SINGAPORE – Multinational energy giant Shell is targeting to expand its nature-based solutions (NBS) proposition both to corporate-clients and individual customers that have been batting for carbon offset in their fuel usage.

In an interview here, Shell Pilipinas Corporation Vice President for Mobility Randolph T. Del Valle noted that the company has already started its tree planting and reforestation activity in Biliran, which is its partnership with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and that will underpin its NBS offer to B2B (business-to-business) and B2C (business-to-consumer) patrons who either have net zero goals or have been aiming for genuine contribution to easing climate catastrophes.

The choice of Biliran as initial site for their company’s reforestation program has been strategic, he said, “because that is one of the provinces recurrently visited by strong typhoons, so that is symbolic in our quest for solutions to climate change risks.”

Following that initiative in Biliran, he indicated that Shell is already scouting for additional sites on the planned expansion of NBS programs that would then enable the company to issue more carbon credit certificates.

He explained that the carbon offset of Shell is done via global trading, so these are offered even to offshore corporations – and most takers are companies from the United States and Europe that have been purchasing carbon credits for environmental, social and governance (ESG) compliance or to fulfill their net zero goals.

“Typically, they will buy carbon offset, so for the issued certificates, they can use that for tax reduction and will also support them in their net zero targets,” he pointed out.

Del Valle conveyed “for our nature-based solutions, we have two types of offers – B2B and B2C. For business clients, we have been doing that under Shell Fleet Solutions. For example, if a company buys 100 liters of diesel for its fleets, there’s computation of the carbon emissions for that. And whatever that computation is, the company can buy certificates to offset its carbon emissions for that fuel usage – and that’s where Shell can help.”

And for B2C or individual customers, they can also buy carbon offset certificates from Shell when they will fill up their vehicles at the company’s mobility stations.

“They don’t have tax reduction, but it is something that they will do for the environment and to help solve the global dilemma of climate change, and there’s growing number of customers who are really environmentally conscious, especially the Gen-Zs,” he stressed.

Del Valle qualified that prior to the Biliran tree planting, Shell’s issuance of carbon credit certificates is being done by leveraging on its international network of nature-based solutions, including tree planting and reforestation ventures in Indonesia and China.

“At Shell, we have partners around the world to do reforestation. We’ve just started last year our tree planting in Biliran. But globally, we’ve been doing it for a long time already – like in Indonesia and China, we’ve been doing it for the last 10 years,” he stated.

For the Biliran tree planting, he highlighted that Shell’s approach had been science-based and that was concretized via partnership with Australian university that has expertise in forestry.

“How we do the tree planting is really science-based – like the distance of the trees planted are concretely measured, what is the terrain needed and what is the overall ecosystem of the environment; then it’s also location-based, so those are all analyzed when we choose a site for our tree planting,” he specified.

Istvan Kapitany, global executive vice president for Shell Mobility similarly noted that “nature-based solutions would be another opportunity for our customers who are ready to offset their carbon footprints. What we do around the world, we also offer to our customers in our different markets, including the Philippines.”

He expounded “we want our customers to contribute to be able to actually participate in these nature-based solutions and that’s part of a bigger puzzle to contribute to the global emissions reduction, and it is a nice initiative as part of the total program that we have.”