Sustainability at Shell
Sustainable development goals
About our data
Energy transition and climate change
Sustainability governance
Governance is about making sure we live up to the high standards we set as a company – on health and safety, on the environment and biodiversity, and in our relationships with local communities.
We have put clear and effective governance structures in place throughout Shell, along with performance standards and other controls. These influence decisions and actions across the Shell businesses.
Our governance procedures involves the Board of Royal Dutch Shell plc, four Board Committees, our Executive Committee, and the teams and individuals who manage our operations. We take rigorous care to ensure that standards are communicated and maintained across the business.
The Corporate and Social Responsibility committee (CSRC) is one of our Board Committees. For further details on the CSRC and how sustainability is managed at Shell see www.shell.com and our Annual Report.
The CSRC in 2017
The CSRC's role is to review and advise Shell on our strategy, policies and performance against the Shell General Business Principles, our Code of Conduct and our Health, Safety, Security, Environment and Social Performance (HSSE&SP) standards.
The CSRC meets regularly to review and discuss a wide range of sustainability-related topics and to assess our sustainability performance, audit results and the sustainable development metrics that apply to the Executive Committee scorecard. It also monitors major issues of public concern that may be relevant to Shell.
Members of the CSRC during 2017 were:
- Hans Wijers, appointed Chair of the Committee with effect from May 2015;
- Sir Nigel Sheinwald, appointed a member of the Committee with effect from July 2012;
- Catherine Hughes, appointed a member of the Committee with effect from November 2017;
- Guy Elliott, appointed a member of the Committee with effect from March 2017 and stood down as a Non-executive Director of the company in October 2017; and
- Patricia A. Woertz, appointed a member of the Committee with effect from June 2014 and stood down as a Non-executive Director of the company in May 2017.
CSRC engagement
In 2017, the CSRC discussed topics including Shell’s operations in the Niger Delta, Nigeria and Groningen, the Netherlands, human rights, natural capital, the energy transition, greenhouse gas emission targets and CO2 and methane-related developments. The committee also conducted several site visits. Sir Nigel Sheinwald and Guy Elliot visited the Bacton gas plant on the UK’s North Sea coast and met with community members to discuss, among other topics, how to redistribute sand and sediment to protect the coastline. Hans Wijers visited the Pernis refinery in the Netherlands and discussed the challenges and opportunities for the facility with the leadership team. The committee, along with the CEO, also visited Shell’s project in Pennsylvania, USA, to learn about the transformation of the site from a zinc smelter to a chemical plant and to meet with local stakeholders and contractors to discuss a range of HSSE topics.