After more than two years of experimentation, it is time to take stock of the experimentation « Yes Pub ». Planned as part of the Climate and Resilience Law of 2021, the test operation was implemented between May 1, 2022 and April 30, 2025 within 14 “pilot” voluntary territories.
The system reverses the logic of “Stop Pub”, the sticker signifying the refusal to receive advertising. With “Oui Pub”, only residents who put the “Oui Pub” sticker on their mailbox receive distribution of unaddressed advertising material (IPSA). The objective of the system is to limit daily and unchosen incentives for consumption and to save paper resources.
Successful bet for reducing paper waste
The rate of affixing the “Oui Pub” sticker varies depending on the territories participating in the experiment, ranging from 0.33 to 18.42%, with declarations of intention to affix from 3 to 47%.
First observation: the “Oui Pub” experiment made it possible to “ strongly limit waste and paper waste generated by IPSAs “, with a ” decrease significantly more marked than that observed on the national territory », notes the report. The tonnes of paper waste collected in the territories in the test phase decreased by an average of 48% (between 20% and 70% reduction) during the experiment compared to the period which preceded it. The share of printed advertising in these tonnages has also decreased.
-The launch of the experiment also had an impact on a national scale. Some stakeholders point out that the “Yes Ad” test has accelerated advertisers’ decisions to reduce or abandon IPSAs for the year 2023 across the country. For example, advertisers have chosen to postpone promotional communications on digital tools.
An environmental impact difficult to measure
However, environmental gains are uncertain and complex to assess. The shift from paper to digital has in fact led to “ a change in the nature of environmental impacts (greenhouse gas emissions, consumption of natural resources, ecotoxic effects, etc.) ». « In any case, less use of paper with increased use of digital technology has environmental impacts. “, underlines the report, and “ It is not possible to draw a general conclusion on this subject, as there are so many variables. “. Whether digital or paper, the report invites advertisers to move towards more sobriety and to focus on the eco-design of commercial campaigns.
Overall, the device was attractive. The representatives of the pilot territories and their inhabitants are rather satisfied: the majority of them are generally in favor of the deployment of “Yes Pub” (63%) on a national scale.
