Competition and sustainability: criteria applied in the analysis of sustainability agreements between competitors

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Publicado: 2025-12-10
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52896/c3cbs268
Palavras-chave:
antitrust law; sustainable development; consumer welfare; externalities; competition authorities.

Conteúdo do artigo principal

Felipe Bonfim Silveira
Universidade de São Paulo (USP) – São Paulo/SP, Brasil
https://orcid.org/0009-0004-7306-933X

Resumo

Objective: this paper aims to contribute to the discussion about the competitive assessment of sustainability agreements between competitors by identifying and analyzing the position of various competition agencies on the subject. The hypothesis is that competition authorities have rarely addressed the issue, and, when this has been done, they have not yet provided criteria adapted to the economic challenges of the environmental problem, especially when it comes to quantifying benefits.


Method: a range of documents from 29 jurisdictions were mapped, with the purpose of determining how many and which authorities have already taken a stand in the debate and what criteria is being applied.


Conclusions: the data collected indicate that only 13 of the 29 jurisdictions analyzed have expressed a view on the subject, with different perspectives coexisting among the jurisdictions. We found fragmented guidance and recurring reliance on traditional consumer welfare tools that struggle to account for environmental externalities. Our review identifies five recurring and non-cumulative assessment criteria across jurisdictions: (i) prevention of the exchange of sensitive information; (ii) voluntary participation and possibility of adhesion by third parties; (iii) limitations on combined market share of participants and market coverage; (iv) time limitations on the agreements; and (v) preservation of other competitive aspects. We also document emerging, but sparse, approaches to out-of-market and collective benefits. By mapping these patterns, this paper intends to clarify the current regulatory landscape and to provide a structured foundation to help reduce legal uncertainty and foster sustainability-oriented collaborations.

Detalhes do artigo

Edição

v. 13 n. 2 (2025): Revista de Defesa da Concorrência

Seção

III Rio International Workshop on Advances in Competition Policy Analysis
Creative Commons License
Este trabalho está licenciado sob uma licença Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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Biografia do Autor

Felipe Bonfim Silveira, Universidade de São Paulo (USP) – São Paulo/SP, Brasil

Bacharel em Direito pela Universidade de São Paulo (USP), com período de mobilidade acadêmica na Universidade de Freiburg (Alemanha). Participante da Parceria Internacional Triangular de Ensino Superior (PITES) para a obtenção do diploma de licence em Droit pela Université Jean Moulin Lyon III. Advogado em Mattos Filho Advogados.

Como Citar

Competition and sustainability:: criteria applied in the analysis of sustainability agreements between competitors. Revista de Defesa da Concorrência, Brasília, v. 13, n. 2, 2025. DOI: 10.52896/c3cbs268. Disponível em: https://revista.cade.gov.br/index.php/revistadedefesadaconcorrencia/article/view/1921. Acesso em: 11 dez. 2025.

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