diff --git a/arch/mips/bcm47xx/nvram.c b/arch/mips/bcm47xx/nvram.c
index 06e03b222f6d..e5b6615731e5 100644
--- a/arch/mips/bcm47xx/nvram.c
+++ b/arch/mips/bcm47xx/nvram.c
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ int nvram_getenv(char *name, char *val, size_t val_len)
 	char *var, *value, *end, *eq;
 
 	if (!name)
-		return 1;
+		return NVRAM_ERR_INV_PARAM;
 
 	if (!nvram_buf[0])
 		early_nvram_init();
@@ -89,6 +89,6 @@ int nvram_getenv(char *name, char *val, size_t val_len)
 			return 0;
 		}
 	}
-	return 1;
+	return NVRAM_ERR_ENVNOTFOUND;
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(nvram_getenv);
diff --git a/arch/mips/include/asm/mach-bcm47xx/nvram.h b/arch/mips/include/asm/mach-bcm47xx/nvram.h
index 0d8cc146f7a4..c58ebd8bc155 100644
--- a/arch/mips/include/asm/mach-bcm47xx/nvram.h
+++ b/arch/mips/include/asm/mach-bcm47xx/nvram.h
@@ -31,6 +31,9 @@ struct nvram_header {
 #define NVRAM_MAX_VALUE_LEN 255
 #define NVRAM_MAX_PARAM_LEN 64
 
+#define NVRAM_ERR_INV_PARAM	-8
+#define NVRAM_ERR_ENVNOTFOUND	-9
+
 extern int nvram_getenv(char *name, char *val, size_t val_len);
 
 #endif