Fine reduced
Seven million euro fine for Saubermacher
The Federal Competition Authority has granted the waste disposal company Saubermacher leniency in the waste cartel proceedings. Because the company cooperated with the BWB after the house searches as part of the leniency program to fully clarify the facts of the case, a reduced fine of € 7.085 million was applied for.
The company accepted the fine. In a press release sent out early on Monday morning, Saubermacher emphasized that it had "contributed significantly to the clarification" through "comprehensive cooperation". According to the BWB, Saubermacher Dienstleistungs AG participated in price fixing, market sharing and the exchange of competition-sensitive information in violation of antitrust law between July 2002 and March 2021.
Saubermacher spoke of "around 80 individual cases" in the period mentioned, "which are unacceptable under antitrust law as well as according to our system of values and ethics".
Investigations into the waste cartel
The investigations into the waste cartel became public in March 2021 when more than 20 locations across Austria were investigated. Energie AG in Upper Austria, Saubermacher AG in Styria and Brantner in Lower Austria confirmed that their premises had been searched at the time. They were suspected of illegal collusion to the detriment of industry and waste management associations, municipalities and ultimately their citizens. Following further leniency applications, whistleblower reports and agreement, additional house searches were carried out a year later. An application for a declaratory judgment was filed with the Cartel Court against the first leniency applicant FCC this February.
According to the company, these cases had been "identified" together with BWB, which also pointed out that it had processed a total of one million orders throughout Austria between 2002 and 2021. No information was provided on the order volume of the individual cases in relation to the other orders.
Waste is a billion-dollar business
The waste management market in Austria comprises around 300 companies, including many smaller companies in addition to a few nationally operating groups. For these companies, waste is a billion-dollar business. The industry generates a turnover of more than five billion euros per year. The six largest companies together generate a turnover of around two billion euros.
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