Carbon credits
Even with lower-carbon solutions, some CO₂ emissions from fleet operations are unavoidable. Carbon credits helps provide a practical way to address these remaining emissions by supporting projects that reduce or remove greenhouse gases.
Through Shell Fleet Solutions, businesses can access a global portfolio of independently verified projects that generate carbon credits, making it straightforward and cost-effective to compensate for unavoidable emissions.
How do carbon credits work?
Fleets face many challenges when they seek to reduce their emissions. Whether you’re starting to explore alternative fuels or already operating electric vehicles, some CO2 emissions remain unavoidable. Carbon credits can help address those emissions in a simple, transparent way.
Step 1: Opt-in and keep driving
Sign up through Shell Card to compensate for your fleet’s remaining emissions. Your drivers continue to refuel or recharge at Shell forecourts and partner stations as usual. Our network of 150kW ultra-fast and 50kW rapid charge points is extensive and growing, making recharging on the go simple and convenient.
Step 2: We calculate your emissions
Shell tracks your fleet’s overall fuel consumption and calculates the associated lifecycle CO₂ emissions.
Step 3: Emissions compensation
Shell purchases carbon credits equivalent to your fleet’s calculated emissions from a global portfolio of independently verified projects. These include nature-based solutions such as forest development and grassland preservation, designed to remove or reduce greenhouse gases.
Step 4: Receive your certificate
Each year, Shell issues a verified carbon reduction certificate confirming that the fuel has been compensated through carbon credits. Charges will be applied to your fleet’s account.
How carbon credits can benefit your fleet and business
Access a diverse portfolio
Benefit from projects designed to reduce or remove greenhouse gases, including nature-based solutions such as reforestation and grassland preservation, as well as technology-based initiatives like fuel-efficient cookstoves. Many projects also aim to deliver co-benefits for biodiversity and local communities.
Trust in high quality
All projects are independently verified to internationally recognised standards (e.g., Verra, Gold Standard) and undergo Shell’s enhanced due diligence processes, giving you confidence in the integrity of the carbon credits.
Leverage industry expertise
Shell brings over 20 years of experience in carbon markets and works actively in major emissions trading schemes worldwide, supported by a team of in-house experts.
Showcase corporate leadership
By compensating for unavoidable emissions, you demonstrate your commitment to reducing your fleet’s environmental impact.
Receive annual certification
You will receive an annual carbon credit retirement certificate confirming that credits equivalent to your fleet’s estimated emissions have been retired.
Shell’s portfolio of projects
Shell collaborates with a range of carefully selected nature-based projects across the globe. These projects are designed to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, support local communities, and protect biodiversity and wildlife.
To ensure the integrity of the carbon credits generated, all projects undergo rigorous third-party verification against internationally recognised standards and are registered through trusted processes.
Our portfolio includes initiatives such as forest conservation and grassland preservation, which aim to capture and store carbon while delivering co-benefits like improved biodiversity and sustainable livelihoods for local communities.
How can we help?
Carbon credit FAQs
What can our carbon credits products offer you?
What can our carbon credits products offer you?
Carbon credits means balancing calculated CO₂ emissions with actions intended to remove or avoid an equivalent amount of emissions. This is often achieved through the purchase and retirement of carbon credits generated by verified projects.
What is nature-based solutions?
What is nature-based solutions?
Nature-based solutions – also called natural climate solutions – include activities that protect or restore ecosystems such as forests, grasslands, and wetlands to help lower greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. These activities can avoid or reduce emissions and capture carbon in natural “carbon sinks” through processes like photosynthesis. They may also provide co-benefits such as reducing soil erosion, protecting wildlife habitats, and supporting sustainable livelihoods.
What are carbon credits?
What are carbon credits?
A carbon credit represents the avoidance or removal of one tonne of CO₂. Credits are issued under internationally recognised standards and verified by independent third parties to ensure quality and integrity.
What is meant by ‘carbon compensated driving’?
What is meant by ‘carbon compensated driving’?
When Shell Card customers opt in, a small fee is applied to compensate for emissions associated with fuel use. Shell purchases carbon credits intended to offset emissions from the extraction, refining, distribution, and use of fuel. Customers receive an annual certificate confirming the retirement of carbon credits equivalent to their fleet’s estimated emissions.
What is offsetting?
What is offsetting?
Offsetting refers to compensating for CO₂ emissions generated during the lifecycle of fuel – from extraction through to combustion in the engine – by purchasing and retiring carbon credits.
How are emissions calculated?
How are emissions calculated?
Shell uses recognised methodologies, including DESNZ’s (Department of Energy Security and Net Zero’s) greenhouse gas reporting conversion factors, as the basis for carbon calculations.
Can Shell Card customers compensate other purchases (e.g. services and road taxes) made on the card?
Can Shell Card customers compensate other purchases (e.g. services and road taxes) made on the card?
No, carbon credits applies only to fuel purchases made with Shell Card. Other services or purchases cannot be offset through this programme.
Can Shell Card customers benefit from Shell GO+ Rewards and offset via Shell Card at the same time? (i.e. is there a risk of double counting?)
Can Shell Card customers benefit from Shell GO+ Rewards and offset via Shell Card at the same time? (i.e. is there a risk of double counting?)
No, Shell Card customers cannot combine this service with Shell GO+ Rewards offers. This ensures transparency and avoids double counting. Shell Card customers benefit from a dedicated compensation service with clear visibility of charges on invoices and receive an annual verified certificate.
Disclaimer
Disclaimer
Cautionary Note
The companies in which Shell plc directly and indirectly owns investments are separate legal entities. In this content “Shell”, “Shell Group” and “Group” are sometimes used for convenience to reference Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words “we”, “us” and “our” are also used to refer to Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These terms are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular entity or entities. ‘‘Subsidiaries’’, “Shell subsidiaries” and “Shell companies” as used in this content refer to entities over which Shell plc either directly or indirectly has control. The terms “joint venture”, “joint operations”, “joint arrangements”, and “associates” may also be used to refer to a commercial arrangement in which Shell has a direct or indirect ownership interest with one or more parties. The term “Shell interest” is used for convenience to indicate the direct and/or indirect ownership interest held by Shell in an entity or unincorporated joint arrangement, after exclusion of all third-party interest.
Forward-Looking statements
This content contains forward-looking statements (within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) concerning the financial condition, results of operations and businesses of Shell. All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements of future expectations that are based on management’s current expectations and assumptions, including (without limitation) those concerning Shell’s strategy and operating plans, macroeconomic conditions, future energy demand, supply and product mix, commodity prices, demand for Shell’s products, production results and reserve estimates, development, execution and management of projects, energy transition and climate change, management of safety and environmental risks, costs, cash capital expenditures, technology advancements, legislative, judicial, fiscal and regulatory developments, regional conflicts and trading conditions, and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements concerning the potential exposure of Shell to market risks and statements expressing management’s expectations, beliefs, estimates, forecasts, projections and assumptions. These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as “aim”; “ambition”; ‘‘anticipate’’; “aspire”, “aspiration”, ‘‘believe’’; “commit”; “commitment”; ‘‘could’’; “desire”; ‘‘estimate’’; ‘‘expect’’; ‘‘goals’’; ‘‘intend’’; ‘‘may’’; “milestones”; ‘‘objectives’’; ‘‘outlook’’; ‘‘plan’’; ‘‘probably’’; ‘‘project’’; ‘‘risks’’; “schedule”; ‘‘seek’’; ‘‘should’’; ‘‘target’’; “vision”; ‘‘will’’; “would” and similar terms and phrases. There are a number of factors that could affect the future operations of Shell and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements included in this content, including (without limitation): (a) price fluctuations in crude oil and natural gas; (b) changes in demand for Shell’s products; (c) currency fluctuations; (d) drilling and production results; (e) reserves estimates; (f) loss of market share and industry competition; (g) environmental and physical risks, including climate change; (h) risks associated with the identification of suitable potential acquisition properties and targets, and successful negotiation and completion of such transactions; (i) the risk of doing business in developing countries and countries subject to international sanctions; (j) legislative, judicial, fiscal and regulatory developments including tariffs and regulatory measures addressing climate change; (k) economic and financial market conditions in various countries and regions; (l) political risks, including the risks of expropriation and renegotiation of the terms of contracts with governmental entities, delays or advancements in the approval of projects and delays in the reimbursement for shared costs; (m) risks associated with the impact of pandemics, regional conflicts, such as the Russia-Ukraine war and the conflict in the Middle East, and a significant cyber security, data privacy or IT incident; (n) the pace of the energy transition; and (o) changes in trading conditions. No assurance is provided that future dividend payments will match or exceed previous dividend payments. All forward-looking statements contained in this content are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional risk factors that may affect future results are contained in Shell plc’s Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2025 (available at www.shell.com/investors/news-and-filings/sec-filings.html and www.sec.gov). These risk factors also expressly qualify all forward-looking statements contained in this content and should be considered by the reader. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this content. Neither Shell plc nor any of its subsidiaries undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or other information. In light of these risks, results could differ materially from those stated, implied or inferred from the forward-looking statements contained in this content.
Shell’s net carbon intensity and net-zero emissions target
In this content we may refer to Shell’s “net carbon intensity” (NCI), which includes Shell’s carbon emissions from the production of our energy products, our suppliers’ carbon emissions in supplying energy for that production and our customers’ carbon emissions associated with their use of the energy products we sell. Shell’s NCI also includes the emissions associated with the production and use of energy products produced by others which Shell purchases for resale. Shell only controls its own emissions. The use of the terms Shell’s “net carbon intensity” or NCI is for convenience only and not intended to suggest these emissions are those of Shell plc or its subsidiaries.
Shell’s operating plan and outlook are forecasted for a three-year period and ten-year period, respectively, and are updated every year. They reflect the current economic environment and what we can reasonably expect to see over the next three and ten years. Accordingly, the outlook reflects our combined Scope 1 and 2 target, NCI target and our oil products ambition over the next ten years. However, Shell’s operating plan and outlook cannot reflect our 2050 net-zero emissions target, as this target is outside our planning period. Such future operating plans and outlooks could include changes to our portfolio, efficiency improvements and the use of carbon capture and storage and carbon credits. In the future, as society moves towards net-zero emissions, we expect Shell’s operating plans and outlooks to reflect this movement. However, if society is not net zero in 2050, as of today, there would be significant risk that Shell may not meet this target.
The information provided above regarding Shell’s NCI and net zero emissions target are not intended, nor should they be construed as introducing, suggesting or making any claim, target or representation thereof other than what is included in the content.
Forward-Looking non-GAAP measures
This content may contain certain forward-looking non-GAAP measures such as free cash flow and underlying operating expenses. We are unable to provide a reconciliation of these forward-looking non-GAAP measures to the most comparable GAAP financial measures because certain information needed to reconcile those non-GAAP measures to the most comparable GAAP financial measures is dependent on future events some of which are outside the control of Shell, such as oil and gas prices, interest rates and exchange rates. Moreover, estimating such GAAP measures with the required precision necessary to provide a meaningful reconciliation is extremely difficult and could not be accomplished without unreasonable effort. Non-GAAP measures in respect of future periods which cannot be reconciled to the most comparable GAAP financial measure are calculated in a manner which is consistent with the accounting policies applied in Shell plc’s consolidated financial statements. These forward-looking non-GAAP measures are provided to assist readers in understanding management’s use and expectations of such measures and may not be appropriate for other purposes.
The contents of websites referred to in this content do not form part of this content.
We may have used certain terms, such as resources, in this content that the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) strictly prohibits us from including in our filings with the SEC. Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our Form 20-F, File No 1-32575, available on the SEC website www.sec.gov.
