Sustainable Markets Initiative

What Sustainable Markets Initiative does

The Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI) is a private, UK-registered CEO network (Sustainable Markets Initiative Limited, Company Number 14752095, headquartered in Manchester) founded by King Charles III at Davos in 2020 to mobilize private-sector action on sustainability. It operates through the Terra Carta (launched January 2021) and Astra Carta (launched June 2023) as guiding mandates, and convenes over 300 CEOs from a "Coalition of the Willing" — finance members alone manage more than $60 trillion in assets — across 12+ sector task forces (Fashion, Health Systems, Financial Services, Fusion Energy, Agribusiness, Buildings, Insurance, Hospitality, Legal, etc.) and regional councils in China, Africa, the Caribbean, and beyond. Its product surface comprises frameworks and mandates (Terra Carta, Astra Carta, Terra Carta Seal recognition programme), media and education assets (RE:TV on Amazon Prime Video, Terra Carta Design Lab with the Royal College of Art), technology initiatives (Fashion Task Force Digital ID for product-level sustainability credentials, Nature Risk Tool using AI for infrastructure nature-risk assessment), and sector programs (Ocean Stewardship Initiative, Sustainable Aviation Fuel Pathfinder, Natural Capital Investment Alliance, Global Risk and Resilience Fellowship with Howden and Resilient Cities Network). SMI's operating model is structurally distinctive: it does not charge disclosed membership dues and explicitly does not provide funding or grants; instead, its Secretariat is staffed entirely through 12-18 month corporate secondments funded by member companies, making the organization a convening and framework-setter rather than a revenue-generating entity.

Name

Sustainable Markets Initiative

Legal name

Sustainable Markets Initiative Limited

Website

https://sustainable-markets.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Sustainable Markets Initiative is a UK-registered global CEO network founded by King Charles III in 2020 that convenes over 300 CEOs and their companies across sector task forces and regional councils to drive private-sector sustainable transition via its Terra Carta and Astra Carta mandates.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainability Convening and CEO Network Services

NAICS

Management of Companies and Enterprises (55111)

SIC

International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Climate Finance, Carbon Markets & MRV Systems (BPADALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Circular Economy & Sustainable Products (Reuse, Repair, Upcycling) (BPAGALAF), Fair Trade & Ethical Supply Chains (Certification, Traceability, Producer Support) (BPAGALAL), Sustainable & Responsible Supply Chain (ESG, Scope 3) (BPAHAHAM), Circular Economy & Resource Efficiency (BPADALAM), Carbon Markets & Climate Finance (Offsets, Allowances, Carbon Funds) (FSAAALAH)

Keywords

• Sustainable transition network
• CEO private sector diplomacy
• Climate action convening
• Sustainability task forces
• Green investment mobilization

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership and Secondment Programme: SMI operates through a unique model where member companies provide secondees (typically 12-18 month full-time secondments) who form the Secretariat. Member companies fund their own secondees.
2. Event and Summit Hosting: The organization generates engagement through annual CEO Summits (Hampton Court Palace), regional forums (China Forum, Africa Council), and working group meetings that bring together global CEOs and leaders.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

The Sustainable Markets Initiative is a global private sector CEO network founded by King Charles III that convenes business leaders and world leaders to drive sustainable transition. It operates through sector-specific Task Forces and regional Councils, delivering frameworks such as the Terra Carta and Astra Carta mandates, recognition programmes such as the Terra Carta Seal, and high-profile convening events such as the annual CEO Summit at Hampton Court Palace.

Product overview

The Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI) is a global CEO network founded by King Charles III in 2020, focused on mobilizing private sector action for sustainable transition. The SMI operates through a platform of mandates and initiatives, including the Terra Carta (launched 2021) and Astra Carta (launched 2023) as its core guiding mandates. The organization facilitates multiple sector-specific task forces and working groups spanning Fashion, Financial Services, Health Systems, Energy, Fusion, Circularity, and other industries. Notable products include the Terra Carta Design Lab (student innovation competition), Terra Carta Seal (corporate recognition program), Digital ID technology for fashion traceability, the RE:TV media platform on Amazon Prime Video, and the Nature Risk Tool AI system. The SMI also houses the Ocean Stewardship Initiative and SAF Pathfinder Initiative as key environmental programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Terra Carta: A mandate launched in January 2021 that puts sustainability at the heart of the private sector, providing practical private sector trajectories for Nature, People and Planet
• Astra Carta
• Terra Carta Seal
• Terra Carta Design Lab
• Ocean Stewardship Initiative (OSI)
• Sustainable Aviation Fuel Pathfinder Initiative
• Fashion Task Force
• Health Systems Task Force
• Financial Services Task Force
• Natural Capital Investment Alliance

Products and services

• Terra Carta
• Astra Carta
• Terra Carta Seal
• Terra Carta Design Lab
• RE:TV
• Digital ID for Fashion
• Nature Risk Tool
• Ocean Stewardship Initiative (OSI)
• Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Pathfinder Initiative
• SMI Task Forces and Working Groups

Quantifiable outcome

• Finance members manage over $60 trillion in assets, representing significant capital mobilization potential
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments11 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

44 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• Antigua and BarbudacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 May 2026SMI forged a landmark partnership with Antigua and Barbuda ahead of CHOGM 2026. Government officials met SMI's CEO in London to explore partnerships across climate resilience, tourism investment, and green infrastructure development. Discussions identified collaboration areas including sargassum management, disaster-risk insurance, Barbuda's green transition, renewable energy, port modernization, electric mobility, and coral reef restoration.
• Type One Energy, Tokamak Energy, AECOM (UK Infinity Fusion Consortium)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 May 2026UK Infinity Fusion Consortium formed to accelerate development of first private-sector-led commercial fusion power plant in the UK.
• UK Space AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 May 2026King Charles III launched the UK Space Agency's Project Nova, a £40m initiative to install a network of telescopes across five sites on Cooper's Island in Bermuda. The project has involvement from the King's Sustainable Markets Initiative, marking the first UK Space Agency observatory in the Atlantic region.
• China Council - Oceans & Fisheries Working GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 March 2026China Council launched Oceans & Fisheries Working Group in Shenzhen to collaborate on accelerating the green transformation of the industry in China, with global impact.
• European Space AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 March 2026The European Space Agency's ELSA-M space debris removal mission received the Astra Carta Seal at the SMI annual CEO Summit. This partnership advances sustainable space practices under the Astra Carta framework.
• Historic Royal PalacesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 March 2026Mixergy smart hot water pilot at Historic Royal Palaces targeting 40% energy reduction. An initiative announced at the SMI annual CEO Summit.
• Envision EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 March 2026Envision Energy's turbine prototype connected for Fortescue's Nullagine Wind Project. Renewable energy collaboration announced at SMI annual CEO Summit.
• World Sustainable Hospitality AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 March 2026Renewable energy collaborations between the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, JA Solar and the China Photovoltaic Industry Association, announced at the SMI annual CEO Summit.
• John KerryflagshipOthers · 11 March 2026Former US Secretary of State John Kerry joined the Ocean Stewardship Initiative (OSI) as a Champion to mobilize private sector support for ocean governance, marine protection, and science-based fisheries management. Kerry stated he will use his diplomatic experience to help governments, NGOs, and the private sector collaborate to translate ocean protection commitments into measurable progress.
• Tim PeakecoreOthers · 2 March 2026British astronaut Tim Peake attended SMI Roundtables & Exhibition as Astra Carta Ambassador.
• Dubai AirportsflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 January 2026Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, appointed as CEO Champion of SMI's Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Pathfinder Initiative. SAF currently accounts for less than 1% of global jet fuel supply despite potential to reduce flight emissions by up to 80%.
• Howden, Resilient Cities NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 December 2025SMI published 2025 Global Risk and Resilience Fellowship Summary Report showing how public-private collaboration and insurance expertise help cities unlock finance and strengthen climate resilience.
• AstraZeneca, GSK, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Samsung Biologics, Sanofi, Roche, UCBcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 November 2025CPOs from leading pharma companies signed open letter encouraging suppliers to play their part in accelerating climate and Nature action in the value chain.
• Emirates NBDcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 August 2025Emirates NBD joined SMI's Financial Services Task Force as the First GCC Member, linking with CEOs to mobilize capital at scale and support Nature-positive financial solutions.
• Octopus EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 May 2025Octopus Energy and SMI launched the first Africa Energy Entrepreneurship Award to crown Africa's top clean energy start-ups.
• Royal Academy of EngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 December 2024New partnership between the Royal Academy of Engineering and SMI to drive global engineering-led sustainability solutions.
• McCarthy Tétrault LLPminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 December 2024First Canadian-based law firm to join the Legal Task Force.
• China Council - Four New Working GroupscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 November 2024China Council launched four new working groups at 2024 CEO Dialogue as part of the 2nd China International Supply Chain Expo.
• Bregal InvestmentscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 May 2024Bregal Investments joined the Natural Capital Investment Alliance Industry Hub as a new member.
• AstraZeneca, Lonza, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, RochecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 January 2024Five global healthcare leaders signed agreement with Envision Energy to unlock access to renewable power in China, resulting in potential annual CO2 equivalent savings of around 120,000 tonnes.
• Tikehau CapitalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 December 2023Tikehau Capital joined the Natural Capital Investment Alliance, growing the Task Force to 17 members.
• China Council - Health Working GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 November 2023China Council launched Health Working Group at sixth China International Import Expo with 16 companies across healthcare, energy, and supply chain sectors to accelerate transition to Net Zero healthcare in China.
• Africa Council Founding PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2023Africa Council launched at United Nations Event in Kenya to drive global industry partnerships and investment in support of Nationally Determined Contributions across the continent.
• VerdantixcoreOthers · 28 October 2023SMI partnered with Verdantix, an independent research firm, on the Terra Carta Seal Awards to evaluate nominations and assess alignment with Terra Carta articles.
• Lloyd'scoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 September 2023Lloyd's announced partnership with UN Capital Development Fund and SMI Insurance Task Force to scale insurance access for climate-vulnerable countries.
• Blended Finance Task Force MemberscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 June 2023Blended Finance Task Force focused on mobilizing additional private capital, scaling investment and reducing risk.
• Howden and Resilient Cities NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 May 2023Joint global partnership launched to address urban climate change vulnerabilities and explore how insurance can be incorporated into climate resilience solutions to support city resiliency. Extended in 2024 and 2025 as Global Risk and Resilience Fellowship.
• Puig CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 April 2023Puig Company joined the Fashion Task Force as part of efforts to accelerate sustainable fashion transition.
• Type One Energy, Tokamak EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 January 2023SMI members forming Fusion Task Force to address alternate energy transition solutions and barriers to market adoption of fusion energy by 2030.
• Prada GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 April 2022Prada Group joined the Fashion Task Force to work with other luxury brands on fashion industry sustainability.
• World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 November 2021WBCSD and SMI gathered 28 ambitious companies to drive growth in hydrogen demand and supply. Pledges equate to nearly one quarter of hydrogen decarbonization potential by 2030.
• Aker BioMarine, Aker QRILL CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 November 2021Ocean Stewardship Initiative developed in partnership with Aker BioMarine and Aker QRILL Company, with initial focus on supporting a proposed Marine Protected Area covering 70% of the Antarctic Peninsula.
• Marine Stewardship CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 November 2021Ocean Stewardship Initiative partnership with Marine Stewardship Council for science-based fisheries management.
• Terra Carta Seal Winners (45 companies)flagshipOthers · 2 November 2021Terra Carta Seal launched to recognize global companies driving innovation and demonstrating commitment to sustainable markets. First recipients include Bank of America, AstraZeneca, Xerox, HSBC, IBM, L'Oréal, Siemens Energy and Unilever.
• Amazon Prime VideocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 25 September 2021RE:TV, Prince Charles' sustainability channel, launched on Amazon Prime Video to showcase solutions to accelerate a more sustainable future.
• WaterbearminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 25 September 2021RE:TV partnered with Waterbear, the first interactive streaming platform dedicated to the future of our planet.
• Royal College of ArtcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 July 2021Terra Carta Design Lab collaboration with Royal College of Art. HRH The Prince of Wales and Sir Jony Ive launched the design lab inviting students to develop sustainable solutions to the climate crisis.
• AmazoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 July 2021Amazon supports Terra Carta Design Lab as a founding partner and co-founder of The Climate Pledge (commitment to reach Paris Agreement 10 years early).
• Islamic Development BankcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 July 2021Islamic Development Bank supports Terra Carta Design Lab and recognizes the role of science and innovation in advancing economic progress and sustainable transition.
• FAST-InfracoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 July 2021Strategic partnership with FAST-Infra (Finance to Accelerate the Sustainable Transition) to develop a Sustainable Infrastructure Label to help close the trillion-dollar sustainable infrastructure gap.
• Bank of AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 June 2021Bank of America Chairman and CEO Brian Moynihan served as Co-Chair of SMI. Finance and investment members manage over $60 trillion in assets.
• EYcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 June 2021EY CEO Carmine Di Sibio participated in G7 CEO meeting and supported SMI efforts to break down barriers to private investment.
• NatWestcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 June 2021NatWest CEO Alison Rose participated in G7 CEO meeting representing commitment to net zero and climate change action.
• BNP ParibascoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 June 2021BNP Paribas CEO Jean-Laurent Bonnafe participated in G7 CEO meeting supporting Terra Carta and TNFD work.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD): WBCSD is a CEO-led coalition of 200+ businesses accelerating sustainable transition — operating in the same 'CEO network for sustainability' category as SMI. SMI and WBCSD have explicitly partnered on hydrogen (28-company pledge equating to ~25% of 2030 decarbonization potential), and both convene working groups on transition finance and sector decarbonization.
• Climate Group: Climate Group is an international NGO working with business and governments to accelerate climate action, including the RE100 corporate renewable energy coalition. SMI's sector-specific task forces (Energy, Buildings, Fashion) overlap directly with Climate Group's state-and-regional programs.
• We Mean Business Coalition: We Mean Business Coalition convenes businesses to take action on climate and is built on CEO pledges and commitments — directly analogous to SMI's pledge-driven mandate structure. Both organizations compete for the same corporate sustainability leadership mindshare.
• The B Team: The B Team is a not-for-profit coalition of global business and civil society leaders advocating for better business practices; it was co-founded by Sir Richard Branson and is closely associated with Prince Charles (now King Charles III). It is the most direct comparable in mission and founder profile to SMI.

Others

• Royal Academy of Engineering: Royal Academy of Engineering is a UK organization working on engineering-led sustainability solutions and an explicit SMI partner. It is an enabling institution that complements SMI's mission rather than competes with it, providing technical and engineering capacity behind SMI's programs.
• C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group: C40 is a network of 96 of the world's leading cities taking action on climate — explicitly endorsing SMI's Terra Carta. It is a thematically-aligned public-sector peer rather than a direct competitor, but SMI partners with C40 and serves overlapping climate-convening functions at the city-government level.

Broad incumbents

• UN Global Compact: The UN Global Compact is the world's largest corporate sustainability initiative with 20,000+ participants across 160+ countries. It is a broader, UN-backed parallel to SMI's private-sector sustainability mandate with overlapping themes (climate, supply chain, governance).
• World Economic Forum (WEF): WEF is the largest private-sector convening organization, hosting the annual Davos meeting that brings together global CEOs and heads of state. SMI borrows WEF's playbook (CEO summits, working groups, mandates) but is more narrowly focused on sustainable transition rather than all geopolitical and economic issues.

Emerging players

• Business for Social Responsibility (BSR): BSR is a sustainable business network and consultancy working with 300+ member companies on ESG and supply chain sustainability. SMI's task force approach (especially Fashion and Health Systems) parallels BSR's industry collaboration model but at a higher-profile CEO level.
• Climate Leadership Coalition: A Nordic business-led climate coalition of 50+ major companies pushing for policy alignment with the Paris Agreement. It represents a smaller, regional CEO-coalition model that competes for the same corporate voice on climate transition.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheSmi
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thesmi
• Instagraminstagram.com/sustainablemarketsinitiative

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sustainable Markets Initiative