The funds received from member retailers are earmarked environmental measures that fulfill at least one of the Fund’s purposes:
Fund measures that involve preventing and cleaning up plastic pollution
Fund measures that contribute to reduced consumption of plastic and a circular plastics economy.
Contribute to ensuring that members at all times can comply with national and international regulatory requirements that aim to promote sustainable use of plastic carrier bags.
Our history
The Norwegian Retailers' Environment Fund was founded in November 2017, and was established as an alternative to a government imposed tax, to help ensure compliance with the requirements and intentions of the EU Directive 2015/720 on lightweight plastic carrier bags. The directive states that countries should either introduce a national reduction target for lightweight plastic carrier bags, or ensure that these bags are not provided free of charge at the point of sale of goods or products. Norway opted for the latter. Norwegian retailers and the Ministry of Climate and Environment came to a common understanding, where retailers themselves are responsible for not providing lightweight plastic carrier bags free of charge. Virke, The Federation of Norwegian Enterprise, The Norwegian Federation of Service Industries and Retail Trade and DMF, established the Norwegian Retailers' Environment Fund to ensure that the funds collected are earmarked to reducing environmental issues due to plastics.
Now the association is a greater tool than merely being Norway's way of implementing an EU directive. The Norwegian Retailers' Environment Fund receives several million Norwegian kroner per year, and is not bound by bureaucracy or public rules and regulations. Therefore, we are able to turn around quickly and take risks in order to achieve outcomes. This means our funding provides solid results, and we can fulfill our vision to ensure plastics circularity and a pollution free environment.
Ministry of Climate and Environment statement about the Norwegian Retailers' Environment Fund
In a letter, 9th of December 2019, to the EFTA Surveillance Authority (ESA) on Norway's compliance with the EU Plastic Bags Directive, the Ministry of Climate and Environment describes the Norwegian Retailers' Environment Fund as follows:
"In 2017, the largest actors in the Norwegian grocery, retail and trade sectors agreed to meet the national obligations in the directive through the establishment of the Norwegian Retailers' Environment Fund (Handelens Miljøfond) owned and operated by the relevant private actors. Members of the fund are required to place a fee on all plastic carrier bags they sell. The fund finances both national and international initiatives aimed at reducing and preventing plastic pollution e.g. through clean-up projects and support for technology and innovation. The fund's stated goals are threefold: 1) Prevent and clean up plastic pollution, not least in relation to marine littering 2) Reduce the use of plastic carrier bags 3) Increase resource efficiency by supporting measures to increase plastic recycling. By 2018, the majority of actors in the grocery, retail and trade sectors were already part of the fund, and 80-90pct. of all plastic carrier bags sold in Non/vay were subject to this fee through the fund. It is therefore the Norwegian Government's View that this financial mechanism sernves as a sufficiently effective measure to meet the national obligations in the directive."
