Environment and sustainability
Rail is the most environmentally-friendly mass transport mode, and UNIFE members are working hard to make it even greener and encourage a shift to rail.
Sustainability at the core of EU action
As rail is the lowest transport sector emitter of CO2 and other greenhouse gasses contributing to climate change, EU policymakers should look to shift passenger and freight traffic from the air and road to rail. It requires a different political mindset and concrete steps to enable businesses, industries and citizens to transform production and consumption based on sustainability and resource efficiency. The rail sector also needs concrete measures to ensure a level playing field with other transport modes, such as EU ETS or the EU Taxonomy.
The European Green Deal strives to affirm Europe as the global leader in transitioning to a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions economy by reaching complete climate neutrality by 2050. All sectors and industries will have to contribute by reducing their carbon footprint and will be the subject of different measures to support Europe’s overarching sustainability goals.
A commitment to sustainable mobility
Sustainability is a crucial value of the European rail supply industry. Our industry is committed to further optimising our products throughout their lifecycles – from production to operation to end of life – by reducing their emissions, increasing energy efficiency, improving material recyclability, and ameliorating noise and vibrations, among others. For instance, UNIFE has developed the Product Category Rules (PCR) for preparing an environmental product declaration and recyclability method.
Finally, the European rail supply industry is committed to ensuring that the crucial role of rail in achieving European Green Deal climate neutrality ambitions is acknowledged and reflected in DG MOVE’s “Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy”.
The Sustainable Transport Committee (STC)
Since 1999, the Sustainable Transport Committee (STC) has been responsible for defining UNIFE’s environment and sustainability strategies, priorities and goals.
More details on the UNIFE Sustainable Transport Committee’s work can be found here.
The STC coordinates the activities of two technical expert bodies, named Topical Groups: the Life-cycle Assessment Topical Group (LCA TG) and the Chemical Risks Topical Group (CR TG).
More details on the work of the Topical Groups can be found here.
