Ever since 2009, DB has been a partner of the Bergwaldprojekt e. V. association, which is dedicated to nature conservation and has "protecting our forests together" as its motto. In that time, our employees and vocational trainees have been working together with many volunteers to plant thousands of trees, to create a resilient mixed forest and a healthier environment. This not only boosts team spirit, but it also increases people's understanding of the connections between nature and the forest ecosystem.
Get on board and donate trees
In addition to this voluntary work carried out by our employees, our customers are also involved in numerous fundraising campaigns. In April and May 2022, for example, we donated one tree for every hundredth comfort check-in carried out by customers on long distance trips. This resulted in more than 10,000 trees being planted for the Bergwaldprojekt in the fall of 2022. In addition, BahnBonus travelers can exchange their points for trees. And in our on-board restaurants, we donate ten cents from the price of selected meals to the Bergwaldprojekt.
A tree for every new employee
As a sustainable employer, DB has set itself a very special goal. We are partnering with Bergwaldprojekt e.V. to plant one tree for every new employee. In 2022, we have already welcomed 26,000 new employees to our company. As a result, we not only achieved our recruitment target ahead of schedule, but actually exceeded it. We planted young native trees in a total of ten regions across Germany in 2023.
Tally of successes for forests and the planet
Thanks to the various campaigns, we were able to make a valuable contribution for our forest ecosystem.
500000
neue Bäume gepflanzt
We have planted a total of around 500,000 trees and have restored around 200 hectares of close-to-nature forest by the end of 2023 – which is comparable with the total of around 280 soccer fields. This support is more essential than ever, because Germany's forests and woodlands are in bad shape. Trees are suffering from the impact of lower precipitation levels and increasingly severe storms. With the help of our customers and employees, we are actively contributing to reconstructing the woodlands' ecosystems.
