Sustainable Development

The concept of sustainable development was developed under the auspices of the UN as a way for governments to solve some of the world's most pressing problems. Businesses alone cannot create a sustainable future, but they have an important role to play. We, as part of society, intend to play our part both as a company and an energy provider.

Through sustainable development we integrate the economic, environmental and societal aspects of our business to achieve sustained financial success, safeguard our environment and develop our reputation as partner and provider of first choice for all of our stakeholders. Sustainable development is not just about the environment and social concerns, it's very much about economic performance too. For these reasons it makes good business sense.

In 1997 we made a public commitment to contribute to sustainable development. Many activities have been undertaken to turn this commitment into practical reality and integrate the concept into business activities.

In 1998 we published our first Shell Report, documenting the actions we have taken to meet our responsibilities and creating value for the future.

The seven principles that guide us

Our initiatives are underpinned by seven principles of sustainable development that guide our decision making. None are new to the way we work, but taken together they help us find a balance between our long and short-term goals.

Generating robust profitability

Successful financial performance is essential to our sustainable future and contributes to the prosperity of society. We use recognised measures to judge our profitability. We seek to achieve robust profitability by, for example, reducing costs, improving margins, increasing revenue and managing working capital effectively.

Delivering value to customers

Customers are the lifeblood of our business. We seek constantly to strengthen existing customer relationships and develop new ones. We strive to meet and exceed customer expectations by designing and delivering highly attractive and innovative products and services.

Protecting the environment

The natural environment supports all human activity. We continually look for new ways to reduce the environmental impact of our operations, products and services throughout their life.

Managing resources

Efficient use of natural resources - for example, energy, land, water - reduces our costs and respects the needs of future generations. We constantly look for ways to minimise their use.

Respecting and safeguarding people

We aim to treat everyone with respect. We strive to protect people from harm from our products and operations. We aim to respect and value personal and cultural differences and try to help people realise their potential.

Benefiting communities

Wherever we work we are part of a local community. We will constantly look for appropriate ways to contribute to the general wellbeing of the community and the broader societies who grant our licence to operate.

Working with stakeholders

We affect - and are affected by - many different groups of people, our stakeholders. We aim to recognise their interest in our business and to listen and respond to them.

How are we doing? Take a look at the Shell Report (below) and our Performance section.