STUDY ON THE VERTICAL INTEGRATION OF PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY ORGANISATIONS AND THEIR EFFECT ON THE MARKET

Prepared for Expra by Oliver Bretz and Daniele Pinto – March 2020

This report aims at identifying in greater detail how the vertical integration of industry players from different levels of the packaging waste recovery cycle may have anti-competitive effects in the waste recovery market.

Commissioned and funded by EXPRA aisbl/ivzw, the alliance of 26 non-profit packaging and packaging waste recovery and recycling systems from 24 countries which are owned by package producers and importers.

The report was prepared by Euclid Law with complete independence, and its findings are based on the available evidence applied to legal and economic theory in the field of theories of harm to competition caused by vertical concentrations. It gives a general overview of the EU Extended Producer Responsibility policy and the market that it has created in Member States, applies legal and economic theory of competition to the context of vertically-integrated Producer Responsibility Organisations and also relies on concrete examples collected through a survey of waste recovery markets in the 24 countries where EXPRA’s members operate.

Finally, based on the available evidence, this report draws conclusions and makes recommendations to reduce the risk of harm to competition arising from vertical integration in EU waste recovery markets.

To read the full report, please follow the link.

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