Cases / Finance, funds and markets · Germany · 2009–2014
AdBlue cartel (Daimler, BMW, VW)
Nature's voice · report
No measurement of the harm done to me here is on record.
Did nature suffer? Not measured.
Daimler, BMW and Volkswagen coordinated the dosing of AdBlue, the fluid used to clean diesel exhaust. The European Commission fined VW and BMW 875 million euros in total; Daimler reported the cartel and was not fined.
€875 millionFines on VW and BMW for the AdBlue cartel
Total for both companies; Daimler reported the cartel and received no fine.
Total for both companies; Daimler reported the cartel and received no fine.
Status According to the sources reviewed: Commission decision fining VW and BMW 875 million euros in total; Daimler not fined.
What?
A cartel in which Daimler, BMW and VW jointly limited the dosing of AdBlue, which cleans NOx from diesel exhaust.
Where?
European Union
When?
2009 to 2014
Who?
Gained
- Daimler, BMW and VW — Cost savings, as recorded in the sources reviewed
- Daimler — No fine as whistleblower
Lost
- VW and BMW — Fines of 875 million euros in total
Harmed
- European public (exposed to NOx) — As named in the sources reviewed
Why?
Cost savings, according to the research file.
How?
Through joint technical meetings in which the manufacturers limited AdBlue dosing.
6 of 6 questions answered from the record
What happened
The record, in order.
From 2009 to 2014, Daimler, BMW and Volkswagen (VW) jointly limited the dosing of AdBlue in diesel vehicles. AdBlue is used in selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems, which clean nitrogen oxides (NOx) from diesel exhaust. The research file records that the coordination took place in joint technical meetings.
The European Commission described it as the first cartel formed to restrict the use of a new technology. It fined VW and BMW 875 million euros in total. Daimler informed the Commission of the cartel under the leniency programme and was not fined.
The research file records a second, separate cartel decision involving the same manufacturers: 15 manufacturers and the industry association ACEA were fined 458 million euros for an agreement covering 2002 to 2017 not to advertise recycled content and not to pay dismantling centres. Daimler was also the whistleblower in that case and was not fined.
- 2009Coordination of AdBlue dosing between Daimler, BMW and VW begins (to 2014)
- 2014Period covered by the AdBlue cartel ends
- 2017Period covered by the separate end-of-life vehicle cartel ends (from 2002)
How it looked
What was shown, beside what was recorded.
Shown
- Diesel vehicles presented as cleanThe car manufacturers (as recorded in the sources reviewed)
Recorded
- The Commission found that VW, BMW and Daimler jointly limited AdBlue dosing in 2009-2014 and fined VW and BMW 875 million euros in total.
- Daimler was a whistleblower and received no fine.
- The coordination was carried out in joint technical meetings.
In court and with insurers
Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.
Lawsuits and rulings
- Claimant won€875m Fine on VW and BMW in total, millionsAdBlue cartel decisionEuropean Commission (competition law) · Regulatory · European Commission → Volkswagen, BMW, Daimler
The Commission found that the three manufacturers coordinated AdBlue dosing in 2009-2014 and fined VW and BMW 875 million euros in total. Daimler was the whistleblower and received no fine.
Insurers
No insurer decision on record.
What nature saw
Outcomes measured on the ground, and nature's note.
Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.
Fines (VW and BMW)
€875 million
Total, European Commission decision
Daimler's fine
None
Reported the cartel under the leniency programme
Period
2009–2014
Coordination of AdBlue dosing
What we don't know
Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.
Nature
- Not measured Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.
Record
- None on record The research file states no figure for the NOx emitted as a result of the limited dosing.
- None on record The research file states no estimate of the companies' gain from the cartel.
Did the harm stop?
Not stated.
Who paid?
The research file names the European public, exposed to NOx, as the party harmed; VW and BMW paid the fines.
Sources
Voices on record: — Company or project— Government and regulators— Courts— Press and investigations— Communities and civil society— Researchers
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