Measures | This is green.

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Climate protection

Fossil-free driving with biofuels

There are places where we cannot use electricity to bring goods and people to their destinations. We are therefore developing green solutions that help with aspects such as refueling our diesel fleet on rail and road.

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Resource protection

Climate protection

We put raw materials to good use

Clay, sand, gravel and stone: Each year, we extract tons of material from the ground when building new tunnels or cuttings. The digital marketplace Erdpool allows us to put the excavated minerals into the cycle.

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Resource protection

Climate protection

Giving used items a new lease of life

Our online platform DB Resale gives a new lease of life to many things. Even when materials and rail vehicles are no longer needed, we don't just dispose of them. Instead, our platform ensures they find a new home and a new purpose.

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Nature conservation

Winning by a nose

We are taking a new approach to wildlife conservation. When starting a new construction project, we plan to deploy special sniffer dogs so we can locate protected species at the site.

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Social responsibility

Nature conservation

Resource protection

1

We reward sustainability

We turn our customers into environmentalists by integrating a This is green.-category into our BahnBonus program. The available rewards are sustainable through and through.

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Climate protection

Our testing lab is always on track

The advanced TrainLab is our testing center on rails. In two trains DB tests innovative technological solutions that will take our eco-friendly Strong Rail projects to the next level.

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Climate protection

Noise reduction

We load freight quietly and energy-efficiently

At our new MegaHub Lehrte, we use electricity-saving gantry cranes and battery-powered transporters to move goods quietly and energy-efficiently.

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Social responsibility

Resource protection

Save on plastic and donate drinking water

We sell sustainable mineral water bottles from share in our trains. By doing so, we save on plastic and support the construction of drinking water wells worldwide.

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Climate protection

We’re creating space for climate protection

Together with national and local government, DB promotes the transition from cars to bicycles by creating additional bicycle parking spaces at numerous stations throughout Germany.

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Climate protection

We like to provide a good climate on our trains

We like to provide a good climate on our trains. We are currently testing new air conditioning systems in our trains, which work with natural refrigerants and protect the environment.

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Nature conservation

A lofty place to live

We provide rare birds with a place to live in a top location. Whether on depot premises or on land we have restored, our nesting boxes help us to support wildlife conservation.

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Social responsibility

Resource protection

Nature conservation

1

We won't let good food end up in the garbage

Whether it's lentil stew or chocolate brownies – we donate many items from our on-board catering to charitable organizations, to help the environment and those in need.

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Social responsibility

Resource protection

Climate protection

1

Old and improved

Old and improved - we don't throw away old furniture from our office buildings or old information signs from our construction sites. Instead, we take an upcycling approach and give them a new lease on life.

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Climate protection

First aid for bikes

We offer first aid for bicycles with our new mobile repair stations. This service to get your bike fit again is free.

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Nature conservation

We need more insects

Our green sites provide us with solutions to sustainably manage our land. By running pilot projects, we are gathering the knowledge to equip us for this.

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Resource protection

Climate protection

Out of the printer, into the train

Our trains are made up of many individual components, many of which are unique. It often takes a lot of time and materials to keep small quantities of them available. We have found a solution to this in 3D printing, which enables us to work more efficiently and with fewer resources. In this computer-based procedure, the original component is first measured or scanned and then converted to digital data. The part is built up layer by layer, of either plastic or metal.

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Nature conservation

Beavers have their own manager at DB

Thanks to a preventive beaver management program, DB is protecting the natural habitat of beavers while maintaining the safety of rail traffic.

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Climate protection

Stations using renewable power

We do not only use green electricity for long distance transport. We also power many of our stations with 100 percent green electricity, and these are used by more than four million people every day. A total of 33 stations in Germany are part of this green campaign, including our 15 largest stations and our stations of the future.

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Resource protection

Nature conservation

Washing your hands without using microplastics

We want to keep our waters free of these substances, which is why we provide passengers with hand soap that is 100 percent free of microplastics on all DB long distance and regional trains.

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Climate protection

Resource protection

Into the future with Digital Rail

We are digitalizing our entire network and thereby shifting more traffic to Strong Rail.

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Resource protection

Climate protection

We're all for refillable spray cans

To save resources and prevent waste when we do so, we use refillable spray cans at many of our depots.

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Climate protection

Get around the depot by eScooter

The grounds of our depots can extend over many hectares, meaning that employees have to cover distances of up to 2,000 meters. We have introduced eScooters so that they can move around as easily as possible, and emission-free to boot. These small three-wheeled vehicles are made of recyclable materials and are powered by the depots' own solar panels. They offer staff an energy-efficient alternative means of moving materials and tools over long distances.

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Climate protection

Update

Get from A to B by electric shuttle

At so many locations around Germany, ioki shuttles are ready and waiting to take passengers from A to B with zero emissions and around the clock. Our vehicles supplement conventional mass transit services.

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Noise reduction

Climate protection

Trimming back with battery power

We are increasingly using battery-powered devices when we manage the vegetation along tracks and at stations. Electric power saws, hedge trimmers and leaf blowers not only much lighter than conventional gasoline-powered equipment, they are also much less noisy.

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Nature conservation

Our bird diverters

To protect rare birds, we use black-and-white bird diverters on overhead power lines.

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Resource protection

Climate protection

We turn disposable into reusable

With a new deposit return system, we reduce unnecessary waste in our staff cafeterias and protect the environment.

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Nature conservation

Resource protection

Climate protection

Noise reduction

2

Turning environmental protection into a profession

Taking care of the environment is a full-time job. That's why hundreds of our environmental professionals are active each day. They coordinate the implementation of green projects Group-wide and ensure that we comply with environmental protection provisions.

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Resource protection

Climate protection

Things are getting digital

To protect the climate, Deutsche Bahn uses paperless and digital channels to communicate with its passengers and employees.

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Noise reduction

We're toning it down

Our catenary supports and noise barriers have to withstand the elements. That's why we fix them firmly deep in the ground. Unfortunately, construction noise is often unavoidable. We are therefore continuously working on quieter machinery and new technologies to reduce noise pollution. For example, DB Rail Construction uses crawler drills on building sites wherever ground conditions allow. This machinery is much quieter than the conventional ramming devices normally used in construction.

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Climate protection

Your vacation starts with us

We make sure your vacation starts even before you reach the airport. Travelers taking advantage of our Rail&Fly product for tour operators and airlines travel conveniently and with 100% renewable power by train from the railway station to the airport (and back again). This eco-friendly alternative to taking the car can be booked easily through many travel providers.

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Resource protection

Climate protection

Sustainable from the ground up

Our paving stones display their eco-friendliness with pride. Because environmentally friendly production processes and 100 percent renewable energies are used to manufacture them. Which is why we have been paving many of our stations with the climate-neutral stones.

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Climate protection

One ticket for the whole journey

With the City-Ticket, the train journey does not finish at the station. Anyone who has booked a travel ticket that features "+City" can travel free of charge on public transport in 130 cities to get to their departure station and from the station they arrive at.

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Noise reduction

Climate protection

Smart retarding technology at yards

It's not only our trains that use whisper brakes. We also use technologies to reduce noise at our classification yards.

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Climate protection

Noise reduction

Resource protection

Nature conservation

2

We manage the environment

We want to get just that little bit better every day – especially when it comes to protecting the environment. In order to achieve this, we have created an environmental management system in accordance with DIN ISO 14001.

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Climate protection

Less fuel for the same performance

We have developed a process called ECO Tuning. This process optimizes the engine control system to cut fuel consumption.

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Resource protection

Climate protection

Environmental data at a glance with just one click

We want to drive forward DB's Green transformation. Various IT systems are helping us to do this.

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Climate protection

Ordered, delivered, environment protected

Together with pakadoo, we offer our employees a service that consolidates personal and business parcel delivery and protect the climate.

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Nature conservation

Noise reduction

Our environmental supervisors keep an eye on everything.

We employ environmental lawyers as environmental supervisors for our construction projects. Even before work starts at a building site, these experts check that all environmental protections and laws have been observed.

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Climate protection

Solar-powered cameras for greater security

To provide trains in our sidings with greater security, we have developed a solar-powered mobile CCTV unit.

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Nature conservation

Our Heck cattle and European bison are a wonder to behold

On our nature trail, Heck cattle and bisons help us preserve important habitats by grazing on green areas.

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Climate protection

We give fuel cells a future

Our operations facilities have to be in service at all times, which is why we use fuel cells as a backup power source.

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Climate protection

Time to recharge those batteries

Our customers can plug in their phones at our first green mobile recharging points at Stuttgart main station – all using renewable energy.

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Climate protection

Our trucks are electric

The future belongs to electrically powered trucks. This is why DB Schenker is promoting the use of climate-friendly and quiet electric trucks in city centers as well.

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Climate protection

Our Cargo Bikes deliver climate friendly

Our Cargo Bikes provide an eco-friendly alternative to conventional vehicles such as vans or trucks. They produce less traffic noise on city streets while keeping the air clean.

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Climate protection

Made-to-measure charging

To ensure that our electric cars and buses stay up to speed in the future, we make our renewable power available in a tailor-made charging infrastructure.

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Climate protection

Resource protection

Take the climate-friendly way with CleverShuttle

With CleverShuttle, we partner with public transport companies to take passengers from door to door within various cities in a climate-friendly way. The ridepooling operator bundles journeys and thus reduces traffic in the city and in rural areas.

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Climate protection

We are forward-looking in how we save energy

Letting the train coast to a stop to save energy? Sounds unlikely, but in fact it's not that unusual. If time permits, our train drivers receive driving recommendations via the green functions in the train movement control system to help them save energy. The system automatically provides the drivers with recommendations on energy-efficient driving.

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Climate protection

Nature conservation

We move green electricity

DB Rail Construction offers environmentally friendly, temporary energy generation units to make green electricity available wherever it is needed away from the power grid. The green units use photovoltaic technology or fuel cells to operate independently for months at a time.

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Nature conservation

What plant is that?

Our leaflets on hazardous plant life provide employees with guidelines for when they come into contact with plants that require careful handling due to their potential impact on health and wellbeing.

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Nature conservation

Protection for our animal friends

Hives of activity, our construction sites bustle with construction vehicles – and with all kinds of animals too, right next to the tracks. Our employees need to be able to identify their animal neighbors even better, to prevent them from being harmed. Our new publication will help them with this.

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Climate protection

We want to stop in Bavaria more often

We are opening around 20 new stations in Bavaria by 2023, to boost rail traffic in the region and to attract even more people to taking the eco-friendly train.

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Social responsibility

Climate protection

Noise reduction

1

Sharing ideas about a strong, green rail

To make strong, green rail a reality, we need innovative solutions and broad acceptance in society at large. That's why we regularly engage in dialogue with our stakeholders.

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Climate protection

Resource protection

Our warehouses save energy

DB Schenker's eco warehouses worldwide ensure for energy-efficient warehouse logistics and less CO2 emissions.

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Climate protection

Resource protection

We've given up the spray cans

We have done away with spray-based solutions when servicing our trains as they contain solvents that have a negative impact on the environment and on people's health. One such commonly used substance is a brake cleaner – every year, we used to use about 7,000 containers of it at our depot for long distance trains at Rummelsburg in Berlin alone. But we've put a stop to that.

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Climate protection

Travel with green apps

Whether DB Navigator, Call a Bike or Wohin Du Willst, with our green apps we want to get more people using public transport.

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Nature conservation

Next stop: snack station

Red squirrels are among the best known native rodents and are under species protection. This is why our employees are helping the squirrels in their search for food by installing food stations.

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Resource protection

Eco-friendly water dispensers

In our office buildings, we have installed water dispensers that are connected directly to the water pipe. So there is no need for plastic bottles.

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Nature conservation

Our bovine landscape designers

At Büdingen in Hesse, a herd of water buffalo is helping DB to sustainably graze the green expanses.

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Nature conservation

Our pathways for otters

Otters are very unusual. Although they swim in water like fish, they prefer to walk through culverts under bridges rather than swim through them. In response, we created a special pathway for the animals when building a railway bridge over the Nuthe, a tributary of the river Havel in Brandenburg.

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Nature conservation

We protect even the smallest creatures

Formica polyctena, a species of European red wood ant, is on the IUCN's (International Union for Conservation of Nature) red list of endangered species in Germany, so we bring its anthills to safety whenever we encounter them during construction work. We have relocated two such nests from the site of Karower Kreuz station in northern Berlin, for example. First, we pack an anthill into a large paper sack and move it to its new site. Placing it on the ground, we spread a circle of sugar around the nest.

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Nature conservation

A healthy balance in our eco-account

The eco-account is like a savings account for the environment. We pay into it by undertaking voluntary, preventative conservation work. This earns us credit that we can later use to offset any activities that have a negative ecological impact, such as construction work. We can therefore keep our books balanced, as it were, with these restoration and compensation measures for the environment.

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Climate protection

Our energy scouts are on the ball

Maybe you've heard of our ticket machine scouts? They show passengers how to use our ticket machines properly. For some years now, we have also had energy scouts, who identify energy-related shortcomings at our company and develop proposals for improving performance. They can help us in our aim to reduce our energy costs and CO2 emissions even further.

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Resource protection

Climate protection

Tablets instead of reams of paper

Previously, our train drivers and train attendants had to carry heavy books of service regulations, timetables and circulars around with them. Now the majority of these documents is stored on their tablets – always the current version, of course.

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Noise reduction

Windows to cut out noise

We are installing thousands of sound-insulating windows to protect people living near tracks from train noise and to ensure they get a good night's sleep.

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Climate protection

Resource protection

Ticket machines in power-save mode

Thanks to LED lighting and efficient mains adaptors, our ticket machines are particularly energy-saving.

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Climate protection

A powerful conversion

We started operating electric trains as long ago as 1895. However, we cannot simply take electricity from the socket – we have to convert it first. Because, then as now, trains use power with a frequency of 16.7 Hertz, whereas 50 Hertz is the frequency used in the public electricity grid. Electricity is increasingly being converted in converter stations.

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Climate protection

Engines off for the environment

An automatic start-stop system for locomotives ensures that they do not consume unnecessary amounts of diesel, thereby cutting pollution and waste.

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Climate protection

Heating the climate-friendly way

We aim to make our heating systems even more environmentally friendly. We are using climate-friendly heat at more and more locations.

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Nature conservation

Natural river courses for biodiversity

When we upgraded the Berlin-Nuremberg line, we used floodways in Maintal to create a rich biotope for greater biodiversity.

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Nature conservation

New habitats for the natterjack toad

The natterjack toad is quite small and, thanks to its strikingly short hind legs, moves more like a mouse than a toad. Instead of jumping, it prefers to run, especially on the sandy floodplains of rivers and streams. Unfortunately, this habitat is threatened and the natterjack toad is therefore classed as a strictly protected species.

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Resource protection

Climate protection

Our trains are spotlessly clean

Our train washing facilities are particularly green. The water used to wash the trains is recycled, meaning considerably less of it is required.

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Climate protection

Pole position for our trains

In life, smart planning always saves time. And for us, it saves CO2 as well. This is what our employees, or more precisely our dispatchers, are committed to doing. They specify when the trains are to be stabled on which track and in which order when they are not in use, so that they are ready for service again faster and with as little switching as possible at departure time. This saves a great deal of energy.

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Nature conservation

We create new habitats at new locations

By transforming old rail facilities, we create new space for people and nature. In this way, we can compensate for the impact that our construction and maintenance activities have on the environment.

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Climate protection

Resource protection

Heat from underground

Geothermal energy is an environmentally friendly way to heat buildings in winter and cool them in summer. One of the great advantages of geothermal heat is that we can use it at any time and in any weather. We already exploit this source of power at our green stations in Kerpen-Horrem and Lutherstadt Wittenberg, and also at Buchloe station in Bavaria.

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Climate protection

Nature conservation

Resource protection

Noise reduction

2

Learning for the environment

We would like our employees to be environmentalists, as well as our customers. We motivate our employees to become much more involved in environmental issues and keep their knowledge up to date at all times.

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Resource protection

A second chance for computer equipment

We don't let anyone get thrown on the scrap heap – we give decommissioned monitors, laptops, PCs and mobile devices a new life and extend their service life.

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Climate protection

Resource protection

A makeover for our trains

We attach great importance to ensuring our trains' service lives are as long as possible. Our ICE trains, for example, have a service life of at least 30 years. In order for them to reach this impressive age, we carry out a redesign on them about halfway through their service life. The train's exterior remains essentially unchanged, but inside we overhaul many components and replace any parts that cannot be reconditioned, for example seats.

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Climate protection

Resource protection

We want a green office

We make it easy for our employees to be green, even when organizing their daily work life. They can purchase their office and work supplies conveniently from our in-house platform DB Marketplace. This shop shows clearly which articles are particularly eco-friendly, for instance notepads made from recycled paper.

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Nature conservation

Our very own Apollo mission

The Apollo butterfly is one of the rarest butterfly species in Europe. It mainly lives on stony terrain in mountain landscapes. Largely as a result of humans' impact on nature, the Apollo is an endangered species, and it has been protected since 1936. This is reason enough for us to conserve the population living in the foothills of the Swabian Jura and safeguard its preservation.

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Nature conservation

Helping fish to climb

We protect the animal kingdom not only on the land, but in the water too – by building fish ladders and rewilding river landscapes.

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Nature conservation

Nesting boxes for falcons

Falcons don't have it easy in Germany. Although they are one of our protected animal species, their habitat is under serious threat. Falcons like to breed at great heights, but when a pair of peregrine falcons tried to build a nest on the pier of a viaduct on the Hanover-Würzburg line they were sadly unsuccessful. On discovering this, DB Netz and Bavaria's association for the protection of birds came together to install a nesting box for them.

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Nature conservation

A heart for the wood grouse

We must not let the wood grouse die out. But this is just what could happen if we do nothing. We have taken action in the Seelenwald forest, located on the Black Forest rail line in Baden-Württemberg. We have improved the habitat for the wood grouse, which live mainly on the ground, by clearing trees and planting grass and moss to provide the extravagant bird with a safe home.

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Climate protection

Resource protection

Nature conservation

Noise reduction

2

Serving the environment

We are giving the environment a voice. With the help of our environmental assistants at the ICE maintenance depot in Frankfurt, for example. Specially trained in environmental issues, these employees act in a similar way to a safety officer, identifying potential problems and working hard to rectify them.

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Nature conservation

Scoring points with unspoiled nature

We are one of Germany's largest owners of forests, with total holdings of around 28,000 hectares. One of our woodland sites is near the village of Elm in eastern Hesse.

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Resource protection

Climate protection

Oil keeps longer with us

DB Heavy Maintenance is reprocessing old oil to save raw materials.

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Climate protection

We use our energy wisely

The best way to protect the climate is by not consuming energy in the first place. This is why we rely on an intelligent energy management system.

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Climate protection

Our construction logistics are dependent on rail

We make our construction logistics environmentally friendly in that, wherever possible, we avoid using trucks to transport building materials. This protects the road network and makes driving less fraught.

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Climate protection

Full commitment, less fuel

Our bus and truck drivers are taking special training to learn how they can use less energy while driving. Modern telematics systems help them to get even better.

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Resource protection

Climate protection

We turn leftovers into energy

We don't throw leftovers away – instead, we turn them into green energy. Our staff restaurants are left with uneaten food at the end of every day. Working with our partner LOGEX, we make sure that these leftovers are put to good use.

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Climate protection

Resource protection

Next stop: the future

As part of our Station of the Future project, we are using 16 locations around Germany to test innovative solutions for enhancing our customer services and promoting new ideas for eco-friendly onward travel.

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Resource protection

Climate protection

New life for old sleepers

We lay millions of concrete sleepers, or railroad ties, in our rail network every year. We regularly reprocess old sleepers so that we can reuse them in other tracks.

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Nature conservation

Welcome to the insect hotel

Deutsche Bahn is encouraging biodiversity by building insect hotels on its land, thereby offering little bugs a safe haven.

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Nature conservation

Accommodating cranes

When we upgraded the Stendal-Uelzen line, we established a breeding and nesting site for cranes on unused farmland covering some 6.5 hectares. Other endangered animal species also have found shelter here. How did we do this? We made improvements to stretches of river and used rocks to slow down the flow of the current.

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Nature conservation

We turn goats into gardeners

Some animals that help us maintain precious natural habitats come from far away. Boer goats are originally from South Africa, but they serve us well by grazing on dry grassland in the states of Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate. Their hooves do not damage the soil's surface and they are particularly agile creatures, which makes them ideal candidates for keeping any unwanted vegetation in check.

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Nature conservation

Bat hotel in Western Pomerania

All of Germany's bat species have been protected by law for many years. So whenever we launch a building project in their old homes, we find the bats a new place to live, devising a solution for each specific species.

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Nature conservation

Lizards are our friends

Lizards like to lay their eggs in sunny locations and patches of sand, which is why they are particularly common along railway embankments. We make the effort to move them before we start building and maintenance work on the rail infrastructure.

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Social responsibility

Resource protection

Nature conservation

1

Fair-trade is to our taste

We see promoting sustainable nutrition and environmental protection as our duty. That is why we are the largest caterer in Germany that offers customers fairly traded coffee. The on-board bistros on ICE and Intercity trains now only serve hot coffee or tea-beverages with a fair-trade label.

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Climate protection

Resource protection

A green finish for our depots

Whenever we modify or renovate a depot, improving its energy profile and enhancing sustainability are always part of the job. This covers everything from insulating walls and replacing windows to installing modern heating systems.

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Climate protection

No chance for energy guzzlers

A company can optimize its electricity consumption only if it knows how much power it actually uses at a specific place. By using smart sub-meters that can be read remotely, we have a transparent overview of energy consumption in individual areas of our office buildings and depots. In this way, we can specifically target equipment that guzzles energy.

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Climate protection

Our trains take AdBlue

We refuel our diesel locomotives with AdBlue® and are reducing pollutants thanks to modern exhaust aftertreatment.

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Climate protection

Noise reduction

Eco-friendly from door to door with electric buses

In regional transport, we use fully electric buses at various locations in Germany and Europe and are thus driving forward electric mobility.

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Climate protection

With bike and bus on the way

Cyclists know only too well that there is often not much space on the bus, meaning that their bikes have to stay at home. DB Regio Buses and DB Arriva Slovenia have some practical solutions on offer: public transport users can put their bikes in trailers or racks for sustainable and climate-friendly mobility.

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Nature conservation

Our research into better conservation strategies

Protecting nature and wildlife are close to our hearts. That's why we are looking into effective ideas for protecting plants and animals on DB-owned land.

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Resource protection

Recycled paper is standard at DB

Whenever it´s possible, we are reducing the use of paper or use eco-friendly recycled paper. This cuts back on wood, energy and water consumption.

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Nature conservation

Our data collection helps nature

With our environmental database FINK, we document all the nature conservation measures we carry out as part of our new-build, upgrade and maintenance work.

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Resource protection

Our toilets are economical

Our toilets are economical – at least as far as their water consumption is concerned. Water is a precious resource that we conserve, thanks to on-board toilets that need little of it. High-pressure technology means that each flush requires just 750 ml of water as against the four to nine liters that a conventional lavatory sluices down the drain.

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Climate protection

Two drive systems for more climate protection

We will be using climate-friendly dual-mode locomotives in our Cargo fleet in the future. These locomotives run on electricity on routes with overhead lines and switch to the diesel engine only when necessary. This reduces both carbon and noise emissions.

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Climate protection

We help climate protection to take flight

We are working with partners from research and industry on innovative solutions for more climate protection. One example is an electric utility drone, our joint project with start-up Volocopter.

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Resource protection

Climate protection

Well informed digitally with DB Planet

DB is turning to digital choices for more and more of its print media in internal communications. In doing so, it reduces not only the amount of paper used, but also water and energy consumption.

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Noise reduction

Our research for your peace and quiet

Now and in the future, we want to reduce rail noise even further for people living near rail lines, so we are testing different technological solutions that will make rail freight even quieter.

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Climate protection

Update

Testing hydrogen as the fuel of the future

We want to make our transport greener than ever. To this end, we are researching and developing climate friendly technologies, such as the use of hydrogen.

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Climate protection

Let's get the train out of here

With our “Sparpreis Touristik” and “Flexpreis Touristik“ offerings for tour operators, we are committed to enabling more vacationers to start their journey by train. Tour operators can easily round off their package deals with Deutsche Bahn's eco-friendly rail transport, meaning that vacationers begin their leisure time with a positive carbon footprint.

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Resource protection

We have heaps of ballast

We do not dispose of old ballast stones, but recycle them and then reuse them in the track bed.

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Climate protection

A bright future with LED lights

At our stations, depots and other buildings, we use energy-efficient lighting and are reducing our energy demands thanks to LED technology.

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Climate protection

On your company bike to climate protection

DB's company bike initiative supports employees who want to buy a bicycle that they can also use when they are not at work.

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Climate protection

Resource protection

Nature conservation

Noise reduction

2

Climate protection begins at the depot

It is not only our trains that are green – we also focus on solutions for sustainability and climate protection in our maintenance depots.

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Climate protection

A fresh wind is blowing for us

We rely on electricity from renewable energy sources. In addition to hydropower and solar energy, wind power is also part of our renewable energy mix.

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Climate protection

Green forklift trucks tested

We want to become even greener in our logistics services. We therefore conducted a pilot project to test hydrogen-powered forklift trucks. These are not only quiet, but also climate-friendly.

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Climate protection

Charging toward the future

We're working on innovative solutions for alternative drive systems so we can say goodbye to diesel. One of these solutions involves testing modern battery trains.

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Climate protection

Noise reduction

Eco-friendly shunting with hybrid locomotives

Our hybrid locomotives feature a climate-friendly, low-noise, energy-efficient drive system for shunting and last-mile services to customer sidings.

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Noise reduction

We're doing something about noise

With rail web dampers, rail lubrication and low-height noise barriers we are working on innovative noise reduction measures to be able to offer really suitable solutions at all times.

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Climate protection

Berlin, Berlin, we're going to Berlin

We started offering school trips many years ago, and now we organize trips to 140 destinations throughout Germany and Europe, climate-friendly with renewable power.

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Climate protection

Autonomous shuttles in public transport

Autonomous, electric-powered vehicles are no longer just a future dream for us. With the platform of our DB subsidiary, ioki, we connect autonomous shuttle buses with public transport.

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Climate protection

Parking in the sunniest spots

Integrated travel is important to get people from A to B quickly. That is why DB BahnPark offers its customers multilevel and underground parking garages and outdoor parking lots in the immediate vicinity of stations throughout Germany. The DB subsidiary is making its contribution to climate protection with solar-powered parking meters.

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Climate protection

Resource protection

Even our buildings are green

We place great store by the sustainable construction and modernization of our office buildings. We are increasingly focusing on ensuring that our office buildings have been certified in line with modern ecological standards. This helps our employees feel good at work while at the same time conserving resources.

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Climate protection

Nature conservation

Clean air from green roofs

The plants on our green roofs help improve ambient air temperatures and humidity levels.

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Nature conservation

Climate protection

Trips to experience nature

Destination Nature is a joint undertaking between DB and Germany's environmental associations with the goal of encouraging more people to use eco-friendly travel, i.e. buses and trains, at nature reserves and national parks and so promote sustainable tourism.

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Climate protection

We get our power from the charging station

We are bringing eco-friendly electric mobility from the rails to the road to help our customers manage the last mile from station to destination without any problems. We provide a secure network of charging stations for our own carsharing fleet. For example, DB Energie provides charging facilities in parking lots at stations across Germany for electric vehicles in the Flinkster network. To realize our project of installing station charging points, we receive funding from the Federal Government's program supporting the charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.

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Resource protection

How we wash the dishes at Deutsche Bahn

In the kitchens of our staff restaurants we only use products that are all certified in line with the EU's Ecolabel or Nordic Swan standards.

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Resource protection

Our cups live longer

Our DB reusable cups provide a real alternative to disposable cups. They're 100% recyclable and create less waste.

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Nature conservation

Free flight for birds

We protect birds and other animal species by fitting our overhead lines with animal guards. These keep wildlife safe from electrocution and prevent disruptions to our electrical systems.

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Social responsibility

Climate protection

Why we support wood-burning cookers

Currently, climate-neutral transportation is not available for every rail consignment. DBeco neutral ensures we can offer customers the option of offsetting their CO2 emissions, which entails investing in sustainable projects around the world.

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Climate protection

Resource protection

That's how we keep electric motors running

Our depots use a thermal process to extend the service life of electric motors and keep our electric locomotives on the rails longer.

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Climate protection

We are tapping into the sun

Solar energy is one of DB's renewable energy sources, making an active contribution to climate protection provide our trains with renewable power.

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Climate protection

Noise reduction

TRAXX is driving climate protection

With our TRAXX locomotives, we guarantee environmentally friendly transport. They consume less fuel and are quieter.

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Climate protection

Keeping an eye on emissions

We can use the Carbon Dashboard tool to show customers their monthly CO2 figures from the preceding quarter or year – all digitally, of course. This is one of the services provided by DB Schenker eServices. The tool takes all modes of transport into account and the final analysis is presented in the form of a chart.

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Climate protection

So that you have a clean record

With the bahn.business program, you save money and protect the environment too. As a business traveler, your long distance journeys in Germany have always used 100 percent renewable power. Now, since January 2020, your trips on DB's local and regional trains within Germany are also powered with 100 percent renewable energy.

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Nature conservation

Climate protection

How to protect our forests

With donations the Deutsche Bahn and their customers support the Bergwaldprojekt e.V. association for the protection of our forests. Over 385,000 trees have already been planted.

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Noise reduction

Our mission to give you a restful night

We want to reduce rail noise to ensure residents living near rail lines have more peace and quiet. To achieve this, we are erecting noise barriers on new and upgraded lines, for instance. And we are also installing them on existing lines as part of remedial measures. Whenever a train passes by, the walls absorb noise and shield nearby homes.

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Nature conservation

Our woolly friends

We have assigned sheep to graze in the valley of the river Unstrut in Saxony-Anhalt. They ensure that rare animal and plant species, such as orchids, flourish.

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Climate protection

Check your environmental impact

If you want to see just how green a journey with our trains can be, use our Environmental Mobility Check, a free comparison tool available on our travel information website.

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Nature conservation

Unspoiled nature with cattle and birdsong

Do you want to see Heck cattle that are almost as tall as a man and rare wild horses grazing on a former army training area? No problem. The animals fulfil the role of landscape gardeners, ensuring the land is grazed sustainably. The Aschaffenburg natural heritage trail is three kilometers long and leads you around the untouched pastures where the animals roam. Numerous other rare animal and plant species have also settled here over time.

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Nature conservation

Our four-legged gardeners

Wild horses help our landscape conservation efforts. They graze on a total of 158 hectares of land near Hanau and in Aschaffenburg, providing environmental sustainability by ensuring that the land does not become overgrown. In this way, the habitat of many plant and animal species is preserved.

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Resource protection

Climate protection

Nature conservation

1

Young people with smart ideas

DB's talented young people are taking a strong stand for the environment and coming up with clever ideas for a green future – for instance in a special environmental program run by vocational trainees at DB Long Distance, and at DB Cargo's eco-heroes day.

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Climate protection

Generating electricity by braking

Our vehicles are not just energy-efficient. Many of them even generate power themselves – simply by braking. Because all modern electric trains at Deutsche Bahn are equipped with a brake energy recovery function. Also our bus fleet is making an increasing use of this type of energy generation.

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Climate protection

Relax and meet emission-free

Many companies are organizing climate-friendly events today and striving to produce as little CO2 as possible. We can help with this. Visitors with an Event Ticket from DB have always enjoyed 100 percent CO2-free travel on long distance trains in Germany, and now, since January 2020, their journeys on local and regional trains make exclusive use of renewable power too. This way, the ticket is not only great for the event's participants, but it's also good for the environment.

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Climate protection

Hydropower gets us moving

We are already the largest consumer of green electricity in Germany and are increasing our commitment to the environment day by day. To enable our customers to travel with 100 percent green electricity, we rely primarily on hydropower for renewable energy.

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Climate protection

Our green hybrid buses

With DB Arriva's hybrid buses we carry our passengers every day, actively protecting the environment and the climate.

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Climate protection

Our train on two wheels

Deutsche Bahn's Call a Bikes are the stress-free and super-green way to get from A to B. The bikesharing family now includes over 13,000 bicycles.

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Social responsibility

Resource protection

Our employees are dressed fairly

DB´s corporate clothing is not only stylish, but also fairly sourced.

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Climate protection

We make your transport clean

With our Eco Consulting service, we analyze and optimize our customers' CO2 emissions along the supply chain.

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Climate protection

Fully electric to prevent exhaust fumes

With such a large rail network, there is always something to build, which is why we cannot do without our construction vehicles and machines. But we can certainly do without exhaust fumes. In order to minimize the impact on the environment and local residents, we only use low-emission vehicles and construction machines on our inner-city construction sites. They cut soot particle emissions by up to 90 percent.

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Nature conservation

Our unused land is buzzing

Without bees, our ecosystem is in danger. For the preservation of the honeybee we have turned DB land over to private beekeepers free of charge and are putting up "arks" for wild bees at some of our stations.

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Resource protection

Save paper with the mobile phone ticket

Our mobile phone ticket is an eco-friendly alternative to a conventional paper ticket, and it can be booked quickly and easily in our DB Navigator app. Together, this way, we are able to save valuable resources.

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Climate protection

How train drivers save energy

Taking the train protects the climate. We have designed training modules that teach our train drivers a range of simple methods for cutting energy consumption by up to 10 percent.

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Climate protection

Faster with Flinkster carsharing

Our Flinkster carsharing service helps our customers be mobile both before and after a train journey.

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Climate protection

Nature conservation

Resource protection

1

Green meadows on station roofs

What makes two of our stations climate neutral? Quite simply: their entire energy demand for heating and lighting is covered by means of green energy obtained from geothermal heat and solar panels.

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Noise reduction

Our brakes can whisper

Thanks to the whisper brake, our freight wagons from DB Cargo are quietly on the move and are only heard half as loud.

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Climate protection

Our electricity is a clean business

You can get your electricity from Deutsche Bahn. Not from the overhead line, but from the socket at home. DB Energie, who supplies electricity for our trains, signaling systems, stations, workshops and offices, also offers green electricity to private customers. 100 percent of it is obtained from renewable energy sources and is certified in line with the requirements of the ok-power label.

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Climate protection

DB Regio is on track

DB's regional trains protect the environment because a trip causes fewer CO2 emissions than a trip by car.

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Climate protection

Protect the environment with the BahnCard

Our BahnCard customers truly help to protect the environment. They automatically travel with 100% renewable power on long distance services. This lets every BahnCard holder make their journey with Deutsche Bahn that little bit greener. With our eco-powered long distance trains, we are setting the course for achieving our climate targets on time.

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Climate protection

Update

Get to your destination with renewable power

Journeys using 100 percent renewable power: whether with DB Long Distance, on several lines in regional and local transport, or in DB Cargo's freight transport.

Our green measures

In the overview

Fossil-free driving with biofuels

We put raw materials to good use

Giving used items a new lease of life

Winning by a nose

We reward sustainability

Our testing lab is always on track

We load freight quietly and energy-efficiently

Save on plastic and donate drinking water

We’re creating space for climate protection

We like to provide a good climate on our trains

A lofty place to live

We won't let good food end up in the garbage

Old and improved

First aid for bikes

We need more insects

Out of the printer, into the train

Beavers have their own manager at DB

Stations using renewable power

Washing your hands without using microplastics

Into the future with Digital Rail

We're all for refillable spray cans

Get around the depot by eScooter

Get from A to B by electric shuttle

Trimming back with battery power

Our bird diverters

We turn disposable into reusable

Turning environmental protection into a profession

Things are getting digital

We're toning it down

Your vacation starts with us

Sustainable from the ground up

One ticket for the whole journey

Smart retarding technology at yards

We manage the environment

Less fuel for the same performance

Environmental data at a glance with just one click

Ordered, delivered, environment protected

Our environmental supervisors keep an eye on everything.

Solar-powered cameras for greater security

Our Heck cattle and European bison are a wonder to behold

We give fuel cells a future

Time to recharge those batteries

Our trucks are electric

Our Cargo Bikes deliver climate friendly

Made-to-measure charging

Take the climate-friendly way with CleverShuttle

We are forward-looking in how we save energy

We move green electricity

What plant is that?

Protection for our animal friends

We want to stop in Bavaria more often

Sharing ideas about a strong, green rail

Our warehouses save energy

We've given up the spray cans

Travel with green apps

Next stop: snack station

Eco-friendly water dispensers

Our bovine landscape designers

Our pathways for otters

We protect even the smallest creatures

A healthy balance in our eco-account

Our energy scouts are on the ball

Tablets instead of reams of paper

Windows to cut out noise

Ticket machines in power-save mode

A powerful conversion

Engines off for the environment

Heating the climate-friendly way

Natural river courses for biodiversity

New habitats for the natterjack toad

Our trains are spotlessly clean

Pole position for our trains

We create new habitats at new locations

Heat from underground

Learning for the environment

A second chance for computer equipment

A makeover for our trains

We want a green office