News
Read about this year's general assembly in Bæredygtig Herning with a vibrant atmosphere, strong community and inspiring stories from 10 of our members.
Case
When the Men's Handball World Championship kicks off in Herning in January 2025, spectators and players at Jyske Bank Boxen will have the opportunity to donate their deposit refunds to benefit the Julemærkehjemmene homes. The same applies to guests staying at local hotels.
Inspiration
Among industrial companies, cultural institutions and educational centers in Birk lies the cultural hotel Højhuset. The surrounding fields, managed by Landeriet, supply the hotel's restaurant with vegetables and meat based on the farm-to-table principle.
Case
The path to a more sustainable future requires concrete actions and strong collaboration – and fortunately, Herning Municipality is full of both. We must remember to celebrate and honor this. One way we do this is through the ESG Conference – a joint initiative created in collaboration between Bæredygtig Herning, Vestjysk Bank, and the Business Council Herning & Ikast-Brande. Together, we highlight companies that lead the way in sustainability and responsibility – in all aspects of E, S, and G. The conference is a tribute to those making a difference, but also a place where inspiration flourishes and new ideas come to life.
Case
Sustainability is a crucial element in any business development, and this also applies to the public housing sector. The housing organization FællesBo has taken an important step towards working purposefully with sustainability – both strategically and in practice.
Inspiration
The E.A.T. project is delivering results. Now, the bronze-coloured Organic Food Label adorns the Aroma bakery in Herning. This is just one of many steps toward a greener future for Destination Herning.
News
A new local supplier collaboration has taken off to secure local vegetables at local hotels, eateries and in the area's canteens. The initiative has been created in a collaboration between VisitHerning, Bæredygtig Herning and Gartnerhallen following demand from local players. The aim of the initiative is to give the city's guests good dining experiences with local vegetables at local hotels and eateries as well as the many canteens in the area.
Case
The chefs at MCH have participated in a masterclass focused on using legumes in their cooking. Following this, they have nearly tenfold increased their purchase of legumes for culinary use from 2023 to the same period in 2024.
Case
At Huset no 7, they are not afraid to lead the way and show that the path can look different from the traditional one. Here, they challenge the more conventional standards for food, labor, and interior design.
News
What is regenerative leadership? Our members are curious, and our goal is to meet that demand by hosting a series of events on modern leadership. With a focus on inner sustainability and how the seasons can be used to explore leadership, we equipped our members with valuable insights.
Inspiration
The "We Cycle to Work" campaign is sustainable on many fronts. That's why it was a natural choice again this year to collaborate with Herning Municipality to get the wheels turning among colleagues across workplaces. The benefits are significant when it comes to sustainability, as the many rolling kilometres not only foster well-being among colleagues but also promote health and protect the environment and the planet.
Case
A new and trendy Japanese golf course aims to foster a biodiversity collaboration benefiting local stakeholders, citizens, and, not least, the students at Craft-værk. “We want to engage people and the community in something meaningful. Our foremost task is to prepare people for life and the future. It’s not sustainable to put people in boxes and build walls. We need to be part of nature and communities,” says Jesper Nørgaard.
Case
At the Sinatur chain, sustainability is not just a word—it’s a fundamental philosophy that permeates everything they do. Skarrildhus Hotel and Conference is one of the chain’s unique locations, where nature-inspired meetings and local ingredients play a significant role.
Case
What do Skejby Hospital, Horsens Municipality, and Lunar have in common? They are all sitting on their own plastic waste, literally. Used furniture, IT equipment, and fixtures from their old offices, which have now been granulated and turned into new, long-lasting furniture. When the furniture eventually needs to be replaced, it will be bought back by Daarbak Design, which has made the entire process possible. A regenerative and circular process with the mission of minimizing virgin materials and using what already exists.
Inspiration
Responsibility. Consideration. Health. Taste. There are many paths to take, many traps to fall into, and many attitudes towards food and sustainability to take into considerations.. We have collected a lot of inspiration for you, so that you can easily get started cooking with care - at home and/or at work.
Case
Packaging is a significant factor in many companies' CO2 accounts. KD Emballage's new calculator provides customers with concrete data for their climate reporting. At KD Emballage, they call themselves The Packaging Guides. With a newly developed CO2 calculator, they help steer customers toward more sustainable alternatives.
Case
When the management and employees recognized their own mental barriers, great ideas started flowing, solving a major challenge. Today, DOT saves a significant amount of energy.
Case
Resource awareness and common sense have always been part of the DNA at HV-Transport. That's why the green transition is within reach. And the effort pays off – even though there is also work and costs involved in getting the wheels to turn in new ways.
Case
Colour Compagniet A/S in Kibæk has gained valuable packaging experience – and has so far minimized its annual packaging costs by more than 20,000 DKK. The company offers surface treatments on materials such as wood, plastic, and metal, and has a vision of becoming the preferred sustainable partner in surface treatment.
Case
The cushions still have a stain here and there from wild folk school days. But it is just the patina which, together with many other recycled solutions, helps to maintain the spirit from which the building sprang. Because here you wanted a hug. It can be seen clearly, more than 50 years later.
Case
In the kitchen, and yes, throughout the entire restaurant, there is a scent of a "bonus pater" approach, where everything one would do in a sensible household is what is done in the restaurant. For example, only the batches that are needed are purchased, and the restaurant ensures that they are used. You can feel that it’s completely natural here to explore ways to use as much of the food and ingredients as possible. "For us, sustainability is more of a core value than a sales argument. It’s not a marketing strategy, but common sense," says Joakim Thomassen
Case
Quality drives quantity. That is the strategy at Herningsholm Business School & Gymnasium. "Working with diversity is working with quality. We want to serve our business community, and it would be strange to only fish in half of the population,"
Case
If you’ve ever been hospitalized, you’re probably familiar with the terry cloth gown. It’s not the most beautiful, but it’s durable, hard-wearing, and quick to wash. Terry cloth has a long lifespan, especially when efforts are made to optimize it across various parameters. And that’s exactly what they do at WHITEWEAR. From an office in the heart of Herning, a dedicated team gathers a wealth of knowledge on sustainability and circularity in textiles, so the healthcare and care sectors can provide linens and clothing for both staff and patients.
Case
At Kvik, the business strategy is continuously rolling with a five-year horizon. This allows for ongoing adjustments and fine-tuning of goals. It has provided a solid foundation for the new legal requirements for ESG reporting, says Chris Larsen, Chief Operating Officer.
Case
Biodiversity is the diversity of living organisms in all environments, from the smallest microorganisms to the largest mammals. It’s about making space for all life, both on land and in water. Unfortunately, biodiversity is under threat due to habitat loss, climate change, pollution, invasive species, and overexploitation of natural resources. By conserving and protecting biodiversity, we can ensure a sustainable future for both people and the planet as a whole. Biodiversity is about creating space for bees and flowers. But it’s also about finding managerial courage. What do the surroundings think when the well-manicured lawn is replaced by tall grass and wildflowers?
Case
Equitable collegiality Early in the 'green process,' HORN noticed too much waste in production. This led to the establishment of Denwood by HORN, which today upcycles offcuts and leftover materials from countertop production into interior products. From here, the recruitment of colleagues on the edge of the labor market gained real momentum. At one point, the CEO of HORN Bordplader believed he was helping people on the edge of the labor market. As more and more of them joined the payroll, he realized that they were, in fact, helping him. Among other things, they helped add the prestigious B Corp certification to their collection – proof that social and environmental responsibility pays off. "HORN doesn’t just want to be the best in the world – we want to be the best FOR the world. We want to make a difference and drive change in our society. We do this by taking responsibility and making decisions that are responsible from a social and environmental perspective."
Case
For many years, Topsoe has focused on developing solutions that contribute to the green transition and has set a goal to become net-zero, i.e., CO2-neutral, by 2040. They have submitted their goal for validation by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
Guide
What are the rules when it comes to communication about sustainability in businesses? How can you avoid the pitfalls of greenwashing? Learn about the five greenwashing sins here.
Guide
Do you think there’s a contradiction between making money and doing good for the environment and people? Think again. "Doing good" and "doing well" are no longer opposites, and there is a huge development underway, where investors are increasingly focusing on both financial returns and positive impact on the world. But what exactly is impact investing? How do you do it? And what so-called impact entrepreneurs are out there?
Podcast
Meet Christian Hostrup, Sales & CSR manager at Herning’s legendary hockey club, Herning Blue Fox. The team used the corona shutdown to develop an ambitious sustainability strategy. It immediately made a difference.
Case
From her desk at Bæredygtig Herning, Birgitte Holgaard Langer can look up at a cream coloured stilletto sitting like a trophy on a shelf in her corner of the office. The shoe, produced by Roccamore, was designed in Denmark, hand sewn in Italy and it originally grazed in a Jutland field not far from here. The stiletto represents the result of the years of work SPOOR has done with brands that want to be able to trace the skins used in their production all the way back to the very cow they came from. That is exactly what SPOOR does.
Case
Since the first time he bought a pile of weathered timber from a decommissioned Danish wharf and started building beautiful furniture with it, Carsten Thor has been one of Herning's sustainability pioneers.
Case
In the spring of 2022, a blooming blanket of wildflowers will break up the predictable monotony of an industrial area of Herning. Midtgaard Farver, a local paint supply store, has decided that a 3000 m2 grassed lawn will become wilfully wild to help contribute to the municipality’s biodiversity. Meet owner and managing director, Peter Bagterp.
Case
On the surface, neither the cruise ship industry nor trade shows are renown for sustainability. But two companies in Herning are holding a high standard in these industries – and they’ve now joined forces to create something entirely different – soundproof telephone booths for Bæredygtig Herning’s offices. Hopes are the project will lead to even more.
Podcast
Jens Christian Møller is the CEO of CaviArt, a company that produces seaweed caviar and pearls. Listen as he explains how a failed biology experiment became a global success.
Case
ZO24 delivers branded clothing and merchandise for sports events, concerts, and other places where t-shirts and medals are part of the concept. But perhaps not everything needs to be done the way it has always been done?
Case
Carsten Skovlund Hansen owns designwerk, a resident of Bæredygtig Herning’s co-work space. It was shared values that attracted him to the space, and although there is a wide diversity amongst resident companies, a dedication to sustainability is the common thread. Carsten uses the SDGs extensively in his work as a designer, communications strategist and coach for start-ups.