“Previously held perceptions about the damaging effect of industry on the environment have had to make way for a new reality in industrial Norway. From being a real environmental problem, Norwegian industrial companies are now important participants in the efforts to develop environment and climate friendly industrial production.
A company I would like to single out here is Hydro. The fact that the company is leading the field in terms of modern, climate friendly technology and production is especially important because Hydro is a global company. Their efforts therefore have a very wide-reaching and positive impact,” says Stein Lier-Hansen, managing director of the Federation of Norwegian Industries.
“There’s a worldwide contest taking place to develop environment and climate friendly production. Society has to be able to put in place a minimum of basic conditions if companies are to manage to play important roles in this field. And in Norway such conditions have only partially been available,” says Lier-Hansen.
“We have a highly educated population, when viewed from a broad international perspective. And we have been blessed with important natural resources such as energy and mineral deposits. But we have not been blessed with the politically defined, competitive basic governing conditions we would have liked.
“Despite this, prominent industrial companies like Hydro have worked to achieve a position at the highest levels of technology and set a global standard for environmentally friendly production within their specialist industrial areas. The latter is of great significance, for future developments will mean that companies' climate record will have an ever greater impact on their financial valuation and on employees’ own perceptions of the attractiveness of their workplaces,” he explains.
Voluntary agreements produce big results
Norwegian industrial companies are working efficiently, determinedly and at the highest technological level on activities designed to reduce emissions. By means of voluntary agreements, land-based industry has cut its direct climate gas emissions by more than 20 percent since 1990. During the last five years the industry, in conjunction with ENOVA, has delivered nearly three terawatt-hours (TWh) through energy-saving measures. “As one of the biggest Norwegian industrial companies, Hydro must naturally take much of the credit for these results,” Lier-Hansen points out.
Asks politicians to do their bit
“Companies are very mindful of environment and energy savings when adopting new technology. This has both immediate and long-term consequences; firstly by boosting competitiveness and the company's ability to survive, and secondly by motivating the employees and owners to make an extra effort.”
Lier-Hansen maintains, however, that the authorities should be making a greater contribution. “We must be given higher depreciation rates in general, especially for measures that promote the environment. That would cost the state little, and was in fact promised by Socialist Left Party in the 2005 elections. Three and a half years have now passed and these election promises have still not been translated into practical policies. This would be a simple measure that would have great innovative effect,” concludes Lier-Hansen, who has been fighting, together with Hydro, to obtain better depreciation rates for several years now . . .
