Shell signs global audio solutions provider Knowles for voluntary carbon offset offer

PHOTO: (Top Row, L-R) Jacqueline Famorca, Country Business Manager – Shell Fleet Solutions; Joseph Emmanuel Liwag, VP – Managing Director, Knowles Electronics Philippines Corporation
(Bottom Row, L-R) George Doromal, Senior Supply Chain Manager, Knowles Electronics Philippines Corporation; Randy del Valle, Vice President and General Manager for Shell Mobility

First local partner and first carbon neutral fleet in PH

Pilipinas Shell signed global audio solutions market leader Knowles Electronics Philippines Corporation as its first official customer for the launch of its voluntary carbon offset program for their fleet last January 21.

Shell Fleet Solutions’ partnership with Knowles has helped the latter offset 4.63 tons of carbon dioxide from vehicle emissions, or the equivalent of driving back and forth between the north and south of the Philippines 791 times, making the entirety of the Knowles’ fleet carbon neutral. 

“At Shell, we are working towards making business more environmentally sustainable both for ourselves and our partners,” said Vice President and General Manager for Shell Mobility Randy Del Valle. “We’re very excited to partner with a company like Knowles, which shares our vision of carbon neutrality.”

Knowles shares a similar environmental ambition with Shell, seeking to become a climate-neutral business by 2030. Since it started its local operations in Cebu back in 2012, the global audio solutions provider has advocated strongly for more sustainable practices.

“When we heard of this opportunity to partner with Shell towards a common objective, we were glad that more and more businesses and individuals are recognizing the urgent and critical need to focus on sustainability,” said Knowles Vice President and Managing Director Joseph Emmanuel Liwag. 

The company has achieved several carbon neutrality milestones over the past few years. In 2013, Knowles adopted a 5-hectare reforestation program and shifted to 100% renewable energy for its local operations by 2016. 

“Shell aims to be a one-stop-shop for the customers’ mobility needs, the voluntary carbon offset offer adds to a portfolio of products and services that Shell has developed for customers to avoid, reduce and offset emissions from their fleet,” said Del Valle.

Customers using Shell Fleet Card for their business may sign up for the voluntary carbon offset program. Shell tracks every liter of fuel consumed by the customers with their fleet card, allowing the company to offset resulting carbon emissions through Shell’s many nature-based projects around the world.

Their global portfolio includes afforestation and reforestation projects that revitalize over 10 million hectares of forest cover in Canada, China, Indonesia, and Australia. These projects help recapture CO2 emissions lingering in the air, which plants and vegetation use as fuel for growth.

Moreover, Shell’s carbon capture projects create carbon credits that are independently verified by Verra, who operate the world’s leading voluntary greenhouse gas reduction program, and each credit represents the removal of one ton of CO2 from the atmosphere. 

Shell Fleet Solution’s voluntary carbon offset offer in the Philippines is part of a larger thrust to promote the concept worldwide. To date, the program has introduced carbon-neutral driving in five different countries, offset over one billion liters of fuels for drivers, and partnered with over 200 fleets. 

Shell Fleet Solutions, through Shell Fleet Card, is a fuel payment solution for businesses ensuring convenience, control, security and savings for their fleet. 

Customers can apply for a Shell Fleet Card account and for the voluntary carbon offset program without a minimal volume requirement. Shell Fleet Card not only offers access to one of the largest high-quality fuel networks across the country, but it also helps businesses make their fleet management more cost-efficient and convenient. Shell Fleet Card has a wide range of offers such as an online tool to manage and monitor their fleet cards to roadside assistance. 

“To achieve our vision of sustainability in Shell, there is not one single solution,” said Del Valle. “That’s why the mission is to really work with society, our partners like Knowles, and also the community to help us truly reach the ambition.”

Transformations have been occurring across the company, such as the integration of solar-powered generators in its mobility stations that reduce the impact of their energy consumption. Just last January, a Shell mobility service station rose in Plaridel, Bulacan that integrates these solutions and uses eco-bricks made from upcycled plastics in its building design. 

By partnering with Shell Fleet Solutions through Shell Fleet Card, companies continue to show climate leadership, meet global emission commitments, appeal to environmentally conscious customers, and create long-term sustainability value.

Companies who are interested in participating in the voluntary carbon offsetting offer may contact Shell Fleet Solution’s customer service at cardnewbusiness-ph@shell.com.