Survey provides insights on sustainability in European handball

Sustainability encompasses a number of topics, with 17 different elements identified by the United Nations in 2015 to form the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. The EHF aims to become one of the most sustainable team sport federations, with a mission to pass the sport on to future generations in an even better state than we received it. The EHF thus underlines the social, governmental, and environmental responsibility of European handball.

In line with this framework, environmental, social, and governance pillars were examined via the survey. The results highlight that sustainability is a significant topic for European handball federations, with a particular emphasis on social and governance aspects.

There were numerous positive findings from the survey. 59 per cent of the federations that participated either already have or are working on a sustainability strategy. 69 per cent of respondents have already implemented specific social sustainability activities and support environment actions. 37 per cent of the responding federations have personnel whose task it is to address sustainability initiatives.

The survey also revealed challenges experienced by national federations, with 48 per cent of the participating federations reporting obstacles related to financial resources and funding. However, there is evidence of increasing government funding and budget within handball federations for sustainability initiatives. While reporting to government institutions is important, most federations do not consider tracking their progress outside of those obligations as vital.

There was agreement among the participating federations for the sharing of best practice examples, practical toolkits and guidelines, and the integration of sustainability education.

The above described are the key takeaways from the survey. Next, we examine some key areas in more detail.

Breaking down the data

The majority of the federations that responded have 10 employees or fewer. For 92 per cent of them, sustainability is considered either important or very important. Dividing the “existing strategy” versus “strategy in development stages” status of federations, five, equating to 17 per cent, already have a sustainability strategy implemented — Germany, Hungary, Estonia, Georgia and Belarus. 42 per cent — that is, 12 federations — representing the majority of the respondents, have their strategy in progress.

Only three of the responding federations stated they have no sustainability activities at present. Nine federations said they have either uncoordinated activities or strategies considered. 

In terms of finances, 48 per cent of the member federations who responded to the survey have opportunities to receive governmental funding for sustainability measures, and 38 per cent consider sustainability in their budgeting process. Related to that, however, is the fact that financial resources and constraints are some of the biggest barriers to implementing sustainability initiatives. Lack of capacity, awareness and knowledge were also listed as challenges. Resistance to change was named as an obstacle, but not as prominently as other areas. 

In terms of perceived government commitment to sustainability, the majority — 34 per cent — of respondents said their government views sustainability as important, while 14 per cent said the area is very important to their government.

However, it was far more common for a federation to name their government’s outlook on sustainability as less than important — 52 per cent perceive their government’s view of sustainability as either moderately important or slightly important. This area is highly relevant to how federations are able to implement sustainability initiatives, as 41 per cent report being impacted in this manner by national regulations. 21 per cent of the federations have sustainability reporting obligations.

Regarding specific personnel within the federations responsible for sustainability, the most common areas of focus are specific activities and events, and elements of governance. Looking at actions taken, social support was the most commonly mentioned, followed by plastic avoidance and efforts towards equality.  59 per cent of the responding federations have implemented environmental actions.

Photo © Kolektiff Images