Countdown is now allowing customers to opt out of paper receipts by choosing to have a digital version sent to their MyCountdown app instead. 

The supermarket chain says customers who scan their Onecard in store or shop online and opt for a digital receipt can help the company reduce the 505,200 rolls of paper used for receipts last year – the equivalent of 36,897km of paper. To opt out of paper, customers must choose a setting on the MyCountdown app.

“Like our customers, we’re keen to help reduce waste wherever we can – moving from paper to digital receipts is another small way we can all contribute to this effort,” says Kiri Hannifin, Countdown’s director of corporate affairs, safety and sustainability.

“The customer feedback we’re getting is that paper receipts also tend to end up lost or ‘filed away’ in glove boxes and handbags. With the introduction of digital receipts, which are stored and downloadable for 14 months after each shop, customers can easily keep track of all their purchases, big or small, making it even easier to manage household budgets.”

Hannifin says the move is part of the company’s ongoing commitment to reducing waste in stores. Other moves to date include phasing out the sale of single-use plastic cutlery, plates, checkout bags and straws and removing PVC and polystyrene packaging from its own product packaging.