The Sustainable Markets Initiative has launched a new Ocean Stewardship programme to turn global sustainability commitments into action through private-sector engagement.
Founded by His Majesty King Charles III as The Prince of Wales, the Sustainable Markets Initiative aims to advance ocean stewardship by supporting the creation of one of the world’s largest Marine Protected Areas in Antarctica, while aligning conservation objectives with sustainable fishery management and responsible commercial activity.
“The private sector has a decisive role in shaping the Ocean economy,” said Jennifer Jordan-Saifi, CEO of the Sustainable Markets Initiative.
“Governments set the rules, but delivery depends on capital, companies and supply chains moving in the same direction with a default sustainable mindset.”
A structured programme
Delivered through the Ocean Stewardship Initiative, the programme establishes a structured platform for private engagement with governments and civil society to translate sustainability commitments into practical outcomes.
Developed with Aker BioMarine, Aker QRILL Company and with advice from the Marine Stewardship Council, the initiative seeks to create a repeatable model for improved fishery management, effective ocean governance and long-term sustainability through coordinated industry leadership.
Its first delivery track builds on long-standing efforts under the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources to designate a Marine Protected Area covering 70% of the Antarctic Peninsula, alongside a modern, science-based krill fishery management framework.
If approved, the proposed Marine Protected Area, put forward by Argentina and Chile, would be among the world’s largest no-take zones, protecting Antarctic marine mammals across nearly half a million square kilometres of the Southern Ocean.
The proposal would increase the proportion of protected Antarctic waters by up to fifteen per cent, supporting the global goal to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030.
