Diversity of the practice of corporate sustainability: An exploratory study in the South African business sector

Abstract

Various driving forces originating from society, government, employees and partners are forcing business to incorporate both sustainable development in its internal operations and practices, and to align these with the principles thereof. The paper investigates the diversity of the practice of corporate sustainability in terms of the drivers thereof, where sustainability features in the actual business structure, and how sustainability is communicated. What is evident is that these are all areas of broad interpretation from the perspectives of the eleven organisations that were interviewed. However, the emphasis remains on integrating sustainability activities into how they manage reputation risk, generate cost savings, and ensure long-term profitability and competitive advantage. This is leading business to create and access new markets for greener products, improved brand credibility, price premiums for green products, and new finance sources. This suggests that sustainability is merely a business agenda to protect organisation profits and economic growth in a manner that is seen to be environmental and socially responsible.