The French government has announced that car manufacturers will soon require a caveat on all vehicle advertisements encouraging the potential buyer to seek greener alternatives to travel such as walking, cycling or making use of public transportation.
Manufacturers will be able to choose between three messages, according to the rule published in France’s official journal: “Consider carpooling,” “For short trips, opt for walking or cycling" or “Use public transportation for everyday trips.” At the end of the message, advertisers must affix the hashtag “#SeDéplacerMoinsPolluer” or #MovePolluteLess.
The requirement is to apply to advertisements distributed on radio, television, in theatres, online, billboards as well as print media. If advertisers fail to include the message, they can be fined up to about $56 000 (R876 000) per broadcast.
Similar measures are already in place in France for food advertisements, which instruct consumers to cut back on junk food and eat more fruits and vegetables.
Read the latest Simply Green digital magazine below
Many countries around the world have implemented a complete ban on the advertising of tobacco products with packaging carry admonitions that smoking can cause cancer and death.
The South African Tobacco Products Control Amendment Act 12 of 1999 banned all tobacco advertising and sponsorship from 01 January 2001.
This new legislation tabled by the French government, set to be enforced from March 1, 2022, follows years of lobbying from environmental groups, which have called for a complete ban on car advertisements.
French newspaper Le Monde reported that starting on March 1, 2022, car manufacturers must also include a vehicle’s carbon-dioxide emissions class in promotions with a future ban on advertisements promoting high-polluting vehicles such as fossil-fuel-powered sports utility vehicles, muscle cars and pick-up trucks set to be implemented in 2028.
“Decarbonising transportation does not only mean switching to an electric motor. It also means using public transportation or cycling, when possible,” French Ecological Transition Minister Barbara Pompili wrote on Twitter last week, commenting on the new advertising rules.
As France ramps up efforts to combat climate change, France’s High Council on Climate warned over the summer that the country was not on track to meet its pledge of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent compared with 1990 levels by the end of the decade. According to the European Environment Agency, transportation-related emissions make up a quarter of the European Union’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Limiting the use of polluting cars is one pillar of France’s approach to tackling climate change.
Major climate legislation passed over the summer includes provisions to phase out advertising for gasoline and other fossil fuel energy, and to provide subsidies for drivers who swap out polluting cars for cleaner models.
The new law saw mixed reactions from vehicle manufacturers with Volkswagen telling French media that the company will follow the regulations, as did Hyundai’s French division.
“I am taking note, we will adapt,” Lionel French Keogh, chief executive of Hyundai in France, told Agence France-Presse. “Zero-emission transportation is the future.”
But he complained that the measure “stigmatised the automobile” and was “a bit counterproductive” since it does not distinguish between types of cars, even as the government tries to incentivise the use of electric vehicles.