Sustainability

Partnerships Building an
Equitable, Low-Carbon Society

We work closely with all our portfolio companies to make a positive impact on people and the planet. We believe that acting responsibly leads to better investment results and we are convinced that a sustainable approach is the right thing to do.

Highlighting 2023

2,297 organic net new hires

88% of boards have both genders

24% female board members

18% reduction in carbon intensity (tCO2e/revenue)

247,781 total financed carbon emissions (tCO2e)

Low (1.3/10) overall physical climate risk

62% of AUM allocated to Article 8 Funds

30.8% taxonomy eligible activities

Norvestor Sustainability Objectives

Reduce greenhouse gases

Reducing the carbon footprint of all portfolio companies is a core objective for Norvestor, and all portfolio companies are required to report underlying data for their carbon emissions (scope 1,2 and 3) and other detailed information on their environmental footprint annually regardless of whether this is material for the companies or not.
Reduce climate-related risks and capture risk-reduction opportunities

The portfolio’s exposure to climate risks is low and are not expected to carry high financial consequences for the portfolio companies, but Norvestor has committed to continuously measuring climate-related risks and opportunity of all companies at least annually. Norvestor follows the recommendations set out by the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD).
Ensure a diverse and inclusive workforce

Norvestor is committed to equal opportunities ensuring that management acknowledges employees’ needs and that their perspectives are considered. We support companies in implementing policies and practices and fostering diverse cultures at all levels of the organisation, that always respect human rights.
Create safe and attractive workplaces

Norvestor aims to ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of all employees to create attractive workplaces where employees feel valued and where they can bring out the best in themselves.
Reduce non-compliance risk

Norvestor aims to ensure well-defined and established compliance processes and practices in all portfolio companies. Norvestor have formed a policy package to offer companies templates for policies and procedures that go beyond compliance with the latest regulations and standards.
Transparency and reporting

Norvestor support all portfolio companies to foster a culture of transparency and accountability on ESG notably providing regular reporting on sustainability.
Identify positive contribution to UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)

The SDGs present a clear opportunity for businesses to align their products and services to address the world’s biggest sustainable development challenges. This allows Norvestor to help companies identify how they can help achieve these goals, both by limiting the negative impact as well as identifying the positive impacts.

We work continuously with our portfolio companies to improve their impact on the world and society through more sustainable business practices. We also invest in companies with innovative solutions to global challenges. It’s a partnership approach that puts people at the heart of everything we do: our team, the management and employees of companies we invest in, and their customers. Read more about our main approach below:

ESG integrated in our investment process

Pre-investment screening of all potential companies rejects those with business activities in excluded industries. We also avoid businesses with questionable ethical foundations or if we feel the Company will struggle to adopt a sustainable business model.

When we assess the attractiveness of potential investments, we look across the company’s entire value chain and how well its industry sector is aligned with a sustainable future. We examine the company’s key ESG priorities and measure how they are performing against these by conducting an ESG due diligence. We also carry out commercial, financial, legal, technical and cyber due diligence, as well as a management audit.

Promoting sustainable business practices

Once we invest in a company, we support them in creating ESG strategies that deliver a competitive advantage and act as a growth driver. We often support companies in developing innovative products and services that reduce climate gas emissions. For all companies we invest in we establish processes to systematically identify and act on opportunities to reduce carbon emissions and other negative impact, and to increase positive contributions to employees, clients, suppliers and other stakeholders of the company.

Annual ESG performance reviews of portfolio companies ensure they are continuing on the right track. ESG reporting follows internationally recognised standards and frameworks, including the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), Impact Management Project, IRIS+ and the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD).

Further support with integrating ESG principles is available to our portfolio companies when they collaborate informally, such as at our Knowledge Summits, full-day gatherings where portfolio company executives, the Norvestor team and our network of advisors meet to exchange ideas and experiences. These meetings of ideas encourage us to adopt best practices and to hear from experts about the latest trends and thinking on ESG, digitalisation and the changing requirements of senior finance, sales, marketing and human resources roles. The informal business network we have built over three decades constantly expands for the benefit of the growing family of Norvestor portfolio companies.

Investing in companies with innovative solutions to global challenges

Some of the companies we invest in are leaders in their sectors, in the use of technology and innovative processes that can have a tremendous positive impact on people and the planet. This includes businesses with well-proven circular business models, experts in the transition to green energy and companies contributing to more efficient water use, waste management and cleaner oceans. Working closely with management teams, we support these companies to continue to develop and grow.