Environmental strategy

Clean water and sanitation

Affordable and clean energy

Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Responsible consumption and production

Climate action

Life on land

The Environmental Strategy through 2030 with an outlook through 2035 approved by Russian Railways’ Management Board seeks to minimise the environmental impact from Russian Railways’ operations, ensure sustainable use of natural resources and enhance environmental safety.

Russian Railways’ Environmental Strategy reflects the Company's commitment to the global UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). Out of 17 SDGs, the Company focuses on six linked to the environment.

Russian Railways' approach is aimed at comprehensive mitigation of the adverse environmental impact of its operations and sustainable use of natural resources with gradual implementation of circular economy. The Company believes that the most important aspects are the reduction of water consumption and waste sent to landfills, minimisation of air pollution, including in large cities and metropolitan areas, as well as decrease in water pollution; elimination of accumulated environmental damage; maintaining natural ecosystems and biodiversity across Russian Railways’ footprint, and reducing physical impacts, such as noise and vibration, on the environment and human health.

Russian Railways keeps improving its environmental management framework and updating its environmental and climate policy.

The key focus areas of the Environmental Strategy are:

lower GHG emissions and low-carbon development

reducing negative environmental impact

development of the environmental management framework

upgrade and implementation of the best available technologies in environmental protection

While implementing its Environmental Strategy in 2007–2021, on the back of growing transportation volumes, the Company:
Reduced pollutant emissions from stationary sources and wastewater discharges
> x3
Reduced pollutant emissions from mobile sources, volumes of water consumption and waste generation
> by  x1.5
Reduced the carbon intensity of its operations
> by  30 %