We work closely with communities to understand their concerns and identify how to address them. We aim to avoid or reduce any adverse impacts and to manage those impacts that may be unavoidable.

By engaging openly with communities we are able to identify how and where we can bring sustainable benefits. We do this in many ways: by creating new jobs, encouraging local businesses to be a part of our supply chain, and providing useful skills training for people.

Learn more about how we work with communities globally

Lady cooking on a cookstove in Nigeria

Access to energy

At Shell, we are able to use our core business skills and technical resources to play an active role in improving communities’ access to energy, particularly in regions where we work – such as sub-Saharan Africa and the Asia-Pacific region. 

Our access to energy work aims to provide communities with safe, reliable, affordable energy which can spur economic development and improve healthcare, education and livelihoods. We have undertaken a number of energy access projects around the world totalling millions of dollars in investment. These projects include community lighting, power generation, and small-scale grid infrastructure projects.

Discover more about our global access to energy work

Local employment and enterprise

Shell contributes to local economic growth in countries where we operate. 

We do this in a variety of ways: through direct employment, through our supply chain activities, by working with governments and partners to help create jobs, and by supporting the development of local businesses or suppliers.

Where needed, we offer additional training to improve the level of skills and technical know-how among a supplier’s workforce.

The Shell LiveWIRE programme helps young entrepreneurs start their own business and stimulate local economic growth in various countries.

Learn more about how we support economic growth

A parent holding their child

Community health

Today, millions of people across the world are unable to access medical treatment. In some communities where we work, access to healthcare may be limited or inadequate.

To help address these challenges, we run various projects that provide access to adequate healthcare to communities, often in partnership with local non-governmental organisations or development bodies.

Find out more about our community health projects worldwide

Education

Education can open the door to opportunities and help people build a better future.

We operate several projects across the world to give more people the chance of a good education to help them build a better future.

Read more about our global initiatives in education

More in sustainability

Social Investment

Shell invests considerable effort in understanding the needs of the sectors that our social investment program focuses on.

From Trash to Cash

In Surabaya, villagers have turned mounds of garbage into opportunity.