Norway
Responsible investment in Norway can be traced back to the late 1980s with the introduction of the country’s first environmental fund. There was steady growth in this type of investing, especially among institutional investors, from the mid-1990s to 2004.
The size of the market increased dramatically in 2004 with the introduction of ethical guidelines on the Norwegian Pension Fund. Norway’s premier fund, the Norwegian Government Pension Fund-Global, defines the Norwegian responsible investment market in terms of its guidelines and investment approaches. The fund’s guidelines are based on a combination of engagement, negative screening, and exclusion.
Some facts about the Norwegian market (as of 31/12/2007)*:
- SRI Market Size: €170.5 billion for Core SRI, €38.3 billion for broad
- Influential actor: Norwegian Government Pension Fund - Global
- Leading Strategies: ethical exclusions (Norms-based), some Best-in-Class, Engagement
- Legal Milestones: Introduction of ethical guidelines on the Norwegian Pension Fund (2004)
- SIF (yes/no): in process
For more information on SRI in Norway, download the Norwegian section of Eurosif's European SRI Study 2008.
*based on research conducted by TNS Prospera and analysis done by Eurosif.
