What is the “Oui pub” device, which came into force on September 1?

The French have a habit of sticking a “Stop Pub” sticker on their letterbox so as not to receive print advertising. Now the mechanics are reversed. Without clearly displayed consent, slipping brochures into the mailbox will be prohibited.

The “Oui Pub” system comes into force this Thursday, September 1, in fourteen voluntary territories of France for a period of three years. An experiment planned as part of the 2021 climate and resilience law, approved by the National Assembly and inspired by the proposals of the citizen convention.

available stickers

Bordeaux, Grenoble, Sartrouville, Dunkirk, the Côtes d’Armor… In these territories, to continue receiving print advertising, the inhabitants must explicitly specify it in their mailbox. Local authorities, advertisers and dealers have made “Oui Pub” stickers available to you since May 1.

In the absence of any indication, no advertisement should be inserted in the middle of the mail.

The Government intends to take the opposite course of the Stop Pub initiative launched in 2005, which did not have the expected success since 16 years later, in 2021, less than 15% were equipped with a sticker of this type, recalls The Figaro.

A measure to reduce waste

Print advertising not directed at a particular person accounted for 894,000 tons of waste in 2019, according to Ademe. That’s 30 kilograms of brochures, much of which would go straight to the trash.

This system should also save communities money, as several tons of paper will no longer be thrown away. Therefore, local authorities will reduce their costs related to waste collection and treatment.

The concerned industry

But this experiment is not for everyone. Printers fear it will spread across the country after 2025.

Employees of Adrexo, one of the main distributors of these advertising brochures, even went on strike at the beginning of the year against the implantation of this device that will reduce a large part of their activity.

Distributors like Auchan or Leclerc are probably betting more and more on promotional operations distributed by email. For its part, Carrefour stepped things up a notch, deciding in February to phase out the distribution of paper brochures. In 2021, Casino had also committed to reduce the weight of the paper used by 40% from this year but without eliminating the brochures.