NORSUS

What NORSUS does

NORSUS AS (formerly Østfoldforskning, rebranded 2024) is a Norwegian applied research institute founded in 1988 and headquartered in Kråkerøy, Norway. It generates revenue primarily through commissioned research, consulting engagements, and competitive grants from Norwegian public agencies and EU programs (e.g., CBE JU, Horizon Europe), operating as a specialized professional-services firm rather than a product company. Its core offering is applied life cycle assessment (LCA) and the development of Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) for clients across manufacturing, construction, energy, bioeconomy, healthcare, and the public sector. Researchers use LCA methodology, value chain analysis, material flow analysis, and the integrated Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) framework combining environmental LCA with Life Cycle Costing (LCC) and Social LCA.

The institute's most differentiated technical assets are NorEnviro — a national centre established with NMBU that functions as a library of Norwegian-specific emissions and resource data — and the proprietary BioValueChain models for environmental and economic assessment of Norwegian biogas value chains. It maintains long-term collaborations with academic and industrial partners including Borregaard, VEAS, Høiax, Carbon Crusher, Den Magiske Fabrikken, Oslo kommune, and Oslo universitetssykehus, alongside consortium-level participation in major programs such as the €14.4M PROTEUS kelp-biorefinery initiative, the 220M NOK EarthresQue SFI, and IEA Bioenergy Task 37 (17 countries). Senior staff hold convenor roles in ISO and CEN standards committees on construction-sector LCA and contribute to UNEP Life Cycle Initiative working groups, giving NORSUS direct influence over the regulatory frameworks its clients operate in.

Name

NORSUS

Legal name

NORSUS AS

Website

https://norsus.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NORSUS is a Norwegian applied research institute founded in 1988 that delivers commissioned LCA studies, EPD development, and sustainability consulting to government agencies, municipalities, and industrial clients across energy, construction, and bioeconomy sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Fredrikstad

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Commissioned Research and Consulting: Research institute providing commissioned research services to government agencies, municipalities, and private companies on sustainability, LCA, and environmental assessment topics

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

NORSUS is a Norwegian research institute that conducts life cycle assessment (LCA) studies, develops Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), and provides sustainability research and consulting services. It maintains the NorEnviro national LCA data library and develops specialized models such as BioValueChain for biogas value chains. Services are delivered through commissioned research projects to government agencies, municipalities, and private enterprises across sectors including construction, packaging, energy, biogas, biorefining, transport, and process industry.

Product overview

NORSUS is a Norwegian research institute specializing in sustainability and life cycle assessment (LCA). The organization operates as a research and consulting services provider rather than a product company. Its core offerings include LCA services, development of Environmental Product Declarations (EPD), and the NorEnviro national database for LCA data. NORSUS conducts applied research across multiple sustainability domains including waste resources, biogas, biorefining, construction, packaging, energy, food systems, textiles, and transport. The institute develops specialized models (such as BioValueChain models) for environmental and economic assessment of value chains.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Services
• Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) Standardized EPDs presenting a product's environmental characteristics and verified impacts, developed for clients across industries including construction, water heaters, road rehabilitation, and bioeconomy. EPDs from NORSUS have included the first EPD published in both European and US markets.
• NorEnviro National LCA Data Library
• BioValueChain Models National models developed by NORSUS for assessing environmental impacts from production of biogas and biofertilizer from food waste and livestock manure, along with economic models for calculating profitability of actors (farmers and biogas plants) in the value chain.
• Research and Consulting Services Expertise-based research and consulting services spanning waste resources, biogas, biorefining, construction, packaging, energy, ocean/coast/water, AI and digitalisation, food, food waste, furniture and textiles, plastic, process industry, and transport sectors.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 94% CO2 emission reduction through reuse of building materials instead of new production
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and notable.

• NMBU (Norwegian University of Life Sciences)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorEnviro established as a centre directed by NORSUS in collaboration with NMBU Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management. Collaboration ensures project data from research communities becomes more accessible.
• BorregaardmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-year collaboration including development of LCA models for environmental burden mapping for internal use, as well as EPDs for documentation and communication of environmental profile.
• VEASmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVEAS is Norway's largest water treatment facility. NORSUS participates in Task 37 visits and collaborates on biogas research. VEAS is also a member of the Norwegian reference group for IEA Bioenergy Task 37.
• BetongHUB Consortium (including AF Gruppen and Betong Øst)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNORSUS is developing decision support tools for utilization of recycled concrete in collaboration with BetongHUB consortium members AF Gruppen and Betong Øst, preparing the construction sector for stricter environmental requirements.
• HøiaxnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerNORSUS helped Høiax become Norway's first manufacturer of water heaters to publish verified EPDs, setting a new industry standard and competitive advantage.
• Biogass NorgemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of Norwegian reference group for IEA Bioenergy Task 37. NORSUS played active role in Biogasskonferansen 2025 organized by Biogass Norge.
• IEA Bioenergy Task 37coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKari-Anne Lyng serves as Norway's representative in this international group working on biogas knowledge dissemination. 17 countries participate. NORSUS contributes to reports and research activities.
• PROTEUS Consortium (11 partners including Alginor, Borregaard, Essity, Havforskningsinstituttet)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEU-funded project to establish world's first industrial biorefinery for kelp. Budget of €14.4 million including €9.6 million CBE JU grant. NORSUS participates in this flagship initiative for blue economy.
• EarthresQue SFI (33 partners)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCentre for Research-driven Innovation funded by Research Council of Norway with 220 million NOK support over 8 years. NORSUS participates in developing technologies for sustainable waste and surplus mass management.
• ReWaCC Partners (Sensorita, Ragn-Sells, Veidekke Sirkulær, Norsk Regnesentral, Acconeer)notableStrategic or Co-development PartnerNORSUS leads identification of important waste types and properties to improve material utilization, and assesses environmental benefits of container monitoring in this IPN project.
• SUSPENSE Project (CBE JU funded)notableStrategic or Co-development PartnerEU-funded project developing bio-based adhesives for wood composites. NORSUS ensures compliance with EU Safe and Sustainable by Design framework and conducts LCA of new products.
• Elvia and Grid Operators (Glitre Nett, BKK Nett, Tensio)notableStrategic or Co-development PartnerNORSUS participates in 'Bærekraftig kraftdistribusjon i Norge' project developing tools combining LCA with GIS for assessing nature quality and reducing negative effects of power lines.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• COWI: Danish-headquartered engineering consultancy with substantial sustainability, environmental impact assessment, and EPD capabilities in the Nordic market. Comparable as a broader environmental and engineering consultancy that competes for construction and infrastructure LCA mandates.
• Carbon Trust: International climate and sustainability consultancy helping businesses and governments measure, manage, and reduce environmental impact. Comparable as a broader sustainability services peer with overlapping carbon/LCA and product footprinting offerings.
• SINTEF: Norway's largest independent research institute operating across multiple disciplines including environmental, energy, and process industry research. Comparable as a domestic Norwegian RTO that competes for the same public funding pools and conducts overlapping sustainability research.
• Ramboll: Global engineering, sustainability, and environmental consulting firm with strong Nordic roots and significant EPD/LCA practice. Comparable as a broad incumbent offering LCA and EPD services within a wider portfolio competing for the same enterprise and construction-sector clients.

Emerging players

• One Click LCA: Fast-growing SaaS platform providing automated LCA, EPD generation, and building life cycle assessment tools. Comparable as an emerging technology-enabled peer that is changing how EPD/LCA services are delivered and may commoditize parts of the value chain.

Direct peers

• Sphera: Provider of LCA software (GaBi) and EHS/sustainability consulting, serving industrial clients with product sustainability and EPD needs. Directly comparable as an integrated LCA software and consulting peer with overlapping service offerings.
• Quantis: Global sustainability consultancy specializing in LCA, environmental footprinting, and science-based targets for consumer goods, food, and process industries. Directly comparable as an LCA-first consulting peer serving similar enterprise and CPG/processing clients.
• 2.-0 LCA Consultants: Danish boutique LCA and sustainability consultancy focused on EPD development, carbon footprinting, and product sustainability assessments for Nordic manufacturers. Comparable as a small specialist LCA consultancy serving overlapping Nordic enterprise and construction-sector clients.
• PRé Sustainability: Dutch LCA consultancy and developer of the SimaPro LCA software. Directly comparable as a specialist LCA consulting firm serving manufacturers, governments, and EPD program operators with similar methodology and tooling focus.
• IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute: Swedish non-profit environmental research institute conducting LCA, EPD development, and sustainability research for government and industry. Closely comparable as a Nordic peer institute with a similar mandate of producing applied LCA science and national data assets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/norsusforsk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/norsusforsk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NORSUS