Embracing a Paperless Future: The shift from paper to digital payment confirmations in Europe

The shift from paper to digital receipts in Europe marks a positive step towards a more sustainable future.

An average hypermarket consumes approximately 10,600 rolls of thermal paper annually for printing receipts^[1]. These receipts, often discarded moments after purchase, frequently end up crumpled in bags, wallets, or lost in drawers, contributing to significant waste.

In an effort to reduce waste, deforestation, and their impact on the environment, European countries are moving away from mandatory printed payment receipts and increasingly adopting digital alternatives. France adopted the end of the systematic printing of paper receipts in August 2023^[2]. This change supports broader goals of protecting the planet and mitigating climate change.

By pursuing a paperless future for transaction confirmations, Europe aims to reduce paper waste. Moreover, the implementation of digital records enhances security and accessibility, ensuring that transaction histories are easy retrievable and less susceptible to loss or damage.  Countries like France, Poland, Germany, Romania, and other European nations are actively advancing e-invoicing initiatives, significantly reducing paper usage and promoting sustainability

Mastercard aims to foster sustainable practices and often acts as a pioneer when it comes to changing existing processes to reach more efficient use of resources. To support this goal, Mastercard has revised its rules to encourage elimination of printing card payments confirmation at all points of sales across Europe, where Mastercard payments are accepted.

The above change means that a cashier will no longer offer to print a transaction confirmation to consumers. Instead, only if a cardholder requests a paper confirmation of the transaction, it must be provided to them.

Moreover – per Mastercard rules, merchant’s copy of the transaction confirmation does not need to be printed and may be stored digitally.

Can this small step make a big difference? Absolutely! Avoiding printing transaction confirmations can help conserve resources and reduce environmental impact by eliminating the need for paper, ink, and energy-intensive printing processes. This reduction in printing may contribute to lowering overall energy consumption and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions.

By mobilizing our technology, partnerships, and people, we can accelerate the shift to a sustainable and inclusive economy. Our mission is to design and deliver products and services that help customers, partners, and consumers make environmentally conscious choices, and in turn reducing their environmental impact.

^{[1] anti-waste_law_in_the_daily_lives_of_french_people.pdf (europa.eu)}

^{[2] France to end non-essential printing of paper receipts | Euronews}