Nordic sustainability briefing: nature reporting gaps, marine pollution, SME data requests and green hosting claims
Denmark has missed its UN biodiversity reporting obligations, while a Norwegian status report finds marine pollution has fallen but that the decline is slowing in some sea areas. An OECD report says small firms often cannot supply sustainability data in the formats lenders require, and the Green Web Foundation has updated its green-hosting verification and badge guidance in light of the EU's green-claims rules.
Denmark has not submitted biodiversity targets or a progress report under the UN nature convention
DR reports that Denmark is one of three EU countries not meeting its obligations under the UN biodiversity convention. It has not filed national targets or the status report that was due in February. The chair of the Biodiversity Council estimates that only about 2% of Danish nature can be counted as protected. The government's platform promises a nature and biodiversity law aiming for 30% protected land, 10% of it strictly protected.
Norwegian status report: pollution in Norwegian sea areas at its lowest in a while, but declines are slowing
NRK reports on a recent status report finding that pollution in Norwegian sea areas has fallen and that Norwegian seafood is largely safe to eat. Levels of PCB and other pollutants dropped sharply after bans, but the decline has stagnated in the North Sea over the past decade and weakened in the Barents Sea. The researcher quoted also says new environmental threats are emerging.
OECD report: small firms often cannot supply sustainability data in the formats lenders need
An OECD report from June says many SMEs lack the digital capacity to automate data collection or supply it in the formats lenders require, which creates a barrier to sustainable financing. It describes a tool from four Belgian banks (Belfius, BNP Paribas Fortis, ING Belgium and KBC) that lets SMEs structure ESG data in line with the VSME Standard and share it with chosen stakeholders. It also says preparations are under way for API links so SME data can go directly to banks and insurers, to cut repeated requests.
Green Web Foundation revises hosting verification and badges around the EU green-claims directive
The Green Web Foundation, which runs the open dataset of verified green hosting, says the EmpCo Directive (EU) 2024/825 took effect in late September. It has published guidance on what the directive means for its verification process and its Green Web Badge. From October 2026 it also asks hosting providers seeking verification to share a statement of commitment to a fossil-free internet. Freelancers who display a green-hosting badge on their sites may want to read the guidance.