We’ve got receipts: Retailers leave toxic bisphenols behind in the new year

UPDATE: February 12, 2026

This blog has been updated to note that PetSmart phased bisphenols out of receipts and transitioned to a safer solution as of December 2025.

This year, retailers are making a new resolution: No more toxic bisphenols in receipts.

On January 1, Washington state’s groundbreaking regulation banning all bisphenols as a class in thermal receipt paper took effect, making the state the first in the country to ban these chemicals in receipt paper. That means shopping just got a lot safer!

Bisphenols are one of many hazardous chemicals Washington state has examined under the Safer Products for Washington law, which empowers the state to restrict the use of toxics when safer alternatives are available in the marketplace.

We reached out to 46 major retailers to ask them about their plans for compliance, and the good news is, Washington isn’t the only state that stands to benefit. Based on a combination of our new survey, past correspondence, and research, we found that 19 out of the 46 major retailers have restricted bisphenols in receipts nationally. Meanwhile, over half of the retailers (27 out of 46) surveyed either did not respond to our inquiries or have not disclosed action restricting bisphenols in receipts nationally.

Toxic-Free Future’s table below highlights the retail leaders that have made progress restricting bisphenols in receipts nationally, along with those that have failed to disclose progress.

Several retailers promised to follow up but never did. A few retailers indicated they have made progress regionally, which is noted. The table is based on our recent correspondence as well as past research for the Retailer Report Card. The table is current as of February 12, 2026.

Handling receipts may be toxic for your health

Getting bisphenols out of receipts is important, because bisphenols are endocrine-disrupting chemicals, hazardous at even very low levels of exposure. Exposure to bisphenols can cause serious hormonal and reproductive harm, as well as impair brain development and immune system responses. 

What’s more, receipts have historically been a major vector for bisphenol exposure. We handle receipts whenever we shop in-person, and retail employees must handle receipt paper constantly throughout the workday. A 2023 study found bisphenols in 80% of paper receipts from large retailers—which actually represented a significant decline from 2017, when researchers found bisphenols in 93% of receipts.

Retailers driving transformative change in the marketplace

This decline was driven by market leaders that started making the switch years ago, including Best Buy, Costco, CVS Health, The Home Depot, REI, Starbucks, Target, TJX Companies, Walgreens, and Whole Foods Market. This is a powerful testament to the impact of our Mind the Store Program in driving change in the retail marketplace.

Now, those leading retailers that followed the recommendations of Toxic-Free Future and other advocates are reaping the benefits: While many retailers had to work to catch up and comply with the new regulation banning bisphenols, those leaders were sitting pretty. 

Safer solutions are available, but are all retailers using them?

Leadership isn’t just about going first, it’s also about going furthest. Major retailers like Best Buy, Kroger, PetSmart, and Walgreens confirmed they’ve switched away from bisphenol receipt paper to one of the verified safer alternatives, such as Pergafast, that Washington state identified. Getting rid of hazardous bisphenols is a huge step, and these companies are doing even more to make sure they’re not just banning the bad, but also proactively protecting consumers with safer solutions.

There’s still room for even leading retailers to improve, of course. While we commend Kroger’s commitment to safer alternatives, we were disappointed to hear the company claim it would be “cost-prohibitive” to extend this policy to its stores outside Washington. Considering how many retailers have already removed bisphenols from receipts across the nation, that claim doesn’t carry much water. 

The need for increased transparency

But the stumbling block for most retailers is a lack of transparency. Some retailers didn’t reply to our questions; and even among those that did, many refused to identify what specific alternatives they were using to replace bisphenol-coated receipt paper.

This is a big concern, because without transparency, we can’t be sure if they’re switching to safer solutions or regrettable substitutes. Washington state identified a few safer alternatives already on the market, but it’s not clear how many retailers are using those verified options or potentially hazardous substitutes.

In some cases, the retailers might not even know. Trader Joe’s privately identified the receipt paper it uses, but we were unable to find information about the paper’s chemical composition on its supplier’s website. Another retailer reported trying to get chemical information about its receipts, but was stonewalled by its supplier.

Businesses have an interest in protecting proprietary information from their competitors, but our health and safety can’t be a proprietary interest. Retailers need to know what chemicals are in their products so they can verify they’re moving to safer solutions, and they need to find ways to share that information with customers. 

There are tools companies can use to strike this balance. GreenScreen Certified offers a certification for thermal receipt paper, although no receipt products have yet received this certification. Certifications like GreenScreen allow suppliers to verify that their products are actually safer without publicly revealing their full chemical composition, reassuring retailers and customers with the knowledge that alternatives are truly safer.

Without this transparency, retailers have little choice but to keep playing an expensive game of regulatory whack-a-mole whenever the next regrettable substitute gets rightly banned. And frustrated customers are left in the dark about potentially serious health risks.

Still, we’re thrilled to see so many retailers starting 2026 off on the right foot. We go shopping to feed and supply our families, not to coat our hands with toxic chemicals from receipts. Here at TFF’s Mind the Store program, we’ve just started work on the 2026 Retailer Report Card, where retailers can score points for making progress on removing bisphenols (as well as other toxic chemicals) and replacing them with verifiably safer solutions. 

We’ll be watching and working with retailers to ensure these resolutions keep building to a truly safer future. 

Retailers Restricting Bisphenols in Receipt Paper
Based on retailer correspondence and prior Retailer Report Card research

This table is current as of February 12, 2026.

“Yes” indicates the retailer confirmed restricting bisphenols in receipt paper nationwide.

”Unclear” indicates the retailer did not confirm whether bisphenols have been restricted in receipt paper nationwide. In some cases, retailers committed to follow up but did not provide additional information, or provided insufficient detail to verify national restrictions. 

“No” indicates the retailer only reported restricting bisphenols regionally.

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Authored By:

Dana Floberg
Mind the Store Program Manager
Dana Floberg is the Mind the Store program manager at Toxic-Free Future, challenging major corporations to adopt policies to reduce and eliminate dangerous chemicals.

Filed Under:

Mind The Store, Washington State

Tagged:

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