Environmental sustainability is one of the most important priorities facing many economies today. Sparked by the global awareness of the effects of climate change, achieving sustainability goals requires cross-industry collaborations, and responses from all segments of society – government, businesses and consumers.

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This competition has 2 categories - School and Open.

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This essay competition invites contestants to examine the role of competition and consumer protection laws and policies in supporting environmental sustainability in Singapore. Specifically, contestants may discuss the following questions in their essays:

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a. What role should competition and consumer protection laws and policies play in Singapore in driving our economy towards sustainability?

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b. How can businesses collaborate and yet compete fairly as they shift towards supporting sustainability?

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c. How can ‘externalities’ or wider costs/benefits to the society accruing from sustainability be accounted? How should we measure or quantify these externalities or costs/benefits?

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d. Can competitors agree on the production of certain energy-efficient goods or on certain energy-efficient standards, when these could translate into higher prices for consumers? Describe examples of conduct that are likely to amount to an abuse of dominant position relating to sustainability, and explain how competition authorities should assess such conduct including any objective justifications that should be taken into consideration. Should contribution to lower carbon emissions or a ‘greener’ environment from a merger or cooperation between two market players be considered as ‘economic efficiencies’ or ‘net economic benefit’ that would offset adverse effects to competition within Singapore?

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e. How should businesses make sustainability claims? How can consumers be better protected against ‘greenwashing’ in our drive towards sustainability?