‘Opt in’ letterbox advertising trial scrapped – how to stop getting leaflets in France
Environmental benefits of scheme were uncertain
An ‘opt out’ method is in place across France
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A trial that limited advertising leaflets in postboxes to those who ‘opted in’ will not be rolled out across France.
The experiment, which ran between September 2022 and April 2025 in several areas including Nancy and Bordeaux, saw leafletting through letterboxes banned unless explicit permission had been given by residents.
This was made clear via a sticker stating adverts were approved (‘oui pub’ for ‘yes to adverts’). Press samples (échantillons de presse) were the only exempt materials that could be put in letterboxes without stickers.
A report on the trial, submitted to the government by the commissariat for sustainable development does not include a recommendation to widen the programme nor are there any plans by the major parties to introduce a bill on the matter.
Environmental benefits uncertain
The aim of the trial was to see whether it would bring about ecological benefits via the reduced amount of paper produced for leafleting purposes.
The commissariat remains uncertain whether this was achieved.
While a drop in paper usage was recorded in the trial areas it matched national trends with paper usage falling in many parts of the country.
How to stop getting advertisements
Currently, those who want to stop receiving leaflets and other ads through their letter box must opt out by making it clear they do not want to receive them.
This is signalled through a sticker on your letterbox saying ‘stop pub’ (stop adverts). Around a third of homes are reported to have done this.
Companies who fail to respect this rule face a €1,500 fine per letterbox.
You can download a paper version of one of the stickers for free on the government website and then print it out and manually tape or glue it on (be careful as this may cause damage to the letterbox).
You can also buy a sticker version from a number of shops or from several online websites such as Amazon for a couple of euros, which will allow you to stick it on, reducing the chance it falls off.
