The Co-op has upgraded our receipt paper! Our constant efforts to reduce the store’s environmental footprint led us to the Vitamin C-based paper manufactured by Appvion. We’re pretty nerdy about ecological innovation here at the Co-op, but we think that you’ll understand our enthusiasm about this new paper. Here’s the good news:
It’s Recyclable!
The most exciting advantage to the new paper is that it can be recycled with other paper products! Receipt paper was a primary contributor to landfill-bound waste from the Co-op. We’re thrilled to be able to cut all that paper out of our waste-stream. The new receipt paper joins our recyclable, reusable utensils and recyclable, reusable bags as innovative alternatives to typically disposable products.
It’s Clean!
The new receipt paper is manufactured with Vitamin C as the thermal image developer—the surface that the text is imprinted on. The Vitamin C paper has no dyes, BPA, BPS, or any other phenol based chemicals. Like most other retail receipts, the printing is done using heat and pressure; no ink is used in the process at all. Try scratching the paper with a fingernail; you’ll leave a mark just like our thermal printers! Thermal printing minimizes waste and cost to the Co-op—and now the paper is recyclable, too!
New receipt paper may not seem like a dramatic change to be excited about, but the positive effects of this switchover will be significant. Check in-store in April for our Earth Day educational display, and see how much paper we saved from the landfill by upgrading.