Behind the shine The other Shell Report 2003

The report documents systemic environmental and health failures at Shell facilities in South Africa, the USA, the Philippines, Nigeria, Brazil, Curaçao, and Russia. It argues that Shell's commitment to sustainable development is a public relations exercise designed to mask pollution, human rights abuses, and the circumvention of local laws. The authors call for a reform of UK company law to establish a legal 'duty of care' for directors regarding their global social and environmental impacts, moving beyond voluntary CSR frameworks.

• Shell is accused of applying double standards in its environmental protections, maintaining cleaner facilities in predominantly Caucasian areas while operating more hazardous sites in communities of color. For example, the SAPREF refinery in South Durban releases more than six times the amount of sulphur dioxide daily compared to Shell's refinery in Denmark.
• In Port Arthur, Texas, the Motiva Refinery is linked to significant health issues in African-American neighbourhoods, with a community survey showing 80% of residents near the refinery have heart and respiratory problems, compared to 30% in non-refinery areas.
• Shell has allegedly circumvented local law in Manila, Philippines, by refusing to relocate oil depots from the densely populated Pandacan district despite a city ordinance requiring their removal by April 2003.
• In Nigeria, Shell has been accused of failing to end gas flaring despite a commitment to do so by 2008, and of neglecting infrastructure, leading to major oil spills and fires, such as a December 2003 rupture in Rukpokwu.
• The Sakhalin II project in Russia is criticized for flawed environmental impact assessments that understated the presence of Steller’s sea eagles and the seismic risks of 800 km of onshore pipelines crossing 22 active faults.
• Shell is accused of leaving a 'toxic legacy' in Curaçao after selling its refinery to the local government for US$1 in 1985, transferring financial responsibility for environmental and health impacts to the government.
• In Sao Paulo, Brazil, residents of Vila Carioca report contamination of drinking water with hydrocarbons and heavy metals, including lead, mercury, and arsenic, from a joint Shell ExxonMobil facility.
• The report argues that Shell's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and voluntary codes of conduct are used as 'greenwash' to divert attention from environmental harms through 'feel good' projects like scholarships and playgrounds.
• Shell has actively lobbied against the UN Norms on the Responsibilities of Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises with Regard to Human Rights, arguing that human rights standards for businesses should be voluntary rather than mandated by law.
• The report highlights a corporate scandal where Shell overstated its oil and gas reserves by 20% in January 2004, which the authors link to a broader pattern of corporate deception.

APA

Friends of the Earth International (2003). Behind the shine The other Shell Report 2003. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/shell_shine.pdf

Chicago

Friends of the Earth International. Behind the shine The other Shell Report 2003. 2003. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/shell_shine.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Friends of the Earth International |title=Behind the shine The other Shell Report 2003 |date=2003 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/shell_shine.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{friendsoftheearthinternational2003behind, author = {{Friends of the Earth International}}, title = {{Behind the shine The other Shell Report 2003}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2003}, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/shell_shine.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }