General description of the steps to an approved licence

1. The fund must fulfil 25 obligatory requirements and collect at least 6 points (5 points for bond funds) from a range of points-score require. Download the full criteria document, read it carefully and evaluate the prerequisites of your fund. It is particularly important to study how compliance with the individual requirements should be documented (the texts marked with an envelope at the end of each individual requirement).
2. Naturally, there are different ways of documenting that the fund fulfils all requirements. At this stage we recommend that you contact us for a discussion about suitable documentation for your product.
3. After this first meeting you are likely to have a sense of whether the fund can fulfil the requirements. Reach out to us again so that we can arrange user credentials to our online application portal. We will also happily give a demonstration of how to use the portal in addition to this instructional video.
4. Collect and send the documents that are needed to evaluate whether the requirements are fulfilled.
   • All documents are uploaded to the application portal where they also can be linked to individual requirements. Please name all documents in a clear manner and note that the same document often can be designed so that it meets several requirements.
   • Moreover, keep in mind that you probably will need to contact your service providers in one way or the other and also involve them at an early stage to make the application process as smooth as possible. This is particularly true for index funds, which can base their application on an index that has been pre-evaluated by Nordic Ecolabelling.
   • There is no need to send all documents in one batch. You may deliver documentation on just some of the requirements when you start filling out the online application. Our evaluator will provide feedback as soon as possible. Please note that the fund is approved when all individual requirements are fulfilled. 
5. When all documents are in order, our evaluator will conduct an on-site audit of your company.
6. Done! The fund has now been approved and can be marketed with the official Nordic ecolabel, the Nordic Swan Ecolabel. Towards the end of the process we will also engage in a dialogue about marketing preparations before launching the Nordic Swan Ecolabelled fund.

Learn more about the fees for Investment Funds

Which entity will receive the Nordic Swan Ecolabel?

The fund is the entity that is Nordic Swan Ecolabelled. All approved funds have their own licence and licence number. The fund company owns the licence. The Nordic Swan Ecolabel may not be used in a way that might imply something about the whole fund company.

What is the estimated timeframe for receiving the Nordic Swan Ecolabel?

We recommend that you send your application as soon as you are ready to go. The prerequisites for your fund are decisive for the length of the application, but you should expect at least 2-3 months from submitting your application to a final approval from us. This is particularly the case for new products. The process might also be longer in case you have not previously held a Nordic Swan Ecolabel license. Therefore, we recommend that you contact us so that we can plan the process together.

The application is valid for one year

When an application for the Nordic Swan Ecolabel is sent to us, we will debit an application fee, which at the moment amounts to EUR 3,000 per fund, excluding VAT. If, after a year from the application date, the applying company is not working actively with its application, Nordic Ecolabelling has the right to reject it. The application fee is not repaid.