Germany: Porcelain in rail bar cars

Passengers of German railway company Deutsche Bahn will be able to drink coffee purchased on the train or eat their meals in ceramic or glass utensils from January 1, the operator announced on Tuesday for “sustainability”. “Beginning January 1, 2023, customers will be able to select premium china and glass as an option for their bar car food and beverages,” the company said in a statement.

Objective: Reduce waste by replacing single-use plastic or cardboard tableware. The public rail operator described “reusable” glasses, plates or bowls on mainline trains as “available free of charge, without deposit, on demand for all orders”.

Deutsche Bahn is compliant with new regulations in Germany that will come into effect on January 1. It forces restaurants, bistros and cafes to serve their take-out products in reusable packaging. Single-use packaging will not be banned, but a reusable variant should be offered without a price hike. “Deutsche Bahn is accelerating its ecological transformation in on-board catering,” Michael Petersen, the company’s director of passenger transport, was quoted as saying in a press release.

Since March, the carrier has already offered “50% vegetarian or vegan meals”, as well as “100% organic products”. In general, Deutsche Bahn, Germany’s largest energy consumer, has set itself the goal of becoming “carbon neutral” by 2040. Currently, 62% of the rail traffic operated by the company is powered by renewable energy, according to a spokesperson.