The Minister of Trade and Industry launches Made in Norway

-I am very proud and happy that we can now present Made in Norway, our new national labeling initiative for sustainable Norwegian products and solutions. The label is intended to help more Norwegian businesses succeed in international markets and is one of several measures in our export reform, says Minister of Trade and Industry Jan Christian Vestre.

Made in Norway will be a protected trademark for Norwegian products exported abroad. It is meant to be a quality mark for Norwegian products, encouraging increased willingness to pay for these goods.

-Norwegian companies have excellent products and solutions, but Norwegians are not always as adept at selling these quality products and solutions. In many international markets, it can be of great value for a company or a product to be clearly associated with Norway, says the Minister of Trade and Industry.

Requested by the business sector

Several countries have their own national origin labels. The Norwegian business sector has requested a scheme like Made in Norway.

The result being launched now has been developed and adapted based on in-depth interviews and quantitative tests with 200 Norwegian companies across sectors.

-Now, more Norwegian businesses will have access to good tools they can use to assert themselves in a tough international market. We are facilitating increased exports for the entire country, says Vestre.

Norwegian School of Economics (NHH), BI Norwegian Business School, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, and other stakeholders have been closely involved in the design, in addition to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Norwegian Industrial Property Office. Innovation Norway will administer the initiative to ensure the brand's industry neutrality and build trust in the population and the market. The label thus represents independent common values.

Sustainable solutions

-I hope that the origin label will help Norwegian businesses understand the value of incorporating Norway and positive attributes associated with Norway into their own brand building and storytelling. By doing so, they become part of the national team that contributes to positioning Norway. This allows them to command higher prices for their Norwegian products and solutions in international markets, says Håkon Haugli, CEO of Innovation Norway.

In the world, Norway is associated with responsibility, sustainability, clean air, and beautiful nature, among other things. These are advantages that Norwegian businesses can leverage in their marketing when approved to use the new label.

Companies wishing to use the label must demonstrate that a significant part of the product or solution is produced in Norway, has a role in the zero-emission society, contributes to at least one of the UN's sustainable development goals, and does not harm any of the EU's six environmental objectives.