Dialog on the Green Transformation

We exchange views with our stakeholders, both bilaterally and through committees and discussion formats, on the Green Transformation of DB Group. We are hosting our own multi-stakeholder formats, such as the Sustainability Forum (formerly the Environmental Forum). We also carry out structured environmental monitoring and analysis. We use these to systematically identify relevant topics and examine their impact on the Green Transformation of DB Group. We also answer questions from stakeholders on matters of sustainability.

Sustainability Forum

The DB Group Sustainability Forum, which takes place once a year in Berlin, has firmly established itself in recent years as the central platform for dialog on current sustainability topics. The 2022 Sustainability Forum took place on October 6 for invited guests at St. Elisabeth’s Church in Berlin, and was also held as a virtual meeting. In view of the current crisis situations and the anniversary of the pioneering Club of Rome report, the motto was “50 years of limits to growth – how do we achieve sustainable prosperity?”. Representatives of DB’s Management Board and high-ranking representatives from politics, business, science and civil society were on the panel.

Summit meeting with environmental associations

On April 6, 2022, the Chief Executive Officer of Deutsche Bahn AG (DB AG), Dr. Richard Lutz, met with the following environmental associations: the Federation for the Environment and Nature Conservation Germany (Bund für Umwelt und Natur- schutz Deutschland; BUND), the German Nature Conservation Association (Deutscher Naturschutzring; DNR), German Environmental Action (Deutsche Umwelthilfe; DUH), Greenpeace and the German Transport and Environmental Association (Verkehrs­club Deutschland; VCD). DB Group’s current issues, infrastructure development, the energy situation and other sustainability issues were discussed at the meeting.

Advisory Board for a Quieter Middle Rhine Valley

Another meeting of the Advisory Board for a quieter Middle Rhine Valley was held on July 13, 2022. Together with the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (Bundesministerium für Digitales und Verkehr; BMDV), we reported on the local progress made with the implementation of noise reduction measures. Other items on the agenda at the Advisory Board meeting included the shared 2030/2050 noise reduction target of the Federal Government and DB Group, the successful refitting of freight cars and whisper brakes and the implementation of the Rail Noise Protection Act. The Advisory Board for a Quieter Middle Rhine Valley is composed of citizens’ action groups, regional members of the German Parliament, representatives of the BMDV and the responsible state ministries from Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate, as well as DB Group. It meets annually at various locations in the Middle Rhine Valley.