Sustainable development in Shell

In practice, our contribution to sustainable development is about helping deliver benefits and reduce impacts. This approach covers both what we produce and how we produce it.

It is about our products:

We help deliver benefits by providing the modern energy that people need to prosper, and help reduce energy’s impacts by producing more cleaner-burning natural gas, for example, or working to build a transport biofuels business.

It is about our operations:

We work to build projects and run our facilities in ways that create lasting social benefits, for example by:

• employing local people;
• using local contractors and suppliers, and
• setting a good example through our business practices and ethics. 

We work to reduce environmental and social impacts at our operations by:

• safeguarding the health and safety of our employees and neighbours;
• reducing disruptions to the community;
• lowering our emissions,  including greenhouse gases;
• reducing our impact on biodiversity, and
• using less energy, water and other resources to produce the energy the world needs for development. 

It is also about our people:

Using their expertise, creativity and skill to compete successfully and help meet the energy challenge. This requires a mindset – or a different way of thinking about our day-to-day business – that includes balancing our short and long-term interests, and integrating social and environmental concerns into our decision-making. It’s how we do business and, since 1997, has been embedded in our Business Principles.