The e-receipt project of the Estonian postal company, Omniva, was shortlisted for the European Business awards for innovation.
This year, about 33,000 companies from 34 countries applied for the European Business Awards that, according to a statement by Omniva, is Europe’s largest business competition since 2007. Only 350 companies from 34 countries were selected to the next round.
According to Pille Muni, the coordinator of e-receipt project at Omniva, being selected to the next round is a great recognition for the company.
“Although the service is currently in pilot phase, it has already received international attention and there is great interest towards it in other countries,” she said in a statement. “Competing at the European Business Awards gives us a good opportunity to introduce the aim of the Estonian e-receipt project and its purpose to conserve environment to a wider audience,” said Muni.
Saving the environment
According to Muni, every year, about 20 tons of paper is used to print about 400 million receipts in Estonia. “Producing this amount of paper takes approximately 300 trees, 180 barrels of oil and 1,440 litres of water, and about 20 tons of waste is being produced. If through e-receipt we manage to reduce the amount of printed receipts even by half, we would save the environment significantly,” she pointed out.
The purpose of the European Business Awards is to introduce successful European businesses and support the development of a stronger and more successful business community throughout Europe.
The e-receipt portal is a system that enables end users to manage receipts and related documents, such as letters of guarantee and product manuals, in a single web environment. The users will be able to reduce problems and costs related to paper receipts, thereby increasing the quality of customer service. It also enables customers to send receipts directly to accountancy.
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Cover image is illustrative. Images courtesy of Omniva.
