Anti Trust Statement

Competition law is often compatible with joint initiatives between competitors which pursue sustainability goals. These laws should not therefore be allowed to stand in the way of legitimate projects unnecessarily. In many cases, initiatives will not affect a key parameter of competition. In other cases, an analysis may help show that cooperation is the only way to achieve progress or that it will allow much faster progress. At the same time, groups of competitors need to know that certain topics and discussions remain off-limits (see below). Joint projects between competitors must also be designed and implemented in a manner compliant with competition law.

General antitrust rules

No agreement or discussion between CFO network members or at A4S events on:

• Prices, price changes, or any element of price (e.g. rebates, surcharges, discounts, credit terms) – that includes current and anticipated future pricing
• Costs of production or distribution, cost accounting formulas or purchase information
• Individual company figures on sources of supply, production, inventories, sales, current or anticipated future output
• Information as to confidential future plans, e.g. technology, investments, or the design, production, distribution or marketing of products, including proposed territories/customers
• Matters relating to individual suppliers or customers. Competitors may not take collective action that might have the effect of excluding suppliers or customers from the market.

Legal review is required prior to agreeing to share or participate in statistical exchanges on matters related to prices, volumes, markets, customers or costs.