"We want to spotlight the water cycle and simultaneously celebrate our clean water"

By Maja Lorentzen, Communications Manager at SvømDanmark. Photo: Jesper Westley

Since 2010, the environmental company Krüger A/S has been a sponsor of the TrygFonden Copenhagen Swim and lends its name to the Krüger Relay. Anne Abraham, HR and Communications Director for over 450 employees, has been part of the collaboration with SvømDanmark from the very beginning.

"There are two aspects that make it really interesting for us to be involved in organizing the TrygFonden Copenhagen Swim. Firstly, it's a fantastic celebration of clean water. It's at the core of everything we're passionate about and work for every single day - ensuring clean water in every possible way," explains Anne Abraham, continuing:

"The second aspect is that it strengthens the sense of doing something together as colleagues, because when you're involved, you're also investing a part of yourself. It adds a different dimension to the office conversations beyond just work."

Anne Abraham mentions that a large number of employees and partners form relay teams every year and take part in the event:

"The year before COVID-19, we had 14 teams participating, and we also have many employees who come to cheer on their colleagues. They support their peers and find it fantastic to be part of it without necessarily jumping into the water themselves."

A sponsorship that makes a lot of sense

Until 2010, the TrygFonden Copenhagen Swim consisted solely of the 2000-meter distance for individual swimmers. SvømDanmark wanted to expand the event with a relay, where each team member swims 500 meters, collectively covering the 2000 meters around Christiansborg Palace. However, a sponsor was needed to establish the relay.

"We wanted to collaborate with a company that works with clean water and has been involved in ensuring that Copenhagen's canals are clean enough to swim in," explains Caroline Kleemann, project manager for TrygFonden Copenhagen Swim at SvømDanmark.

Therefore, it was a natural choice to approach Krüger A/S. They have collaborated with the City of Copenhagen, utility company HOFOR, and numerous builders, focusing on clean water in the harbor. They have provided advice and designed solutions for ensuring clean water in the harbor and preventing overflows.

"We feel that we have a stake in ensuring that Copenhagen has a fantastic water environment. So when we were asked, we quickly realized that it makes a lot of sense for us to be a part of this. And we've had a fantastic collaboration all the way through with SvømDanmark. Being a sponsor has been and still is a very significant plus for us," says Anne Abraham.

"It gives us a sense of pride and community"

The concept of the relay is also something that strongly appeals to Krüger A/S:

"We really like the popular aspect of the relay, where, for example, four colleagues can come together and do something as a team. We've always had many activities in our organization that focus on strengthening the sense of community. When the event takes place in Copenhagen's clean canals, it adds an extra dimension for us - it gives us a sense of pride and community."

Anne Abraham and her colleagues have many positive experiences from participating in the relay themselves.

"Everyone finds it quite unique and almost indescribable. There's just a very special atmosphere that you don't experience at other times in Copenhagen, because it's something designed to happen only at one specific time."

To provide an example, she mentions that funny situations often arise at the relay exchange points, where swimmers climb out of the water and continue the rest of the route along the canal:

"Every year, I see tourists who are just standing there wondering what's going on. It's not often that you see swimmers in the middle of a city, walking around in their wetsuits or pulling them halfway down because they're really hot. It's just a completely different culture that you suddenly see in the heart of Copenhagen."

We want to both celebrate and preserve our clean water

In their daily activities, Krüger A/S doesn't usually communicate directly with end-users - that is, all of us who benefit from clean water. They work with industrial customers and utility companies. However, on the day of the TrygFonden Copenhagen Swim, anyone at the event can visit Krüger A/S' water bar, where they can refill their water bottles and have a conversation about clean water.

"It's an opportunity to showcase what we're passionate about every single day to people who may not know us already. At the water bar, we often have quick conversations with those who come to refill their bottles: What do you do? Well, we work for clean water. Wow, that's awesome!" Anne Abraham recounts and elaborates:

"It helps underscore the importance of something that we all tend to take for granted every day. If you suddenly can't get clean water from your tap at home and maybe have to boil it or get it from somewhere else, you really realize how much it matters."

That's why Anne Abraham - and the rest of Krüger A/S - see the TrygFonden Copenhagen Swim as a unique opportunity to both celebrate our clean drinking and bathing water and talk about how we ensure we'll have it in the future.

"Our water is so clean that we can swim in it right in the heart of our capital city. Achieving that takes a lot of effort. We want to tell the story of how we ensure that we treat our wastewater so it doesn't end up causing problems. And how we can handle heavy rain to avoid overflows that damage our water environment," says Anne Abraham, continuing:

"We want to focus on the entire water cycle and at the same time celebrate our clean water in every way possible. Including standing at our water bar during the TrygFonden Copenhagen Swim and saying: Drink tap water, because it's almost the best water you can get."

Registration for the Krüger Relay is still open

Do you have three friends, family members, or colleagues who want to share an unforgettable experience? And can all of you swim 500 meters? Then sign up for the Krüger Relay and be part of celebrating our clean drinking and bathing water on August 25-26, 2023 - you can still make it.

Learn more about the distances and sign up here.