Environmental sustainability initiatives and performance in multinational enterprises: a multi-case analysis of the South African mining sector

Abstract

This qualitative study investigated how multinational enterprises (MNEs) in South Africa’s mining sector leverage internal and external mechanisms to translate environmental initiatives into improved environmental and organisational performance. The research was grounded in an interpretivist paradigm and employed a multi-case study design, drawing on six semi-structured interviews with senior managers and content analysis of five publicly available environmental reports. Key themes identified include green investment, innovation and digital technology, carbon capture and offset, waste elimination, and nature-based solutions, all of which are critical drivers of environmental performance. The triangulation of managerial insights and secondary data enhanced the validity of the findings, revealing nuanced strategies firms use to navigate regulatory pressures and stakeholder expectations. Ethical rigour was maintained through anonymisation and secure data handling, with purposive sampling ensuring rich contextual insights. This research contributes to understanding corporate sustainability practices in high-emission sectors within emerging economies and informs policy and managerial decisions aimed at fostering sustainable organisational growth.