Sustainability at Flix

Our sustainability vision

Sustainability has been an integral part of our DNA since we brought our first buses on the road. We want to provide everyone with affordable solutions for collective travel, so they can leave their car at home and cut their CO₂ impact (for more information and data on the benefits of traveling collectively, please check our 2024 Avoided Emissions Methodology, where you can learn more about emission factors for different means of transportation). At Flix, our purpose is to achieve a good balance between ecology, economy and society as well as to create shared values for our stakeholders. We commit to driving safe and sustainable mobility for generations, safeguarding high business ethics and integrity, and contributing positive impact on our planet, people and society as a whole.

ESG Strategy and Commitment

Within our corporate strategy, sustainability has been embedded as strategic foundation, which forms Flix's DNA. We commit to enhancing safe collective travel solutions that can provide viable alternatives to private cars, safeguarding high business ethics and integrity with robust governance (read more in our ESG report, p.52). Thus, we aim to drive positive change in the communities where we operate.

1. vs. other modes of transport like personal cars (with combustion engines) and airplanes. 
2. Greenhouse Gases
3. In Europe

Flix’s ESG strategy is further enhanced by its commitment to be transparent with its stakeholders and share its ESG performance. Flix began its annual ESG reporting journey by publishing its first voluntary ESG report for the financial year 2022, in accordance with the GRI standards. In the same year, Flix also conducted an initial climate scenario analysis in line with the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and had also set up an ESG Steering Committee to oversee the governance of ESG topics. In 2024, Flix updated its reporting criteria to align with the recommendations of European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). Read more about Flix’s new ESRS-aligned impacts, risks and opportunities (IROs) in our 2024 ESG Report available here.

Planet 

Our service relies on a bus fleet complying with high standards in terms of environmental efficiency. In 2024, this enabled our passengers to save an estimated 1.5 million tons of CO₂ worldwide simply by choosing Flix over other means of transport—on a per person-km basis, FlixBus coaches emit five times less CO₂ than private cars and 10 times less CO₂ than planes, while performing almost as well as intercity trains (for reference, read more here). Besides, we are focused on increasing the use of alternative technologies and fuels in our service to reduce its carbon footprint even further.

And yet, we want to take this one step further. 

Flix has committed to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), a universally recognized scientific framework, establishing near-term targets to reduce our impact already by 2032*. In April 2024, the SBTi validated Flix’ near-term targets for emissions reduction, thus acknowledging that our strategy is in line with global climate goals. SBTi is currently revising its Corporate Net-Zero Standard. Flix will review and adjust its own Net Zero goals to further align with the SBTi new guideline. As concrete measures along this journey, we will: 

• Ensure high environmental standards for the FlixBus fleet. 
• Enable less CO₂-pollutant alternatives to diesel already today by testing diverse technologies and fuels while easily scalable zero-emission technologies for the long distance are lacking. 

When booking, Flix passengers can also choose to take climate action based on the estimated CO₂ emissions of their FlixBus journey with a voluntary donation to the environmental NGO atmosfair, thus supporting its climate projects certified by the UN, Gold Standard and Carbon Standards International developed in regions of the Global South and contributing to research and development of sustainable mobility solutions in their regions and communities. Additionally, to walk the talk, we already pay the climate contributions corresponding to all our employees' business travel emissions worldwide with atmosfair**. Learn more here! 

Click here for more information on our climate strategy, our commitment to the SBTi, and initiatives implemented regarding climate protection.

People

In collective transport, safety is essential for all - our customers, employees and crews. Moreover, one of the great challenges of our time is to promote an equal, diverse and inclusive society. Together with our partners throughout the value chain, we are raising the bar of road safety and social standards in the mobility sector to create a safe, equal, diverse and inclusive environment in the workplace and wider society. Here is how we pursue this goal:

• Safeguard the safety of customers, employees and crews with an all-encompassing Safety Management System. Click here for an overview of the safety measures enforced.
• Ensure fair compensation and decent working conditions for employees and crews with a Code of Conduct for Business Partners.
• Embrace diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) in our company culture and values through a comprehensive DEI policy.
• Ensure high ethical standard across our supply chain, holding them accountable to a new policy in alignment with the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG).

Click here for more information on how we address the topics that are bound to have an impact on people, including our passengers, crew members and employees.

Travel

Travel is at an important turning point focusing on several aspects. While we test alternatives to diesel, and we encourage people to embrace collective mobility to reduce their personal carbon footprint already today, our commitment to connecting people around the world with affordable travel enhances our customers’ daily lives. Together with our partners, we are shaping the future of the sector through innovation and partnerships across the industry. We aim to:

• Provide affordable and intermodal travel options to connect communities and regions, including rural and sparsely inhabited areas that suffer from lacking infrastructure.
• Leverage our asset-light model to match our digital excellence with the operational excellence of our local SME partners, enabling the optimum experience for all at a convenient price.
• Build multi-stakeholder partnerships to progressively scale up alternative drive and fuel technologies in our partners' fleet and transform the long-distance coach market.

Click here to learn more on how we join forces with first-rank industry actors to enhance innovation in travel.

Strong Governance as foundation

Leading by example is our basic virtue. Therefore, we see strong governance at Flix and across the value chain as the foundation of our three strategic pillars People, Planet, and Travel. We established an ESG Steering Committee on Board level as the oversight body on sustainability performance. The committee is chaired by the CEO with senior leadership taking roles of business ambassadors across departments, which ensures the integration of sustainability goals and actions into business practices. Multiple governance and business ethics policies are established, for instance, data protection, People Code of Conduct, Code of Conduct for business partners. We are strongly committed to:

• Complying with high business ethics standards and regulatory requirements.
• Upholding international human rights and labor laws.
• Enforcing responsible value chain management, integrated with high environmental and social standards.
• Safeguarding cybersecurity and data protection.

*Flix commits to reducing absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 54.6% by 2032 from a 2019 base year. Flix commits to reduce scope 3 GHG emissions by 40.9% per passenger kilometer within the same timeframe. For more information, please refer to Flix’s ESG report (p. 28).

**The accounting of the business travel emissions for the purpose of the offset is managed by atmosfair, adopting the VDR methodology. The carbon footprint of Flix follows the GHG Protocol methodology instead, in line with ESRS E1-6 requirements.