Mr Price Sport, one of South Africa’s leading sports retailers, has reaffirmed its commitment to environmental stewardship with a generous donation of R785,613.40 to the non-profit organisation WILDTRUST. The cheque handover ceremony took place on Friday morning at the WILDTRUST Durban headquarters, located at Point Waterfront.
The funds will directly support marine biodiversity protection and conservation initiatives led by WILDOCEANS, a programme of WILDTRUST dedicated to safeguarding ocean ecosystems across the Western Indian Ocean (WIO).
Since 2019, Mr Price Sport has partnered with WILDOCEANS to create a unique product range designed to promote ocean conservation. This collaboration combines fashion and purpose, offering customers apparel that carries wearable messages of ocean health and sustainability.
The initiative was born from Mr Price Sport’s vision to highlight the beauty of the oceans while simultaneously generating funds to support WILDOCEANS’ conservation programmes. Over the years, this partnership has not only raised awareness but also mobilised tangible resources to protect South Africa’s marine heritage.
Mr Price Sport brand manager, Bianca Friedman said, “At Mr Price Sport, supporting WILDOCEANS is about more than corporate responsibility, it’s about protecting the environments where South Africans live, play, and stay active. Healthy oceans shape our communities, our coastline, and the sports and outdoor experiences we all value. By partnering with WILDTRUST, we’re able to amplify conservation and youth development in a meaningful way. When business and conservation work together, the impact is bigger, more sustainable, and far more powerful for future generations.
Lauren van Nijkerk, WILDTRUST’s director of campaigns & communications, expressed that the donated funds will significantly advance their scientific research, capacity building, and efforts to expand marine protection.
“As a programme of the WILDTRUST, WILDOCEANS champions inclusive, locally rooted solutions that conserve and restore ocean species and ecosystems, strengthen governance, and create lasting, tangible benefits for coastal communities who depend on the ocean for their livelihoods. At the same time, we catalyse and contribute to national, regional, and global action on a scale. Through strong science, strategic partnerships, and inclusive community development, WILDOCEANS delivers locally led, globally significant impact – advancing the 30×30 ocean conservation goal and broader climate action efforts, while building resilient systems for and with future generations,” she said.
van Nijkerk added that through the funding and support provided by Mr Price Sport, WILDOCEANS can continue delivering impactful projects in three interconnected focus areas, spaces, species, and communities.
“What I love about the Mr Price Sport team is that they ‘walk the talk’ and are never afraid to get their hands dirty, learn more about what we do and how they can help, even if it means helping us clean a beach or educating their staff about making sustainable choices. ‘Thank you’ just doesn’t seem to cut it, when a donor like this is helping us conserve, restore and safeguard our beautiful ocean and all that call it home,” she concluded.
