Detailed criteria for registering a solution on Business Norway

1. You must be a Norwegian company registered in the Brønnøysund Register Centre.
2. Your solution or service must be green and/or sustainable (according to Business Norway’s definition).
3. Your solution must contribute to achieving at least one of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.
4. You must have plans for international growth.
5. You must follow principles of corporate responsibility.

Green solutions are defined as technologies, products and processes that reduce impact, directly or indirectly, on the environment or climate compared to current alternatives.

Business Norway is also open to certain types of sustainable solutions that provide positive societal impact, without negative environmental impact. These include solutions in the areas of health and well-being, safety and societal security, animal welfare and biodiversity, and education technology.

For examples, please read Business Norway’s definition of green and sustainable solutions.

The editorial team assesses which SDGs that the company’s solution or service contributes to achieving in a direct way.

Companies are asked whether they have plans for international growth to ensure that their solution can have a more lasting impact both in terms of promoting environmental and social sustainability in Norway and internationally and in terms of increasing value creation in Norway. A company that is ready for international growth is often backed by strong financial partners.

Solutions or services do not have to be commercially available to be included on Business Norway. The editorial team will, however, assess the level of readiness of the solution – it must be more than just a concept – and whether there are strong partners involved or the company has received funding from a highly selective source such as the EU framework programmes for research and innovation. This indicates the likelihood that a viable commercial solution or service will be developed in the not-too-distant future.

Companies must work in accordance with corporate responsibility as defined by:

• The OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises
• The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights

The aim is to ensure that the companies and their solutions or services contribute to sustainable development, including greater corporate responsibility, and that they do not contribute to corruption, the violation of human rights, workers’ rights and poor working conditions, or have a harmful impact on local communities and the environment.

These principles and guidelines apply to all organisations seeking to present a solution.

The companies must confirm that they take a responsible approach and follow the principles of corporate responsibility by performing a risk analysis (for instance a due diligence) to identify and mitigate negative impacts of both their own operations and their business relationships.

Systems to reduce risk may also consist of stakeholder engagement, implementation of codes of ethics, training of employees in responsible business conduct, or putting in place whistleblowing procedures.

The company must have the willingness and ability to make improvements in line with the abovementioned principles and guidelines and best practice in its sector. If serious matters are uncovered that are in breach of these principles, this may constitute grounds for the company to be removed from Business Norway

The responsibility of verifying that the information provided is accurate and true lies with the individual company. The editorial team does not check the validity of the company’s fulfilment of the criteria, or the information provided about the solution or service itself.