
Reduce your carbon footprint with carbon credits
Carbon credits are generated by projects that aim to reduce CO2 emissions, providing hard-to-abate sectors with a mechanism to help compensate for their emissions as they develop the lower-carbon solutions required.
What are carbon credits?
One carbon credit represents a verified avoidance or removal of the equivalent of one metric tonne of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. They can be generated from projects such as reforestation. Proceeds from the sale of credits can help fund the project as it continues to remove or avoid CO2 emissions.
How carbon credits support emissions reduction
Project investments
Many projects that Shell invests in aim to protect, enhance, and benefit local communities and biodiversity. Where applicable, the carbon credits these projects generate can contribute to compensating for emissions.
Credit trading
The sale of carbon credits can help fund projects that actively reduce harmful emissions, benefiting the environment as well as the economy.
Carbon market demand signals
At Shell, we believe in the power of carbon markets and the importance of putting a direct price on carbon emissions. This is a crucial part of a broader policy framework designed to support climate-related objectives.
Shell's carbon credit portfolio
Our portfolio of carbon credits is drawn from projects around the world that use various project types to remove carbon from the atmosphere or avoid and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
We source carbon credits from initiatives that aim to deliver positive impacts for local communities, biodiversity, and habitats. The emissions reductions these projects achieve are verified by independent carbon credit standards.
The projects we select support the UN Sustainable Development Goals
In addition to reducing the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere, many of the projects we select can have co-benefits, such as creating employment opportunities, protecting or enhancing biodiversity, improving soil quality, food production, or enhancing climate change resistance. Many of these co-benefits support the UN Sustainable Development Goals.




















Find out how working with Shell can help your business navigate the carbon markets
Disclaimer
Disclaimer
Cautionary Note
The companies in which Shell plc directly and indirectly owns investments are separate legal entities. In this content “Shell”, “Shell Group” and “Group” are sometimes used for convenience to reference Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words “we”, “us” and “our” are also used to refer to Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These terms are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular entity or entities. ‘‘Subsidiaries’’, “Shell subsidiaries” and “Shell companies” as used in this content refer to entities over which Shell plc either directly or indirectly has control. The terms “joint venture”, “joint operations”, “joint arrangements”, and “associates” may also be used to refer to a commercial arrangement in which Shell has a direct or indirect ownership interest with one or more parties. The term “Shell interest” is used for convenience to indicate the direct and/or indirect ownership interest held by Shell in an entity or unincorporated joint arrangement, after exclusion of all third-party interest.
Forward-Looking statements
This content contains forward-looking statements (within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) concerning the financial condition, results of operations and businesses of Shell. All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements of future expectations that are based on management’s current expectations and assumptions, including (without limitation) those concerning Shell’s strategy and operating plans, macroeconomic conditions, future energy demand, supply and product mix, commodity prices, demand for Shell’s products, production results and reserve estimates, development, execution and management of projects, energy transition and climate change, management of safety and environmental risks, costs, cash capital expenditures, technology advancements, legislative, judicial, fiscal and regulatory developments, regional conflicts and trading conditions, and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements concerning the potential exposure of Shell to market risks and statements expressing management’s expectations, beliefs, estimates, forecasts, projections and assumptions. These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as “aim”; “ambition”; ‘‘anticipate’’; “aspire”, “aspiration”, ‘‘believe’’; “commit”; “commitment”; ‘‘could’’; “desire”; ‘‘estimate’’; ‘‘expect’’; ‘‘goals’’; ‘‘intend’’; ‘‘may’’; “milestones”; ‘‘objectives’’; ‘‘outlook’’; ‘‘plan’’; ‘‘probably’’; ‘‘project’’; ‘‘risks’’; “schedule”; ‘‘seek’’; ‘‘should’’; ‘‘target’’; “vision”; ‘‘will’’; “would” and similar terms and phrases. There are a number of factors that could affect the future operations of Shell and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements included in this content, including (without limitation): (a) price fluctuations in crude oil and natural gas; (b) changes in demand for Shell’s products; (c) currency fluctuations; (d) drilling and production results; (e) reserves estimates; (f) loss of market share and industry competition; (g) environmental and physical risks, including climate change; (h) risks associated with the identification of suitable potential acquisition properties and targets, and successful negotiation and completion of such transactions; (i) the risk of doing business in developing countries and countries subject to international sanctions; (j) legislative, judicial, fiscal and regulatory developments including tariffs and regulatory measures addressing climate change; (k) economic and financial market conditions in various countries and regions; (l) political risks, including the risks of expropriation and renegotiation of the terms of contracts with governmental entities, delays or advancements in the approval of projects and delays in the reimbursement for shared costs; (m) risks associated with the impact of pandemics, regional conflicts, such as the Russia-Ukraine war and the conflict in the Middle East, and a significant cyber security, data privacy or IT incident; (n) the pace of the energy transition; and (o) changes in trading conditions. No assurance is provided that future dividend payments will match or exceed previous dividend payments. All forward-looking statements contained in this content are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional risk factors that may affect future results are contained in Shell plc’s Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2025 (available at www.shell.com/investors/news-and-filings/sec-filings.html and www.sec.gov). These risk factors also expressly qualify all forward-looking statements contained in this content and should be considered by the reader. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this content. Neither Shell plc nor any of its subsidiaries undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or other information. In light of these risks, results could differ materially from those stated, implied or inferred from the forward-looking statements contained in this content.
Shell’s net carbon intensity and net-zero emissions target
In this content we may refer to Shell’s “net carbon intensity” (NCI), which includes Shell’s carbon emissions from the production of our energy products, our suppliers’ carbon emissions in supplying energy for that production and our customers’ carbon emissions associated with their use of the energy products we sell. Shell’s NCI also includes the emissions associated with the production and use of energy products produced by others which Shell purchases for resale. Shell only controls its own emissions. The use of the terms Shell’s “net carbon intensity” or NCI is for convenience only and not intended to suggest these emissions are those of Shell plc or its subsidiaries.
Shell’s operating plan and outlook are forecasted for a three-year period and ten-year period, respectively, and are updated every year. They reflect the current economic environment and what we can reasonably expect to see over the next three and ten years. Accordingly, the outlook reflects our combined Scope 1 and 2 target, NCI target and our oil products ambition over the next ten years. However, Shell’s operating plan and outlook cannot reflect our 2050 net-zero emissions target, as this target is outside our planning period. Such future operating plans and outlooks could include changes to our portfolio, efficiency improvements and the use of carbon capture and storage and carbon credits. In the future, as society moves towards net-zero emissions, we expect Shell’s operating plans and outlooks to reflect this movement. However, if society is not net zero in 2050, as of today, there would be significant risk that Shell may not meet this target.
The information provided above regarding Shell’s NCI and net zero emissions target are not intended, nor should they be construed as introducing, suggesting or making any claim, target or representation thereof other than what is included in the content.
Forward-Looking non-GAAP measures
This content may contain certain forward-looking non-GAAP measures such as free cash flow and underlying operating expenses. We are unable to provide a reconciliation of these forward-looking non-GAAP measures to the most comparable GAAP financial measures because certain information needed to reconcile those non-GAAP measures to the most comparable GAAP financial measures is dependent on future events some of which are outside the control of Shell, such as oil and gas prices, interest rates and exchange rates. Moreover, estimating such GAAP measures with the required precision necessary to provide a meaningful reconciliation is extremely difficult and could not be accomplished without unreasonable effort. Non-GAAP measures in respect of future periods which cannot be reconciled to the most comparable GAAP financial measure are calculated in a manner which is consistent with the accounting policies applied in Shell plc’s consolidated financial statements. These forward-looking non-GAAP measures are provided to assist readers in understanding management’s use and expectations of such measures and may not be appropriate for other purposes.
The contents of websites referred to in this content do not form part of this content.
We may have used certain terms, such as resources, in this content that the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) strictly prohibits us from including in our filings with the SEC. Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our Form 20-F, File No 1-32575, available on the SEC website www.sec.gov.

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Frequently Asked Questions
How do carbon credits work?
How do carbon credits work?
Each tonne of CO2 stored or avoided by a carbon compensation project generates one carbon credit. To ensure that the projects we work with are making a real and verifiable impact, we only select projects certified under credible and independent carbon credit standards.
How are carbon credits created?
How are carbon credits created?
The emissions avoided or reduced are quantified and verified by an independent third party enabling one carbon credit to be generated for every one tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent avoided or removed from the atmosphere. Proceeds from the sale of credits can in some instances help fund the project as it continues to remove or avoid CO2 emissions.
Does Shell compensate for its emissions?
Does Shell compensate for its emissions?
Shell uses carbon credits primarily to manage our Net Carbon Intensity (NCI) and to offset emissions across different scopes.
What are common certification standards for carbon credits?
What are common certification standards for carbon credits?
We source carbon credits verified against using different types of projects developed by internationally recognised accreditation bodies such as Verra, Gold Standard, American Carbon Registry, Climate Action Reserve, and Puerto.earth. Each credit undergoes a review by our internal experts to ensure that the projects adhere to our due diligence standards.
Disclaimer
Carbon credits are not a substitute for switching to low-emission energy solutions or reducing the use of fossil fuels. Shell encourages their customers to focus first on emissions that can be avoided or reduced and only then compensate the remaining emissions through the purchase and retirement of voluntary carbon credits.


