Innovation Norway is owned by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries (51%) and county councils (49%). It contributes with growth in Norwegian businesses and industry through capital and expertise within sustainable frameworks. They offer services within funding, advice, expertise, networking and promotion. “The government argues that sustainability, whether economic, social and environmental, should be present in Innovation Norway’s business.”

Innovation Norway launched the Sustainable Destination designation in 2013. There are ten key principles for sustainable tourism that must be met in order to qualify for the designation. The destination must work to conserve nature, the environment, and culture. It must also work to strengthen social values. Finally, the destination should promote economic sustainability.

The tourism industry itself initiated and created a roadmap for the tourism industry in Norway: “Towards Sustainable Travel and Tourism In Norway: A Roadmap” (2017), where the 10 largest organisations in Norwegian tourism stand united and are clear on that they should work for the long-term perspective.

Norway is getting serious about strategies and policies to combat climate change in an effort to help protect the wide variety of plants and animals that call this country home. 

There are specific tour companies that focus on reducing the environmental footprints within tourism, as Fjord Tours, where the key component is public transportation already in place, with trains and electrical fjord cruise boats, to minimize the eco-footprint. They cooperate closely with local activity-, transport- and accommodation providers, supporting them in creating long term economical sustainability within their community. As early as in 2011 they received the European Sustainable Tourism Award from The Vestas, when we were recognized as an example of a provider contributing to sustainable and responsible tourism in the category “Tour Package”.

Oslo is unique internationally due to our commitment to the environment and climate. Oslo has strong and competitive industry clusters in areas such as energy, smart mobility, maritime and life sciences. Sustainability and green solutions are main drivers for all sectors:

-Oslo has one of the world’s most ambitious climate strategies, with goals in accordance with The Paris agreement.

-Oslo is the first city in the world to introduce a climate budget, where we count CO2 in the same way that we count money.

-Oslo has become the EV capital of the world. Oslo is also first in the world to invest in carbon capture and storage (CCS) from waste facilities.

-Oslo is a pioneer within circular waste management, where for instance food waste is transformed into biogas for the city’s buses and waste trucks.

-Oslo is also using its purchasing power to enhance the green transition, for instance by creating a market for green inventions when we demand fossil-free construction sites from entrepreneurs who build our new schools, elderly homes and sport arenas.

-Oslo is in the process of implementing all-time high investments in public transport.

Brattørkaia is an eight-story office building that will produce 485,000 kWh annually. The average Norwegian home uses about 20,000 kWh of power a year. Brattørkaia will become a mini-power plant that can supply electricity to Norway’s publicly owned grid. Its surplus energy will also compensate for the power used to produce its building materials. 

Motion sensors click lights on and off as people move about the building. An internal spiral staircase doubles as a ventilation shaft. Rooftop solar panels collect energy on bright days, energy wells store it, and geothermal power compensates on colder, grayer days.

The building concrete frame was recycled, and the old exterior glass windows were reused to make interior partitions, which help maximize daylight. Additional insulation panels were made from old plastic bottles. Rather than use energy-intensive metal, a Japanese wood-burning technique called “shou sugi ban” was used to blacken Kjørbo’s new façade.