France pushes to make advertising a weapon against climate change

Advertising in France may be about to get a lot greener after a bill was tabled in parliament that obliges large companies to use their advertising euros as a force for environmental good.

Matthieu Orphelin, co-president of the Ecologie, Démocracie et Solidarité political group, with Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg at the French National Assembly on July 23, 2019. AFP - LIONEL BONAVENTURE

Putting forward the proposed law, the newly created political group Ecologie, Démocracie et Solidarité (EDS) argued that advertising had the potential to be a “powerful lever” in propelling France’s ecological transition.

The bill aims to give advertising a driving role in the transition towards a greener economy, and to iron out the “incompatibilities” between some ads and France’s green ambitions. 

Along with a series of progressive bans on polluting products and services, it suggests the creation of a "responsible advertising" support fund to help retrain professionals working within the advertising sector.

Transition écologique : une proposition de loi pour _faire de la publicité un levier_ déposée par le groupe Ecologie, démocratie et solidarité https://t.co/NpeXUjlJHF via @franceinfo

— jerôme dancoisne (@jeromdancoisne) July 10, 2020

'We need a revolution'

Group co-president Matthieu Orphelin said the world of advertising needed to undergo a major revolution if it was to play any real role in the fight against climate change.

“Let us be the first country to make advertising work towards a serious goal, to put advertising at the service of the (ecological) transition,” Orphelin told FranceInfo radio.

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Suggested measures in the bill, which also aims to reduce overconsumption, include giving local politicians more power to regulate advertising, and a total ban on the promotion of “toxic” products.

EDS estimates that, each year, French companies pour 34 billion euros into the country’s marketing industry – something they say should be redirected towards protecting the environment and preserving resources.

The Citizen's Climate Convention, a group of French residents chosen at random to devise solutions to the climate crisis, also suggested tougher advertising standards in a report delivered last month.