Hilde Haugen Kallevig, vice president at Norsk Hydro, recently relocated to San Francisco. She wants to convince companies like Tesla and Rivian that low-carbon metals are both an environmental benefit and a smart business move, even if the cost is higher.

Haugen Kallevig sees a shift to green materials as an opportunity for Silicon Valley’s forward-thinking companies.

“Companies must start to see sustainable materials as a way to differentiate in the market and meet new government incentives, rather than just focusing on cost,” she says.

Even if was mainly her husband’s job that brought her to San Francisco, she views Silicon Valley as an ideal base to influence the U.S. tech industry.

The U.S. remains one of Norsk Hydro’s largest and fastest-growing markets, but Haugen Kallevig acknowledges that, still, only a few American companies are currently willing to pay the premium for sustainable materials, even if it’s just a few extra cents per kilogram.

“The price is the biggest hurdle at this point,” she says, noting that while sustainable materials offer added value for companies, producing them responsibly inevitably involves higher costs.

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