Global raw material consumption significantly exceeds nature's regenerative capacity. We at Deutsche Bahn are taking responsibility and ensuring that we use our resources carefully, even on board our trains. We are collaborating with the Berlin-based start-up share to provide sustainable products to guests of our on-board food service while supporting social projects.
Drinking and sharing
Since September 2020, Deutsche Bahn’s customers have been able to buy sustainable mineral water bottles from share in the on-board bistros of our ICE and IC/EC trains, thereby financing projects to build drinking water wells around the world. The idea of drinking and sharing is simple: For every bottle of share mineral water you buy, one day of drinking water is donated to a person in need, as share uses the proceeds to build or repair drinking water wells and hand pumps. DB sold around 2.3 million bottles of water from share each year. Up to 15 wells are financed each year - at least one well per month. Since the start of the partnership in 2020 until the end of 2024, we have been able to create 53 wells and a permanent water supply for around 25,000 people in eight countries together with our travelers.
This collaboration will also help in protecting resources: we can thus save around 38 metric tons of plastic per year by using the new half-liter reusable bottle instead of conventional reusable bottles. This is because share's bottles are made from 35 percent recycled plastic.
Enjoy chocolate and do something good
Starting in March 2023, our 1st class passengers on DB long-distance trains will receive a sustainable and resource-saving guest gift: the "favorite guest" chocolate is produced by share in Belgium using fairtrade cocoa and comes in an FSC-certified paper packet.
In addition, a donation of five cents per "favorite guest" goes to Tafel Deutschland e.V. to expand the food bank charity's logistics and refrigeration infrastructure. In this way, even more food can be saved and distributed to Tafel clients in the future.
