- More than 300 global CEOs, international delegations and innovators joined forces at the annual SMI roundtables and exhibitions, in the presence of His Majesty King Charles III.
- The European Space Agency has announced that the Astra Carta seal of the SMI will be placed on the ELSA-M spacecraft – the world’s first commercial end-of-life service aimed at removing old satellites from space
- Secretary of State John Kerry has been named Oceans Champion for the Sustainable Markets Initiative’s Oceans Management Initiative.
- The Chinese delegation was present to strengthen the cross-border collaborations established during the China SMI Summit in 2025 and confirmed second Chinese Council Forum, scheduled for June 2026
LONDON, March 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Global CEOs, innovators, policymakers and investors gathered this week at Hampton Court Palace for the Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI) Roundtables and Exhibition 2026, a leading private sector summit focused on accelerating real-world implementation of the sustainability transition.
The summit brought together hundreds of leaders from across sectors and countries to go beyond ambition and advance meaningful partnerships, investments and collaborative action in areas including clean energy, space, artificial intelligence, capital investments, sustainable materials and advanced manufacturing.
They included more than 50 CEOs of Chinese companies, highlighting the growing commitment and leadership of the SMI China Council. Since its establishment in 2021, the Council has developed a strong and pragmatic sustainable development agenda that reflects China’s development priorities and its growing role in global economic and environmental governance.
The summit also reflected the global reach of the SMI, with the participation of CEOs and high-level delegations from Japan, Australia, the United Arab Emirates, Brazil, as well as across Africa and the United States.
Founded by His Majesty King Charles III in 2020, the Sustainable Markets Initiative has become a unique platform for “private sector diplomacy”, mobilizing global business leaders to place sustainability at the center of value creation and long-term economic growth.
Key Announcements
- The European Space Agency has announced that the ELSA-M (End-of-Life Services by Astroscale – Multiple) mission developed by Astroscale UK, Eutelsat/OneWeb and the UK Space Agency to clear space debris will carry the Astra Carta seal for its first in-orbit demonstration, symbolizing the commitment to responsible space management.
- Secretary John Kerry was named Oceans Champion for the Sustainable Markets Initiative’s Ocean Stewardship Initiative (OSI) to support a clear goal: to get civil societies, governments, and the private sector pulling in the same direction and help turn ocean commitments into practical, measurable progress.
Partnerships, collaborations and cross-sector projects led by SMI
A central goal of the SMI Roundtables and Expo is to catalyze action by enabling new partnerships, supporting collaboration, and helping launch new cross-sector projects to accelerate the deployment of sustainable solutions.
Recent initiatives facilitated and supported by the SMI include:
- An energy technology pilot project in historic royal palaces to reduce hot water energy consumption by up to 40%
Since exhibiting at the SMI Terra Carta 2025 roundtables, energy technology company Mixergy, part of the Barclays Climate Ventures portfolio, has begun working with historic royal palaces to use its smart hot water tanks to reduce hot water energy consumption by up to 40% and reduce peak demand through grid connectivity. Two units are currently being trialled at Hampton Court Palace, with the possibility of extending the partnership across the wider historic royal palace estate. - Turbine technology supporting Fortescue’s Real Zero strategy. Chinese company Envision Energy has successfully connected a prototype EN182-7.8 MW wind turbine to the grid in China for testing. The unit is identical to the turbines that will be deployed at Fortescue’s Nullagine wind project in the Pilbara, marking a key milestone for Fortescue’s first operational wind development and advancing its Real Zero strategy. The Nullagine project will deploy 17 Envision EN182-7.8MW wind turbines, with units currently under construction for installation in the Pilbara. Designed for Australia’s mining and desert environments, the turbines feature Nabrawind’s self-erecting base frame technology and a hub height of 188 meters to maximize energy efficiency. Fortescue’s renewable energy management system will use AI to optimize and allocate energy across its integrated portfolio, including wind, solar and battery energy storage systems.
- New collaboration on renewable energy to accelerate sustainable hospitality in Asia. The World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance highlighted a growing collaboration with renewable energy leaders in China, including JA Solar and the China Photovoltaic Industry Association, to help expand clean energy adoption in the global hospitality sector. Facilitated by the convening power of the Sustainable Markets Initiative, the partnership aims to strengthen cooperation between the hospitality industry and renewable energy providers, supporting the sector’s transition to net positive operations. The Alliance, which represents more than 66,000 hotels across more than 300 brands worldwide, aims to accelerate the transition to a Net Positive hotel industry.
- New AI partnership with Marylebone Cricket Club to accelerate decarbonisation
Supported by the Sustainable Markets Initiative, ExpectAI and Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) have partnered to accelerate progress towards MCC’s Net Zero 2040 ambition by transforming the way it tackles Scope 3 emissions, currently around 90% of its footprint, through verified supplier-level data and AI-driven action. - Barclays and ExpectAI collaboration to strengthen the energy resilience of UK SMEs
Facilitated by SMI, ExpectAI is collaborating live with Barclays to explore how AI-powered sustainability insights can help UK small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) improve their profitability while building their energy resilience and reducing their emissions. - British hydrogen innovator holds open-air exhibition at Hampton Court Palace
UK hydrogen innovator GeoPura showcased its cutting-edge, zero-emission hydrogen powertrains (HPUs) at the SMI panel discussions and exhibition, with its HPUs powering the Summit’s outdoor marquee and exhibits, reducing carbon and NOx emissions and significantly improving air quality compared to conventional diesel generators.
Inspiration from the Great Exhibition
The Summit’s Innovation Exhibition also showcased pioneering technologies that reflect the spirit of the Great Exhibition of 1851, demonstrating how groundbreaking innovations, from AI-based climate monitoring to next-generation clean energy solutions, are helping to drive the next wave of sustainable economic growth.
Jennifer Jordan-Saifi, CEO of Sustainable Markets Initiative, said: “The Sustainable Markets Initiative was founded on the belief that the private sector has a critical role to play in accelerating the transition to a sustainable future. SMI’s annual roundtables and exhibitions bring together global leaders not only to discuss ambition, but also to drive concrete actions, forge partnerships, mobilize investments and scale the solutions needed to ensure sustainable growth.
“What makes SMI unique is its ability to bring together leaders across sectors and geographies to collaborate on the systemic challenges facing our planet. By working together, the private sector can unlock innovation, create economic opportunities and help build a resilient and sustainable global economy.
Glenn Mandziuk, President and CEO of the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance said: “Our strong affiliation with the Sustainable Markets Initiative is the strategic catalyst that transformed our ambitious vision into tangible, global action. It is through this unique form of private sector diplomacy, inspired by His Majesty King Charles III, that we have forged groundbreaking partnerships, first with a global leader like JA Solar, and now evolving into a deep strategic alliance with the China Photovoltaic Industry Association. “The industry’s $200 billion annual investment toward a renewable future. Together, we’re not just adopting sustainable practices; we’re organizing systems-level change, proving that the path to a net-positive hospitality sector is the definitive growth story of our time.”
With a focus on a pragmatic, business-aligned transition, SMI brings together leaders at the highest levels of decision-making to address systemic and cross-sector challenges that no single organization or sector can solve alone.
The SMI Round Tables & Exhibition took place on March 11 and 12, 2026
Notes to editors
About the Sustainable Markets Initiative
The Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI) is the leading global private sector organization for the sustainable transition; characterized by our unique brand of “private sector diplomacy”.
Through the vision of our founder, His Majesty King Charles III, and our unique convening power, the SMI facilitates action between global leaders and CEOs to position sustainability at the heart of global value creation.
Together, we seek to mobilize the billions of dollars needed to achieve a sustainable future. Investment on this scale requires global systems-level change with a default sustainable focus on markets, industries and supply chains. Here, our mandates, Earth Charter And Astra Charteroffer practical pathways for the private sector.
SMI believes that with bold ambition and courageous leadership, we can seize a new era of global prosperity that will last for generations to come. We call this “the growth story of our time.” Learn more: www.sustainable-markets.org
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