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Big news: We just announced legally binding settlements with 163 retailers, manufacturers, and distributors of receipt paper for exposing consumers to Bisphenol S (BPS)! BPS is a hormone-disrupting chemical that mimics estrogen and can affect the normal functioning of the body, impacting metabolism, growth, development, and reproduction.

These 163 companies make up 7% of the United States’ retail market and signal an unprecedented shift towards health and environmental safety in every industry that hands out paper receipts to customers. Add quote from judge.

CEH’s litigation also legally committed Domtar — the sole producer of thermal paper to the United States — to exclusively offer phenol additive-free receipt paper in California. This is a significant win given Domtar’s dominance in the receipt paper market, as it provides retailers with a supplier offering an option that does not contain BPS or any of the other regrettable substitutes.

CEH confirmed just how significant exposure to BPS can be for consumers and workers through independent testing. Based on available studies and testing by an independent lab, the concentrations were so high that touching just one receipt with BPS for only 10 seconds resulted in significant exposure which requires a clear and reasonable warning to consumers.

Eliminating receipts with BPS will benefit more than just consumers. Retail workers who handle dozens of receipts as a regular part of their jobs every day are at an even higher risk of being exposed to unsafe levels of BPS than the general population.

BPS-laden receipts also contaminate recycling streams. Historically, receipts have been made from thermal paper which shouldn’t be recycled because they contain bisphenols, like BPA and BPS, that can contaminate the recycling stream and pose health and environmental risks. By moving away from these chemicals altogether, CEH’s agreements help to protect not only shoppers and workers who handle receipts every day, but also the recycling system more broadly.

Thank you to everyone in the Center for Environmental Health advocacy community who took part in our action alerts, asked companies to switch to a safer receipt, and donated to ensure that we made receipts safer for public health and the environment. We couldn’t do this work without you. And if you’re not signed up for our email advocacy community yet and want to be a part of our next big win to make the world a safer place, you can sign up here.

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