The Share Portfolio
Orkla Financial Investment has built up expertise on investments in environment-related projects, and the Share Portfolio staff includes analysts with special expertise in green investments. Collaboration has also been established in this area with the research departments at Borregaard and Elkem. Projects that combine environment-friendly technology and a good return on investment are assessed on an ongoing basis.
Orkla Finans
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Orkla Financial Investments comprises the Share Portfolio, Orkla Finans and Orkla Eiendom.
The Share Portfolio manages one of Norway’s largest share portfolios, consisting of investments mainly in the Nordic region.
Orkla Finans offers investment services to institutional and private investors, while Orkla Eiendom invests in and develops property.
The business area also comprises Borregaard Skoger, which develops and manages Orkla’s forest properties.
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Orkla Finans makes investments in the environmental and energy sector, focusing on both power and energy and on the CO
2 quota market.
As the various technologies are enhanced, production of renewable energy is becoming increasingly profitable. This growing profitability is attracting considerable interest from the capital market. Orkla Finans has two funds, the Orkla Energy Fund and the Orkla Carbon Fund, which invest in energy and CO2, respectively.
Both the Orkla Energy Fund and the Orkla Carbon Fund are managed by Orkla Finans Commodity Trading AS. Elkem Energi Handel AS and Orkla Finans Kapitalforvaltning AS each own 50 % of Orkla Finans Commodity Trading AS.
Orkla Eiendom
Orkla Eiendom focuses on eco-efficient, environmentally sound solutions, which it applies in its real estate projects. Both new properties that are purchased and the buildings already in the unit's portfolio are carefully reviewed to ensure that energy use is properly managed. Both environmental gains and lower operating costs can be achieved by simple means through the implementation of energy-saving measures.
Orkla Eiendom is also working on the further development of new eco-efficient solutions, such as:
- Recovery of surplus heat from sewage water and from ventilation
- Efficient management of lighting in common areas to achieve savings in terms of lifetime and lower energy consumption
- Use of solar energy. While the effect of solar energy in Norway is reduced for parts of the year, it can nevertheless be an effective source of energy for charging battery-poweredback-up systems. Thanks to new advances in solar cell technology, this type of solution will be more cost-effective and eco-efficient in the coming years.
Real estate development is also active social development, and several of Orkla Eiendom's projects involve the renewal of old industrial areas, which are converted into modern residential and commercial properties. Given the Orkla Group's many industrial operations, this type of development project will be a key component of Orkla Eiendom's portfolio.
Environment, health and safety are emphasised at every stage of project implementation, both in connection with contractors' activities on building sites and with the project's local surroundings. Orkla Eiendom carries out systematic inspections of its contractors, with a view to ensuring a good, professionally qualified workforce on building sites and the establishment of satisfactory routines and quality assurance systems. While building projects are being carried out, regular inspections, spot checks and audits are conducted of contractors' quality assurance systems. This work has produced very positive results in the form of marginal incidence of injuries at building sites and effective handling of negative impacts on the environment.
Borregaard Skoger
Orkla owns a total of 1,080,000 decares, of which 780,000 are productive forest. Borregaard Skoger AS is responsible for the management of these properties, which is firmly based on the principle of sustainable forestry.
Environmental certification and environmental registration have been priorities for Borregaard Skoger, and key biotope registration or environmental registration has now been carried out on all properties. The operative forestry business is run by an operating company, Statskog Borregaard Skogsdrift AS (SB SKOG), whose environmental management system has been certified by Det Norske Veritas (DNV) since 1999. The company is certified in accordance with the ISO 14001 environmental management standard and the ‘Living Forest' standard for sustainable Norwegian forestry. The standard contains 25 requirements, all of which cover areas and measures that have an environmental impact or are significant for forestry activities. The operating company aims to establish ISO 9001-certified quality assurance procedures by the end of 2009.