Host nations’ reports highlight Men’s EHF EURO 2026 sustainability progress

In line with the European Handball Federation’s (EHF) commitment to ecological sustainability, the Men’s EHF EURO 2026 marked the first time that a European championship brought together three host nations — Denmark, Sweden and Norway — with the same environmental responsibility goals.

The Pure Promise initiatives

The three host nations committed to taking action in seven key areas to make the championship more sustainable: water, food and beverages, transportation, reuse and recycling, waste, fan engagement, and data collection and emissions reporting.

Water was a central theme throughout the concept and even shaped the tournament mascot, “Splash”, whose water-drop design helped communicate messages about water, climate and sustainability to a broad public audience.

After analysing the event’s sustainable outcomes, each organising committee has published a report detailing the metrics for each of the seven subjects and highlighting the essential contribution to the environment.

Water initiative

In Denmark, bottled water was eliminated for volunteers, delegates, organisers and accredited press by handing out 1,000 pieces of high-quality drinking bottles made from recycled steel. The water footprint at matches was reduced by 65 per cent after the players received drinking bottles made from sugarcane bioplastic and sealed water in tetrapak containers.

Volunteers and media at the matches in Sweden used water stations to refill 730 individual stainless steel bottles, while AquaNobel supplied recyclable packaging for sealed water. Moreover, 750 children who participated in the Mini Championship in Kristianstad were involved in interactive learning activities about water.

470 reusable drinking bottles were also distributed to volunteers, staff and media in Norway, removing the need for bottled water. The use of tap water was also encouraged through accessible refill stations made available and promoted in key areas of the arena and fan zone.

Food and beverages

For this key area, Denmark developed shared guidelines for minimising food waste, which were implemented across backstage catering areas in venues and hotels, reducing food waste by up to 75 per cent.

Both arenas in Sweden offered vegetarian meal options, with Malmö Arena adjusting the number of buffets to minimise food waste and repurposing leftover fruit into marmalade and jam.

717 kilograms of surplus food and beverages were donated to partner Matsentralen and compostable packaging and reusable cup systems were used in the arena in Norway.

Transportation

Denmark’s efforts to make transportation more sustainable resulted in 94 per cent of the kilometres covered by organisers and delegates driven in electric vehicles and a 42 per cent reduction in emissions. In addition to that, 7,000 fans used the free electrical shuttle buses, taking up to 2,100 cars off the road and reducing emissions by 67 per cent.

Electric vehicles were also used as shuttle cars in Sweden, while the volunteers, media representatives and delegates benefited from free train and bus transportation. Together, the volunteers travelled 35,000 kilometres by bus, train or on foot — the equivalent of driving a petrol car 30,000 kilometres or four round-trip flights between Stockholm and Thailand.

The cooperation with local public transport in Norway led to the use of 198 additional electric bus departures during the championship, with all accredited personnel and volunteers also making use of free public transport. The buses covered a total distance of 5,929 kilometres, estimated to correspond to the removal of around 4,400 private cars from the roads.

Reuse and recycling

As a measure to encourage reuse and recycling, the committee in Denmark reduced the purchase of new clothes for organisers by almost 50 per cent, opting to use high-quality clothes from previous events.

The Kristianstad Arena in Sweden furnished the media centre and fan zone with reused furniture and equipment, while also storing materials from the championship with the intention of being reused at future events.

Norway’s commitment to recycling resulted in ensuring that temporary constructions were largely based on reusable materials, with over 90 per cent of these reused across events.

Reducing waste

To reduce waste, the organisers in Denmark matched and adjusted waste fractions based on analysis of waste types in different areas of the venue, which led to a 44 per cent average recycling percentage across the arena and hotels.

Clear waste sorting was conducted in the arenas, fan zones and hotels in Sweden, with deposit return systems also implemented.

The Norwegian organising committee carried out a deposit initiative in cooperation with Hold Norge Rent, and parts of the collected deposit — equalling about 39,529 NOK — were donated to their efforts to protect the Oslo Fjord.

Fan engagement

The efforts targeted at fan engagement included a 250 square metre area focusing on water and sustainability in the fan zone area in Herning, Denmark, while more than 360,000 people were reached through the social media posts about Pure Promise and sustainability on the DanskHåndbold pages.

The sustainability goals and measures were promoted throughout January in Kristianstad, Sweden, with Splash and Pure Fact branding displayed on waste collection trucks. Additionally, the dedicated social media posts reached a total of 444,985 people.

Apart from the 220,000 people reached through the online content developed by the organising committee in Norway, the local efforts also carried out sustainability-focused activities and side events before and during the championship.

Data collection and emissions report

Drawing from the other target areas, all three host countries took measures to ensure relevant data collection and write reports based on the findings.

Denmark released a comprehensive climate emissions report detailing each of the sustainability areas in focus and providing a framework for measuring the impact of the tournament.

For the first time in a Swedish handball championship, the climate footprint was measured, with the help of the “Event & Climate” tool developed by the University of Gothenburg. In cooperation with academic partners and institutes, the Swedish report reveals insights into the climate footprint of the event.

Surveys were conducted among volunteers, fans and spectators in Norway and key suppliers provided data requested in advance, founding the basis for an extensive climate emissions report.

Find out more about the Pure Promise results

The official website developed for the Pure Promise initiative for the Men’s EHF EURO 2026 provides insights into the seven target areas, with results available for each of the three host countries. Click here to see the most important outcomes and the contributions to sustainability.

EHF and DEKRA partnership supporting sustainability

Based on the data collected by Denmark, Sweden and Norway, and in cooperation with DEKRA — the world's largest independent, non-listed expert organisation in the field of testing, inspection, and certification — the EHF is working on releasing a report comprising the sustainability measures implemented during the Men’s EHF EURO 2026 and the key takeaways.

DEKRA offers a range of sustainability services through this partnership for the EHF and its top club and national team events. In cooperation with the federation and local organisers, DEKRA helps calculate and benchmark the carbon footprint and environmental impact of the flagship events.

Photos © kolektiff images