A person is holding a receipt in front of a counter. — The environmental effect of paper receipts

& why France is banning them
from 1st September 2023.

In this blog post, we will look at the environmental impact of printed receipts, and why France is banning them. Environmental statistics for UK retailers are shown, and potential solutions are offered for retailers who want to implement digital receipts today. For retailers who want to seize an opportunity to improve customer service, customer engagement, or adopt a receipt policy that unifies data and improves the customer experience, smart digital receipts are explained.

What impact do paper receipts have on the environment?

Well, firstly, most paper receipts are impossible to recycle. It is estimated that more than half of all receipts printed in Europe contain toxic chemicals called bisphenol A (BPA) or bisphenol S (BPS). These are the same chemicals used in single-use plastics, and make receipts almost impossible to recycle.

Why is France banning the automatic printing of receipts?

As part of the French anti-waste law voted on in 2020, printed receipts will be banned as of September 1, 2023 (extended from April 1, 2023). The new regulation aims to fight ‘against the dangerous substances present in printed receipts.’ Originally set to kick in on January 1st, the regulation was pushed back due to concerns about inflation and implementation. However, from September 1, 2023, large and medium-sized retailers in France are no longer permitted to automatically issue paper receipts. The regulation will also apply for any establishment receiving the public where receipts are issued.

What’s the environmental impact of
printed receipts in the UK?

A report by Beat The Receipt claims that 11.2 billion receipts are printed each year in the UK!

That's;

28,000 tonnes of CO2 enter the atmosphere every year through paper receipts.
10,640 tonnes of paper waste, with 90% of receipts lost, damaged, or thrown away.
200,000 trees cut down to supply paper for receipts.
1,600,000,000 litres of water to produce the thermal paper used to print receipts.

AND more than 50% of printed receipts contain harmful chemicals.

A study conducted by Businesswaste.co.uk suggests that 95% of UK shoppers believed receipts were recyclable.

Since 2019, campaigners have been calling for a ban on printed receipts in the UK, claiming that a high proportion of the 11.2 billion printed, end up in a landfill. The move to ban paper receipts in France may lead to legislation being passed in the UK, but why wait?

Why do we need printed receipts?

As consumers, whether we are buying clothing, an expensive watch, or a coffee on our lunch break, we use receipts as proof of purchase. We might use printed receipts to return faulty goods, claim business expenses, or prove how much we paid for something we want to sell on.

Now that most transactions are made either online or in store by card or phone, and payments can be effectively tracked by customers that way, are printed receipts in store still required?

Are printed receipts essential?

The organisation ‘Choose Paper’ advocates for the right of consumers to receive paper receipts should they elect to and educates the public about the benefits of printed receipts. They claim that 58 % of shoppers prefer paper receipts, 64% believe that returns are more practical with a printed receipt, and 51% of consumers state they would be unhappy if stores no longer offered paper receipts. This leaves a high proportion of consumers for whom digital receipts are acceptable.

Whilst ‘Choose Paper’ fully supports the removal of BPA from thermal paper, they have raised concerns about the impact on consumer privacy that adopting a ‘digital only’ receipt policy may have. Some customers may be reluctant to give their email address at the till in order to get a receipt, for fear of unwittingly signing up to receive unwanted marketing messages from retailers.

Proof of purchase – are customers ready to go fully digital?

Many retailers offer customers digital receipts at the till already. Customer preferences for digital vs. printed receipts may change depending on the item, price, or likelihood of a return. Therefore, it is essential that customers are aware of how ‘opt-in’ policies work. The most important consideration for retailers is customer choice and an appreciation that preferences might change with every transaction. Whilst retailers in France will be automatically issuing digital receipts, retailers in other regions still have the option, with digital receipts being just one way to improve their environmental credentials.

A person is handing a paper receipt to another person at a cash register. — Are you a retailer that needs to issue digital receipts in store?

Retailers with a physical store that want customers to adopt digital receipts, should explore whether their current EPOS software offers the option to issue digital receipts.

I am a Retail Pro customer – can I give customers the option to receive digital receipts?

For Retail Pro customers the digital receipt solution depends on which version of Retail Pro you have. Retailers with Retail Pro V9, will need a plugin that can be supplier and setup, quickly, easily and at a low cost to let customers opt in to receive a digital receipt at the till. As you would expect, Retail Pro Prism has the functionality to issue digital receipts and does not require a plugin, just some time to quickly scope and set up the function for you to start using. Clearly, in both instances, customers need to give their email address at the till.

What are smart digital receipts, and how do they benefit retailers?

With 45% of retailers reporting that their main customer experience challenge is attracting and retaining repeat customers, the focus is on innovative strategies to keep customers coming back, so investing in technology that helps to communicate directly with customers is going to be a priority.

Smart digital receipts use AI technology to capture in-store customer data that allows retailers to personalise engagement as easily as they can with online purchases. The benefits of collecting this data over time are obvious, and retailers will be able to better understand customer behaviour, preferences, purchase habits, and purchase history. From a retailing perspective, smart receipts can drive retention, increase purchase frequency, and grow basket sizes.

Data insights can be used to offer a more personalised shopping experience for customers. In a recent blog, our partner, refive.io, explores the unique benefits of smart digital receipts in more detail, and you can test the technology on their website.

How do smart digital receipts benefit customers?

While retailers are keen to collect as much data as possible, there needs to be a real benefit for customers who agree to digital receipts in store. With refives’ solution, customers will simply scan their purchase at the till without having to give their email and can track all their purchases with you in one place. Customers can return items more easily, provide feedback on their purchases, and receive personalised communication, discounts, and offers based on their purchase history and preferences. Over time, customers will feel as though you know them well, thus improving their experience with your brand.

Smart digital receipts for retailers.

Are you a retailer looking for ways to improve your business? We are a partner of Retail Pro International Ltd, the leading retail software provider, to integrate top-tier retail software and epos systems into stores of all sizes and verticals. Our extensive portfolio of retail clients, spread across the UK and Europe, rely on us for all their technology needs. Most of our clients are in the UK and Europe, but we operate Globally, with teams in the UK and Paris.

If you want to get started with sustainable digital receipts, we have the knowledge and expertise to support you. With Retail Pro, you can easily send digital receipts via email. But if you’re looking for more speed and convenience, we recommend using refive for frictionless receipt issuing via QR or NFC.

We are retail experts, and if you are finding omnichannel strategies that focus on customer experience improvements a challenge, we have the knowledge to support you through that journey.

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