Trialogue’s Sustainable Business Tracker is the leading benchmark of sustainability practice in South African business, providing evidence-based insight into how companies are embedding sustainability into strategy and operations
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South African corporate responsibility consultancy Trialogue launched the inaugural edition of its Trialogue Sustainable Business Tracker on 28 August 2026. In partnership with the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), the Institute of Directors South Africa (IoDSA) and the National Business Initiative (NBI), the new publication presents research findings on the extent to which sustainability is embedded in South African business.
It draws on a self-assessment survey – completed by 52 South African companies – that measures how deeply sustainability is embedded in strategy, governance, operations and reporting. The publication presents a picture of where local businesses currently stand and the extent of the gap between stated ambition and practice.
This inaugural edition of the Trialogue Sustainable Business Tracker introduces a new annual research publication that tracks how South African companies are responding to the growing sustainability imperative.
The Tracker responds to a growing disconnect between sustainability’s mainstream status and its inconsistent implementation, drawing on Trialogue’s Sustainable Business Self-Assessment Tool to evaluate business maturity across five pillars: strategy, governance, processes, targets and metrics, and reporting.
The Tracker unpacks why the integration of sustainability into business remains inconsistent, examines the gap between board-level intent and operational implementation and offers a holistic lens for leadership teams to focus their efforts where they will have the greatest impact.
Key Findings:
"The return on investment of sustainability must be calculated and linked to remuneration or it will never win the debates around trade-offs."
"Companies that succeed are those that focus on sustainability- linked practices that deliver competitive advantage, such as capital allocation, supplier contracts and data systems."
"The return on investment of sustainability must be calculated and linked to remuneration or it will never win the debates around trade-offs."
"Companies that succeed are those that focus on sustainability- linked practices that deliver competitive advantage, such as capital allocation, supplier contracts and data systems."
Tina Playne, Editor: Trialogue Sustainable Business Tracker
For more information, visit Trialogue and their dedicated section on the Sustainable Business Tracker.
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