Sustainability management
The topic of sustainability, with its aspects in the environmental, social and governance dimensions, has a high priority within DB Group. For this reason, for example, the importance of climate protection but also social issues such as employee satisfaction or the share of women in leadership are reflected in their anchoring in the Strong Rail strategy. Sustainability is also firmly incorporated in the variable remuneration of Management Board members, executives and other employee groups.
- Responsibility for sustainability – and thus climate-related opportunities and risks is the responsibility of the Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO). The role is exercised by the Chairman of the Management Board (CEO) of DB AG. The CSO’s perspective is thus incorporated in a very central role in all important Group decisions. With regard to climate-related decisions, the CEO is also significantly involved in strategy development in his dual role. In 2024, the Management Board decided for example to adopt the Green Rail Technology program, a package of measures for additional climate protection, among other things, to improve energy efficiency. The CEO is also responsible for compliance issues. Responsibility for employee issues lies with the Management Board member for Human Resources and Legal Affairs and for occupational safety issues with the Management Board member for Digitalization and Technology.
- The central Sustainability and Environment organizational unit is responsible for overall coordination of Group-wide sustainability issues. The Head of Sustainability and Environment is the highest position responsible for sustainability-related issues under the Management Board and reports directly to the CEO. Specific tasks include, among other things, the definition of the sustainability strategy, associated Group-wide targets and key figures, their planning and monitoring, and the planning, management and implementation of Group-wide transformation projects.
- Operational responsibility for specialist sustainability issues lies with the respective specialist departments.
The main aim is to implement the green transformation and social responsibility of DB Group and gradually make all products, services and operational processes more sustainable within this framework.
We are also in dialog with relevant external stakeholders and evaluate and manage regulatory issues. This is aimed at deriving recommendations and guidelines for action for DB Group, including the business units and service units, from the findings obtained. They are responsible for implementing the targets, strategies and measures.
In 2024, the Sustainability Board was created as a Group-wide body in which the relevant stakeholders from Group management and the business units are represented in the area of sustainability. In the future, the Sustainability Board will play a key role in the further development and implementation of the sustainability strategy.
Responsibility for further sustainability topics lies with the respective Management Board divisions or business units.
- Group management focuses further its compliance work on centralized governance activities in particular. Operational responsibility is assumed in the business units and service units.
- Employee topics are supported by the Human Resources (HR) Group functions in Group management. Group-wide implementation is performed in coordination with the business units. Aspects of occupational health and safety are not set up centrally, but are integrated in the business activities and taken into account within the management systems of DB companies.
We employ various environmental monitoring tools, which we use to continually analyze developments in the area of sustainability, in particular current environmental legislation procedures. Our sustainability radar is a core process for defining our strategy, because it focuses on opportunities and risks and is intended to enable us to regularly review our strategy and derive countermeasures at an early stage. The sustainability radar incorporates relevant signals from regulatory bodies (i.e. laws and plans), stakeholders, academia and internal developments within DB Group. Standards and norms as well as relevant ESG ratings and benchmarks are also included in the sustainability radar. The review concludes with a look at trends. Use of the environment monitoring tools, participation in ESG ratings and rankings and our involvement in national and international (sustainability) networks are intended to help monitor trends and drivers as well as opportunities and risks in respect of sustainability and the environment, including climate protection and climate resilience management, for DB Group and assess them strategically and technically. This is aimed at ensuring Group-wide access to specialist knowledge of sustainability and environmental issues, including climate protection.
Sustainability issues have a high priority as part of the Strong Rail strategy. The Supervisory Board is informed of the current status of sustainability performance on a quarterly basis in the Supervisory Board management report and the Management Board on a monthly basis, including in performance review meetings, which are attended by Management Board members and business unit management, (e.g. in relation to greenhouse gas reduction, noise reduction, resource conservation and women in leadership). The CEO/CSO is informed about sustainability-related topics through regular briefings and monthly meetings with the Head of Sustainability and Environment.
With regard to compliance risks, the Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) regularly informs the Management Board about the expansion of the compliance program and significant compliance cases during the year. In addition, the Management Board receives a compact annual compliance report. The report describes the risk exposure of business units, service units and central Group management functions in detail, and highlights existing risk-reducing factors and countermeasures. The CCO also reports on compliance issues, including Group-relevant and critical issues, at least once a quarter in the Audit and Compliance Committee formed by the Supervisory Board.
Sustainability in remuneration
The structure of the variable remuneration for Management Board members, executives and other employee groups in DB Group is essentially geared towards sustainability targets with the aim of a sustainable mobility transition and, as a result, a noticeable reduction in CO₂e emissions in DB Group and in the transport sector in Germany in line with the German government’s transport policy objectives:
- The long-term variable remuneration (long-term incentive; LTI) of Management Board members and executives with an LTI commitment includes a target to reduce absolute greenhouse gas emissions and volume targets for a sustainable shift in the mode of transport to rail as key factors. Achieving these targets is the key lever both for reducing DB Group’s CO₂e emissions and for reducing CO₂e emissions in the transport sector in Germany as a whole.
- In addition, the short-term variable remuneration (short-term incentive; STI) of the Management Board members, executives and other employee groups (various non-tariff and tariff employees) also includes key performance indicators for a sustainable shift in the mode of transport based on the long-term Strong Rail target: customer satisfaction and punctuality, employee satisfaction and the share of women in leadership as well as the share of renewable energies in the DB traction current mix. In addition, personal performance is taken into account as a further component for the variable remuneration of executives and non-tariff employees.
Details on the remuneration of the Management Board and Supervisory Board are set out in the remuneration report.
Social responsibility
With about 236,000 employees in Germany alone (DB Group including DB Schenker), millions of customers and numerous business partners, DB Group is a central part of society. In addition to ecological and economic aspects, our commitment to social issues is an integral part of our holistic approach to sustainability. Our social commitment is characterized by four standpoints that provide guidance for us and our stakeholders. They correspond to our fundamental convictions and our social values as DB Group.
- Strengthening community: As DB Group, we shape the daily life and work of many people in Germany. We want to promote good cooperation and live it in the best possible way. We pay attention to a respectful working environment for our employees, making the social space of the station as attractive as possible (including by ensuring safety in trains and stations) and reliable and honest relationships with our customers and business partners (including by strengthening compliance, data protection and sustainable supply chains).
- Supporting social engagement: As DB Group, we play an important role in society. That is why we want to make our contribution to the community. We support people in need who are affected by natural disasters, homelessness and other difficult fates. We are also committed to research, science and youth sport.
- Promoting diversity: A positive understanding of social diversity is an integral part of the corporate culture of DB Group. We want to create an appreciative and non-discriminatory working environment in which all people have the same opportunities to contribute to the success of DB Group. This is why we have an active diversity management. To ensure broad participation, we also want to make our offering as inclusive as possible for our customers. In addition, we would like to set clear signals for tolerance and diversity with various initiatives.
- Responsibility for our history: We are also aware of our company history. It brings with it a responsibility to preserve the memory of the past – including the history of the Deutsche Reichsbahn during the National Socialist era. In that respect, we want to fulfill an educational mission, especially for future generations.
Our four standpoints include various focal points with numerous activities and initiatives. They make our social commitment specific and tangible. In addition to DB Group, other company-related players also assume social responsibility through their independent commitment. These include, in particular, the charitable Deutsche Bahn Stiftung and the network of DBplus partners, including the BSW&EWH Foundation Family, in particular.
ESG ratings
Feedback from ESG (environmental, social, governance) rating agencies is an important benchmark for us and an indicator of our stakeholders’ concerns. More information is available on our investor relations website.
| ESG ratings | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | Lastupdate | Scale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDP (climate rating) | A | A– | A | Feb 2025 1) | A to F |
| EcoVadis | 71/ Silver | 68/ Silver | 68/ Gold | Jun 2024 | From 2024: Platinum: the best 1% Gold: the best 5% Silver: the best 15% Bronze: the best 35% |
| ISS ESG | B– | B– | C+ | Sep 2023 | A+/4.00 to D–/1.00 |
| MSCI | A | A | AA | Dec 2024 | Leader (AA – AAA) Average (BB – A) Laggard (CCC – B) |
In alphabetical order.
1) CDP published the results of the 2024 climate rating in February 2025.
Changes in 2024:
- CDP: The CDP rating of DB Group was upgraded in 2024. DB Group was able to achieve improvements in the categories climate targets, data transparency on Scope 3 emissions, emissions reduction measures and low-carbon products as well as in its commitment in the supply chain.
- EcoVadis: In 2024, DB Group (including the discontinued operation DB Schenker) was one of the top 2% of companies in the rail transport sector assessed by EcoVadis, with an overall score of 71, and has improved its rating with this score. The sector average is 56 points. As in the previous year, DB Group was also awarded a silver medal for its sustainability performance.