• Over 300 global CEOs, international delegations and innovators joined forces at the annual SMI Roundtables & Exhibition, attended by His Majesty King Charles III
• European Space Agency announced the SMI's Astra Carta seal would be carried on the ELSA-M spacecraft – the world's first commercial end-of-life service to remove old satellites from space
• Secretary John Kerry announced as Ocean Champion for Sustainable Markets Initiative's Ocean Stewardship Initiative
• Chinese delegation attended to build on cross-border collaborations established at SMI's China Summit in 2025 and confirmed second China Council Forum, scheduled June 2026  

LONDON, March 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Global CEOs, innovators, policymakers and investors gathered at Hampton Court Palace this week for the Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI) Roundtables & Exhibition 2026, a leading private sector summit focused on accelerating real-world delivery of the sustainable transition.

The summit brought together hundreds of leaders from across industries and countries to move beyond ambition and advance meaningful partnerships, investments and collaborative action on areas such as clean energy, space, artificial intelligence, capital investment, sustainable materials and advanced manufacturing.

This included over 50 CEOs from Chinese companies, highlighting the growing engagement and leadership of the SMI China Council. Since its establishment in 2021, the Council has developed a strong and pragmatic sustainability agenda that reflects China's development priorities and its expanding role in global economic and environmental governance.

The summit also reflected the global reach of the SMI, with CEOs and senior delegations also attending from Japan, Australia, the UAE, Brazil, and 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 centre of value creation and long-term economic growth.

Key announcements

• The European Space Agency announced the ELSA-M mission (End-of-Life Services by Astroscale - Multiple) developed by Astroscale UK, Eutelsat/OneWeb and the UK Space Agency to remove space debris will carry the Astra Carta Seal for its first in-orbit demonstration, symbolising commitment to responsible stewardship of the space
• Secretary John Kerry was announced as Ocean Champion for Sustainable Markets Initiative's Ocean Stewardship Initiative (OSI) to support a clear purpose: bringing civil societies, governments, and the private sector to pull in the same direction, and help turn ocean commitments into practical, measurable progress.

SMI driven partnerships, collaboration and cross sector projects

A central aim of the SMI Roundtables & Exhibition is to catalyse action by enabling new partnerships, supporting collaboration and help launch new cross sector projects to accelerate deployment of sustainable solutions.

Among the recent initiatives facilitated and supported by the SMI include:

• An energy tech pilot at Historic Royal Palaces to cut hot water energy use by up to 40%
  
  Since exhibiting at the 2025 SMI Terra Carta Roundtables, energy tech company Mixergy, part of the Barclays Climate Ventures portfolio, has begun working with Historic Royal Palaces to use its smart hot water cylinders to cut hot water energy use by up to 40% and ease peak demand through grid connectivity. Two units are now being trialled at Hampton Court Palace, with the potential to expand the partnership across Historic Royal Palaces' wider estate.
• Turbine technology supporting Fortescue's Real Zero strategy. China's Envision Energy has successfully grid-connected an EN182-7.8MW wind turbine prototype 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 now under construction for installation in the Pilbara. Designed for Australia's mining and desert environments, the turbines incorporate Nabrawind's self-erecting base frame technology and a 188-metre hub height to maximise energy yield. Fortescue's renewable energy management system will use AI to optimize and dispatch power across its integrated portfolio, including wind, solar and battery energy storage systems.
• New renewable energy collaboration 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 China Photovoltaic Industry Association, to help expand the adoption of clean energy across the global hospitality sector. Facilitated through the Sustainable Markets Initiative's convening power, the partnership aims to strengthen cooperation between the hospitality industry and renewable energy providers, supporting the sector's transition toward Net Positive operations. The Alliance, which represents over 66,000 hotels across more than 300 brands worldwide, aims to accelerate the transition toward a Net Positive hospitality industry.
• New AI partnership with Marylebone Cricket Club partner to accelerate decarbonisation
  
  Supported by the Sustainable Markets Initiative, ExpectAI and Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) have partnered to accelerate progress toward MCC's Net Zero 2040 ambition by transforming how it tackles Scope 3 emissions, currently ~90% of its footprint -through verified, supplier-level data and AI-enabled action.
• Barclays and ExpectAI collaboration to strengthen energy resilience for UK SMEs
  
  Facilitated by the SMI, ExpectAI are in live collaboration with Barclays to explore how AI-driven sustainability insights can help UK small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) improve profitability while strengthening energy resilience and reducing emissions.
• British hydrogen innovator powers outdoor exhibition at Hampton Court Palace
  
  British hydrogen innovator, GeoPura, showcased its cutting-edge zero-emission hydrogen power units (HPUs) at the SMI Roundtables & Exhibition, with its HPUs powering the Summit's outdoor marquee and exhibitions, cutting carbon and NOx emissions and significantly improving air quality compared with 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 breakthrough innovation, from AI-enabled climate monitoring to next-generation clean energy solutions, are helping 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. The SMI's annual Roundtables & Exhibition brings together global leaders not just to discuss ambition, but to drive real-world action, forging partnerships, mobilizing investment and scaling the solutions needed to deliver sustainable growth.

"What makes the SMI unique is its ability to convene 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 opportunity and help build a resilient and sustainable global economy."

Glenn Mandziuk, President & CEO of the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance said: "Our strong affiliation with the Sustainable Markets Initiative is the strategic catalyst that has transformed our ambitious vision into tangible, global action. It is through this unique brand 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. This powerful continuum of collaboration is a testament to the SMI's unrivalled convening power, opening new opportunities to mobilize our industry's $200 billion annual investment towards a renewable future. Together, we are not just adopting sustainable practices; we are engineering a systems-level shift, proving that the path to a Net Positive hospitality sector is the definitive growth story of our time"

With a focus on pragmatic commercially aligned transition, the SMI brings together leaders at the highest levels of decision making to tackle system-level and cross-industry challenges that no organisation or sector can solve alone.

The SMI Roundtables & Exhibition, took place on 11 and 12 March 2026

Notes to editors

About the Sustainable Markets Initiative

The Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI) is the world's go-to private sector organization for sustainable transition; characterized by our unique brand of 'private sector diplomacy'.

With the vision of our founder, His Majesty King Charles III, and our unique convening power, the SMI facilitates action between world leaders and CEOs to position sustainability at the heart of global value creation.

Together, we seek to mobilize the trillions of dollars required to achieve a sustainable future. Investment at this scale requires global systems-level change with a default sustainable orientation across markets, industries and supply chains. Here, our mandates, the Terra Carta and Astra Carta, provide practical private sector trajectories.

The 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'. Read more: www.sustainable-markets.org

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Die weitreichende Sonntagsöffnung in vielen Urlaubsorten Mecklenburg-Vorpommerns steht vor einem grundlegenden Neustart. Das Oberverwaltungsgericht (OVG) Greifswald hat die seit 2025 geltende Bäderregelung für unwirksam erklärt. Die Richter kamen zu dem Schluss, dass die Landesverordnung den verfassungsrechtlich geschützten Sonntagsschutz überdehnt, weil sie zu vielen Geschäften an zu vielen Sonntagen die Öffnung erlaubt. Damit folgte das Gericht der Klage der Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft Verdi, die eine Aushöhlung des arbeitsfreien Sonntags moniert hatte.

Die gekippte Regelung sollte Händlern in den touristischen Orten des Nordostens ähnliche Wettbewerbsbedingungen sichern wie im benachbarten Schleswig-Holstein, mit dem Mecklenburg-Vorpommern um Feriengäste konkurriert. Sie ermöglichte Ladenöffnungen in 84 als touristisch definierten Orten an einem großen Teil der Sonn- und Feiertage im Jahr. Aus Sicht des Gerichts ging der Ausnahmetatbestand damit zu weit: Wenn Geschäfte an zwei von drei Sonntagen sowie zusätzlich an mehreren Feiertagen öffnen dürfen, liege faktisch keine begrenzte Ausnahme mehr vor, sondern eine weitgehende Aufweichung des grundsätzlichen Verkaufsverbots.

Gewerkschaften begrüßten den Richterspruch als Stärkung des Arbeitnehmerschutzes. Verdi hatte argumentiert, dass Beschäftigten im Handel bei einer so weitgehenden Sonntagsöffnung zu wenig Zeit für Familienleben und Erholung bleibe. Auch der Deutsche Gewerkschaftsbund Nord kritisierte die bisherige Bäderregelung als Motor für zusätzliche Sonntagsarbeit und als Instrument, das bewährte Schutzmechanismen unterlaufe und soziale Ungleichheiten verschärfe. Kirchen spielten in der öffentlichen Debatte im stark säkular geprägten Bundesland eine deutlich geringere Rolle.

Unternehmerverbände und Vertreter der Tourismuswirtschaft hingegen warnen vor Verunsicherung. Gerade in klassischen Feriendestinationen, in denen der Einzelhandel stark auf saisonale Gästeumsätze angewiesen ist, galt die Sonntagsöffnung als wichtiger Baustein des Geschäftsmodells. Für die betroffenen Orte ändert sich kurzfristig dennoch wenig: Bis zur Rechtskraft des Urteils dürfen die Geschäfte vorerst weiter nach den bisherigen Vorgaben öffnen. Die Landesregierung in Schwerin will die schriftliche Urteilsbegründung abwarten und prüft nach eigenen Angaben eine Beschwerde beim Bundesverwaltungsgericht – und damit die Chance, die Reichweite künftiger Ausnahmen vom Sonntagsschutz neu auszuloten.