Appleton, Wis. - Appleton, the nation's largest manufacturer of thermal paper – the type 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, does not use the controversial ingredient bisphenol A (BPA) in any of its products.

This reminder of a readily available, cost-effective and BPA-free alternative comes on the heels of an independent report  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 Dropped BPA in 2006

Appleton dropped BPA from its thermal paper formulation in 2006 out of growing concerns about the safety of the chemical. Appleton 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 vice president of strategic development.  "Removing BPA was consistent with our commitment to product safety and was simply the responsible thing to do."

'Red Fibers' Gives Shoppers Peace of Mind

As concern about the safety of BPA continues to grow, Appleton recognized that consumers had no easy way to distinguish Appleton's BPA-free receipt paper from their competitors' paper, which still contains the controversial chemical.

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.

EPA Design for the Environment Partnership Working to Identify BPA Alternatives

Earlier this year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency invited Appleton representatives to participate in a partnership program called Design for the Environment, which involves multi-stakeholder alternative assessments to help reduce environmental releases of, and subsequent exposure to, BPA. The first assessment focuses on finding alternatives to BPA for use as a developer for dyes in thermal paper.