2020 PRODUCT AWARD | Appvion Operations
Developing a more natural product
Receipt paper is one of the most common pieces of paper consumers handle daily. Appvion Operations in Appleton developed CleanSlate, a new point-of-sale receipt paper that is made with more natural components.
Today’s thermal receipts use dyes and developers to produce an image when heated, but companies have been working to eliminate the use of phenols in the chemical process. Appvion scientists wanted to go a step beyond, producing an image without using reactive chemicals.
CleanSlate is free of reactive chemical developers, phenols and leuco dye, making it an eco-friendly alternative to standard receipt paper. The paper also allows for a more permanent image that will not fade, as well as increased resistance to heat, light and water. Additionally, CleanSlate’s carbon footprint is 17 to 31 percent lower when compared with Appvion’s traditional receipt paper.
Appvion’s design team worked on more than 100 pilot-scale prototypes and tested variations at several Appleton retailers, such as The Free Market, Jacobs Meat Market and Eco Candle Co. The stores provided feedback, and CleanSlate was officially launched in December 2019.
CleanSlate can be used with current thermal printers, meaning no additional cost is required to begin using this product.
Appvion is trialing the product with the U.S. Air Force and is working with the Washington Department of Ecology and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to certify the receipt paper as a Safer Choice product.
“Our CleanSlate technology is a leap forward in sustainable innovation as it has no chemical developers, no leuco dyes and does not need a chemical reaction to form the image.”
Matt Lang, Vice President of research and development, Appvion Operations