It is a far-reaching decision that the European Commission announced on Tuesday 1 April. Fifteen automotive groups . The total amount of the fines is €458m. All the manufacturers involved have admitted the facts and agreed to settle with the European executive.
Volkswagen (€127.7m), Renault-Nissan (€81.5m) and Stellantis (€74.9m) are among the most heavily fined. Ford, BMW and Toyota have been fined €41.5m, €24.6m and €23.5m respectively. Mercedes-Benz, which revealed the existence of the cartel, escaped any penalty.
The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (Acea) was also fined €500,000 for facilitating coordination between the companies, in particular by organising meetings and exchanges of information.
A cartel to limit recycling costs
According to the European Commission, carmakers agreed not to pay car dismantling centres responsible for recovering and processing ELVs. This strategy, known as “zero treatment cost,” was based on the idea that recycling end-of-life vehicles was sufficiently profitable not to require financial compensation. At the same time, the companies exchanged sensitive information on their respective contracts with the treatment centres, in order to coordinate their position.
The second infringement pointed out by the commission concerns a common desire not to encourage recycling amongst consumers. The groups penalised agreed not to promote the proportion of recyclable materials present in vehicles or the proportion of recycled materials used in the manufacture of new models. The aim was clear: to prevent environmental performance from becoming a criterion of choice for buyers and thus limit the commercial pressure on manufacturers
“Today we have taken firm action against companies that colluded to prevent competition in recycling,” concluded the European Commission’s executive vice-president for a clean, fair and competitive transition, Teresa Ribera. “We will not tolerate any form of cartel, including those that hamper customer awareness and demand for more environmentally friendly products.”
This article was originally published in .