diff --git a/src/app/core/shared/collection.model.ts b/src/app/core/shared/collection.model.ts
index 30259b7dbe..d1c49c8d4b 100644
--- a/src/app/core/shared/collection.model.ts
+++ b/src/app/core/shared/collection.model.ts
@@ -15,10 +15,11 @@ import { RESOURCE_POLICY } from '../resource-policy/models/resource-policy.resou
 import { COMMUNITY } from './community.resource-type';
 import { Community } from './community.model';
 import { ChildHALResource } from './child-hal-resource.model';
+import { HandleObject } from './handle-object.model';
 
 @typedObject
 @inheritSerialization(DSpaceObject)
-export class Collection extends DSpaceObject implements ChildHALResource {
+export class Collection extends DSpaceObject implements ChildHALResource, HandleObject {
   static type = COLLECTION;
 
   /**
diff --git a/src/app/core/shared/community.model.ts b/src/app/core/shared/community.model.ts
index afe2c6dfef..f16aad9645 100644
--- a/src/app/core/shared/community.model.ts
+++ b/src/app/core/shared/community.model.ts
@@ -11,10 +11,11 @@ import { COMMUNITY } from './community.resource-type';
 import { DSpaceObject } from './dspace-object.model';
 import { HALLink } from './hal-link.model';
 import { ChildHALResource } from './child-hal-resource.model';
+import { HandleObject } from './handle-object.model';
 
 @typedObject
 @inheritSerialization(DSpaceObject)
-export class Community extends DSpaceObject implements ChildHALResource {
+export class Community extends DSpaceObject implements ChildHALResource, HandleObject {
   static type = COMMUNITY;
 
   /**
diff --git a/src/app/core/shared/handle-object.model.ts b/src/app/core/shared/handle-object.model.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..04a1f5e663
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/app/core/shared/handle-object.model.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+/**
+ * Interface representing an object in DSpace that contains a handle
+ */
+export interface HandleObject {
+
+  handle: string;
+
+}
diff --git a/src/app/core/shared/item.model.ts b/src/app/core/shared/item.model.ts
index 49ca7750b4..28f0d7fd36 100644
--- a/src/app/core/shared/item.model.ts
+++ b/src/app/core/shared/item.model.ts
@@ -23,13 +23,14 @@ import { BITSTREAM } from './bitstream.resource-type';
 import { Bitstream } from './bitstream.model';
 import { ACCESS_STATUS } from 'src/app/shared/object-list/access-status-badge/access-status.resource-type';
 import { AccessStatusObject } from 'src/app/shared/object-list/access-status-badge/access-status.model';
+import { HandleObject } from './handle-object.model';
 
 /**
  * Class representing a DSpace Item
  */
 @typedObject
 @inheritSerialization(DSpaceObject)
-export class Item extends DSpaceObject implements ChildHALResource {
+export class Item extends DSpaceObject implements ChildHALResource, HandleObject {
   static type = ITEM;
 
   /**
diff --git a/src/app/shared/theme-support/theme.service.ts b/src/app/shared/theme-support/theme.service.ts
index 4a4f6ae986..99e1702dff 100644
--- a/src/app/shared/theme-support/theme.service.ts
+++ b/src/app/shared/theme-support/theme.service.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { Injectable, Inject } from '@angular/core';
+import { Injectable, Inject, Injector } from '@angular/core';
 import { Store, createFeatureSelector, createSelector, select } from '@ngrx/store';
 import { EMPTY, Observable, of as observableOf } from 'rxjs';
 import { ThemeState } from './theme.reducer';
@@ -46,10 +46,11 @@ export class ThemeService {
     private store: Store<ThemeState>,
     private linkService: LinkService,
     private dSpaceObjectDataService: DSpaceObjectDataService,
+    protected injector: Injector,
     @Inject(GET_THEME_CONFIG_FOR_FACTORY) private gtcf: (str) => ThemeConfig
   ) {
     // Create objects from the theme configs in the environment file
-    this.themes = environment.themes.map((themeConfig: ThemeConfig) => themeFactory(themeConfig));
+    this.themes = environment.themes.map((themeConfig: ThemeConfig) => themeFactory(themeConfig, injector));
     this.hasDynamicTheme = environment.themes.some((themeConfig: any) =>
       hasValue(themeConfig.regex) ||
       hasValue(themeConfig.handle) ||
diff --git a/src/config/theme.model.spec.ts b/src/config/theme.model.spec.ts
index 16c76539d6..79b5a1f32b 100644
--- a/src/config/theme.model.spec.ts
+++ b/src/config/theme.model.spec.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import { Collection } from '../app/core/shared/collection.model';
 import { Item } from '../app/core/shared/item.model';
 import { ITEM } from '../app/core/shared/item.resource-type';
 import { getItemModuleRoute } from '../app/item-page/item-page-routing-paths';
+import { HandleService } from '../app/shared/handle.service';
 
 describe('Theme Models', () => {
   let theme: Theme;
@@ -67,24 +68,40 @@ describe('Theme Models', () => {
   });
 
   describe('HandleTheme', () => {
+    let handleService;
+    beforeEach(() => {
+      handleService = new HandleService();
+      });
     it('should return true when the DSO\'s handle matches the theme\'s handle', () => {
       theme = new HandleTheme({
         name: 'matching-handle',
         handle: '1234/5678',
-      });
-      const dso = Object.assign(new Item(), {
+      }, handleService);
+      const matchingDso = Object.assign(new Item(), {
         type: ITEM.value,
         uuid: 'item-uuid',
         handle: '1234/5678',
+      }, handleService);
+      expect(theme.matches('', matchingDso)).toEqual(true);
+    });
+    it('should return false when the DSO\'s handle contains the theme\'s handle as a subpart', () => {
+      theme = new HandleTheme({
+        name: 'matching-handle',
+        handle: '1234/5678',
+      }, handleService);
+      const dso = Object.assign(new Item(), {
+        type: ITEM.value,
+        uuid: 'item-uuid',
+        handle: '1234/567891011',
       });
-      expect(theme.matches('', dso)).toEqual(true);
+      expect(theme.matches('', dso)).toEqual(false);
     });
 
     it('should return false when the handles don\'t match', () => {
       theme = new HandleTheme({
         name: 'no-matching-handle',
         handle: '1234/5678',
-      });
+      }, handleService);
       const dso = Object.assign(new Item(), {
         type: ITEM.value,
         uuid: 'item-uuid',
diff --git a/src/config/theme.model.ts b/src/config/theme.model.ts
index b7654b1fd7..019540f18a 100644
--- a/src/config/theme.model.ts
+++ b/src/config/theme.model.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,9 @@ import { Config } from './config.interface';
 import { hasValue, hasNoValue, isNotEmpty } from '../app/shared/empty.util';
 import { DSpaceObject } from '../app/core/shared/dspace-object.model';
 import { getDSORoute } from '../app/app-routing-paths';
+import { HandleObject } from '../app/core/shared/handle-object.model';
+import { Injector } from '@angular/core';
+import { HandleService } from '../app/shared/handle.service';
 
 export interface NamedThemeConfig extends Config {
   name: string;
@@ -82,12 +85,20 @@ export class RegExTheme extends Theme {
 }
 
 export class HandleTheme extends Theme {
-  constructor(public config: HandleThemeConfig) {
+
+  private normalizedHandle;
+
+  constructor(public config: HandleThemeConfig,
+              protected handleService: HandleService
+              ) {
     super(config);
+    this.normalizedHandle = this.handleService.normalizeHandle(this.config.handle);
+
   }
 
-  matches(url: string, dso: any): boolean {
-    return hasValue(dso) && hasValue(dso.handle) && dso.handle.includes(this.config.handle);
+  matches<T extends DSpaceObject & HandleObject>(url: string, dso: T): boolean {
+    return hasValue(dso) && hasValue(dso.handle)
+      && this.handleService.normalizeHandle(dso.handle) === this.normalizedHandle;
   }
 }
 
@@ -101,11 +112,11 @@ export class UUIDTheme extends Theme {
   }
 }
 
-export const themeFactory = (config: ThemeConfig): Theme => {
+export const themeFactory = (config: ThemeConfig, injector: Injector): Theme => {
   if (hasValue((config as RegExThemeConfig).regex)) {
     return new RegExTheme(config as RegExThemeConfig);
   } else if (hasValue((config as HandleThemeConfig).handle)) {
-    return new HandleTheme(config as HandleThemeConfig);
+    return new HandleTheme(config as HandleThemeConfig, injector.get(HandleService));
   } else if (hasValue((config as UUIDThemeConfig).uuid)) {
     return new UUIDTheme(config as UUIDThemeConfig);
   } else {