Shell has launched Onward, a new startup touted as advancing the energy transition and connecting thousands of innovators globally. However, the venture, until recently known as Studio X, seems largely focused on improving oil and gas outcomes, fuelling accusations of greenwashing from critics.
Its website, up until recently known as Studio X and owned by Shell, describes itself as a hub for “energy innovation, collaboration, and entrepreneurialism“. The site’s Project sections are essentially short-term job boards listing numerous job openings in the fossil fuel industry. When probed about Onward’s stance on supporting the fossil fuel industry, a representative from Shell responded by asserting that the global energy system still largely relies on oil and gas and that the company is proud to supply them while also making gains in low-carbon energy systems.
Onward is Shell’s latest attempt to invest in climate tech. The company has at least three other projects targeted at energy startups and boasted of its 89% increase in funding for low-carbon energy solutions last year. These developments unfold while Shell faces accusations of backpedaling on previous climate commitments and focusing on maintaining steady oil production despite warnings from global climate authorities.
Critics contend the venture represents a larger strategy of greenwashing to deflect pressure away from the oil and gas sector. Despite numerous requests for an official statement, Onward remained silent on the question of whether promoting jobs in continued oil and gas production clashed with its claims of embracing a net-zero future.
Advocates for oil and gas enterprises are using the cover of collaboration to sidestep responsibility for the climate crisis, says Melissa Aronczyk, a professor of journalism and media at Rutgers University. According to Aronczyk, the idea of collaboration extends the veneer of legitimacy to companies that have different perceptions of solving the climate crisis, effectively making them a ‘Trojan horse.’
