Competition benefits consumers. However, there may be instances where business competitors need to collaborate for the greater, or greener, good. Seeking to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 under the Singapore Green Plan 2030, Singapore has embarked on a whole-of-nation sustainability movement. The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore ("CCCS") recognises that the sustainability movement may involve business competitors engaging in various forms of collaborations in existing, emerging or new markets in pursuit of environmental sustainability objectives.
On 1 March 2024, CCCS issued its Guidance Note on Business Collaborations Pursuing Environmental Sustainability Objectives, otherwise known as the Environmental Sustainability Collaboration Guidance Note ("ESCGN"), which provides additional guidance on the application of section 34 of the Competition Act 2004 ("Competition Act") to business collaborations in the context of environmental sustainability initiatives. The ESCGN should be read together with CCCS's Guidelines on the Section 34 Prohibition and Business Collaboration Guidance Note.
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