Summary
On 3 June 2026, Norwegian clothing and outdoor equipment company Northern Playground became the first company in the Nordic region, and one of the first companies globally, to formally appoint Nature as a member of its board of directors. The framework was specifically designed to comply with the Norwegian Companies Act, and the decision was approved by over 1,100 shareholders through amendments to the company’s articles of association. Nature is represented through a human proxy rather than as a separate legal person. The proxy for Northern Playground is elected by the General Assembly for a two-year term, may be re-elected for a maximum of six years, and receives the same compensation as other board members. The first proxy elected to the board is Karoline Andaur, Secretary General (CEO) of WWF Norway. In this board seat, Nature does not hold veto power, but its representative participates in board deliberations and votes on corporate decisions alongside the other directors.
The company designated the period between the 2026 and 2027 General Assemblies as a pilot year during which the board, management, and Nature’s Proxy will develop governance procedures for representing the interests of the environment and ecological beings in practice. The board is required to establish role instructions for the proxy and produce an annual Nature Report to the General Assembly, which will evaluate how Nature’s interests have been considered in corporate decision-making at Northern Playground, and identify lessons from the pilot year.
The governance framework was developed in collaboration with the Earth Law Center and Anne Solgaard, a Norwegian lawyer and a leading expert in bringing Nature’s representation into corporate governance. Northern Playground’s amended articles of association introduced new provisions establishing Nature as a board member (§3b), regulating the election and removal of Nature’s Proxy (§3c), and establishing reporting obligations and procedures relating to Nature’s representation and potential future termination of the arrangement (§3d).
Impact Statement
Northern Playground is the first company to implement a “Nature on the Board” model under Norwegian corporate law and the first in the Nordic region. This emerging model was first implemented in 2022 by the UK cosmetics company Faith in Nature.
Involved Organizations
Related Initiatives
Suggested Citation:
Kauffman, Craig, Catherine Haas, Shrishtee Bajpai, Kelsey Leonard, Elizabeth Macpherson, Pamela Martin, Alessandro Pelizzon, Alex Putzer & Linda Sheehan. Eco Jurisprudence Monitor. V2. 2026. Distributed by the Eco Jurisprudence Monitor. https://ecojurisprudence.org/initiatives/northern-playground-norway-nature-on-the-board/.
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