Eurostar and sustainability
Sustainability Report 2023 (opens a PDF)Go greener with Eurostar
At Eurostar, we’re passionate about looking after the planet and making sure your journey with us is a greener one. We aim to lead the way in making European travel more sustainable than ever.
“Eurostar is committed to being the most sustainable form of international travel when it comes to carbon emissions. On average, the carbon footprint of travelling on our trains is 95% less than flying. But we want to go even further: we are building the backbone of sustainable travel in Europe, connecting more people and rail networks across more destinations.”
Gwendoline Cazenave, CEO
On our way to 100% renewable energy
We’re deeply committed to Europe’s green energy transition. All our trains are using an increasing share of renewable energy, with our goal of getting to 100% renewable energy by 2030. To show our commitment, we’ve become the first train company to join RE100. This important initiative brings together over 400 ambitious companies who aim to get 100% of their electricity from renewable sources.
We’re also trialling a new piece of onboard eco-driving technology that could enable our drivers to reduce energy usage by at least 5% on every journey.
As a result, travelling with Eurostar emits on average only 5.5g of CO₂ per passenger kilometre. A figure we’re working hard to get even lower!
Our carbon emissions - in numbers
See how much CO₂ is saved when you travel by train* compared with other modes of transport. Below is the amount of CO₂ in kg emitted per person per journey.
| Route | Train | Plane | % lower emissions |
|---|---|---|---|
London <> Paris | 2.4 | 66.0 | 96% |
London <> Amsterdam | 3.9 | 70.9 | 94% |
London <> Brussels | 2.9 | 68.1 | 96% |
London <> Cologne** | 6.6 | 97.6 | 93% |
*Calculations taken from an independent study carried out by EcoRes SCRL in July 2023. For full details, see here (opens a PDF)
**Calculation includes train connection in Brussels
A recipe for success
We take our food as seriously as we take sustainability. That’s why our menus are packed with high-quality ingredients that are good for you and the planet.
Here’s how we’re contributing to a circular economy through Eurostar Café on our routes to and from London.
- We’ve swapped 1.5 million plastic cups for a compostable plant-based alternative.
- We’ve packaged our sandwiches in plant-based materials.
- Our menus always include vegetarian and vegan options.
- We’ve ditched plastic bottles and now only serve water in aluminium containers and glass.
- We’ve swapped plastic cutlery and straws for greener alternatives.
- We work with Fairtrade partners to supply our sugar, hot chocolate and Tony’s Chocolonely bars.
- We knock 50p off the cost of your hot drink when you bring a reusable cup.
Waste not, want not
We don’t want to just reduce waste on our trains — we want to make the most of it. Any unsold food from Eurostar Café is donated to waste-reduction company Olio, who redistribute it to local communities around London.
In the UK, our food waste is taken to a government-recommended anaerobic digestion facility, where it’s processed and used as organic fertiliser on local farmland. Over in France, our food waste is converted into compost at local centres run by Les Alchimistes, and then sold at garden centres, supermarkets and DIY stores across the country.
Journeys through flavour
On our Eurostar Plus and Eurostar Premier menus, we wanted to create something both special and sustainable. That’s why we work closely with local farmers, growers and producers, and the changing seasons dictate the ingredients we use.
All this is why we were the first transport provider to receive top marks from the Sustainable Restaurants Association’s Food Made Good Standard, with a Three Star Rating for our Eurostar Premier and Eurostar Plus menus.
Sustainable success
In 2023, we were awarded a silver medal by EcoVadis, a sustainability rating platform, for our low environmental impact, our procurement practices, and our high human rights standards and ethics.
Eurostar’s UK operations have been certified to ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 50001:2018 since 2017, demonstrating our commitment to continually reducing our environmental impact and energy use across the business.
Our carbon emissions - in numbers
See how much CO₂ is saved when you travel by train* compared with other modes of transport. Below is the amount of CO₂ in kg emitted per person per journey.
| Route | Train | Car | % lower emissions | Coach | % lower emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Paris <> Brussels | 1.6 | 23.8 | 93% | 7.7 | 80% |
Paris <> Amsterdam** | 2.6 | 39.0 | 93% | 12.5 | 79% |
Paris <> Cologne | 5.2 | 37.7 | 86% | 12.1 | 57% |
Brussels <> Cologne | 3.7 | 16.7 | 78% | 5.4 | 31% |
Brussels <> Amsterdam | 1.1 | 15.8 | 93% | 5.1 | 79% |
*Calculations taken from an independent study carried out by EcoRes SCRL in July 2023. For full details, see here (opens a PDF)
**CO₂ emissions by train are 96% lower than by plane on this route
Journeys through flavour
We take our food as seriously as we take sustainability. That’s why our menus are packed with quality ingredients that are good for you and the planet.
We do our best to ensure our food is sourced in the places we operate and our packaging is environmentally-friendly. Used glass, cardboard, PET plastic and aluminium items are sorted when they’re removed from our trains, while the organic waste from our Eurostar Premier menu is collected and sent to Les Alchimistes composting centres near Paris.
Here’s how we’re contributing to a circular economy through Eurostar Café on our routes between Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands:
- Around 30% of our Eurostar Café products are organic.
- Only recyclable paper plates, cups, and wooden cutlery are used.
- Most of our products are sourced in one of our four destination countries or from elsewhere in Europe (except our coffee, tea, or chocolate).
- We always offer vegetarian options.
We’re proud that our sustainability efforts have been recognised. Our Eurostar Premier menu has been awarded the Sustainable Restaurants Association’s Food Made Good Standard with a Three Star Rating.
Sustainable success
We’ve been awarded a gold medal by EcoVadis, a sustainability rating platform, every year since 2021 for our low environmental impact, our procurement practices, and our high human rights standards and ethics.
Giving back to our communities
At Eurostar, we have a strong sense of responsibility to our local communities and we’re committed to giving back.
A charitable way to work
We’re a proud board member of Urban Partners – a voluntary business partnership that works to improve the Euston and King’s Cross area for residents, employees, and visitors. One of the ways we do this is by supporting pupils from local schools and colleges. We’ve started a program that lets students shadow Eurostar’s senior leadership members and gain valuable professional insight.
We’re also proud to have a long-standing partnership with Secours populaire français, a charity that aids vulnerable children and families. Every summer, we provide free train tickets to the Netherlands so kids can have a holiday. And at Christmas time, staff donate toys to be gifted to families that need support.
Monthly charity raffle
Since we started in 1994, we’ve held monthly charity draws, giving away Eurostar tickets that can be raffled off. If you’re interested, you can email charity@eurostar.com and we’ll enter your charity in the draw, which takes place on the last working Friday of each month.
