As of January 1, 2023, according to the Environmental Code, receipts and vouchers will no longer be printed automatically. A decision taken to fight against waste but which raises certain questions.
“Do you want the receipt? Often crumpled in the pocket, at least for small amounts, this will only be printed if the customer requests it. From January 1, 2023, according to the Environmental Code, receipts, credit card receipts and vouchers will no longer be printed automatically. In reality, for transactions below 20 euros, this is already the case. Carrefour and Système U go further and no longer offer automatic receipts in a few pilot stores.
The objective of this measure is to combat the negative effects of endocrine disruptors contained in the paper and the waste. The printing of these tickets represents 30 billion pieces of paper each year in France, requiring alone the felling of 2.5 million trees, according to figures from TF1.
Be careful though to the perverse effects of such a decision. As early as 2019, the deputy Les Républicains Vincent Descoeur feared in our columns that the consumer is no longer able to check the amount of his purchases. An argument that joins one of the concerns expressed recently in 60 million consumers. “The till receipt makes it possible to check immediately that the prices scanned at the checkout and paid are in line with the prices displayed on the shelves,” underlines the magazine.
Increased risk of fraud
“The receipt also serves as proof in the event of a defect in the product purchased, or quite simply if you wish to exchange or be reimbursed for an item”, indicates Matthieu Robin, research manager at UFC-Que Choisir. The consumer defense association denounces a risk of fraud increased by this new situation. “This would concern contactless in particular, specifies Matthieu Robin. On payment terminals, it is entirely possible for the merchant to type in the amount to be paid without the customer seeing it displayed. The ticket is then his only means of verifying that he has paid the amount he owes the professional. »
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Other observers also point out that sending email to replace the paper checkout ticket is not necessarily more environmentally friendly. Accompanied by an attachment, it emits 19 g of CO2. Multiply by 30 billion, the total is disastrous.