Shell Canada: over a decade of sustainable development reporting experience

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate what motivated Shell Canada, a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell, to be one of the first companies in the world to report its environmental initiatives in 1991. It aims to explore how Shell Canada, driven by a set of core values and business principles, continues to make strides in the quality of its sustainability reporting and communication.

Design/methodology/approach

Shell historical reports and documents were reviewed and interview data gathered from company personnel.

Findings

The paper reveals that Shell Canada has gained a reputation for striving toward stakeholder engagement and transparency in its reporting as well as through its actions.

Practical implications

The paper offers advice to other companies as to how to improve their corporate communications regarding their environmental and sustainability performance.

Originality/value

The paper demonstrates Shell Canada's efforts to initiate transparent sustainable development reporting and stakeholder engagement, two areas in which other companies can learn from Shell Canada.

Citation

Maharaj, R. and Herremans, I.M. (2008), "Shell Canada: over a decade of sustainable development reporting experience", Corporate Governance, Vol. 8 No. 3, pp. 235-247. https://doi.org/10.1108/14720700810879132