📋 Tender Overview
The new law will help products to last longer, be repaired more easily and create less waste. "It's good for the environment and Norwegian consumers," says the Minister of Climate and Environment.
"The gloomy background is that our economy is geared towards an excessive consumption of resources that are available in the world. The world as a whole consumes resources as if we had three planets at our disposal. This trend must be reversed. This seriousness was also recently thoroughly underlined by the UN Resource Panel, in the report Global Resources Outlook 2024," says Minister of Climate and Environment Andreas Bjelland Eriksen.
The Government's proposal for an Act on Sustainable Products and Value Chains was adopted by the Storting last week. The law was today sanctioned by the King in Council and the law will enter into force on 1 July. With this, we have gained a completely new basis for setting requirements for sustainable products in Norwegian legislation.
"Putting in place new legislation on sustainable products is one of the most important things we can do to speed up the circular economy in Norway. This was therefore at the top of the list in the Circular Economy Action Plan 2024–2025, and today we have reached this important milestone,' said Minister of Climate and Environment Andreas Bjelland Eriksen.
The new law gives the authorities the authority to require that the production and consumption of products throughout the life cycle, and in a global perspective, make better use of resources and become more sustainable at all stages. Among other things, the products must last longer, be repairable more easily and create less waste. This is good for Norwegian consumers, who get better products on the market. It is also good for Norwegian business and industry, which can deliver on high sustainability standards.
Until now, the purpose of environmental legislation has primarily been to reduce social activities and products that are harmful to health and the environment. This legislation will continue to apply, but is now supplemented by the new law that focuses on promoting positive sustainability characteristics of products. The law provides a basis for requiring products to be designed to fit into a circular economy. It also provides for regulations with requirements for sustainability throughout the life cycle of products that are particularly important for this transition. This applies to batteries, vehicles, packaging, plastics, textiles and electrical and electronic products.
The new requirements for the products will be common to countries in the EU/EEA so that the business sector meets the same framework conditions. By introducing this type of legislation, Norway is helping to reduce Europe's global climate and environmental footprint. At the same time, we are getting a boost in our own green transition and the realisation of a low-emission society.
