Overview of greenhouse gas footprint
Absolute CO₂e emissions by journeys, transports and stationary facilities / million t | 2023 | 2022 | Change | 2021 | |
absolute | % | ||||
Regional rail passenger transport | 2.02 | 1.92 | +0.10 | +5.2 | 1.99 |
thereof in Germany | 1.65 | 1.56 | +0.09 | +5.8 | 1.59 |
Long-distance rail passenger transport | 0.03 | 0.04 | –0.01 | –25.0 | 0.04 |
Bus transport | 1.33 | 1.39 | –0.06 | –4.3 | 1.58 |
thereof in Germany | 0.57 | 0.56 | +0.01 | +1.8 | 0.53 |
Rail freight transport 1) | 1.45 | 1.48 | –0.03 | –2.0 | 1.70 |
thereof in Germany | 1.04 | 0.87 | 0.17 | +19.5 | 0.98 |
Road freight transport 2) | 3.04 | 3.32 | –0.28 | –8.4 | 3.15 |
Air freight 3) | 5.80 | 6.92 | –1.12 | –16.2 | 7.07 |
Ocean freight 3) | 1.45 | 1.51 | –0.06 | –4.0 | 1.56 |
Other transport 4) | 0.11 | 0.11 | – | – | 0.11 |
Stationary facilities | 1.43 | 1.23 | +0.20 | +16.3 | 1.32 |
Total | 16.65 | 17.92 | –1.27 | –7.1 | 18.52 |
Well-to-wheel (WTW), Scope 1 –3, financial control approach, Scope 2 market-based, Scope 3 category 3.4 according to GHG Protocol. Includes DB Arriva.
Individual figures are rounded and therefore may not add up.
1) In 2021, rail freight transport from/to China by DB Cargo and DB Schenker may have included double accounting, and so these values may be slightly higher.
2) Excluding USA Truck.
3) Excluding pre-carriage and on-carriage.
4) Including DB Connect, intra-company traffic, for example.
Absolute CO₂e emissions according to Scope 1 –3 / million t | 2023 | 2022 | Change | 2021 | |
absolute | % | ||||
Scope 1 emissions | 2.30 | 2.77 | –0.47 | –17.0 | 3.30 |
Share of total emissions (%) | 13.8 | 15.5 | –1.7 | – | 17.8 |
Scope 2 emissions 1) | 2.99 | 3.05 | –0.06 | –1.97 | 3.19 |
Share of total emissions (%) | 17.9 | 17.0 | +0.9 | – | 17.2 |
Scope 3 emissions 2) | 11.37 | 12.11 | –0.74 | –6.1 | 12.02 |
Share of total emissions (%) | 68.3 | 67.5 | +0.8 | – | 65.0 |
Total | 16.65 | 17.92 | –1.27 | –7.1 | 18.52 |
Well-to-wheel (WTW) Includes DB Arriva. Excluding pre-carriage and on-carriage in air and ocean freight. Excluding USA Truck. In 2021, rail freight transport from/to China by DB Cargo and DB Schenker may have included double accounting, and so these values may be slightly higher.
Upstream fuel and energy-related emissions (Scope 3.3 according to GHG Protocol) are reported in Scopes 1 and 2. Individual figures are rounded and therefore may not add up.
1) Determined by taking a market-based approach.
2) Category 3.4 emissions according to the GHG protocol.
Our greenhouse gas footprint shows the amount of greenhouse gases that we emitted in one calendar year. It is made up of:
- the greenhouse gas emissions we caused from DB Group’s vehicle fleet for rail and road traffic and from stationary facilities such as stations or workshops (Scopes 1 and 2, incl. Scope 3.3 in accordance with the GHG Protocol), and
- emissions from transport and transport services commissioned by DB Group (Scope 3.4 in accordance with the GHG Protocol).
Absolute greenhouse gas emissions are the basis for calculating our specific greenhouse gas emissions and our climate protection target within the limits set for this purpose. They also act as a benchmark for our efficiency improvement measures and provide a basis for us to compare our performance with other companies.
In 2023, DB Group’s absolute greenhouse gas emissions fell significantly. This is mainly due to volume development at DB Schenker in ocean and air freight, as well as land transport. As a result of the increase in the greenhouse gas intensity of the electricity trade mix we procured in Germany, greenhouse gas emissions in regional rail passenger transport and rail freight transport and our stationary facilities have increased, despite an improvement in energy efficiency in train operating companies. Transport services in global rail freight transport (in particular from/to China) decreased sharply as a result of the Ukraine war, resulting in a decline in rail freight transport.
- The Scope 2 emissions take into account market-based mechanisms, meaning that this figure includes all contractually regulated instruments for generating and trading electricity from renewable energies. In accordance with the Scope 2 guidelines of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol on dual reporting, we also report location-based Scope 2 emissions. If we take the respective national energy mixes as a basis for the greenhouse gas accounting, the Scope 2 emissions amount to 3.93 million tons of CO₂e.
- Our subcontractors account for the largest proportion of our greenhouse gas emissions (Category 3.4 according to the GHG Protocol). In DB Schenker’s Preferred Carrier Program, we favor working with shipping companies and airlines that operate modern fleets and that value sustainability. Advising our customers on climate-friendly logistics is an integral component of the service portfolio of DB Schenker and DB Cargo. DB Schenker is a premium member of the Smart Freight Centre and is also part of its initiatives, such as the Clean Cargo Group and the Clean Air Transport Program, which set industry standards for the tracking and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions for logistics.
Methodology used for greenhouse gas accounting
Greenhouse gas accounting is based on the Group-wide final energy consumption and performance data collected and aggregated, as well as the standardized emissions and energy factors used by DB Group. The sources for the factors and methods used are the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research Heidelberg (Institut für Energie- und Umweltforschung Heidelberg; ifeu), the accounting tool EcoTransIT World, the Federal Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt; UBA), DB Group’s own calculations, the GHG Protocol and DIN EN ISO 14083. In our greenhouse gas accounting, in addition to the most important greenhouse gas in terms of volume – CO₂ – we take into account the greenhouse gases that are relevant to us, methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O). The global warming potential (GWP) values are based on the 5th IPCC status report (100-year GWP).
