The end of the systematic printing of receipts, planned in France from January 1, 2023, will finally come into force on April 1, according to an implementing decree published this Thursday in the Official Gazette.
“The context explains this decision,” added this source, referring to “the comments from distributors and consumer associations that indicate that the cash receipt continues to be an important element for many French people to control the prices of purchased products, compared to inflation'”. Another important element for the merchants, “they did not know the precise provisions of the terms of delivery of the ticket” due to the lack of publication of the decree implementing the measure, which took place on Thursday, stressed the cabinet of Olivia Grégoire.
Waiting until April ensures “sufficient time for them to adapt,” it was specified.
Anti-waste law
The “anti-waste and circular economy” law, approved in 2020, provided for the completion of receipt printing at the end of a commercial transaction, unless explicitly requested by the customer. With the aim of reducing the production of waste. But since this law, high inflation, particularly in supermarket prices, has caused consumers to consult the receipt more frequently. It allows them “to keep track of their daily expenses”, as many consumer associations reminded us in April.
ADEIC, AFOC, ALLDC, CNAFAL, CNAFC, CSF, Familles de France, FNAUT, Familles Rurales, INDECOSA-CGT, UFC-Que Choisir and Unaf, that is, twelve of the fifteen member associations of the joint advisory body that is the National Council de Consumo, then published a rare joint press release to demand that the printout of the receipt be “systematically offered” to the consumer.
“We are not going to back down” on the end of the systematic printing of the receipt, “the measure remains important to accelerate the ecological transition”, responds the cabinet of Olivia Grégoire. According to this source, about 30 billion ballot papers are printed each year, most of them end up in the trash and their small size makes them “difficult to collect and recycle.”
The fact of transferring the entry into force of the measure will allow “to communicate that the consumer will be able to obtain his receipt if he wishes” and if he requests it from the merchant. This will be especially important in case of doubt about the final invoice, or in case of exchange of a gift for example.
Source: BFM TV
