Sustainability in the handball stadium: an interview with Won Jung-ho

As sports games bring together large groups of players, coaches, and fans, they inevitably leave behind a heavy environmental footprint. To counter this, sports organizations are increasingly exploring ways to incorporate ESG values into their businesses. In this interview, Korea Handball Association's Vice Chairman Won Jung-ho discussed how environmental considerations are being integrated into Korean handball and the challenges of building a more sustainable sports culture.

First, could you tell us about your role at the Handball Association?

I serve as the vice chairman of the Handball Association, and in that role, I oversee the overall administration of handball in our country. So, the Handball Association primarily focuses on the national team and amateur teams. We handle the national team’s international competitions and their domestic matches. There’s also an organization called the Handball Federation, which runs the H-League, which is the domestic professional league. This is the most well-known league among Koreans. Currently, there are 14 teams in total—six men’s and eight women’s teams—and I’m involved in managing that league.

Also, I’d like to add that there’s an organization called the Handball Development Foundation. This foundation focuses on nurturing young talent and shaping the future of handball, and I’m also involved in managing its operations. So, overall, I oversee all administrative aspects of handball.

I found the Handball Association’s ESG Task Force quite intriguing. Could you tell us what this ESG Task Force does, or what specific activities they’re actually engaged in?

About three years ago, the SK Group began paying close attention to ESG. It’s not just handball; SK is involved in various sports, including basketball, handball, and fencing. They brought together all the sports they sponsor and the teams they operate under the idea of implementing ESG in sports too, and they’ve been carrying out activities from that perspective. Even if the impact might be small—we don’t know if it will have a big ripple effect or not—we’re doing eco-friendly activities within the scope of what sports can do.

For example, though this isn’t really that grand—since we’re not a large corporation, it’s on a modest scale—we’ve introduced resin-free handballs for our games. This concept might be unfamiliar to most people, but in handball, players apply adhesive chemicals or wax to their hands to get a firm grip on the ball during matches. But since wax can actually be a potential hazard, we’re now playing matches using “resin-free” balls that don’t require wax. So, in amateur handball in Korea right now, we’ve developed balls with built-in grip, and we’re moving toward playing without applying wax. 

We’re also looking at sports fans and spectators. As you probably know if you’ve ever gone to a baseball game, cheering items are often single-use and end up getting thrown away. But now, we don’t use plastic-based materials. We do use paper-based materials for cheering items, but instead of just giving them out once, we’re promoting the reuse of these items—so that even if they’re thrown away, they can be collected, cleaned, and reused.

Also, as you know, sports events use a lot of banners, so we have to replace them frequently. In the past, we just used whatever materials we could get our hands on. But these days, we’re using materials that are easy to decompose, and I’ve heard there’s even eco-friendly ink available—the kind that washes off easily. So, not only the banners themselves but even the ink used to print on them is made from eco-friendly materials to minimize exposure to chemicals or heavy metals.

It seems you’re engaging in a wide variety of activities. You mentioned that you’re also running ESG campaigns, such as upcycling workshops, at events like the Handball Festival. Could you tell us how you came to plan these kinds of events?

Of course, now that we’ve established an ESG team, we’ve started implementing various eco-friendly ideas. We began with the thought that even small efforts could make a difference. Plus, when we set up these experience zones, the audience responds well because they get to enjoy these activities alongside the games. So, we plan to keep doing this. Fortunately, this doesn’t actually cost a huge amount of money. In reality, less popular sports like handball don’t have a lot of funding, and leaders with limited budgets can’t really dream of undertaking large-scale eco-friendly initiatives, so we’re focusing on these smaller-scale efforts.

Through these activities, have you noticed any changes in the mindset of the spectators watching the games, or moments where you feel they’re becoming more actively involved?

I do sense that people resonate with the intent behind it, but I don’t think the fans are showing overwhelming support just yet. So, rather than worrying about whether anyone notices or not, I think it’s enough to just see it as us consistently doing what we can within our means.

When you think about sports events—like baseball games—there’s a lot of movement involved, from the teams and fans to all the equipment. Have you looked into or tried to reduce the carbon emissions generated by these various factors?

That is something we’ve thought about. As you mentioned, since all sports involve competing around the country, there’s a lot of travel. Well, to be honest, if we were to do it properly, it would be great if each team operated eco-friendly vehicles, but we haven’t gone that far yet. For example, there are things like this. Most of the time, the entire team rides the bus, so we encourage group travel rather than individual travel. That way, instead of having multiple vehicles on the road, we’re working to reduce the number of vehicles in use. And for our support staff—the people who manage the stadiums—when they travel to regional areas, they carpool whenever possible, and they use public transportation whenever feasible. Trains are probably the most common option.

And speaking of that, another point to consider is that, as you mentioned, the fans watching the games also have to travel. To this end, the SRT and KTX are collaborating to offer a 20% discount on tickets for handball spectators. So, the benefits we gain from this are that spectators can take the SRT or KTX instead of driving—which is good for the environment—and they get a discount. Plus, by using the SRT or KTX, they’re contributing to a good cause, and it creates a sense of mutual support.

As you mentioned, eco-friendly initiatives require a significant budget, so I’m sure there are challenges involved. Are there any changes you’d like to introduce or implement in the future?

For example, there are things like this. Actually, these ideas are all part of the broader plan, but take the players’ uniforms and various equipment, for instance. I’d like to see us switch to eco-friendly products for these items as well. In fact, some teams in the H-League are already using uniforms made from eco-friendly materials. These are designed to be easily biodegradable, though they do cost a bit more than standard uniforms. That’s why they haven’t become widespread yet, but we’re looking to expand their use. Most of the initiatives we’re currently considering aren’t major projects. So, regarding those kinds of things—whether it’s the equipment I just mentioned or items used frequently in daily life—we’re looking to reduce carbon emissions and other environmental impacts in that way.

Finally, regarding the various ESG activities you’re currently undertaking, what additional efforts do you think are needed to ensure they don’t remain merely short-term or one-off events, but instead become established as a more sustainable, enduring culture?

For those involved in handball, education is key—just like setting up experience zones for spectators at events. We need to make it ongoing. While we play matches and dream of advancing this sport, we’re also citizens, after all. We’re the ones who must pass this land on to future generations, so we need to raise awareness about that. Beyond the initiatives we’re currently listing, we want to encourage people to take initiative in their own communities as well. We’re focusing a lot on having those enlightening or educational conversations.

And we must not forget that—that’s what creates sustainability. And if things go well, companies actually quantify the value of such activities through ESG initiatives; SK is a prime example. So, they calculate the contribution amount and so on. But we haven’t evaluated that yet, and we’re not at that level yet. We don’t even have the budget to investigate it. But in the future, if our scope expands, I think it would be good to introduce some sort of systematic approach like that. At the end of the day,  we’re a group of people brought together by a shared interest in sports, so I hope these activities continue.