SINGAPORE: I recently bought a cup of coffee at a cafe in Ang Mo Kio through a self-ordering machine. For 15 long seconds, the machine dispensed sheet after sheet of paper.
The first was an itemised bill with an order number. The second was also an itemised bill, but formatted differently. And the third was, shockingly, an itemised bill.
As soon as I picked up my solitary order of one hazelnut latte, all three chits went into a rubbish bin conveniently located next to the counter – unironically labelled "receipts only".
I go through a similar process several times a week across different storefronts around Singapore. A horrible case of food poisoning aside, I cannot imagine a scenario in which I need documentation to prove what I bought and when, let alone multiple copies of the same evidence.
Public conversation on consumer sustainability often centres on plastic – shopping bags, straws, packaging and so on. But even as we move towards cashless transactions, rarely do we notice the slips of paper we receive with our purchases.
In the United States alone, receipts use over 3 million trees and around 10 billion gallons of water every year, reported non-profit Green America.
It all just seems like a terrible waste of paper – one that seems especially odd in a self-proclaimed smart nation such as Singapore.
Why are so many establishments still using the archaic paper receipt for inconsequential day-to-day transactions?
Most receipts are made of thermal paper, which contains bisphenol A (BPA) or bisphenol S (BPS). Both BPA and BPS are harmful to humans.
Touching a receipt for a matter of seconds can cause them to be absorbed into the body – and a build-up of these chemicals can adversely affect reproductive health, brain development and other important bodily functions.
To make matters worse, thermal paper should not be recycled because BPA contaminates other recyclables, and can transfer into food containers or bottles made of recycled materials. If you want to know whether a receipt is made of thermal paper, scratch its surface with a coin or a fingernail. If a dark mark appears, it's thermal.
Given that paper receipts are toxic and unrecyclable, shouldn’t we go digital?
Paper receipts appear relevant in certain cases. Some businesses, like those in the food and beverage industry, use these receipts internally to communicate orders to kitchen staff or maintain records.
But technological alternatives exist and have already been in use for years across many establishments, especially fast food chains.
Orders can be routed digitally to kitchen displays. Point-of-sale systems can log and store transactions without printing receipts.
Others might point to places like banks that issue queue numbers and who serve older demographics that are unfamiliar with digital alternatives.
That is a valid point in the context of our ageing population. But the issue is not about eliminating paper receipts altogether, it's about making them the exception rather than the default. Green America's Skip the Slip report in 2022 said that on average, we throw away or lose almost half of all paper receipts we receive.
In a written reply to a parliamentary question in 2022, the Ministry for Sustainability and Environment said the government had not studied the phasing out of paper receipts and did not have plans to do so. But perhaps Singapore could take a page out of France's book.
As of August 2023, the French government prohibited its businesses from automatically printing paper receipts for transactions. Instead, they are required to ask customers explicitly whether they want a physical receipt or if a digital copy would suffice. If shoppers want a paper receipt, they must ask for it.
This approach seems reasonable, and the technology already exists to implement it in our backyard.
At least one Singapore-based firm has developed a product to help businesses issue paperless receipts directly to consumers with the use of near-field communication (NFC) technology – the same tech that Singaporeans use to purchase things with their phones every day. There would be no need to key in our email addresses or download an app to receive an e-receipt.
What's lacking is not infrastructure, but force of will.
I've previously shared this sentiment with an environmental advocate who knows a lot more about sustainability than I do.
Her view on this issue was surprising. She felt that in the context of making Singapore a sustainable country, getting rid of paper receipts is like missing the forest for the rapidly disappearing trees – the effect is essentially negligible.
I certainly don't doubt that. But there's a level of hypocrisy in doing nothing about paper receipts that can be hard to reconcile with other initiatives and proposals.
For instance, if we place a premium on BPA-free water bottles, why do we not expect the same of our receipts? And if we discourage single-use plastic in our day-to-day shopping, why do we not care about the unrecyclable paper that comes with that transaction?
When it comes to sustainability, the buck stops with corporations and governments, because consumers can only play by their rules.
But if we are to genuinely believe that the habits of the average consumer matter in the grand scheme of things, perhaps we need to give some thought and effort to taking care of the small things, like phasing out paper receipts. If we can't even get a handle on this, can we ever really hope to tackle the big things?
Just some food for thought – and please, don't give me a receipt for that.
Renald Loh is a journalist at CNA TODAY.
Continue reading...
The first was an itemised bill with an order number. The second was also an itemised bill, but formatted differently. And the third was, shockingly, an itemised bill.
As soon as I picked up my solitary order of one hazelnut latte, all three chits went into a rubbish bin conveniently located next to the counter – unironically labelled "receipts only".
I go through a similar process several times a week across different storefronts around Singapore. A horrible case of food poisoning aside, I cannot imagine a scenario in which I need documentation to prove what I bought and when, let alone multiple copies of the same evidence.
Public conversation on consumer sustainability often centres on plastic – shopping bags, straws, packaging and so on. But even as we move towards cashless transactions, rarely do we notice the slips of paper we receive with our purchases.
In the United States alone, receipts use over 3 million trees and around 10 billion gallons of water every year, reported non-profit Green America.
It all just seems like a terrible waste of paper – one that seems especially odd in a self-proclaimed smart nation such as Singapore.
Why are so many establishments still using the archaic paper receipt for inconsequential day-to-day transactions?
TOXIC AND UNRECYCLABLE
Most receipts are made of thermal paper, which contains bisphenol A (BPA) or bisphenol S (BPS). Both BPA and BPS are harmful to humans.
Touching a receipt for a matter of seconds can cause them to be absorbed into the body – and a build-up of these chemicals can adversely affect reproductive health, brain development and other important bodily functions.
To make matters worse, thermal paper should not be recycled because BPA contaminates other recyclables, and can transfer into food containers or bottles made of recycled materials. If you want to know whether a receipt is made of thermal paper, scratch its surface with a coin or a fingernail. If a dark mark appears, it's thermal.
Given that paper receipts are toxic and unrecyclable, shouldn’t we go digital?
Related:
THE CASE FOR PAPER RECEIPTS IS NOT CONVINCING
Paper receipts appear relevant in certain cases. Some businesses, like those in the food and beverage industry, use these receipts internally to communicate orders to kitchen staff or maintain records.
But technological alternatives exist and have already been in use for years across many establishments, especially fast food chains.
Orders can be routed digitally to kitchen displays. Point-of-sale systems can log and store transactions without printing receipts.
Others might point to places like banks that issue queue numbers and who serve older demographics that are unfamiliar with digital alternatives.
That is a valid point in the context of our ageing population. But the issue is not about eliminating paper receipts altogether, it's about making them the exception rather than the default. Green America's Skip the Slip report in 2022 said that on average, we throw away or lose almost half of all paper receipts we receive.
Related:
In a written reply to a parliamentary question in 2022, the Ministry for Sustainability and Environment said the government had not studied the phasing out of paper receipts and did not have plans to do so. But perhaps Singapore could take a page out of France's book.
As of August 2023, the French government prohibited its businesses from automatically printing paper receipts for transactions. Instead, they are required to ask customers explicitly whether they want a physical receipt or if a digital copy would suffice. If shoppers want a paper receipt, they must ask for it.
This approach seems reasonable, and the technology already exists to implement it in our backyard.
At least one Singapore-based firm has developed a product to help businesses issue paperless receipts directly to consumers with the use of near-field communication (NFC) technology – the same tech that Singaporeans use to purchase things with their phones every day. There would be no need to key in our email addresses or download an app to receive an e-receipt.
What's lacking is not infrastructure, but force of will.
MISSING THE FOREST FOR THE TREES?
I've previously shared this sentiment with an environmental advocate who knows a lot more about sustainability than I do.
Her view on this issue was surprising. She felt that in the context of making Singapore a sustainable country, getting rid of paper receipts is like missing the forest for the rapidly disappearing trees – the effect is essentially negligible.
I certainly don't doubt that. But there's a level of hypocrisy in doing nothing about paper receipts that can be hard to reconcile with other initiatives and proposals.
For instance, if we place a premium on BPA-free water bottles, why do we not expect the same of our receipts? And if we discourage single-use plastic in our day-to-day shopping, why do we not care about the unrecyclable paper that comes with that transaction?
When it comes to sustainability, the buck stops with corporations and governments, because consumers can only play by their rules.
But if we are to genuinely believe that the habits of the average consumer matter in the grand scheme of things, perhaps we need to give some thought and effort to taking care of the small things, like phasing out paper receipts. If we can't even get a handle on this, can we ever really hope to tackle the big things?
Just some food for thought – and please, don't give me a receipt for that.
Renald Loh is a journalist at CNA TODAY.
Continue reading...