South Africa’s tourism and travel industry marked a major sustainability milestone with the launch of the Tourism & Travel Green Lung at Vergelegen Wine Estate in Somerset West on 3 February.
The Green Lung is a collaborative, national initiative designed to help tourism and travel sector businesses, including SMMEs, become climate-resilient while embedding Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) practices into daily operations.
The programme is led by specialist advisory and implementation company Sigma International, in partnership with industry and funding partners such as Anglo American Zimele, the Southern Africa Tourism Services Association, the Association of Southern African Travel Agents, and the Tourism Business Council of South Africa.
Stakeholders launched this initiative by planting 250 trees within a 10-hectare Vergelegen site, which will grow into a tourism green corridor. These initial plantings represent a 10% carbon reduction legacy linked to tourism SMMEs working with Sigma International in 2025.
The Green Lung provides a tangible, place-based example of how sustainability can move beyond reporting and compliance into projects that businesses and communities can see, touch, and grow, said Akash Singh, CEO of Sigma International.
It will not only be an example of tourism and biodiversity restoration, but will also serve as an outdoor auditorium for industry and community events, and a platform for tourism SMMEs to access markets through pop-ups, activations, and experiential trade opportunities.
The launch at 326-year-old Vergelegen symbolises the strong connection between heritage and sustainability, tourism and environmental stewardship, economic growth and ecosystem protection.
Hosting the event, Vergelegen CEO Wayne Coetzer said the programme aligns closely with the estate’s long-standing commitment to sustainability. Five years ago, the estate unveiled plans for a 54-hectare arboretum.
“Since its inception, we have planted over 6,000 trees and plan to plant another 1,000 this year,” said Coetzer.
Tourism is one of the sectors most exposed to climate risk. Recent environmental shocks, including flooding affecting key tourism regions, reinforce the urgent need for decisive measures.
“This initiative moves sustainability from intention into action,” said Singh. “It creates a credible home where tourism businesses can actively reduce their carbon footprint while strengthening inclusive economic participation. It is ESD (Education for Sustainable Development) meeting ESG in practice – not in theory, but in a way you can experience.”
The Vergelegen model will be scaled nationally, expanding SMME participation across tourism value chains and partnering with corporates and tourists to co-fund impact programmes and plant trees at other sites.
Sigma International is a South African enterprise and supplier development (ESD) and ESG impact advisory with over 22 years of experience in designing and implementing inclusive growth programmes across tourism, agriculture, manufacturing, energy and services sectors.
Find out more about the project: https://www.sigmaintl.co.za/
Find out more about Vergelegen: https://vergelegen.co.za/