Environmental collaborations
Collaborations and partnerships are key to implementing respecting nature. They can help us to protect biodiversity, reduce waste, improve circularity of materials and help ensure local communities benefit from our presence.
For instance, we have worked with our global environmental partners, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Earthwatch for more than 20 years.
In 2023, we continued to collaborate with the IUCN, non-governmental organisations and other energy companies to develop guidance for renewable energy developments and infrastructure.
Together with Earthwatch, in 2023, we trained more than 800 employees in virtual sessions across the world and face-to-face sessions in 10 countries. This year marked 25 years of our formal partnership, which will not be extended in 2024.
We are a founding member of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, have a seat on the executive committee and on the Energy Pathway Board and participate in several working groups related to nature including biodiversity, plastic waste, circular economy and nature-based solutions.
Shell is a Vice Chair of Ipieca, the global oil and gas industry association for advancing environmental and social performance across the energy transition. Shell chairs Ipieca’s Environmental Group and is active in all workstreams on climate, nature, people and sustainability.
We are co-Chair of the International Association of Oil & Gas Producers (IOGP) environment committee, which works to enhance environmental performance and good practice across the oil and gas upstream industry. We also participate in several expert groups and joint industry programmes on topics including water stewardship, biodiversity, and reporting and disclosure.
We are a signatory of the Business for Nature Call to Action.
Working with these organisations and partners helps form and develop our own thinking with respect to sustainability.
Transparency and standards
We are a member of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) Forum. We are also a member of the Science Based Targets Network Corporate Engagement Program.
Our major installations are certified to independent environmental management system standards, such as ISO 14001 or equivalent systems required by local regulations. Major installations include crude oil and natural gas terminals, gas plants, manned offshore production platforms, refineries and chemical manufacturing facilities. Of these, 89% were certified at the end of 2023. We are pursuing certification for the remainder. See our 2023 Annual Report for more on the certification of our major installations.
More than 45% of our offices and laboratories in our real estate portfolio have been certified as sustainable by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), a leading green building rating system.
