Shell The Netherlands
CO2 reduced
Challenge
From promise to proof
Sustainers helps organisations turn small, practical actions into measurable CO2 and business impact. Step by step, change becomes part of how work is done.
Get in touchParticipating in the Sustainers challenge, gives us the chance to learn about our own consumption behaviours to change habits to make a tangible difference today and into the future. The IPCC have published a new report that shows that Having the right policies, infrastructure and technology in place to enable changes to our lifestyles and behaviour can result in a 40-70% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. This offers significant untapped potential. The evidence also shows that these lifestyle changes can improve our health and wellbeing. What’s good for the planet is good for us. Let’s be a part of the change we want to see.
From strategy to habit. Shell proves that the energy transition starts from within.
Shell works on the energy transition every day. But how credible is that transition when the people working on it internally barely feel it in their own daily lives?
That was the heart of the question. Shell Netherlands wanted to not only carry the energy transition as a business strategy, but also make it tangible for every employee — regardless of how close they already were to it. Not as an abstract story about the future. But as something you can do and feel today. As a new way of living that begins on an ordinary Tuesday morning.
To inspire people, Babette Porcelijn was invited — one of the Netherlands' most concrete thinkers on personal impact. To get people into action, Sustainers was asked to step in.
During the kick-off, Karen Westley, VP Sustainability, and Shell NL President-Director Frans Everts joined employees in conversation about the opportunities and challenges of the energy transition. But as they themselves put it: change starts with ourselves.
The programme
In the spring of 2025, Sustainers launched at Shell Netherlands. It ran for two months around two themes directly connected to everyday work life: the Waste Week and the Digital Waste Cleanup.
The kick-off set the tone. What emerged in the room was not polite applause. It was a can-do mentality. People eager to take on the competition. People who felt that they themselves could make a difference.
Across four offices — The Hague, Rotterdam, Assen and Amsterdam — a remarkably large number of employees took part. The maximum number of available spots was almost fully reached within no time. Without a major campaign, participation grew organically: people pulled others in themselves.
Activation: bottom-up, not top-down
Rather than a classic top-down campaign, a network of Sustainers Team Captains drove local engagement. They organised weekly team syncs to plan collective efforts and actively used the leaderboard to keep performance visible and competitive.
Communication ran through Viva Engage — no fewer than 80% of participants joined the platform. Of the employees invited by a colleague, 51% accepted the invitation. People brought others along themselves. That is the sign that a movement is truly alive.
What amplified the energy even further: participants spontaneously shared posts on LinkedIn to celebrate their achievements. Without encouragement, without a campaign. Simply because they were proud of what they had done.
"Sustainers is a unique tool that drives real change." — Anja Rackwitz, Shell Netherlands
New habits: the real result
The biggest change was not the CO₂ reduction. That was impressive enough — but what truly moved people was what changed within themselves.
Internal research conducted after the programme revealed that 80% of participants reported having adopted a new habit. That number says more than any CO₂ figure ever could. Because a habit doesn't stop — that's the knock-on effect.
Employees discovered new routines they never let go of. The train instead of the car. The bike on a day when that hadn't really been the plan. A meeting without cameras. Less meat, shorter showers, cold showers. It all adds up. And an inbox that finally got cleared out — not because it had to, but because people saw for the first time what it was costing them.
Through the Digital Waste Cleanup, six terabytes of data, photos and files were deleted. Six terabytes. That number alone created a wow moment for many participants. No one had ever seen their digital footprint that clearly before.
On average, each participant logged 20 habits and checked in on their own behaviour 55 times. In total, a remarkable 15,873 check-ins were registered. Not because it was required. But because people were genuinely engaged — doing something real. Measurable and concrete.
The results
For specific results, please get in touch.
323,000 kg of CO₂ reduced and avoided — the equivalent of more than 16,150 trees. The initial target of 200,000 kg was exceeded with ease. The revised target of 350,000 kg was reached at 92%.
In total, 2,929 challenges were taken on and 6,140 habits were recorded.
Sustainers works. Here's why.
This story is not just about Shell. It's about what happens when you take people seriously.
Sustainers does something most sustainability programmes fail to achieve: it makes the impact of behaviour visible, tangible and personal. Not in policy documents, but in people's everyday lives. It doesn't create awareness — it creates new habits and a movement.
At Shell, you saw that reflected at every level. In the 15,873 check-ins from people consciously engaging with their behaviour every day. In the 80% who reported having adopted a new habit. In the spontaneous LinkedIn posts from employees proud of what they had achieved. In the 6 terabytes of data that disappeared because people finally saw what their digital lives were truly costing.
That is the power of Sustainers: it gives people the feeling that they are the ones making the difference.