William says sustainability work keeps his ‘environmental anxiety at bay’

The Prince of Wales has said his sustainability work keeps his “environmental anxiety at bay”, as he encouraged chief executives to be “more courageous” in their efforts to tackle the illegal wildlife trade.

William told former US vice president Al Gore he has had some “sweaty nights” worrying about the climate, particularly around “what are we going to do and how is it going to work?”

The comments came after the prince told executives from some of the world’s largest companies – including Meta, Amazon and Google – to be business leaders their children would be proud of, adding: “I know many of you get grief when you go home to your children.”

Speaking after his appearance at the forum at Frameless in central London, William told Mr Gore: “For me, it keeps my environmental anxiety at bay, because I can actually see some of the things we are doing are bringing change.”

The prince, who spoke on the forum’s panel with actors Emma Watson and Benedict Cumberbatch, told the audience of business leaders that the incentives to be more sustainable are financial more than anything else.

“So much of what we’re going to talk about this morning is not necessarily about having a passion for nature, having a passion for the environment,” he said.

“This is stuff that will make your businesses stronger, better, more resilient, and also protect your reputation, long term.”

William, who is founder of The Royal Foundation’s United for Wildlife, which organised the event, said chief executives should “touch into” the ideals they held as children.

“I think be the leader you wanted to be when you were growing up, not the one you are in the business right now,” he said.

“Touch into what you were when you were a child and what you wanted to see in the world, and you know, bring those values to light as a CEO.”

The prince also told the companies in attendance, which included TikTok, Pinterest, eBay and Etsy, to be more courageous in their efforts to be sustainable.

“Many of you are exemplary in what you do, but I think many of you can be more ambitious and courageous in what you do for the planet, for the environment,” he said.

At the event, telecommunications company Vodafone, along with Vodacom and Safaricom, committed to utilising artificial intelligence (AI) to fight against money laundering and monitor transactions to combat wildlife crime.

Leading cryptocurrency companies also pledged to disrupt and track the financial flows behind the illegal wildlife trade, while British Airways launched a public awareness campaign in partnership with Heathrow.

The companies will be working with United for Wildlife to explore ways of eradicating online wildlife listings from their platforms, particularly with the help of AI.

Watson, 36, who greeted William at the event alongside Cumberbatch, told the prince that “people are loving” his work.

The Harry Potter actress, who also recited a short poem, criticised the fashion industry, which she described as “one of the most exploitative” sectors of the economy.

“The fashion industry… actually creates more emissions than aviation, as the second most polluting industry after oil,” she said.

“But as someone who actually loves fashion, and it’s such a huge part of what I do, what’s exciting is that this is a huge place where we can actually have impact.”

Watson, who is a doctor of philosophy student at the University of Oxford, said storytelling in films such as Finding Dory – which William described as a “great film” – can bring about environmental change.

“All of these young people were so horrified by the capture of Dory that the blue tang fish is now protected by conservationists and by children who love this fish alike,” she said.

Cumberbatch, 49, who has made a documentary in collaboration with environmental production group Open Planet, said there should be more “positive noise” around the work going into tackling the illegal wildlife trade.

He said: “It’s time to make people in this room and beyond it, people that you’re helping in your business, to believe that you can have agency in a time where the problems and the obstacles seem absolutely insurmountable.”

Founded in 2013 by William, United for Wildlife aims to prevent the illegal wildlife trade and its links to wider environmental crime.

It unites law enforcement organisations, governments, NGOs, communities, and the private sector to expose trafficking routes and disrupt criminal networks.