SHELL

Company: Shell
Industry: Oil and gas
Headquarters: London
Employees globally: 103,000
Footprint: Operations in 70 countries
Global revenue: €298 billion (FY23)
European T&E spend 2023: Approximately €240 million to €280 million (BTN Europe estimate)
Primary TMC partner: FCM Travel
Travel programme insights: Shell appointed FCM Travel as its global TMC to manage travel across all of its businesses in 2022 following a competitive RFI and RFP process. “Our joint goal is to make a positive difference to our employees’ travel experiences, supporting their wellbeing and empowering them to make more sustainable travel choices,” said Shell’s global travel operations manager Julia Sullivan at the time. The company has around 45,000 active travellers and a global online booking tool is implemented in most of the markets in which it operates. The Global Shell Corporate Travel Team was crowned Travel Team of the Year at the Business Travel Awards Europe in October 2023 with judges noting in particular how the team rallied together to provide support to colleagues impacted by geopolitical instability. One judge described the relocation and repatriation effort as “phenomenal”. Asked what are some of the lessons the travel team has learned in the last year, one member of the team offered five pointers: to customise communication per audience and invest time and energy in making messages clear and targeted; be transparent in how you’re dealing with service issues; make lines of communication and decisions short in times of crisis; empower your team to address local and regional challenges independently; capture learnings so you can leverage them for other projects. Currently in development is a ‘version 2.0’ of Shell’s support desk for diverse travellers.
Sustainability targets: Shell revised its climate targets in March 2024 but retained key commitments including reaching net zero by 2050. It intends to halve its Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030, compared to 2016, and by the end of 2023 had achieved more than 60 per cent of that target. Elsewhere, it is now targeting a 15-20 per cent reduction in the net carbon intensity of the energy products it sells by 2030 and has removed an interim 2035 target.
Travel-related sustainability actions: In 2022, Shell, in collaboration with Accenture, American Express Global Business Travel and Energy Web Foundation, launched the blockchain-powered Avelia book and claim platform to help corporates buy and transparently report on the use of sustainable aviation fuel. Avelia is designed to help trigger demand for SAF, encouraging investment in production, which could lower the price point for these fuels.
Sustainability reporting: Shell did not report specifically on its Scope 3.6 emissions pertaining to business travel activity in its 2023 sustainability report.