UNIFE vision paper: The European Rail Supply Industry: Leading the Shift to More Sustainable Transport

UNIFE Sustainability Vision Paper

The UNIFE vision paper on “The European Rail Supply Industry: Leading the Shift to More Sustainable Transport” explains why the rail sector is the most environmentally sustainable mode of mass transportation and represents the solution to decarbonising the transport sector. This document also underlines why the European Union should support the European rail supply industry in further developing railways and benefiting from their positive outcomes.

This vision paper outlines how UNIFE, its members, and its committees have developed key environmental initiatives for the railway sector, including the development of a common lifecycle eco-design approach and the implementation of chemical regulations in the supply chain through the Railway Industry Substance List (RISL). It also describes that, in collaboration with Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking (ERJU), UNIFE and its members are actively engaged in research and development programs aimed at improving the sustainability performance of rail, for instance by reducing energy consumption, noise emissions, and the use of substances of concern, as well as increasing recyclability and circularity.

The UNIFE Sustainable Transport Committee (STC) wrote this vision paper.