South Africa’s tourism and travel industry reached a major sustainability milestone on 3 February with the launch of the Tourism & Travel Green Lung at Vergelegen Wine Estate in Somerset West.
The Green Lung is a collaborative, national initiative aimed at helping tourism and travel businesses — including SMMEs — build climate resilience while embedding Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices into daily operations.
From Strategy to Action
The programme is led by specialist advisory and implementation company Sigma International, in partnership with industry and funding organisations including Anglo American Zimele, the Southern Africa Tourism Services Association (SATSA), the Association of Southern African Travel Agents (ASATA), and the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA).
Rather than focusing solely on reporting and compliance, the Green Lung offers a tangible, place-based approach to sustainability that businesses and communities can see, experience, and grow.
A Living Green Corridor
The initiative was launched with the planting of 250 trees across a 10-hectare site at Vergelegen. This planting represents a 10% carbon reduction legacy linked to tourism SMMEs supported by Sigma International during 2025 and will develop into a tourism green corridor over time.
The site will also function as an outdoor auditorium for industry and community events, while providing a platform for tourism SMMEs to access markets through pop-ups, activations, and experiential trade opportunities.
“This initiative moves sustainability from intention into action,” said Sigma International CEO Akash Singh. “It creates a credible home where tourism businesses can actively reduce their carbon footprint while strengthening inclusive economic participation.”
Heritage Meets Sustainability
Hosting the launch, Vergelegen CEO Wayne Coetzer said the programme aligns closely with the estate’s long-standing commitment to environmental stewardship. Five years ago, Vergelegen announced plans for a 54-hectare arboretum.
“Since its inception, we have planted more than 6,000 trees and plan to plant another 1,000 this year,” said Coetzer.
The launch at the 326-year-old estate symbolises the strong connection between heritage and sustainability, tourism and biodiversity protection, and economic growth and ecosystem resilience.
Scaling Impact Nationally
Tourism is among the sectors most exposed to climate risk, with recent flooding in key tourism regions highlighting the urgency for decisive action.
The Vergelegen Green Lung model will now be scaled nationally, expanding SMME participation across tourism value chains and partnering with corporates and tourists to co-fund impact programmes and tree-planting initiatives at other sites.
“It is education for sustainable development meeting ESG in practice — not in theory, but in a way you can experience,” Singh said.
Appeared on www.thenewspaper.co.za on 5 February 2026