For example, DB has introduced digital receipts for mobile devices in on-board food service. Guests can choose whether to receive their receipt printed or digitally. The process is simple: after payment, the digital receipt can be downloaded to the customer’s smartphone via QR code. The amount of paper saved depends on the passenger, but the potential is significant.

DB also saves paper elsewhere: passengers can read numerous magazines and, in first class, various newspapers free of charge via the ICE portal.

Printed advertising materials have also been significantly reduced in DB Travel Centers. Up to 50 tons of recycled paper and large amounts of water are saved annually.

For passengers, this does not mean less service: all important information is digitally available. Travelers can access real-time connection information via the DB Navigator, the DB Route Agent, or bahn.de/reiseauskunft, where personalized travel plans can also be created and printed at ticket machines if desired.

By eliminating the “Your Travel Guide” brochure, Deutsche Bahn saves approximately 960 tons of recycled paper annually. Since autumn 2020, printed long-distance route information is no longer distributed on trains. Instead, passengers are informed digitally via train information monitors or the ICE portal about their route and possible connections.

With a special app, DB Cargo company TFG Transfracht has created an efficient and sustainable solution for the design and handling of ordering processes and transport journeys. Previously, a transport order consisted of several pages of paper and had to be completed manually. With the new TFG app, business customers, drivers, loading points and dispatchers now receive all relevant information digitally and in real time. This saves paper and ensures greater transparency and efficiency. Waiting times as well as empty and missed trips can also be minimized - resulting in lower fuel consumption for the trucks. More than half of TFG's customers already use the app - and the trend is rising.

Employees can share their professional contact information with colleagues and business partners via QR code using digital business cards. Compared to paper cards, this saves a significant amount of paper and keeps information always current and accessible.

Since March 2020, monthly pay slips and other personnel mail can be received and archived digitally via the “bitkasten” employee archive. Private documents can also be securely uploaded and stored digitally, saving millions of pages of paper annually.

Deutsche Bahn has also simplified business travel expense processing with a digital app. Today, the majority of employees already use this digital service provided by DB Personnel Service.

At the Silvertower reception in Frankfurt, DB colleagues demonstrate how simple paper-saving in the office can be. In a pilot project, the reception service was digitized. Visitors and suppliers register digitally, saving several thousand sheets of paper each month. The software is planned to be rolled out to other DB buildings, with digital lost-and-found management also planned.

With “eInvoice,” Deutsche Bahn sends and receives invoices electronically. Together with its customers and service providers, the company saves millions of pages of paper annually. Many other Group companies also avoid paper use, for example in file archiving.

Even in signal boxes, DB continues to reduce paper use. A digital database manages daily timetable changes, eliminating the need to print updates.

Since November 2023, DB has used the “REFI” app for distributing local regulations in its plants. This simplifies the distribution of new instructions and their confirmation by employees. Previously, new instructions had to be printed and assigned manually, consuming time and paper. With “REFI,” this process is now fully digital, ensuring instructions reach the correct employees immediately.