The EU Commission is considering a restriction of bisphenol A (BPA) in thermal paper. Thermal paper is used in many electronic products that require simple printing capability such as point-of-sale terminals, label printers, lottery ticket printers and fax machines. BPA is the most common dye developer used in thermal paper. The restriction is proposed for a concentrations equal or higher than 0.02% by weight.

Alternatives to the use of BPA in thermal paper were also the subject of a U.S. EPA DfE program a couple of years ago.

The EU restriction proposal was original submitted by France. As the next step in the consideration process, the European Chemical Agency (ECHA) has launched a public consultation that runs from June 18, 2014 to December 18, 2014. Comments may be provided through the ECHA website.