industrywide

Industrywide is an adjective describing something that affects, involves, or is intended to apply to an entire industry rather than to a single company or subset of participants. The term is used to denote breadth of scope in policy discussions, economic analysis, labor relations, standards development, and regulatory contexts. It implies that actions, standards, or trends are designed to encompass all firms, suppliers, distributors, or service providers within a given sector.

Common contexts include industrywide standards, industrywide agreements, and industrywide reforms. Examples include safety standards adopted by all firms in a manufacturing sector, wage or benefit agreements negotiated among employers within a particular industry, and data interoperability standards promoted across the healthcare or financial services sectors. Industrywide initiatives can be voluntary, driven by trade associations, or mandated by regulators, and often rely on certifications, audits, or shared best practices to achieve uniform compliance.

Legal and economic considerations: industrywide collaborations can improve efficiency, interoperability, and consumer welfare, but may raise antitrust concerns if they amount to price fixing, market allocation, or production limits. Legitimate industrywide efforts typically emphasize nonprice competition, standardization, or information sharing, and they may require regulatory oversight or antitrust exemptions to prevent harming competition.

Spelling and usage: industrywide is also written as industry-wide or industry wide, with hyphenation varying by style guide. The unhyphenated form remains common in contemporary usage.