Vehicle advertisements in France are from this year required to include messages encouraging people to consider less-polluting travel alternatives as part of the government’s drive to rein in carbon dioxide emissions.
The requirement, set to come into force in March, was confirmed in the government’s Official Journal this week after years of lobbying from environmental groups — many of which seek an outright ban on automobile ads.
Similar to mandatory reminders to eat healthy on food and beverage ads, the standardized messages are to suggest that drivers adopt more environmentally responsible options when possible.
Automakers will have three choices: “Consider carpooling,” “For day-to-day use, take public transportation,” or “For short trips, opt for walking or cycling.”
They will be required for all media — print, TV, radio or Internet — and must also include the hashtag “#SeDeplacerMoinsPolluer” (Move and Pollute Less).
The ads are also required to include a vehicle’s carbon dioxide emission class, a new ranking system to inform consumers about the environmental impact that is part of a widespread climate action law approved by lawmakers in July last year.
So far automakers appear ready to comply, if not enthusiastically.
“It means that overall, we have to find alternatives to the automobile. It’s the first time we’ve had such a direct message from the government,” Hyundai Motor France president Lionel French Keogh said.
“We are going to adapt — moving toward zero-emission vehicles is the course of history,” he added.
“But there is an irony: They make no distinction between the type of motorization. It’s a bit counterproductive to the government’s aim of promoting electric vehicles,” he said.
“We will comply with the legislation and analyse how best to comply with our advertising agency,” said Volkswagen AG, the third-biggest car seller in France, after Stellantis NV and Groupe Renault.
As part of the new French law, advertising for the most polluting vehicles — those that emit more than 123 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer, including many popular SUVs — are to be completely outlawed from 2028.
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