The Tracker, which will be released at the Trialogue Sustainability Symposium on 28 August 2026, draws on a self-assessment survey completed by South African companies, using a model developed by Trialogue to measure how deeply sustainability considerations are embedded in strategy, governance, operations and reporting. The publication sets out the findings of that survey, offering a picture of where local businesses currently stand and where the gaps between stated ambition and practice lie.
The Tracker responds to the difference between how companies report on sustainability and how sustainability is practised. “Over the past two decades, a large body of codes, standards and reporting frameworks has evolved to hold companies to account for their social and environmental impact. While the adoption of these frameworks has grown steadily, the focus has centred on disclosure and reporting rather than on shifting the way businesses operate. In some cases, highly rated sustainability reporting has masked poor underlying governance and processes, underscoring how far public disclosure can drift from internal reality,” says Trialogue sustainability and ESG advisory divisional head Tina Playne.
Trialogue's advisory work identified this pattern of disparity. Companies adopt codes and standards without a clear business rationale and create sustainability strategies that exist on paper but play little part in decision making. In response, Trialogue developed its Integrated Sustainability Model to organise and advance practices outside of the reporting cycle.
The model holds that sustainability should be driven from the top down, starting with an understanding of a company's operating context and its impacts on society. This should be followed by commitment from company leadership, supportive internal systems, good performance metrics and appropriate communication. The model is structured around five pillars: sustainability ambition, leadership and governance, systems and processes, performance metrics and monitoring, and communication and messaging. It is designed to enable honest internal reflection to identify practical steps to embed sustainability and build long-term resilience.
The Trialogue Sustainable Business Tracker applies this model at a sector-wide level for the first time, using survey responses from 52 South African companies to provide an aggregate view of sustainability maturity across the market. Findings across the five pillars reveal a moderate level of maturity in sustainability embedment. The research indicates that adoption is stronger conceptually than in commercial operationalisation. The research also highlights substantial differences in how companies interpret and embed sustainable practice.
The Trialogue Sustainability Symposium will be presented in partnership with the JSE, the Institute of Directors South Africa (IoDSA), the National Business Initiative (NBI) and Primedia. Alongside the release of the survey findings, the programme includes keynote addresses on the current sustainability agenda and a panel discussion with sustainability executives on the practicalities of embedding sustainability.
