SOUTH AFRICA KEEPING NATURE IN FOCUS

This report by WWF South Africa reviews Phase 2 (2016–2021) of its transformational partnership with the retailer Woolworths. The collaboration focuses on integrating sustainability into Woolworths' business operations and supply chains, specifically targeting water stewardship, sustainable agriculture, seafood sourcing, food waste reduction, and low-carbon pathways. The report details the environmental and social impacts achieved through collective action, such as alien vegetation clearing in water source areas and the transition of smallholder farmers to sustainable cotton production.

• Woolworths has achieved high compliance with its sustainable seafood commitments, with 89% of evaluated species meeting the company's criteria and 94% compliance by volume. Additionally, 45% of its seafood is certified by recognized eco-labels like the MSC or ASC, and 100% of its seafood labelling aligns with the SANS1647 national standard.
• The partnership implemented a 'coordinator model' for water stewardship in the Western Cape, which led to the clearing of 5,383 hectares and 88 km of riverbanks of invasive alien plants. This effort saved approximately 811,900 m3 (8,119 megalitres) of water, raised over R48 million for restoration, and provided 28,000 days of employment for more than 150 people.
• In the Mpumalanga Drakensberg Water Source Area, research revealed significant faecal pollution in the Sabie and Crocodile catchments, with 40% and 30% of monitoring points respectively showing E. coli concentrations above 1,000 cfu/100 ml. This pollution imposes economic burdens on commercial farmers, with water treatment costs potentially reaching R13,200 per hectare per year.
• The partnership supported a pilot project in Mpumalanga to transition smallholder farmers from sugarcane to sustainable cotton. A pilot farmer, Mfundo Msimango, achieved a first crop harvest of more than 3,500 kg per hectare, demonstrating that cotton requires less water than sugarcane and improves soil health.
• Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) conducted on raspberries and cucumbers provided insights into environmental hotspots. For raspberries, tunnel-grown varieties had carbon and water-scarcity footprints less than half of those grown under shade netting. For cucumbers, avoiding refrigeration at retail could decrease the carbon footprint by at least 25%.
• Woolworths was a founding member and driver of the South African Plastics Pact, launched in January 2020. The company committed to ensuring 100% of its plastic packaging is reusable, recyclable, or compostable, and has pioneered the use of the standardised on-pack recycling label (OPRL) system.
• The partnership has influenced the wine industry through the WWF Conservation Champions programme, with approximately 25% of Woolworths' top-tier wine suppliers now participating as Conservation Champions by implementing regenerative farming and conserving endangered ecosystems.
• Through the Healthy Catchment Alliance, seed funding from Woolworths helped protect 36 natural springs, improving potable water access for about 5,000 people. The project also established Conservation Agreements with six grazing associations covering approximately 28,000 hectares.

APA

WWF South Africa (2022). SOUTH AFRICA KEEPING NATURE IN FOCUS. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/woolworths_partnership_review_2023.pdf

Chicago

WWF South Africa. SOUTH AFRICA KEEPING NATURE IN FOCUS. 2022. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/woolworths_partnership_review_2023.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF South Africa |title=SOUTH AFRICA KEEPING NATURE IN FOCUS |date=2022 |url=https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/woolworths_partnership_review_2023.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfsouthafrica2022south, author = {{WWF South Africa}}, title = {{SOUTH AFRICA KEEPING NATURE IN FOCUS}}, institution = {WWF South Africa}, year = {2022}, url = {https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/woolworths_partnership_review_2023.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }