Royal Dutch Shell's first birthday1 May 2006
The Anglo-Dutch oil giant, Royal Dutch Shell, held its first Annual General Meeting (AGM) as a newly-merged company on Tuesday 16 May 2006.
Shell's public face in the UK
As a company spawned out of two aging oil giants, Royal Dutch Shell holds the same primitive attitude to the planet's resources as its predecessors did.
Banking profits of £12.93 billion on the back of fossil fuels, the company still claims that it puts sustainability at the heart of its business.
It's clear that the company is more interested in green spin than in looking after the environment.
Visiting neighbours
Neighbours of Shell's global operations joined Friends of the Earth campaigners to attend the company's AGM. The meeting took place in the Netherlands, but was linked via satellite* to a venue in London.
The fenceline community representatives questioned the company's continuing failure to address its environmental and social impacts.
In Sakhalin, experts have criticised Shell's Sakhalin II project because of the threat posed to the last remaining population of western Pacific grey whales.
In Nigeria, a court has ruled that Shell's persistent practice of flaring gas breached local people's human rights, as well as being illegal under Nigerian law.
Shell's states in it's Business Principles that it:
compl[ies] with all applicable laws and regulations of the countries in which we operate.
Then how have they managed to continue gas flaring for so long?
Gas flare in Nigeria
Time for change
We are judged by how we act
How should we judge Shell? As a responsible 21st century energy company aiming to be a leader in corporate social responsibility?
Or as a market leader that cannot afford to let environmental and social considerations get in the way of its bottom line?
Shell's record is so poor that the company cannot be trusted to comply with voluntary standards.
Friends of the Earth sent video evidence to MPs highlighting Shell's environmental and social performance.
The footage also asked MPs to support amendments to the Company Law Reform Bill to make UK companies fit for the 21st Century.
Watch the footage sent to MPs
This footage was sent to MPs before the Shell AGM in 2006.
Press for change
Right corporate wrongs
Ask your MP to support amendments to the Company Law Reform Bill to make business work for people and planet.
*Shell's 2006 Annual General Meeting took place on Tuesday, May 16, 2006 in The Hague, The Netherlands, with an audio-visual link to a satellite meeting place at the Novotel London-West Hotel and Convention Centre, 1 Shortlands, Hammersmith, London, W6 8DR, in the UK. The meeting started at 11.00am (Dutch time), 10.00am (UK time). The Directors were located in The Hague, but shareholders located in London were able to participate fully in the meeting via an audio-visual satellite link.
Images © Hannah Griffiths/Friends of the Earth
Peter Roderick/Friends of the Earth
Video © Friends of the Earth
