Recycling
Circular economy by 2040
Our construction activities in particular mean that there is a very high demand for resources in the track infrastructure. As part of various formats of our stakeholder dialogue, we therefore also provide information on our targets, measures and progress in the area of resource conservation.
We are striving to achieve a complete, circular economy throughout DB Group by 2040, with a special focus on the Integrated Rail System.
Our particular focus is on our main resources: track ballast, concrete ties and rail steel, which represent about 80% of the weight of total material used in the Integrated Rail System.
Material cycle – Input resource management
Our particular focus is on our main resources: track ballast, concrete ties and rail steel, which represent about 80% of the weight of total material used in the Integrated Rail System. Here, we have set binding targets and will increase recycling shares by 2030 compared to the base year 2019:
- Rail steel: from 25% to 45%
- Track ballast: from 13% to 40%
- Concrete ties: from 6% to 30%
Recycling rate – output resource management
We also want to maintain our recycling rate at a very high level of at least 95%. In order to drive the development of recycled and recyclable products, we are expanding and intensifying our cooperation with suppliers. Through our active involvement in national and international associations and committees such as the BDI, Eurospec and the UIC, we have already networked with various players on the topic of circular economy.
As part of our multi-year partnership-based cooperation with the construction industry and planners in the railway construction future initiative (ZIB), we set up a new cluster ZIB “Green Planning, Construction and Operation” in 2023. An inventory has taken place in which potentials for measures and processes to improve climate protection and resource conservation have been identified. We want to make use of these opportunities in the short term, in particular through the use of recycled construction materials or the modernization of structures through preventive maintenance strategies instead of demolition.
With a material current balance sheet, we document and assess annually the resources that enter the operation and those that go back. We will initially concentrate on our main resources – ballast, concrete, steel, copper and aluminum – for the integrated rail system. The weight volumes of resources are recorded in the input and output for the respective year under review. Here, we focus on the construction of track infrastructure and vehicles as well as vehicle replacement parts. From 2024, we will gradually transfer our material current balance to our resource inventory, which is currently in development.
waste (total) and recycling rate | 2023 | 2022 | Change | 2021 | |
absolute | % | ||||
Waste (total) (thousand t) | 7,974 | 8,187 | –213 | –2.6 | 8,830 |
Recycling rate (%) | 96.5 | 96.7 | –0.2 | – | 96.2 |
Period from October 1 to September 30; DB Schenker January 1 to December 31 of the previous year.
Individual figures are rounded and therefore may not add up. DB Cargo AG is the only part of the DB Cargo business unit included. The waste has been generated through company activities and is managed by third parties outside DB Group.
In 2023, we again maintained our recycling rate at a high level of over 95%. Especially in the construction and maintenance of our track infrastructure and related to our vehicle fleet, we produce waste that contains valuable resources such as metals and mineral building materials. These are already predominantly recycled and continue to be available to the economic cycle.
Using products as long as possible makes an important contribution to greater resource conservation and offers the opportunity to avoid waste and extend resource cycles. We are extending the service life of our trains, for example, through continuous maintenance and modernization (redesign). If DB Group still has to discard a vehicle, it is either resold or components that can still be used are removed and the rest of the vehicle is sent for recycling. DB Cargo’s used train portal, for example, will sell saleable rolling stock on the market. DB Regional operates an online platform for the sale of used vehicles for our buses.
When we build a new tunnel or otherwise intervene in an area, we transport large quantities of excavated material from the earth. We return the many tons of sand, gravel, clay and natural stone to the cycle. With Erdpool, our new digital marketplace, we can offer materials for sale even before the start of a construction project. This means that the raw materials can be used elsewhere. Marketing not only reduces the degradation of valuable mineral raw materials, but also reduces the use of waste disposal capacity. Erdpool also ensures that the excavated and breaking material is inspected in accordance with the applicable environmental requirements.
Outlook
Anticipated development | 2023 | 2024 |
Recycling rate (%) | 96.5 | >95 |
We will continue to keep the recycling rate at a high level in 2024.