At its sites in Bonn, Braunschweig, Göttingen, Cologne, Lampoldshausen, Oberpfaffenhofen and Stuttgart, DLR operates staff restaurants that support sustainable development. These are based on Germany's updated canteen guidelines for federal government offices ('Richtlinien für Kantinen bei Dienststellen des Bundes'), which regulate the running of canteens. Among other improvements, DLR has addressed Guideline No. 9 – which is aligned with the federal government's climate protection targets and focuses on sustainability.
By implementing this guideline, we are committed to responsible and sustainable nutrition. The goal is to optimise economic, ecological and social standards in catering and thus advance our sustainability strategy.
The federal government directive and associated sustainability action programme ('Maßnahmenprogramm Nachhaltigkeit') pursue clear objectives, based on the quality standards of the German Nutrition Society (DGE):
Increase the share of organic food: by 20 percent by 2025 and at least 30 percent by 2030
Promote regional and plant-based foods: more plant-based meals, less meat, seasonal ingredients and sustainable fish as standard
Reduce food waste: by 30 percent by 2025 and 50 percent by 2030
Use environmentally compatible packaging for deliveries and introduce reusable systems
Source coffee, tea, cocoa and bananas entirely from sustainable trade, with at least Fairtrade certification
Certification for sustainability or environmental compatibility
The catering team's successes to date include offering a daily meat-free meal – an important step towards healthier eating. Equally significant is the provision of sustainably grown tea, coffee, cocoa and cocoa products to reduce dependence on conventionally grown options.
Sustainable DLR staff canteen
DLR's site in Cologne-Porz is one example of a sustainable canteen.
By purchasing reusable products, DLR reduces packaging. As such, it is also essential to offer reusable packaging for take-away meals. Another important point is to insist that our suppliers use environmentally compatible packaging.
Organic certificate
Five DLR locations already meet Bio-AHVV standards.
In addition, our locations in Braunschweig, Cologne, Lampoldshausen, Oberpfaffenhofen and Stuttgart have already been certified organic in accordance with the 'organic out-of-home catering' regulation (Bio-AHVV). Our staff restaurants in Bonn and Göttingen are scheduled to be certified by the end of September 2025.
