Shell sustainability score: 19/100
Shell plc is a London-headquartered integrated oil and gas producer, operating upstream exploration and production, downstream refining and retail, and liquefied natural gas. With FY2025 revenue of $266.9 billion and 85,000 employees.
Founded 2002Head office London, United KingdomStaff ~85,000 (FY2025)Revenue US$266,886M revenue (FY2025)Website ↗
Shell's sustainability record is dominated by its refusal to set absolute Scope 3 targets, weakened climate goals, and a planned LNG expansion that directly contradicts net-zero rhetoric. Operational emissions fell mainly due to asset sales, not decarbonisation. Multiple regulatory and advertising violations underscore weak accountability.
Shell scores 19/100 (Significant gaps) on SINK's independent climate assessment, scored from public data only. Scores are free. Companies can never pay for anything about their own score. Last verified November 2026.
That places Shell joint 907th of 934 companies scored, and joint 7th of 18 in Oil & Gas.
What is Shell doing well, and where does it fall short?
Strongest on Carbon Footprint: Operations and Transparency & Accountability (7/10, 7/10). Weakest on Energy Source and Targets & Commitments (1/10, 2/10).
Where Shell lost points
For each question that lost points, the evidence our public rubric looks for that we didn't find.
- Emissions from its own operations7/10Its own emissions aren't independently verified or tracked over several years.
- Emissions from its supply chain5/10Most of its supply-chain (Scope 3) emissions aren't measured.
- Whether its emissions are falling3/10No evidence its emissions are falling, not even from energy bills or mileage.
- How clean its energy is1/10No renewable energy tariff or major efficiency investment shown.
- Its effect on nature3/10No assessment of its effect on nature, and no basic environmental policy.
- How it uses materials and handles waste3/10No active waste reduction, reuse or repair shown.
- Its effect on water4/10No measured water footprint with reduction targets.
- Its climate targets2/10No specific targets with dates.
- How openly it reports7/10No annual impact report, or no pay linked to climate targets.
- Its record on controversies2/10Points deducted for controversies or its business model. The finding is under question 10.
A score changes when the evidence does. We use new published evidence at the next rescore. Anyone can send us new evidence, free. How to send it.
How is Shell's SINK score calculated?
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × ScaleHas Shell's score changed?
Shell's score has moved from 17 to 19 across 2 recorded reviews, up 2 points.
- 17 → 19+23 November 2026
Agent-mode re-score on Shell's 2025 20-F figures (1.142 Gt total, market based).
- Scored 178 February 2026
Initial score at platform launch
What evidence is Shell's score based on?
14 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
0% of them were published by Shell itself; the rest come from independent sources.
14 of 14 sources are independent of the company.
“Scope 1 emissions (gross) [A] 46 50 50 72 Scope 2 emissions (gross) [B] 7 8 7 11”
“decreased by 15pc year on year to 58mn t of CO2 equivalent (CO2e) in 2022”
“pay a $4,935,023 million civil penalty, and spend $5 million to fund Environmental Mitigation Community Projects”
“Under the agreement, Shell will pay a civil penalty of $4,935,023”
“The UK’s advertising watchdog has banned a video advert and billboard campaign from Shell on greenwashing grounds.”
“it also excludes material evidence of indirect climate policy engagement identified by InfluenceMap's database for more than 3 industry associations”
“the High Court has ruled it can be held liable for the oil spills and leaks it has failed to clean up”
“Shell has abandoned its goal of turning one million tonnes of plastic scrap into pyrolysis oil by 2025.”
“chosen to retire [its] 2035 target of a 45% reduction in net carbon intensity”
“Shell weakened its 2030 carbon reduction target and scrapped a 2035 objective”
“Shell has not explained how its climate commitments are achievable given its LNG growth strategy.”
“it announced this month it will no longer accept commitments from fossil fuel producers”
“La decisione è arrivata dopo l’abbandono del gruppo di lavoro da parte di tre colossi del settore: Shell”
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How does Shell compare with other oil & gas companies?
Where Shell sits among oil & gas peers.
Among the 18 major oil & gas brands we've scored, Shell is tied =7th of 18, with 1 other.
Who scores higher in Oil & Gas?
The 3 companies in the sector scoring nearest above Shell.
Trafigura reports rising operational emissions, flat trajectory since FY2023, and Scope 3 climbs annually.
See the breakdown →Woodside is an oil and gas producer with rising total emissions despite modest Scope 1 and 2 reductions.
See the breakdown →BP is intensifying fossil fuel expansion while abandoning renewable energy targets and weakening absolute emissions commitments.
See the breakdown →Which companies moved this week, and why.
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