• ACCC will not oppose Cleanaway's proposed acquisition of Contract Resources
• Contract Resources provides specialist industrial services that Cleanaway does not supply
• Merged entity will continue to face competition in industrial services and waste management

The ACCC has announced that it will not oppose Cleanaway Waste Management Limited's (ASX:CWY) proposed acquisition of Contract Resources Group Pty Ltd. Cleanaway and Contract Resources both supply a range of industrial services in Australia, including maintenance and cleaning of industrial facilities and equipment. Cleanaway is also one of the largest waste management companies in Australia. The ACCC's review found that Contract Resources primarily provides specialist industrial services, such as catalyst handling, which Cleanaway does not supply. For other types of industrial services that both Cleanaway and Contract Resources supply, the ACCC found the merged entity would continue to face competition from alternative suppliers and customers would be able to effectively sponsor the entry of new suppliers. The ACCC also considered the likely effect of the acquisition on competition in the supply of waste management services and found that the merged entity is unlikely to be able to profitably leverage Contract Resources' strong position in specialist industrial services into Cleanaway's waste management offering, as customers have other options to source these specialist services. Overall, the ACCC concluded that the proposed acquisition is unlikely to substantially lessen competition in the supply of industrial services or waste management services.