Green Policies, Regulations & Standards

Norway’s updated green public procurement rules (in force from 1 January 2024) make climate and environmental requirements a main-rule feature of public tenders. Contracting authorities must generally weight climate/environment at 30% in award criteria or, if clearly better, embed requirements directly in specifications. If environmental impact is negligible and no requirements are set, the decision must be justified in the procurement documents. The regime raises compliance expectations for documentation, tender design, and auditability across public purchasing.

Switzerland’s ORDEE establishes mandatory take-back and compliant recycling duties for electrical and electronic equipment. Retailers are required to take back end-of-life equipment from their product range free of charge and ensure professional recycling and disposal. The regime has been in effect since 1998 and remains fully enforced, shaping producer and retailer responsibilities and the practical operation of Swiss e-waste systems. Non-compliance typically involves refusal to take back equipment, weak collection arrangements, or use of improper recycling routes, exposing companies to corrective enforcement and market restrictions.

Switzerland’s Electricity Supply Act governs key market and grid rules underpinning secure supply, including responsibilities for grid operation and the framework for market functioning. Compliance is ongoing for grid operators and regulated market actors and is closely linked to renewable integration and grid expansion policy. Enforcement risk typically arises where grid access, operational reliability, or tariff-related expectations are not met, prompting regulatory orders, corrective actions, or heightened oversight.

Switzerland’s Ordinance on Beverage Containers requires dealers, manufacturers, and importers supplying beverages in refillable containers to charge a deposit and take back refillable containers. The ordinance also includes labelling requirements and functions as a policy tool to protect collection and recycling outcomes, with mechanisms that can tighten obligations if performance targets are missed. Non-compliance typically involves failing to apply deposits, refusing take-back, or breaching labelling rules, creating enforcement exposure and operational disruption for beverage and retail supply chains.

Swiss hazardous and notifiable waste controls require special waste to be handled only by authorised operators and transported with traceability and documentation. Cross-border movements are controlled through approval and notification-type requirements aligned with international waste shipment principles. Enforcement can include seizure, corrective orders, and significant legal exposure for illegal shipments or misclassification. Most compliance failures involve missing documentation, unauthorised operators, or shipment before required approvals.

Switzerland imposes mandatory battery take-back and recycling obligations on suppliers. Retailers and other suppliers must accept used portable batteries free of charge, and automotive and industrial batteries must also be collected separately and recycled through compliant routes. The system is fully in force and designed to prevent battery disposal in municipal waste streams while supporting recovery of valuable materials. Non-compliance typically involves failures in free take-back acceptance, inadequate collection logistics, or non-compliant downstream recycling arrangements, which can trigger corrective enforcement measures.

Switzerland’s PRTR ordinance requires in-scope facilities to report pollutant releases and transfers of waste and pollutants in wastewater, enabling public access to environmental performance data. Compliance hinges on accurate measurement, internal controls, and timely reporting. Non-compliance typically involves missed submissions or inaccurate data, which can trigger enforcement measures and reputational exposure, especially where discrepancies are identified by authorities or stakeholders using public data.

Switzerland’s Chemicals Act imposes binding duties on companies placing substances and preparations on the Swiss market. It is supported by detailed ordinances that operationalise risk prevention, including rules on handling particularly dangerous substances and market surveillance powers. Compliance requires robust classification and documentation controls, adherence to restrictions, and readiness for enforcement action. Non-compliance can result in sales restrictions, corrective measures, and legal exposure depending on severity.

Denmark implements EU ETS obligations through the Act on CO2 Allowances and supporting executive orders covering monitoring, reporting, verification, and allowance surrender. Covered operators must run compliant monitoring plans, submit verified annual emissions reports, hold the correct registry accounts, and surrender allowances for verified emissions within EU ETS deadlines. Non-compliance typically involves late reporting, insufficient allowance surrender, or weak monitoring evidence. Enforcement risk increases sharply when data integrity and documentation are inadequate, even if emissions levels are not disputed.

Swiss contaminated sites law requires polluted sites to be investigated, prioritised, and remediated where they pose harmful effects or risks. The Contaminated Sites Ordinance sets the framework for site classification, remediation planning, monitoring, and aftercare, implemented through authority decisions. Liable parties can face binding remediation orders and major cost exposure, supported by a charge-based financing mechanism. Non-compliance typically arises from delayed investigations, failure to implement ordered remediation, or breach of monitoring requirements.