On 8 July 2021, the European Commission (Commission) imposed a €875 million cartel fine on car manufacturers for restricting competition in emission cleaning for new diesel passenger cars. It is the Commission’s first cartel decision ever to be based solely on a restriction of technical development (as opposed to ‘classic’ cartel behaviour such as price fixing, market sharing, customer allocation or bid-rigging). It is also the most recent example of the Commission using its antitrust enforcement powers against business practices that risk jeopardising the EU’s Green Deal and sustainability goals. This has implications for businesses’ entire product cycle, ranging from the sourcing of input products and the phasing out of unsustainable products, to the development and manufacture of goods, and their subsequent distribution.