Public and private entities across the globe are called to strengthen their commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which include, among others, tackling poverty and inequality, promoting sustainable agriculture, supporting affordable and clean energy, promoting responsible consumption and production, protecting labour rights and fight climate change. In this context, a potential conflict between the sustainability goals and the protection of competition may arise.
In December 2020, in a virtual meeting with competition authorities, the OECD Competition Committee addressed three primary questions associated with broader sustainability considerations and competition law:
- Is there a potential conflict between competition and sustainability goals?
- How is competition law enforced in cases that present sustainability issues, and how have competition authorities taken those into account within the existing analytical framework?
- What tools exist and could be used by competition authorities or other public bodies to enable them to take into account sustainability concerns?
The key findings of this discussion were again explored during the 2021 OECD Competition Open Day, this time in a virtual event open to the public.
