SUSTAINABILITY
Climate-smart technology
Innovation, according to Muruven, will be central to any serious resilience strategy.“ One of the key themes to address the adaptation and resilience challenge will be innovation.”
In agriculture, there is a need to utilise more climate-resilient varieties of crops to protect food security. In hospitality, it’ s about operational intelligence – especially when it comes to water.“ Can the hospitality and food and beverage sectors look to deploy these solutions to measure and monitor water usage to make them more efficient and reduce costs?”
He also recognises alternative proteins as a growing sector in Africa, driven by changing consumer expectations.“ We know we have a younger, more environmentally conscious consumer who will want to eat green and buy green,” he says. But he emphasises that such changes must consider the local social and cultural context.
Food waste
Food waste remains a significant challenge, and in South Africa, it bears a distinct moral burden.
“ It’ s a significant contributor to emissions, so it is both a societal and environmental challenge,” Muruven notes.“ One could argue that it’ s a bigger challenge for us in South Africa, because we still have a significant number of people going hungry.”
Examples abroad demonstrate what’ s achievable.“ In the UK, for example, they are introducing community foodwaste facilities that convert waste to energy.” Locally, NGOs are already making progress by rescuing food nearing its sell-by date and distributing it to vulnerable communities.
“ Innovation can be technological, but it can also be social,” Muruven says.“ It’ s important that we use both lenses and the solutions at our disposal.”
Shifting consumer behaviour
Even the most advanced systems depend on people’ s willingness to adopt new habits.“ Whether it’ s the hospitality sector trying to introduce more alternative proteins to a menu or asking you to reduce your shower time, this comes down to a behavioural change.”
But with behaviour change comes responsibility.“ The hospitality sector can be a strong force for change; however, it first needs to walk the talk and understand what their sustainability impact is.” Failing to do so risks accusations of greenwashing – a significant liability in a market of increasingly informed consumers.
Policy, COP30 and the materiality mandate
Internationally, COP30 has indicated a shift: a stronger focus on adaptation and resilience.
For South Africa, Muruven sees this as a call to action. Businesses cannot depend solely on government guidance, especially as the ESG agenda faces global scrutiny.
“ My view is that, regardless of the sector, if businesses are willing to adopt a strategic focus on a sustainability issue, and make it a strategic priority, I believe there are benefits to be gained,” he says.“ But it’ s not about doing everything; it must be about concentrating on what is material and asking whether it addresses a business continuity risk.”
For example, hospitality operators may need to assess the costs of an on-site water treatment facility, while food and beverage companies might support farmers switching to regenerative agriculture.
2026 / TRADE & TASTE 103