During the Industrial Conference 2024, the companies at Raufoss launched a plan that sets the foundation for climate-neutral industrial production in the area: Planet 2030 – Raufoss Industrial Park.
By 2030, Raufoss Industrial Park aims to double its turnover while simultaneously reducing emissions and minimizing environmental impacts. It’s a formidable challenge, but precisely the kind the entire world is facing today.
– It's easy to feel hopeless when Norway can't even reach half of its climate goal for 2030, but there are many great examples worldwide from which we can learn, says Øivind Hansebråten, CEO of Raufoss Industrial Park.
One example is England, the first major economy globally to halve its CO2 emissions. Another is Germany, whose government recently confirmed it is on track to meet its 65% emissions reduction target by 2030.
Increasingly
Tougher requirements
The industrial success story in Norway’s inland region has delivered international success for a long time. Over 90% of everything produced at Raufoss Industrial Park is sold in highly competitive international markets. However, companies report facing increasingly stringent requirements from both customers and the EU. To survive in today's automotive industry, detailed greenhouse gas accounting is essential.
– This represents a fantastic opportunity for Norwegian manufacturing, given our energy mix is nearly 100% renewable. Planet 2030 – Raufoss Industrial Park is designed to close all remaining CO2 gaps, enabling us to assure the world of our climate-neutral industrial production, Hansebråten says.
Since January, owners, executives, and employees from companies at Raufoss have worked intensively to establish unique climate and energy goals for the industrial park. Now, they are ready to fully commit.
– Where there's a will, there's a way. Companies have clearly shown their willingness to collaborate towards very concrete objectives. All goals are being presented at the Industrial Conference at Raufoss today, and companies will continue working together to achieve them, Hansebråten explains.
We can motivate
Just like a city or country, Raufoss Industrial Park consists of many independent actors. The park's management has no formal authority over the companies.
– But we can motivate collaboration and initiate joint projects. The climate challenge poses an existential threat to life on Earth as we know it. The world already has the technologies needed, but we lack the collaboration necessary to accelerate solutions, Hansebråten adds:
Planet 2030 – Raufoss Industrial Park includes a set of goals structured around four pillars, which must be achieved by 2030 to position the industrial park on the path to becoming a sustainable community by 2040 or a low-emission society.
– We’ve based our goals on Norway’s commitment to becoming a low-emission society by 2050, but we want to be slightly more ambitious. Many factors beyond our control must align to reach this vision, but with this initiative, we signal our awareness of the severity of the challenge and our readiness to contribute, says Hansebråten.
