Appleton Not Using BPA in Thermal Receipt Papers

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Appleton, Appleton, Wis., USA, producer of thermal papers often used in cash register and credit card receipts as well as entertainment and transportation tickets, lottery and gaming tickets, and tags for airline baggage and retail applications, is reminding customers that it does not use the controversial ingredient bisphenol A (BPA) in any of its products. The company's BPA-free alternative comes on the heels of an independent report just issued by Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families, and Washington Toxics Coalition, which found high levels of BPA in 50% of thermal paper receipts sampled from major U.S. businesses and services in 20 states and Washington, D.C.

Appleton notes that it dropped BPA from its thermal paper formulation in 2006 out of growing concerns about the safety of the chemical. The company currently supplies approximately half of the thermal receipt paper used in the North American market.

"The findings of Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families, and Washington Toxics Coalitions, as well as a similar report issued by the Environmental Working Group in July, highlight the growing concerns over the safety of BPA. The findings support the toxicology reports and available studies that prompted us to remove BPA from our thermal paper four years ago," said Kent Willetts, Appleton's VP of strategic development. "Removing BPA was consistent with our commitment to product safety and was simply the responsible thing to do."

In early November, Appleton began embedding red fibers made of rayon, a recyclable cellulose fiber, into its BPA-free thermal receipt paper to help consumers and retail workers quickly identify the kind of thermal receipt paper they are handling. Appleton's thermal receipt paper with red fibers recently began appearing in some retails outlets throughout the U.S and Canada. Appleton expects to have the red fibers in all of its thermal receipt paper before the end of first quarter 2011.