Responsible Business and the Natural Environment
With his long-standing interest in community affairs and close connections with leading figures from the business world, The Prince of Wales is well-placed to use his position to support the development of corporate social responsibility initiatives throughout the UK and abroad.
He believes that the private sector has the ability to make a real difference to many of the issues and problems facing communities.
The Prince of Wales has shown a strong personal interest in environmental issues for decades. The main themes to which he most often returns are the need for sustainable development, for responsible stewardship of our natural resources and for global co-operation to protect our environmental heritage. Click here to read about the environmental measures The Prince's Household is taking in order to become carbon neutral.
In October 2007, The Prince of Wales launched The Prince's Rainforests Project to find practical solutions to slow tropical deforestation and combat climate change. Click here to read more about The Prince's Rainforests Project.
The Countryside Fund
The Prince’s Countryside Fund is a unique collaboration of businesses working together to secure a sustainable future for British agriculture and the wider rural economy.
The fund has three core objectives: to improve the sustainability of British farming and rural communities; reconnecting consumers with countryside issues; and to support faming crisis charities through a dedicated emergency funding system.
Beneficiaries so far include The Farmer Network, which will use its grant to train eight people in hill farming skills, and Upper Teesdale Agricultural Support Service, which will give IT training to 24 farmers to help them manage their businesses more efficiently, as well as providing advice to 450 hill farming businesses.
The fund has been backed by a number of companies including: ASDA Stores; Bird’s Eye; Dairy Crest Group; E.H. Booth & Co; Hovis; Jordans & Ryvita Company; Marks & Spencer; McDonald’s; Muller Dairy (UK); Samworth Brothers; United Biscuits; Waitrose and Walkers, all of which will be able to place The Prince’s Countryside Fund logo on certain products in return for their contributions.
As well as providing farmers with grants, the charity will use the financial support of businesses to build up an emergency fund for when a crisis hits, for example an outbreak of livestock disease.
Visit the website.
Business in the Community (BITC)
Business in the Community (BITC) is the largest and one of the oldest organisations promoting corporate responsibility. It has operations in Wales, Northern Ireland and every English region as well as partnerships internationally.
Its 750-plus member companies are committed to working together to improve their impact on society, whether on the environment, or in the market place, the workplace and the community. As well as being an active President, The Prince of Wales has personally initiated several major programmes including Seeing is Believing, Rural Action, Pro Help, Business Action on Homelessness and Cares. Visit the website.
Scottish Business in the Community (SBC)
Scottish Business in the Community (SBC) enables companies to make their impact on society as positive and productive as possible, while gaining tangible business benefits.
SBC is led by a group of member companies committed to the promotion of responsible business practice in Scotland.
A network of multi-sector contacts and 20 years of experience makes SBC the logical route through which the Scottish business community engages with society. Visit the website.
The Prince of Wales's Business & Sustainability Programme (BSP)
The Prince of Wales's Business & Sustainability Programme (BSP) was established in 1994 and is run by University of Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership.
The Programme helps senior executives explore the business case for sustainable development and integrate sustainability principles into their organisations.
Business leaders and representatives from the public sector and non-governmental organisations participate in one of the seminars held each year in Cambridge, New York, Salzburg and Cape Town.
The Programme has introduced over 1,000 executives from over 400 organisations in more than 30 countries to the sustainability debate. Visit the website.
In Kind Direct
The Prince of Wales set up In Kind Direct in 1996 to distribute companies’ surplus goods to charities, helping to avoid unnecessary waste. It is the only organisation coordinating in kind giving on a UK-wide scale.
Since 1996, In Kind Direct has since gone on to assist 8,000 charities, working with more than 800 donor businesses and funders.
During 2009, In Kind Direct redistributed a record 6,451 pallets of goods valued at £16.1million.
These represent every kind of cause, including under-privileged children, sickness and disability, family welfare, homelessness, emergency relief, community support and job skills training. Visit the website.
Arts & Business
Arts & Business has been under the patronage of The Prince of Wales for 18 years, helping business people to support the arts, and the arts to inspire business people.
Arts & Business secures funding and resources for the arts from business through a range of programmes and services. The charity has a membership of more than 400 companies.
According to figures released by Arts & Business in January 2008 after a survey of 4,500 arts organisations, the total amount of private support for the arts has grown by 11 per cent to £599.45million. Visit the website.