Planning our

next page

Sustainability is an ideal way of operating where development and resource use are seen in an “eternal” perspective — meaning that if you continue to operate in this way for eternity, you'll never run out of resources. There are typically three legs of sustainability: economical, social, and environmental (including climate). All of these resources have to be positive for operations to be truly sustainable. This interpretation of sustainability comes from the 1987 Brundtland Report, which outlined development that “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

In our current economy, we take materials from the earth, make products from them, and eventually throw them away as waste — the process is linear. In a circular economy, by contrast, we stop waste being produced in the first place.

The circular economy allows us to decouple economic activity from the consumption of finite resources. It transforms every element of our take-make-waste system: how we manage resources, how we make and use products, and what we do with the materials afterwards.

Social impact is the effect on people and communities that happens as a result of an action or an inaction, an activity, project, program, or policy.

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are emissions of gases contributing to climate change through negatively impacting the greenhouse effect. The Kyoto Protocol identifies seven GHG gasses:

• carbon dioxide (CO2)
• methane (CH4)
• nitrous oxide (N2O)
• hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)
• perfluorocarbons (PFCs)
• sulfur hexafluoride (SF6)
• nitrogen trifluoride (NF3)

Global warming potential (GWP) is the effect of a greenhouse gas on the greenhouse effect compared to CO2. The effect is measured in CO2 equivalents (CO2e) and is used to compare all relevant GHG emissions.

The ability to be open and honest about both positive and negative impact. Relevant information such as targets, actions plans, and relevant data is displayed so that the costumer can make an informed decision.

The process of accepting used products from customers and running them though a cleaning and repackaging process before they are reused by new customers.

The Norwegian Transparency Act shall promote enterprises' respect for fundamental human rights and decent working conditions in connection with the production of goods and the provision of services and ensure the general public access to information regarding how enterprises address adverse impacts on fundamental human rights and decent working conditions.

In more practical terms, companies covered by the act are required to assess their entire value chain for actual and potential adverse impact on human rights and working conditions. The companies also need to take measures to cease, prevent, or mitigate adverse impacts.

Renewable energy is energy derived from resources that are naturally replenished. Hydropower, wind power, solar power, geothermal heat, and some types of bioenergy are examples of renewable energy. Nonrenewable energy includes fossil-based fuels such as oil, coal, and gas.

A carbon footprint is the total greenhouse gas emissions caused by an individual, event, organization, service, place, or product expressed in carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e).

A carbon offset refers to a reduction in emissions — or an increase in carbon storage — that is used to compensate for emissions that occur elsewhere. Because greenhouse gases mix in the atmosphere, it does not matter where exactly they are reduced.

Net zero is the concept of eliminating a carbon footprint by cutting greenhouse gas emissions as much as possible and offsetting the rest. For a company to claim to be net-zero, it must reduce its scope 1 and 2 emissions by 50% by 2030 and 90-95% by 2050, follow annual plans to reach those reduction goals, and take action if the goals aren’t reached.

The Science Based Targets initiative’s (SBTi) Corporate Net-Zero Standard is a globally recognized standard for achieving net zero.

Scope 1 emissions are direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that occur from sources that are controlled or owned by an organization, such as emissions from boilers, furnaces, and vehicles.

Scope 2 emissions are indirect GHG emissions associated with the purchase of electricity, steam, heating, or cooling. Although scope 2 emissions physically occur at the facility where they’re generated, they’re accounted for in an organization’s GHG inventory because they’re a result of the organization’s energy use.

Scope 3 emissions are the result of activities from assets not owned or controlled by the reporting organization, but that the organization indirectly affects in its value chain.