When the Men's Handball World Championship took place in Herning in January, citizens, spectators, and players at Jyske Bank Boxen had the opportunity to donate bottle deposits to benefit the Julemærkehjemmene (Julemaerke Homes).

Handball, children, and community go hand in hand. DanskHåndbold and Julemærkehjemmene have collaborated for many years to benefit children and have extended and expanded their partnership to involve more stakeholders in Herning.

During the 2023 Women's Handball World Championship, MCH Messecenter Herning, which operates Jyske Bank Boxen, along with DanskHåndbold in collaboration with Dansk Retursystem, collected bottle deposits from both the stands and locker rooms to donate to the Julemærkehjemmene, amounting to around 40,000 DKK. For the January World Championship, the goal is to collect even more, especially from the players.

"Our goal for 2023 was to collect 80% of all deposits behind the bench and in the locker rooms, but we didn’t reach that target. It went well with getting the audience in Jyske Bank Boxen to sort their bottles into the correct bins, but there was a significant cultural difference when it came to many of the foreign players. They didn’t know what bottle deposits were, and they didn’t understand the value of the bottles in the context of the donation we were collecting for. We can and will do better than last year when we host the Men’s World Championship in Herning this January," says Ann Lykke Davidsen, Chief of Communications, Marketing, and Sustainability at DanskHåndbold.

Every year, nearly 1,000 children who are struggling, being bullied, lonely, or feel they are not good enough, receive help at a Julemærkehjem. Through their stay, they become part of a community and gain self-esteem. It’s a worthy cause where children’s and youth’s communities and well-being are key pillars.

“We’re putting a big effort into communicating the bottle deposit concept to the teams this time to ensure that even more bottles end up in the right place, so the donations can go to a good cause. We’ve also involved the three hotels we’ll use during the World Championship in this collaboration. We hope this will prevent the issue we encountered at the Women's World Championship in 2023, where many of the bottles disappeared from the arena,” explains Ann Lykke Davidsen.

Expanded Partnership for an Important Cause

Hotel Scandic Regina and Hotel Eyde in Herning, as well as Radisson Blu Hotel Papirfabrikken in Silkeborg, will house players, delegates, and staff during the World Championship in January. All three hotels are joining the initiative to donate all their bottle deposits from the tournament to the Julemærkehjemmene. Todbjerg buses, which transport teams between their hotels, training halls, and Jyske Bank Boxen during the World Championship, are also part of the collaboration and will donate the deposits left by players and team leaders on the buses.

The people of Herning will also have the opportunity to participate in the bottle deposit collection without attending the sports event. Everyone can drop off their bottles at the lobbies of Hotel Eyde and Scandic Regina during the Men’s Handball World Championship from January 14 to 25 to support the cause.

Thus, the effort is expanded from the first attempt last year, and project leader for sustainability at MCH Messecenter Herning, Maria Galmstrup, is pleased.

“The combination of a strong partner like DanskHåndbold and a meaningful cause makes it natural for us to support the bottle deposit collection for Julemærkehjemmene. When even small actions can make a noticeable difference for children in need of support and community, we see it as our responsibility to contribute. We’re happy that even more stakeholders around the Men’s Handball World Championship will be involved in the collaboration, so even more children can benefit from what Julemærkehjemmene does,” says Maria Galmstrup.

Torben Rhode from Scandic Regina in Herning is also enthusiastic about the opportunity to contribute to such a great cause.

“We are extremely proud to contribute to such an important cause as Julemærkehjemmene. Knowing that our efforts can help make a real difference for children gives us all a special joy and meaning in what we do at Scandic Regina Herning,” says Torben Rhode, General Manager at Scandic Regina Herning.

For the recipient of the support from the expanded collaboration on bottle deposit donations, there is no doubt that both the initiative and the hoped-for generous donation will play a vital role in helping children who lack community and self-esteem.

“We are incredibly grateful for the great support and broad collaboration behind the bottle deposit collection. It’s fantastic that both the public, players, staff, and volunteers are working together to help vulnerable children achieve better well-being and enter strong communities,” says Søren Ravn Jensen, Director of the Julemærkefonden.

A Simple Action with a Big Effect

The collection of bottle deposits is carried out in collaboration with Dansk Retursystem, through the Danish bottle deposit system, where empty bottles and cans are transformed into new ones when collected and recycled. In 2022, 2.0 billion bottles and cans were submitted to the Danish bottle deposit system.

Dansk Retursystem is part of the collaboration to donate the bottle deposits from the Men’s Handball World Championship, and in addition to the collection in Herning and the surrounding area, they provide collection bags, logistics, and up to 50 deposit boxes to make sure deposits are collected in the locker rooms and hotels.

“Recycling bottles is a simple action with a big effect. Every time we recycle, we ensure that bottles and cans are reused to make new ones. And when the bottle deposit money can also benefit children and communities, it makes recycling even more valuable,” explains Anne-Mette Bundgaard, Communications and Branding Manager at Dansk Retursystem.

So, it’s not just a benefit to collect the bottle deposits during the Men’s Handball World Championship because the money goes to a good cause. The bottle deposit system in Denmark is also one of the return schemes where the most material enters a circular loop, without the quality of the materials degrading, which leads to less resource consumption and lower CO2 emissions.

Photos: Casper Horsnæs Larsen/DanskHåndbold