Our approach
We aim to be good neighbours in the communities where we operate. This means more than running our operations cleanly and safely: it also means working with local people to address their concerns and help them benefit from our activities.
We use several tools – for new and existing ventures - to take practical steps to manage the impacts of our business. These include:
1) Impact Assessments
Experience has shown that the greatest business and societal benefits of new projects come from effective identification and management of potential impacts during the planning and design phase. We require that an integrated environmental, social and health impact assessment is carried out prior to any new project or significant modification of an existing facility. These impact assessments provide a structured way of looking ahead at the potential positive and negative impacts that could arise throughout the project’s lifecycle. The results help us to minimise negative impacts by changing the design of the project. Doing so early on in the schedule allows such changes to be made without incurring delays or additional costs.
2) Stakeholder Engagement
Our stakeholders are all those affected by, or who can affect, our operations. Engaging stakeholders enables us to understand the concerns, priorities and expectations of different groups. It helps us to understand the different points of view in a community. It’s a process that continues throughout the life of a project or operation, and we apply lessons learnt in order to improve our performance.
More on 
Working with Stakeholders.
3) Social Performance Plans
Social Performance Plans are required for all our operations that may have a significant impact on local communities. Social Performance Plans drawn up using information gathered from the Impact Assessments, community surveys and from ongoing stakeholder dialogue. The plans help us to reduce any disruptive social impacts and generate benefits for the communities where we operate in a structured and consistent way. Doing so helps to build stronger relations with local communities, satisfies our shareholders, increases government support for our business and reduces our operational and financial risk.
4) Social Performance Reviews
Social Performance Reviews help us to check that we are addressing the right issues, to assess our effectiveness in managing our impacts and to take corrective actions as needed. To do this, we identify key stakeholders and assess responses to our main social impacts. By sharing what we learn from these reviews, we are also able to provide guidance on how to improve and more consistently manage the key social issues across our operations.
5) Local Content Plans
Employment and contracts / procurement can be a major source of benefits for local communities. We aim to follow government guidelines and regulations and maximise opportunities by taking a strategic approach to hiring local people and local businesses.
6) Social Investment Plans
Social Investment (SI) Plans explore the ways in which local communities and society can benefit from Shell’s presence. An SI Plan may enhance the ability of local stakeholders to benefit from the project itself, for example through promoting local employment or the use of local suppliers, or it may explore non-project related ways of contributing, including employee involvement opportunities. SI Plans are generally formulated and implemented in partnership with governments and civil society / NGO organisations.
Find out more about Social Investment.
Related links
→ Shell Sustainability Report 2006
Visit the online Shell Sustainability Report 2006 and learn about our approach to our neighbours - opens in a new window.
