Assessment of damages in the fruit packaging market

Lear assisted a major producer of fruit packaging in the evaluation of the alleged damages caused by its participation in a cartel agreement, as established by a national competition authority. Lear’s analysis consisted in an in-depth study of the market, with particular attention towards the characteristics of the demand and supply of fruit packaging. By using a comparative method and with the help of econometric techniques, Lear showed that members of the alleged cartel had limited power to raise prices above competitive levels. Lear provided both a quantitative estimate of the overcharge charged by the cartel members and of the pass-on rate applied by the fruit producers in the downstream market.