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Sustainability has emerged as a strategic imperative for small manufacturing enterprises, particularly in light of increasing expectations to operate responsibly across economic, social, and environmental domains. This study investigates the interconnectedness of the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) elements and their collective influence on sustainable business practices. Rather than examining these dimensions in isolation, the research adopts a holistic lens to explore how their interplay shapes organisational behaviour and long-term viability within the small manufacturing sector in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Drawing on both theoretical frameworks and empirical evidence, the study offers insights into how enterprises can integrate TBL principles into their strategic orientation to foster resilience and sustained growth. The findings reveal that a balanced and synergistic approach to economic performance, social responsibility, and environmental stewardship enhances the capacity of firms to adapt, innovate, and thrive in complex operating environments. A structured questionnaire was administered to a stratified sample of 450 small manufacturing enterprises, and the resulting data were analysed using correlation techniques to uncover patterns and relationships among key variables. The study contributes practical guidance for business leaders and policymakers seeking to leverage the TBL framework not merely as a reporting mechanism, but as a transformative tool for embedding sustainability into core organisational processes.

Amid growing consumer and societal expectations for environmental responsibility, this study examines how retailers’ sustainability practices drive customer loyalty through the mediating role of retailer legitimacy and the moderating role of consumer scepticism. Drawing on legitimacy theory, the objective of this study is to develop and test a conceptual model linking sustainability practices, corporate reputation, retailer legitimacy, consumer scepticism, and customer loyalty. Data from a cross-sectional survey of South African retail consumers were analysed using structural equation modelling. The results show that sustainability practices enhance both retailer legitimacy and customer loyalty, with legitimacy significantly mediating the effects of sustainability and corporate reputation on loyalty. Corporate reputation also strongly predicts retailer legitimacy. The study’s novelty lies in being the first to empirically test retailer legitimacy as a mediator in the sustainability–loyalty relationship within retailing, and to reveal the moderating influence of consumer scepticism. From a managerial perspective, the findings underscore the importance of transparent and credible communication of sustainability initiatives in strengthening legitimacy and fostering enduring customer loyalty, particularly in emerging markets where scepticism may be heightened.

This research explores the social and environmental impacts of fast fashion in Durban-based SMME, focusing on sustainability opportunities and challenges in the local clothing industry. Adopting a qualitative research design, using content analysis and snowball sampling, the study investigates the practices of apparel enterprises, the role of consumer behaviour, and the adoption of green business models and circular economy principles. Key findings indicate that there is greater awareness and implementation of sustainable practices in large businesses, including the use of renewable energy and fair labour practices. But there is insignificant implementation by small businesses owing to financial constraints and resource limitations. The study finds gaps in consumer education about the negative impacts of fast fashion and calls for specific education and policy intervention. The research uses dynamic capabilities theory to justify how companies reshape resources in reaction to pressures for sustainability and defines community involvement as a new aspect of sustainable action. Its recommendations involve investment in sustainable design, education for consumers, and collaboration among multiple stakeholders. The research adds to sustainability discourse and calls for localized, adaptive strategies to mitigate the adverse effects of fast fashion in emerging markets.

The hospitality business faces the complex task of environmental sustainability due to its significant carbon footprint.  This field of research remains inadequately examined, particularly in Africa.  The research intends to investigate green human resource management and its impact on sustainable performance in a specific hotel in Lagos State, Nigeria.  The primary research questions and objectives were addressed through an interpretative paradigm utilising a qualitative case study methodology, employing purposive sampling from a sample size of 10 participants via semi-structured interviews, with the data subjected to thematic analysis.  The resource-based view theory served as a framework for the investigation.   Furthermore, two primary topics emerged from the study's findings: the existing green human resource management techniques and the impact of green human resource management on employees.  Ultimately, the study determined that green human resource management is essential for the sustainability of hotel operations and advocated for the standardisation of green human resource management practices within the selected hotel, while concurrently endorsing ongoing training programs to enhance a workforce dedicated to sustainability.  This study significantly contributes to both theory and practice for hotel management leaders and provides practical insights for the hotel industry to enhance environmental management.

This study was conducted to examine the effect of 3D printing cost, 3D printing technology adoption and regulatory compliance on environmental sustainability among 3D printing firms in South Africa. The study also investigated the mediating effect of regulatory compliance on the relationships between 3D printing cost and 3D printing technology adoption on environmental sustainability. The study adopted a deductive research approach, quantitative research method and an explanatory correlational research design. Simple random sampling technique was used to select a total of 152 employees of 3D printing firms in South Africa. Questionnaires served as the data collection instruments, and online data gathering was done using Google Forms. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26 software was used for data coding, data entry, and descriptive statistics. Smart PLS 4 was used to conduct partial Least Squares (PLS) Structural Equation Modelling. Results of the study indicate that a significant negative relationship exists between 3D printing cost and environmental sustainability while a significant positive relationship was found to exist between 3D printing technology adoption and environmental sustainability among 3D printing firms in South Africa. A significant positive relationship also exists between 3D printing regulatory compliance and environmental sustainability. For mediation effects, it was found that 3D printing regulatory compliance negatively mediates the relationship between cost and environmental sustainability. The results also indicated that regulatory compliance does not mediate the relationship between 3D printing technology and environmental sustainability. The study concludes that, in as much as 3D printing costs and technology adoption are essential, regulatory compliance has significant role to play in ensuring the maximization of environmental sustainability in South Africa’s 3D printing industry.

The motivation behind this study is rising concern about climate change and its impact on future generations. Mining companies in Zimbabwe are significant contributors to environmental degradation. The study tested the relationship between climate action and green human capital management and its sub-variables of green recruitment and selection, green training and development, green reward management, and green performance management. The quantitative survey utilized a sample size of 383 employees across the Zimbabwean mining sector. The study found that green human capital, green training and development, and climate action are being implemented in the Zimbabwean mining sector. However, the study found that mining enterprises need to implement green recruitment and selection, green reward management, and green performance management, which is a cause for concern. The study accepts all hypotheses as multiple linear regression, which showed a significant positive relationship between climate action and green human capital and its sub-variables. The study recommends that organizations utilize green human capital management practices in the fight against climate change and its consequences. The study adds to the body of knowledge on green human resources by providing valuable insights into green human capital activities that generate maximum climate action.

This study aims to investigate the impact of green empowering leadership (GEL) on organisational citizenship behaviour toward the environment (OCBE) of employees in hospitality firms. Green empowering leadership is a newly conceptualized leadership style that combines traditional empowering leadership with a focus on environmental sustainability. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine how GEL can improve OCBE in hospitality firms. To test hypotheses and accomplish study goals, the social exchange theory (SET) theory was combined with a quantitative research strategy. Data was collected from hotel employees in a cross-sectional survey and the study adopted the convenience and purposive sampling method, and the survey participants were middle level managers of hotels. The study used the Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) for data analysis. The findings indicate a positive effect of green empowering leadership and OCBE. The findings of the study have important implications for policy and practice in the hospitality industry. There is the need for hotel to adopt green practices and incorporate ecological concerns in their strategy and operation.

The purpose of the study is to ascertain the influence of ecolabels in the consumption of certified green products. It explores ecolabels in Durban, hoping to gain valuable insights into ecolabels’ role in influencing the consumption of certified green products. The study employed a quantitative and a non-probability sampling method to understand the influence of ecolabels among green consumers in Durban. To ensure that the data represents the diversity of Durban consumers, a random sampling method was adopted. The data was collected using questionnaires and analysed using the IBM SPSS Version 25. The study employed a sample of 384 customers from retail malls within selected Durban suburbs. The findings revealed that consumers generally have a positive perception of ecolabels and are likely to recommend certified green products. However, the data also revealed that there is scepticism around certified green products as they are considered expensive and can perhaps be attributed to the high cost of certification, credibility issues and the cost associated with the ecolabelling. There is a potential trend towards wider acceptance, with more respondents trusting the authenticity of ecolabels than not. The study also found that older respondents and those with higher income tend to have a more positive perception of ecolabels, potentially due to higher disposable income and greater familiarity with the concept. This suggests that addressing concerns about cost and credibility could further increase positive consumer perception of ecolabels. Businesses can use these findings to develop strategies to address consumer concerns about the cost and credibility of certified green products. They can also target marketing efforts towards older demographics and higher-income consumers who are more receptive to ecolabels. Policymakers can use the findings to evaluate the effectiveness of existing ecolabeling programs and also develop strategies to increase consumer awareness and trust in ecolabels, especially younger audiences.

This study examines the significance of green purchase behaviour in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and explores the mediating and moderating roles of waste management and eco-regulation in this context. The theoretical frameworks of resource-based view was utilized to conceptualize the relationships and dynamics between green purchase behaviour, waste management, eco-regulations, and sustainable performance in SMEs. Insights from these theoretical perspectives help in understanding how internal resources, capabilities, external pressures, and institutional factors interact to drive sustainability practices and business outcomes. Using a cross-sectional design, a questionnaire survey was administered to 225 SME owners. Using the Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) technique of Partial Least Squares (PLS), this study empirically analyses the relationships between green purchase behaviour, waste management practices, eco-regulations, and sustainable performance in SMEs. The results confirmed that green purchase behaviour (GPB) positively impacts waste management (WM). Furthermore, WM positively impacts financial performance (FP), social performance (SP) and environmental performance (EP). The results validate the mediating role of WM. The moderating results revealed that eco-regulation (ER) does play a moderating role in proposed relationships. As SMEs worldwide grapple with the imperative to adopt sustainable business practices, this study provides valuable insights and a roadmap for SMEs seeking to navigate the complex landscape of environmental responsibility and social accountability. The findings provide practical guidance for SMEs striving to strike a balance between economic success and environmental stewardship, fostering a holistic approach to sustainability of SMEs.

The objective of this study was to investigate the challenges encountered by organisations when integrating sustainable marketing into their strategic strategies. The research adopted a qualitative research design. Participants were selected from a representative sample of Zimbabwean organisations from various industries that have incorporated sustainable practices into their marketing strategy. Purposive sampling was used to select businesses encompassing various industries, sizes, and degrees of sustainability integration. This study, grounded in stakeholder theory, unveils challenges in implementing sustainable marketing strategies, including consumer awareness, resource constraints, hesitancy from stakeholders, competition from alternatives, regulatory complexities and measurement difficulties, underscoring the critical role of stakeholder engagement in navigating these challenges. Organisations must strategically incorporate sustainable practices by optimising resources, reducing inefficiencies, and aligning with sustainability goals, promoting the connection between resource optimization and environmental preservation. Further, they have leverage partnerships with sustainable suppliers, NGOs, and stakeholders to enhance sustainability initiatives by pooling resources, sharing costs, and overcoming budget constraints. Further study could investigate effective strategies for overcoming stakeholder hesitancy and fostering greater stakeholder engagement in sustainability initiatives.

The main purpose of this study is to investigate how green human resource management (GHRM) influences environmental performance (EP) in hotels in South Africa: the mediating and moderating role of environmental concern (EC) and green human capital (GHC). The study followed the quantitative research design and a self-administer questionnaire was employed during the data collection process. Data was collected from two hundred fifteen hotels in a cross-sectional survey. The participants of this study were three-star, four-star, and five-star hotels in Gauteng province. The data was analysed using SmartPLS 4.0. The empirical findings of this study show that there is a significant positive relationship between GHRM and the EP of hotels. The study further shows that the relationship between GHRM and EP is partially mediated by EC and the relationship is also moderated by GHC at an average weight. The study has the following limitations and suggests some new study areas. First, the cross-sectional nature of the survey limits the ability to separate cause-and-effect relationships, and a longitudinal study will help to improve the results. Second, the survey was done on firms in one industry and one country. To improve the generalisability of the findings, further studies can include other industries in other countries. This paper fills a gap in the literature by exploring external business variables mediating and moderating the relationship between EC and GHC and contributes to the discussion on the contradictory results regarding the relationship between GHRM and EP.

An entrepreneurial approach is being highlighted by an increasing number of recent studies. The relationship between green entrepreneurial orientation (GEO) and environmental performance (EP) has been studied in the past, and it includes a number of apparatuses. The research's inconsistent findings are likely caused by the absence of the mediating and moderating effects of green competitive advantage (GCA) and green innovation (GI). This study investigates how GEO influences EP Johannesburg municipality in the Gauteng province: the role of GCA and GI. The data was collected form 424 respondents across the Johannesburg municipality. The data was analysed using SmartPLS 4.0. The empirical findings of this study show that there is a significant positive relationship between GEO and the EP of SMEs. The study further shows that the relationship between GEO and EP is partially mediated by GCA and the relationship is also moderated by GI at an average weight. This paper fills a gap in the literature by exploring external business variables mediating and moderating the relationship between GEO and EP and contributes to the discussion on the contradictory results regarding the relationship between GEO and EP. The study suggests some recommendations on how the managers of SMEs can improve GEO. These include the provision of training and development workshops on environmental strategy for management and employees.

[Retracted Paper] Conversations on green human resource management (GHRM) are relatively new in the canon of human resource discourse. Existing studies have been focused on industrial and service industries of the private sector leaving a research gap in the public sector establishment, especially at the municipality level of governance. This study aims to address this gap by interrogating the perception and understanding of green behaviour and the evaluation of green behaviour performance. A total of 12 unit managers and employees of the human resource management department of the eThekwini municipality were purposively recruited based on existing knowledge of the green behaviour concept. The semi-structured interview approach was used in eliciting qualitative data. The NVivo (v.12) qualitative software was employed for the identification of themes and the content qualitative analytical tool was employed to make sense of the various themes. The findings show a range of perceptions and understanding of green behavior including change in management behaviour towards environmental sustainability goals, moving towards a paperless environment, re-engineering and automation of work process and safeguarding the environment through pro-environmental behaviours. The evaluation of employees’ green behaviour performance can be achieved through regular introspection and monitoring of the operations of green environmental activities, the integration of green behaviour targets with key performance indicators (KPI) and the benefits of green behaviour to the organisation. The study echoes the need for robust managerial support and massive organizational awareness of the importance of green behaviours for a sustainable work environment.

Green marketing has evolved, although the market share of green products remains considerably low. Green products are part of comprehensive green marketing, and this sort of marketing has progressed to the point that practically every consumer is aware of it. The study focuses on the factors that influence the adoption and consumption patterns of green goods in the greater Durban area. The study used a quantitative, non-probability, and random sampling strategy to discover consumers' sentiments toward the purchase of green products. The data was collected through the use of questionnaires and analyzed using the SPSS.  The sample size was 384 customers from retail malls in selected Durban suburbs, representing a wide demographic and cultural background. The study's findings revealed that customers in the greater Durban area are aware of green products. Green products, on the other hand, are regarded as affluent due to their high pricing. This means that companies developing green products will have to look for ways to cut their pricing. The survey also reveals that when customers must pick between green and non-green items, pricing is a crucial factor. The study's findings are limited to the confines of the wider Durban area and cannot be extrapolated.