ÖBB Annual Report 2023

Group Management Report 128 Österreichische Bundesbahnen-Holding Aktiengesellschaft Consolidated Financial Statements | Group Management Report 83 G.4. Resource management GRI 413-1 Management approach The quantities of resources that humans consume on average per year are considerably greater than what the earth “makes available” to us in the same year. Sustainable coverage of human consumption would require “1.75 Earths” to be available each year. At present, Austria’s current resource consumption would require as much as 3.8 Earths. 58 The mindful and sustainable use of resources must therefore be a clear focus - and this also applies to ÖBB. Water and many other raw materials are required for the construction and maintenance of railway infrastructure as well as for its operation. Besides the “classic resources”, the available space is also a valuable commodity, which public transport uses optimally thanks to its particularly efficient utilisation of space. It only requires seven square metres per person transported, in contrast to the 100 square metres taken up by private motorised transport. ÖBB’s overriding goal is to minimise the use of raw materials and materials and to save resources and, above all, costs. ÖBB wants to reduce chemicals and pollutants in particular as far as possible. Waste should largely avoided and a circular economy promoted. In terms of land usage, ÖBB also aims to limit this to the most necessary extent. ÖBB would like to systematically incorporate the recycling capability of products and services into its procurement and investment strategies step by step. Key topics are the reduction of primary raw materials, active material conservation and the extension of useful life. By applying circular economy principles, ÖBB can reduce costs, secure resources in the long term, and promote its contribution to sustainability. This is implemented through targeted raw material and resource management. The use of sustainable materials is to be intensified in order to produce as little waste as possible. Wherever possible, unavoidable waste is reused and recycled/disposed of in a sustainable manner that complies with the law. Objectives – ÖBB wants to be a pioneer in the field of an effective circular economy and support Austria’s transformation to a sustainable economy. – ÖBB wants to expedite the management of secondary raw materials in order to deal optimally with the existent waste – Raw materials, materials and products should be used efficiently and sustainably as far as possible and chemical substances / pollutants should be reduced to a feasible minimum. – Water consumption is to be kept constant in the future and reduced where possible. – Reducing soil sealing and land usage is an important environmental goal for the ÖBB-Group. Resource conservation and circular economy GRI 301-1, 306-2 The finite nature of natural resources and the social and ecological consequences of raw material extraction make the development of a circular economy indispensable and a key sustainability issue. As Austria’s largest mobility service provider, ÖBB aims to play a pioneering role in the circular economy. Accordingly, they want to support Austria as a driving force in the transformation to a sustainable economy. In the 2023 reporting year, ÖBB – with the involvement of all relevant ÖBB companies – began developing a strategy for the circular economy. The aim of this strategy is to decouple economic growth from resource consumption in the long term – by linking successful economic activity, ecological compatibility and social responsibility – and thus implement a sustainable circular economy. The main strategic approaches are the implementation of the circular economy in system and product design, the reduction of primary raw materials, the active conservation of materials and the extension of useful life on the one hand, and the avoidance of waste and environmentally harmful substances on the other. In addition to the principal strategic approaches, there will be a concerted effort at various other operational levels. This is based on the Austrian circular economy strategy. ÖBB’s sustainability strategy is therefore being expanded in Module 4 | Resource management to include a circular economy strategy, accompanied by concrete ambitions, aims and strategic approaches. ÖBB wants to drive forward the identification and prioritisation of weak points in linear processes and the identification of potential for circular measures. It is therefore helpful to analyse the value creation logic within the industry and the associated framework conditions (such as regulations, trends and natural and technical limits) in the best possible way. In this context, ÖBB intends to apply the concept of the extended value chain to significant and selected products or materials in future. The aim is to describe and analyse the key players involved in the life cycle of the product or material, as well as their core processes and functions. 58 Source: https://www.overshootday.org/how-many-earths-or-countries-do-we- need/#:~:text=Humanity%20is%20using%20nature%201.8,the%20resources%20of%201.8%20Earths. | MR83