As a leading railway technology company, we therefore carry a great responsibility towards the environment, resources, and future generations. We are acutely aware of this and are committed to advancing railways with all our knowledge and diverse services in line with our vision motto: Enabling Future Mobility! Thus we make a significant contribution with our services and innovations to make rail as the most sustainable mode of transport for people and goods even more competitive. This motivates and drives us.
We at Rhomberg Sersa Rail Group view and monitor sustainability in all its facets and at all levels. But monitoring is not enough. We are taking targeted steps in our daily activities to progressively minimise our greenhouse gas emissions and move towards net zero. This includes using low-CO2 alternatives like electrified equipment at our construction sites, electrifying our vehicle fleet, switching to renewable energy at our locations, or changing from diesel to Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) for track construction machinery. We are also aware that sustainability goes beyond environmental protection.
Our vision for sustainability represents an ideal, a bright goal that we may never fully achieve, but which provides us with a clear direction. It is our dream of a company at the forefront of environmental protection and social justice – a pursuit of a greener and fairer world that drives us every day. At the same time, stimulating market conditions, pioneering technological developments with partners, and modern customers willing to invest in resource-efficient solutions are needed. The following focal points are central throughout the Rhomberg Sersa Rail Group and are the drivers of our vision '#railtozero':
Our RSRG climate strategy aims to actively support Europe's vision of climate neutrality by 2050, by having all companies of the Rhomberg Sersa Rail Group follow a uniform Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle to regularly measure, reduce, and communicate about emissions, and to motivate action in this area.
We think and act in terms of the circular economy, implementing the 5-stage waste pyramid approach.
Using our certified environmental management system (ISO 14001), we demand and promote environmental protection and awareness in the company.
We provide a safe and healthy working environment for all employees, enabled and implemented by the RSRG's executives.
We take issues of social responsibility, environmental protection, anti-corruption, confidentiality, and whistleblowing very seriously, offering compliance training for all RSRG employees.
Everyone is equally important! We treat each other as equals, listen to each other, try to understand each other, and ask rather than judge.
The RSRG Climate Strategy
Both the Paris Agreement (2015) and the EU Green Deal (2019) pursue the overarching goal of combating climate crisis and accelerating the transformation to a sustainable, low-carbon economy.
The Paris Agreement aims to keep global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels and to strive to limit the warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The EU's goal is to make Europe the first “climate-neutral” continent by 2050.
In line with legislation, politics, and our customers, at RSRG we are making a concrete contribution and have therefore developed a climate strategy to achieve the net-zero goal by 2050. All markets have been included in this strategy, and each market is individually measured on this journey. As part of this process (according to the GHG Protocol), we will annually review our climate strategy.
The RSRG Greenhouse Gas Inventory 2022/23: 52'099 t CO2
Scope 1 covers the direct emissions from the company (e.g., combustion of fuels).
Scope 2 covers emissions from the generation of energy that RSRG purchases and uses (in the form of electricity or heat).
Scope 3 covers other indirect emissions that occur due to RSRG's activities within the upstream or downstream value chain (i.e., at suppliers or customers). The CO2 reduction path until 2032 according to Scope
The CO2 Reduction Pathway until 2032: -10'400 t CO2
1 The Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) enables companies to set net-zero targets that are based on the latest findings of climate science, thus contributing to achieving the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement.
Note: Climate gas emissions, also referred to as greenhouse gas emissions, are expressed as CO2 equivalents (CO2eq).
Reduction measures and initiatives
Integrated Management System
We operate an integrated management system that enables us to implement the goal of continuous improvement in practice. We place particular focus on the areas of corporate governance, process management, environmental protection, occupational safety, and compliance.
ISO 9001
In the development and expansion of infrastructure, it is not always easy to concretely demonstrate the quality of individual products. Our quality management system according to ISO 9001 helps us to structure the processes and operations of our company, to constantly reconsider them and thus ensure a consistent quality of our projects.
ISO 14001
Especially in the development and expansion of infrastructure, large amounts of raw materials are used and ecosystems are affected. With the introduction of the environmental management system according to ISO 14001, we have made the identification and implementation of environmental protection potentials an integral part of our corporate culture.
ISO 37301
Our compliance management system according to ISO 37301 helps us to identify and control compliance risks. Through clear structures and regular training, we ensure compliance with laws and regulations. Transparent documentation and continuous improvement are integral parts of our system.
ISO 45001
We ensure health-promoting working conditions, thereby enhancing the fitness and well-being of our employees and clients. Every employee should feel responsible for their own health and safety and that of the people in their immediate work environment.
EcoVadis
To objectively assess our sustainability efforts, we undergo the EcoVadis evaluation annually. This evaluation includes 21 criteria in the areas of environment, labor and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement.
So far, the following companies of the RSRG have received EcoVadis awards in Gold or Silver:
- Gold: Rhomberg Sersa Ireland, Rhomberg Sersa Bahntechnik
- Silver: Rhomberg Sersa Germany, Sersa Group Switzerland, Donatsch und Söhne AG, BBW Austria, Sersa Maschineller Gleisbau, Sersa Technik, Rhomberg Sersa UK
Our goal is to implement EcoVadis across all European markets and to consistently achieve Gold status in the future.
