Please contact the responsible SBB project management team in the first instance for project-specific questions regarding sustainability. General concerns or more detailed questions about sustainability in construction projects can be directed to nachhaltigebauprojekte@sbb.chLink opens in new window..

The planning phase is crucial for setting the course of a project, especially in terms of sustainability.

SBB’s regulations and requirements must be observed. Exemptions may be granted for pilot applications aimed at promoting sustainability, subject to consultation with project management and internal specialist departments.

Key tasks in the planning phase aimed at promoting sustainability:

Requirements management.

This involves reviewing the necessity, design and choice of materials for components and investigating more resource-efficient alternatives. Every component or material avoided reduces costs and emissions, producing a positive outcome for all concerned.

Sustainable real estate.

All new buildings and renovations meet the requirements of the Minergie-A-Eco standard, where appropriate. Legal requirements must always be met. New construction and renovation projects achieve gold level certification in accordance with the Swiss Sustainable Building Standard (SNBS). SBB strictly avoids using fossil fuels such as oil or gas in new buildings, renovations and when replacing assets. By 2030, SBB will have replaced all its fossil fuel heating systems with renewable energy systems.

Sustainable variant decisions.

Sustainability must be considered in every variant decision. This can be done qualitatively, for example, by assessing material consumption, or quantitatively by means of a life cycle assessment. A tool is available to help with quantitative variant comparisons (see section on life cycle assessments).

Circular economy.

The circular economy contributes to reducing indirect emissions. Accordingly, the possibility of developing existing buildings and components is prioritised before considering demolition and new construction. Components that cannot be reused locally must be listed on SBB’s resale platform so that they can be used in other projects. Storage and logistics must be worked out on a project-by-project basis. If they cannot be reused, the materials are professionally recycled by SBB.

Sustainable building materials.

Environmentally friendly materialisations must be considered at an early stage. These include using alternative construction materials, such as wood instead of concrete, or favouring more resource-efficient variants within a material class, such as low-cement concrete.

Biodiversity.

Wherever possible, outdoor spaces should be designed as natural recreation and meeting areas that reduce ‘heat islands’, minimise soil sealing and promote biodiversity. Provided the cost-benefit ratio is favourable, measures that go beyond the legal requirements should also be implemented.

Renewable energies.

SBB’s goal is to generate as much cost-effective photovoltaic (PV) electricity as possible. A feasibility study must be created during the course of project planning. If this shows a favourable cost-benefit ratio, the relevant photovoltaic system must be integrated into planning.

Climate change adaptation.

Buildings and infrastructure must be designed to allow for the fact that they will be exposed to more extreme climatic conditions in the future, including heatwaves with extreme temperature peaks and heavy rainfall. 

To comply with public procurement law, sustainability aspects must be taken into account in all tenders. The relevant award criteria, contract components and incentive systems are included in SBB’s standard tender documents.

The ideas developed during the planning phase must be implemented systematically during the execution phase – in a resource-efficient, climate-friendly, biodiversity-promoting and quality-conscious manner. The sustainability requirements are described in the procurement rules for the project. SBB’s primary objectives:

Use of sustainable construction materials.

SBB expects the construction companies it commissions to procure the tendered materials with due care and to choose the supplier with the best environmental credentials. Reference values are provided for concrete as a building material to serve as a guide for the coming years.

Fossil-free construction sites by 2040.

From 2040 onwards, SBB will no longer use fossil fuels on construction sites. The use of alternative fuels, electrical construction machinery and photovoltaic power on construction sites is encouraged.

Exemplary construction sites.

SBB’s construction sites serve as shining examples of environmental responsibility for the public. Exemplary construction sites are clean and site employees act quickly in the event of oil spills, taking immediate measures and notifying the relevant authorities in order to prevent environmental damage.

Life cycle assessments are used to quantify the environmental impact of construction projects and project variants and enable fact-based decisions to promote sustainability.

Life cycle assessments for buildings and land are carried out in accordance with the requirements of the Swiss Sustainable Building Standard (SNBS). Infrastructure projects are provided with a cost-based emissions estimate from SBB. This means that there is no need to carry out a full life cycle assessment and the time should instead be invested in developing measures.

SBB provides a variant calculator for simple variant comparisons based on the SBB emission factors and the KBOB (Coordination Conference for Public Sector Construction and Property Services) database.

The SBB emission factors 2025 database contains several hundred data sets for railway-specific components and construction processes. It complements the Swiss KBOB list (Ökobilanzdaten im Baubereich) and is to be used in the planning of SBB infrastructure projects. The assumptions made can be seen in the documentation (in German).