Norway has become the first country in the world to commit to zero deforestation.  The Norwegian parliament last week agreed to a pledge that the government’s public procurement policy will become deforestation-free.

The Norwegian parliament's Standing Committee on Energy and the Environment made the pledge in a recommendation on the government’s Action Plan on Nature Diversity.  It requests that the government "impose requirements to ensure that public procurements do not contribute to deforestation of the rainforest".   The committee also requested that the government address the need to protect biodiversity through the investments made by Norges Bank Investment Management, which manages Norway’s Government Pension Fund Global, and that a separate policy for biodiversity be developed.

The Rainforest Foundation Norway has campaigned for a number of years to secure a zero deforestation commitment from the Norwegian government and released a statement saying, "Norway is the first country in the world to commit to zero deforestation in its public procurement". 

"Over the last few years, a number of companies have committed to cease the procurement of goods that can be linked to destruction of the rainforest," said Rainforest Foundation Norway’s Nils Hermann Ranum.  "Until now, this has not been matched by similar commitments from governments.  Thus, it is highly positive that the Norwegian state is now following suit and making the same demands when it comes to public procurements."