Car manufacturers who want to advertise their vehicles in France must clearly indicate environmentally friendly alternatives in their advertising from March. Car manufacturers and an automobile club are now reluctant to do so.
The decree of December 28, 2021 (PDF) stipulates that print and audiovisual advertising must be accompanied by notices such as “For short distances, it is better to walk or cycle”, “Think about carpooling” and “Take use public transport in everyday life”. Visible advertising must end with the hashtag #SeDeplacerMoinsPolluer, which roughly means who moves more causes less dirt.
The requirements are part of a climate change law passed by the French parliament in 2021 which, for example, has banned short-haul domestic flights of less than two and a half hours when a train connection can be taken instead.
“What does a person who lives in Creuse do?”
Louis-Carl Vignon, Managing Director of Ford France, doesn’t like the new advertising campaigns at all. It is paradoxical that the government of a country that is home to three automakers should be so anti-cars. In Paris, where such laws are made, there are enough alternative means of transport. “But what does someone who lives in Creuse do?” Vignon said loudly Financial Times. Vignon thus referred to a community in sparsely populated northern France with almost 200 inhabitants.
According to the report, Renault boss Luca de Meo said his company wanted to negotiate the scope of the new notices, which would take up a lot of space in advertisements. However, his company is not so concerned about the new regulations. François Roudier from the car manufacturers association PFA says that the industry was skeptical from the start, especially since the information is also supposed to appear in advertisements for electric vehicles that produce less CO2 expel
Pierre Chasseray, spokesman for the consumer association “40 Millions d’Automobilistes”, describes the decree as “ridiculous” and that it “constantly points the finger at drivers”. Outside of big cities, people rely on cars to get to work and school. Chasseray doesn’t think the clues will discourage people from using the car.
Environmental organizations had originally called for a complete ban on advertising for vehicles with combustion engines. Advertisements for cars in France must already contain information on how the vehicle is financed. From this year there will be more information about the CO2-Added output of a specific model. The city of Paris is trying, among other things, to master the excessive car traffic with a large-scale 30 km/h zone.
(app)