A third of the paper printed in France is used for advertising purposes
All of the advertising editions (prospectuses, catalogs, and free advertising newspapers) represent a consumption of more than 1,5 million tonnes of paper each year in France.
It is therefore 1/3 of the consumption of paper for graphic use (which includes the different categories of printed matter: press, book, advertising, and paper for office use) which is devoted to advertising in all its forms: prospectus unaddressed, printed advertising sent by mailings / direct mail, catalogs, advertisement newspapers.
Printed products with a very limited lifespan, like the 20 billion leaflets distributed each year in France, of which supermarkets (food and specialized) remain the main issuers (almost 80% of tonnages in 2007).
In this context, the "zero prospectus" initiative of the Leclerc stores, announced with a great deal of communication, would be commendable, if it was not sorely lacking in ambition. The distributor thus offers its customers (after proper registration in the "program") a "stop advertising" sticker (already available since 2004 from local authorities!) And sets itself the goal of permanently removing its own prospectuses ... but not before 2020!
Source: http://www.notre-planete.info/actualite ... hp?id=2573