Paper Receipts

Everyday millions upon millions of customers receive receipts for everyday purchases.  Many of these receipts get crumpled up and thrown away. Others get lost. And many of these receipts are coated in toxic chemicals, potentially harming store employees and customers. 

Green America works with major retailers to reduce their environmental impact in many ways including reducing the amount of paper they use by replacing paper receipts with electronic receipts or none at all if the consumer requests that option.

This report is an update to Green America’s Skip the Slip 2020 report which highlighted the issues and the solutions with paper receipts from impacts on forests, chemicals used on receipt paper which affect consumers and employees, and the climate change impacts.  

The short-term aim of Green America’s Skip the Slip campaign is to address the wasteful impacts and health risks associated with paper receipts.

A larger goal is to raise awareness to the complex impacts of commonplace materials we engage with every day, and the varied ways individual actions and corporate responsibility influence our waste streams.

Waste reduction includes identifying processes or items that can be replaced with environmentally preferable alternatives. By making changes to curb waste, we can reduce consumption at the source and institute a longer-lasting and less energy- and resource-intensive replacement.

These changes can pave the way for reducing waste by addressing a variety of consumer-facing items. Reducing unnecessary waste can save more than the material itself. Resources are used to produce even the smallest of items, and when those are produced in the billions, there is ample reason to explore their usefulness and alternatives.

Report Highlights

Report Highlights

Problems with Receipts

  • Receipts use 3,680,000 trees and 10 billion gallons of water every year in the US.

  • Production and disposal of receipt paper generates unnecessary waste and emits the carbon equivalent of over 471,000 cars on the road.

  • An estimated 93 percent of paper receipts are coated with Bisphenol-A (BPA) or Bisphenol-S (BPS), endocrine-disruptors that are linked to fetal development issues, reproductive impairment, type 2 diabetes, thyroid conditions, and other health concerns.

  • The amount of BPA on a receipt is up to 1,000 times greater than BPA in a plastic bottle or food can, according to Environmental Working Group.

  • Retail employees experience the highest levels of exposure, as studies show workers who have regular contact with receipts have over 30 percent more BPA or BPS found in their bodies.

  • Paper receipts as proof of purchase have been used in racial profiling and discriminatory practices.

What Consumers Want

  • 86 percent of Americans surveyed would like retailers to offer digital receipts.

  • On average respondents stated they throw away or lose 49 percent of the paper receipts they receive, even ones they intended to keep.

Major Progress Achieved

Because of our Skip the Slip campaign, CVS Pharmacy, the largest pharmacy chain in the US, worked with Green America to make some real progress on receipts and paper.

  • CVS implemented BPA/BPS-free paper in all 10,000 of its stores.

  • In April 2022, CVS added a new receipt prompt at cash registers so that all customers could choose to receive a printed receipt, digital receipt or no receipt. Four months later, the receipt prompt saved 87 million yards of receipt paper, enough to circle the globe twice.

  • CVS reports phasing out print circulars in 2/3 of its markets, resulting in a 70 percent reduction of paper use.

Other retailers also reported progress:

  • TJX (owner of TJ Max and other discount stores) and Chipotle now offer digital receipts, but pair them with print receipts, so customers can get both print and digital, but not digital alone. TJX is now phasing out all phenol coating on its receipts in the US as well.

  • Whole Foods reports that its paper receipts are now 50 percent shorter than they were in 2019, which saves paper.  

  • Taco Bell now offers a digital or no receipt option at in-store kiosks.

Why Receipts?

Every year in the United States, receipt use consumes over three million trees and nearly nine billion gallons of water.

Production and disposal of receipt paper generates unnecessary waste and emits the carbon equivalent of over 471,000 cars on the road (1). Extraction and use of these resources take a toll on the climate, a reminder that we need to continue replacing outdated, wasteful items with innovative solutions. Receipts also pose health risks to people who are regularly in contact with them.  

An estimated 93 percent of paper receipts are coated with Bisphenol-A (BPA) or Bisphenol-S (BPS), endocrine-disruptors which serve as color-developers to make the text appear on receipts (2). When we touch receipts, the chemical coating is absorbed into our bodies through our hands.

BPA is linked to:

  • Fetal development issues

  • Reproductive impairment

  • Type 2 diabetes

  • Thyroid conditions

  • Other health concerns

Companies have sought out “non-BPA” paper, but the replacement is commonly BPS, a similar chemical which research indicates has similarly detrimental effects as BPA (3).

Retail employees experience the highest levels of exposure, as studies show workers who have regular contact with receipts have over 30 percent more BPA or BPS found in their bodies, and many employees may exceed the European Union’s limit for the safe amount of BPA to absorb in a day (4 micrograms per kilogram of body weight per day) (4) and the European Food Safety Authority is looking at further limits on BPA (5).  While it is uncertain precisely how much of this BPA and BPS in workers’ bodies is directly influenced by contact with thermal paper receipts, retailers are exploring options for moving away from using these papers in stores. There are many existing solutions which eliminate the need for phenol-coated paper and can reduce paper waste, however some communities experience barriers to accessing these solutions. In this report, we discuss these barriers, different receipt solutions, and retailers successfully using them.  

Receipt Consumption in US

Receipt Consumption in the US

Analysis from Grand View Research shows that the consumption of thermal paper for receipts increased in the United States and worldwide prior to COVID-19, but decreased in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now that the pandemic’s impact on in-person shopping is lessened, consumption of receipt paper is once again increasing, and is projected to continue increasing. 

Thermal Paper Market

The cost of thermal paper has increased each year due to a critical shortage of leuco dye from 2017, essential for producing thermal paper. Major suppliers of leuco dye were temporarily shut down due to exceeding limits of hazardous fine particulate matter in their emissions. This cut leuco dye production by an estimated 80%, which led to drastically higher prices (6). Grandview data from 2022 demonstrates that in 2021 the cost of thermal paper for point of sale transactions remains 25 percent higher than in 2017. This cost increase is one reason reducing the automatic printing of unwanted paper receipts can save a business money over the long-term. Retail stores are the largest users of thermal paper for receipts and in 2021 the sector spent more than $561 million on receipt paper: a high cost for paper that is mostly discarded or lost by customers after leaving the store. 

Graph 1

Customer Survey

Customer Survey

In 2021, Green America surveyed Americans on receipt preferences and learned that 86 percent of respondents would like retailers to offer digital receipts as an option.  

Additionally:

  • Nearly 44 percent of respondents have already signed up for digital receipts from stores that offer that option.  

  • The primary reasons people cited for why they prefer digital receipts are the environment and ease of receipt storage. 

  • On average  respondents stated they throw away or lose 49 percent of the paper receipts they receive, even ones they intended to keep.  

  • Almost a third (32%) of respondents said the statement ‘I often throw away paper receipts without thinking about it’ applies to them. 

  • Nearly a third of all respondents want to see companies do more to reduce receipt waste.  

These findings are in line with the goals of Skip the Slip.

We want retailers to offer the following options so customers can have the choice:

  • Digital only

  • Phenol-free (BPA/BPS-free) paper receipt

  • No receipt

Forward-thinking retailers are already looking to offer paperless options, as preferred by many younger customers. By offering these options, stores can reduce paper waste and save money by not printing receipts people do not want. Digital receipts can provide greater opportunities for records retention and security, it’s good for the environment and the bottom line. The survey was conducted by Censuswide, with 1,011 General respondents in the U.S. between May 13-15, 2021.

The coronavirus pandemic impacted thermal paper consumption in the United States as markets saw a dip in demand for receipt paper and related market revenue. In 2019, the US used 280,000 metric tons of receipt paper, which decreased to 267,900 tons in 2020. The price of paper was already increasing in the pre-pandemic era, and now it is even higher, which should incentivize offices and retail stores to fully digitize their receipts.

For health precautions, many stores have begun asking if the customer wants a receipt before printing, to reduce physical touch between the employee and customer. Also, as many companies were forced to move to remote work, sectors that relied on in-person transactions and manual processes for billing and paper invoices are looking for ways to greater automate Accounts Payable (AP) operations and invest in technologies that fill the gap between manual processes. However, two years into the pandemic with masking requirements largely limited and more people shopping in person, receipt paper usage has risen again to 284,100 metric tons (Graph 1).

Impacts of Covid

Impacts of COVID-19

Progress from CVS

Progress From CVS on Receipts

 In 2017, our Skip the Slip campaign began urging CVS to address its wasteful, BPS-covered paper receipts. Thousands of individuals signed our petition requesting that CVS switch to phenol-free paper and boost its digital receipt program to reduce paper waste.

This campaign led to a dialogue between Green America and CVS on receipt alternatives, including reducing the length of receipts, providing digital opt-in prompts for customers to sign up for digital receipts, and switching to phenol-free, recyclable paper.  

  • As a first step, CVS implemented phenol-free paper in all 10,000 stores to replace its previous receipt paper which contained Bisphenol S.  

  • The company increased promotion of its digital receipt option to Extracare Card members and CVS reports that 7.3 million customers have signed up. CVS estimates that in 2019, 58 million receipts were sent digitally and it reports that the digital option has saved 48 million yards of receipt paper - more than enough paper to circle the globe. In 2020, total paper savings rose to 90 million yards – enough to circle the globe twice. Customers can sign up in store or on the CVS app.  

  • In April 2022, CVS added a new receipt prompt at cash registers so that all customers could choose to receive a printed receipt, digital receipt or no receipt.  As of July, the receipt prompt saved 49,802 miles, or over 87 million yards of receipt paper. 

  • CVS also reports phasing out print circulars in 2/3 of its markets, resulting in a 70 percent reduction of paper use 

  • CVS stopped automatically providing paper instructions on prescription refills.  

  • CVS shortened the length of their receipts. 

The company estimates that in 2019, it saved $50 million in reduced paper expenses by cutting waste and boosting digital communication.

The above numbers prove the significant paper and cost savings of increasing digital participation, and Green America advises CVS to continue expanding promotion of its digital option for receipts. For the company’s ongoing paper usage, we urge CVS to shift towards using high recycled content, FSC-certified paper using Canopy’s EcoPaper Database and develop strategies to reduce paper use overall.  

Additional Company Progress Since the 2020 Report 

  • TJX (owner of TJ Max and other discount stores) and Chipotle now offer digital receipts, but pair them with print receipts, so customers can get both print and digital, but not digital alone.

  • TJX is now phasing out all phenol coating on its receipts in the US as well.

  • Whole Foods reports that its paper receipts are now 50 percent shorter than they were in 2019, which saves paper.  

  • Taco Bell now offers a digital or no receipt option at in-store kiosks.

How Companies Rate

How Companies Rate on Receipts

2022 Retailer Receipt Scorecard

Download the 2022 Retailer Scorecard

Notes on the methodology:

  •  A number of companies reported that their receipts are BPA free but could not confirm that receipts were also BPS free. In order to receive an A or B, companies must demonstrate that receipts are both BPA and BPS free.

  • Several companies have initiated a digital receipt program but are pairing these digital receipts with paper receipts, with no option to receive a digital -only receipt. Issuing paper receipts in addition to digital receipts does not create an environmental benefit. We are encouraging all companies to offer a digital-only receipt.

Reducing Paper Waste

Despite a decline in some paper products use due to the rise of digital technologies, we are still producing mountains of the material. Paper use is going up globally, exceeding 400 million metric tons per year. China, the U.S., Japan, and Europe are the largest consumers (7). In North America, we consume on average 215 kg per person (four times the global average). By comparison, Africa accounts for only 2 percent of global use and a mere 7 kg/ person (8). Individuals and institutions are going paperless in some ways, but when we decrease our paper use in one area, the consumption can shift to another product. For example, we are using less office paper, but online shopping and delivery packaging has increased.

Paper production, from deforestation to manufacturing processes, can pose consequences to the environment and communities. Pulp and paper companies acting irresponsibly have even violated lands rights of indigenous peoples and communities (9). Worldwide impacts on communities from production can include environmental degradation, pollution, destruction of sacred lands and negative impacts on local economic sectors like fishing and tourism (10, 11). The worldwide paper recycling rate hovers around 58 percent, and while the U.S. recycling rate is above the global average at 64 percent, it trails Australia (85 percent), Japan (80 percent), Europe (72 percent), and Canada (70 percent) (12). Recycling rates can be challenging metrics since different definitions and methods of measuring may be employed. However, these numbers offer some insight into the ways that paper recycling has improved and how much more progress is needed. 

% Paper Recycling Rate

Thermal paper use for receipts in the United States decreased slightly during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, but is now increasing again. Grand View Research data shows that, in 2019, the U.S. consumed 280,000 metric tons of Point of Sale (POS) receipts. Based on changes to receipt use at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Grand View estimates that in 2020, U.S. consumption decreased to 268,000 metric tons. However, in 2021 U.S. consumption increased to 284,000 metric tons. The US EPA Equivalency Calculator estimates that receipt paper use in the U.S. alone has the same greenhouse gas impact as over 471,000 cars on the road each year for paper receipts that many customers don’t even need (13).  

The Environmental Paper Calculator estimates the following environmental impacts for 2021:

  • The impacts on forests is big with receipt production using 613,000 US short tons or about 3,680,000 trees. 

  • The production of receipt paper is 8,750,000 BTUs or the equivalent of 10,400,000 residential refrigerators operated per year.  

  • Water consumption is 10,100,000,000 gallons or 7,260,000 clothes washers per year.  

  • The production of receipt paper creates solid wastes of sludge and other by products including used paper disposed of in landfills and incinerators. In 2021, receipt paper produced 334,000,000 pounds of waste which is equivalent to 76,300,000 people generating solid waste per day.  

Impacts of Paper

To satisfy paper and wood demands, tens of millions of acres of biologically diverse forests have been destroyed and converted to monoculture tree plantations made up of one species (18). A wider range of tree species, as we see in natural forests, sequesters more carbon than single-species forest (19). Planting trees is a noble effort that yields positive results and is a valuable tool in addressing climate issues, but it is still a mitigation strategy. Proposals to plant trees to counteract emissions from removal ignore the fact that we would have to use unsustainable volumes of water and land to maintain these carbon sequestering tree plantations (20). To address the root of the problem we must cut overall emissions, which means reducing pressure on forests by curbing production of wasteful materials and leaving diverse, natural ecosystems intact.  

WATER

Water sustains ecosystem functions, such as nourishing the plants which produce oxygen. We need fresh water for our food production and to maintain sanitary conditions in communities. Every living thing on the planet needs water to survive. Less than one percent of fresh water on the entire planet is suitable for human use and consumption (21). Water insecurity is already impacting communities worldwide, as 783 million people currently do not have access to clean water (22). The UN estimates by 2030, our need for water will surpass the steady supply by 40 percent (23). To meet these growing pressures for fresh water, and to address the additional pressures on supply that result from climate change, we will need to greatly reduce water waste.

We could save over 10 billion gallons of water every year by reducing paper waste such as unwanted paper receipts.  

GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS

Greenhouse gases are released through each phase of extracting new resources used to produce thermal paper receipts, including the emissions to transport and distribute them. From harvesting and processing the wood pulp to producing the millions of gallons of oil used in their production, paper receipts have unnecessary climate impacts. Emissions also result from the waste generated by paper production and the disposal of the paper itself. 

HUMAN HEALTH

Paper receipts are not only wasteful, but they can also negatively impact human health. Thermal paper requires heat and a coating to display purchase information on the receipt. Ecology Center estimates that 93 percent of receipts in the U.S. are coated with phenol chemicals, Bisphenol-A and Bisphenol-S (BPA and BPS), which serve as color developers of the paper (24). These substances are easily transferred to anything that touches the paper, including our hands and into our bodies, where they act as endocrine disruptors.

BPA is linked to:

  • Fetal development issues

  • Reproductive impairment

  • Type 2 diabetes

  • Thyroid conditions

  • Other health concerns

The Environmental Working Group has reported that the total mass of BPA on a receipt is up to 250 to 1,000 times greater than the amount of BPA found in a can of food or in plastic bottles (25). In 2018, Ecology Center found that 75 percent of tested receipts were coated with BPS, and 18 percent were coated with BPA (26).

In response to public concerns around BPA, companies began printing receipts with BPS coated thermal paper, a similar chemical. A 2018 study found that BPS is as significant of an endocrine-disruptor as BPA, even though there is less awareness surrounding its potential harms amongst the public (27, 28).

As of 2014, nearly 81 percent of Americans were shown to have detectable levels of BPS in their urine, and nearly 90 percent of human exposure to BPS is from thermal paper receipts coated with the substance (29).

Workers regularly touching receipts have over 30 percent more BPA in their bodies than other adults, based on urine tests (30). Many employees may be regularly exceeding European BPA exposure limits due to their frequent contact with thermal paper receipts (31). The “tolerable daily intake” (TDI) represents the maximum amount of a substance that humans can safely absorb. In 2015, the European Food Safety Authority declared previous TDI limits for BPA (50 micrograms per kilogram of body weight per day) were set too high and lowered the limit to 4 micrograms (32). In early 2018, the European Commission issued a ban on BPA in thermal paper to begin in 2020 and has asked the European Chemicals Agency to study the effects of BPS (33). 

FORESTS

Forest ecosystems are essential to a healthy, functioning planet. Forests produce fresh oxygen and are also powerful agents of carbon sequestration. By absorbing roughly 40 percent of global fossil fuel emissions every year forests contribute greatly to battling climate change (14). At the same time, deforestation accounts for 25 percent of global carbon emissions caused from human activities (15). In short, deforestation is slicing away forests’ potential to sequester much more carbon. When we log forests to produce paper and wood products or to clear land for agriculture, these carbon sinks become carbon emitters. As Dogwood Alliance reports, logging is diminishing the net forest carbon sink in the US by at least 35 percent, and if soil emissions from logging were included, this number would be “significantly higher” (16). Globally, forests are pulling enough carbon from the atmosphere to equate to 25 percent of anthropogenic emissions, but in the United States, forests are only removing 13 percent of our country’s annual emissions (17). Dogwood Alliance also reports our forests are still operating at a carbon deficit, since new growth has not absorbed past emissions from forest loss.

Click image to expand

U.S. Policy Action

In 2018, after the U.S. National Toxicology Program released part of a long-term, multi-year study on BPA, the FDA declared BPA exposure had “minimal effects,” but did so without adequate scientific evidence to back up the claim (34). The study data was not peer reviewed, and the methodology of the study was not designed to detect endocrine disruption. There has been no announced U.S. national initiative to tackle phenols in thermal paper, such as the EU ban. On the state level, Connecticut was the first in the U.S. to ban BPA in receipt paper on the grounds of health concerns in (35). Other states have banned BPA in baby bottles and similar containers, and the FDA banned the use of BPA in baby bottles nationwide in (36). But no federal policy initiatives exist to end phenols in thermal paper, and no other states have enacted bans except Connecticut. The Environmental Working Group reports that the total mass of BPA on a receipt is 250 to 1,000 times greater than the amount of BPA found in a can of food or baby formula, or in plastic baby bottles (37).  

In January 2019, California Assembly member Phil Ting introduced a bill with the aim of reducing paper receipt waste. Inspired by Green America’s Skip the Slip campaign, AB 161 would require businesses to offer a digital receipt option and provide a paper receipt upon customer request. The legislation exempted cash-only businesses, small businesses as defined by the state, and businesses using short-form receipts on paper free of BPA and BPS (38). AB 161 was approved by the assembly but failed to pass the State Senate. The bill may inspire other states and municipalities to follow suit. New York City council has announced that it is considering a package of bills that could restrict the use of bisphenol A (BPA), require stores to offer e-receipts, and require businesses to use recyclable receipt paper. However, legislation requiring digital receipts as the only proof of purchase is not advised, due to the lack of access to tech for some. Furthermore, racial profiling and harassment by store employees and security guards is a significant barrier for many customers in switching to digital receipts, which is why retailers should be allowed to issue paper-based receipts upon request. 

Progress in Other Countries

Other countries are moving fast to end the practice of regularly handing out paper-based receipts.  France's anti-waste law for a circular economy includes a provision that by January 1, 2023 (39) stores will only provide paper-based receipts upon request. While customers may still obtain a paper-based receipt, it is likely that many won’t, which could save an estimated 2.5 million trees per year (40). In Australia, retailers are increasingly moving to digital receipts, with benefits to businesses and customers.  The move would also have significant environmental benefits, since paper receipts in Australia use an estimated 1.5 million trees, 249 billion liters of water, and 4.5 billion liters of oil per year (41). 

Paper Receipts and Equality

Paper Receipts & Equity

Paper receipts can serve as an immediate proof of purchase, and store employees often demand that Black and Brown shoppers provide proof of purchases at disproportionally higher rates. According to a 2018 Gallup poll based on 6,000 U.S. adults, more Black customers reported to be treated less fairly than white customers while shopping (42). Such experiences can include everything from slights, like being ignored in favor of a white patron, to serious attacks on dignity and liberty, like being detained and questioned after making a purchase or handcuffed on suspicion of shoplifting (43). Racial profiling in stores should not be seen simply as inconvenient for people; it can lead to the arrest of an innocent person, physical harm, and even escalate to life-threatening situations. Such discrimination can also affect people’s mental health. Studies have shown that discrimination is uniquely painful for Black people, increasing the likelihood of depression and suicide (44). In some cases, employees are told to follow people of color, which demonstrates that the issue is reinforced by and contributes to systemic racism (45). 

The problems with bias generally flow from the top of the organization and it can even be unconscious, which make prescriptive bias trainings largely ineffective. Instead, corporate leadership needs to issue clear policies prohibiting racial profiling and ensure compliance through third-party reviews of practices. Companies should provide easily accessible channels for employees or customers to file complaints if they see or experience racial profiling and harassment and have a process to respond to allegations with immediate action.

Because of accusations of racial profiling, some stores that used to check customer receipts upon leaving are putting an end to this policy. For instance, Lowe’s suspended its receipt checking practice nationwide after customers complained Lowe’s was only checking receipts in specific stores in “high-theft” and “inner-city” locations (46).

All customers have a right to shop in a store, including exiting the store, without fear of harassment or racial discrimination. This shift in retailer practices needs to happen to create an environment that allows all customers to feel safe in requesting or opting-in for digital receipts. Until these issues are tackled, electronic receipts cannot be a viable option for many, exposing them to human health risks from paper receipts coated in toxic chemicals. Green America will urge retailers to adopt anti-discriminatory practices and advocate for a more equitable and inclusive society.  

The Solutions

Innovative retailers are offering a digital receipt option or allow customers to skip receipts altogether. The most common drivers for switching include customer convenience, corporate goals to reduce paper use, consumer protection (digital receipts are easier to trace and result in less identity theft), and other cost-saving needs. But many retailers continue to only provide paper receipts, most of which are made using BPA or BPS. Retailers can take steps to improve receipt practices and ensure transactions are efficient, secure, and better for workers and the environment. Retailers should: 

  • Offer a no receipt option:  The option to not receive any receipt should be offered to all customers as their choice.  Registers should not automatically print a receipt. The receipt should only print upon request. This is the most environmentally friendly option. 

  • Offer the option of digital only receipts to all customers.  This option has a lower environmental footprint than paper receipts. 

  • For customers that choose paper receipts, provide a receipt that is not phenol coated and is no longer than necessary. 

  • When buying receipt paper use BPA/BPS free paper.

Equipment and software for offering digital receipts is readily available, and a long list of retailers are successfully offering digital receipts to all customers.  Phenol-free receipt paper is also increasingly available.  All retailers can take action to lower their environmental impacts from receipts while protecting the health of their staff and customers. 

Green America’s “Skip the Slip” campaign is one of the first initiatives in the United States to analyze environmental and human health impacts of receipt usage and waste, propose solutions for businesses, and engage consumer action. Our goal is to reduce the unnecessary use of resources for receipts by promoting paperless options. For customers that do request paper receipts, we urge that non-toxic paper options be provided to them.  

Below are concrete steps you can take to address paper receipts: If you’re a consumer:

  • Request digital receipts when possible. You could also create a special folder for emailed receipts or even use a separate email address for digital receipts.

  • Urge companies you patronize to adopt paperless options and non-toxic receipt paper. You can advocate in person or ask via social media or email.

  • Fold the receipt with the printed side in if you need to take a paper copy. This will lessen BPA/BPS exposure, since the back of thermal paper is often not coated.

  • Be mindful of the products you purchase since everything we buy has an impact on the planet.

  • If you get a long receipt, you can tweet a photo of it and tag the company to urge them to #skiptheslip. 

 If you’re an employee:

  • Ask customers if they’d like a receipt rather than automatically printing it.

  • Confirm with your employer if the paper in your workplace has BPA or BPS coating or contact the paper supplier. Encourage your company to explore phenol-free options.

  • Encourage the store manager to disable automatic printing and to make digital receipts optional.

  • Share information on environmental and health impacts of paper receipts with other employees.

  • Wear nitrile gloves to decrease BPA/BPS exposure to thermal paper receipts.

  • Wash your hands after touching receipts using soap and water instead of alcohol-based hand sanitizers or lotion (which increase BPA/BPS absorption).  

If you’re a business owner:

  • Issue clear, zero tolerance policies prohibiting racial profiling and ensure compliance by employees and store security through third-party reviews of store practices. Provide easily accessible channels for employees or customers to file complaints if they see or experience harassment and develop processes to take action on these complaints.

  • Look into digital receipt and non-BPA/BPS paper options. Green America is glad to assist in strategizing the best receipt practices for your company. Please contact us to learn more.

  • If you offer digital receipts, promote them to your customers. Make it a part of cashier training to ask if the customer wants a receipt, and then ask if they’d like paper or digital. Promote the paperless option on company website, app, and in-store signage at check-out. 

Actions that can be taken

Actions Consumers, Employees, and Business Owners Can Take

Acknowledgements

Co-Authors: Beth Porter, Ayate Temsamani, & Dan Howells, Green America

Editor: Todd Larsen & Shireen Karimi

Digital Designer: Alec Badalov

GreenAmerica.org Skip the Slip Report, Version 4, published on September 7, 2022 (Version 1 published May 10, 2018)

Contact Dan Howells at dhowells@greenamerica.org with questions.

This report was produced with the generous support of the Lisa and Douglas Goldman Fund. None of the companies listed within the report have contributed any funding to its production.

Impacts of Paper

Forests

(14) Lewis, Dr. Simon, University of Leeds, https://www.leeds.ac.uk/news/article/2246/forests_absorb_one-third_of_global_fossil_fuel_emissions

(15) Moomaw, Mill and Smith, Danna. Dogwood Alliance, The Great American Stand Report, 2018, https:// www.dogwoodalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/The-Great-American-Stand-Report.pdf

(16) Moomaw and Smith, ibid

(17) Ryan, M. G., Birdsey, R. A. & Hines, S. J. Forests and Carbon Storage. (2012). Available at: https://www. fs.usda.gov/ccrc/print/topics/forests-carbon

(18) Moomaw and Smith, ibid

(19) Isbell, Forest, et al. Nature volume 526, pages 574–577 (22 October 2015) doi:10.1038/nature15374, https://www.nature.com/articles/nature15374

(20) Harvey, Chelsea. Scientific American. March 2018. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/tree-farms-will-not-save-us-from-global-warming/

Water

(21) United States Geological Survey. https://water.usgs.gov/edu/earthwherewater.html

(22) Conservation International. https://www.conservation.org/what/Pages/fresh-water.aspx

(23) United Nations Environment Programme. 2016. https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/ press-release/half-world-face-severe-water-stress-2030-unless-water-use-decoupled

Human Health

(24) Miller and Olson, ibid.

(25) Lunder, Sonya et al. Environmental Working Group. 2010. https://www.ewg.org/research/bpa-in[1]store-receipts#.Wu8a9ogvzQB

(26) Miller and Olson, ibid.

(27) Liao C, Liu F, Kannan K. Bisphenol s, a new bisphenol analogue, in paper products and currency bills and its association with bisphenol a residues. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22591511/

(28) Hunt, Patricia, Washington State University, 2018. https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/ S0960-9822(18)30861-

(29) Environ. Sci. Technol., 2012, 46 (12), pp 6515–6522. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/es300876n

(30) Lunder, et al, ibid.

(31) Miller and Olson, ibid.

(32) European Food Safety Authority. http://www.efsa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/corporate_publica[1]tions/files/factsheetbpa150121.pdf

(33) European Union. 2016. http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=uris[1]erv:OJ.L_.2016.337.01.0003.01.ENG&toc=OJ:L:2016:337:TOC