Voices from the ground

The lived experiences of a community involved in a corporate sustainability initiative

Bibliographic Data

ID22205091
AuthorsLebogang Mametja (0000-0001-8593-9858, University of South Africa, corresponding author), C Le Roux (0000-0001-6242-4894, University of South Africa), Annemarie Davis (0000-0002-2137-2597, University of South Africa)
Year2026
Volume14
Pages103166
Publication date2026-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSocial Sciences & Humanities Open (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2590-2911 • E-ISSN: 2590-2911
PublisherElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.ssaho.2026.103166
OpenAlexW7166063917
LanguageEN
References cited35

The importance of corporate sustainability as an integral part of business operations is well established. However, existing discourse focuses on organisational practices and reporting, leaving a gap in understanding how corporate sustainability initiatives are experienced by the communities they aim to benefit. Demonstrating sustainability is typically achieved when corporates embed it into practices conveyed through corporate communication channels such as integrated and sustainability reports and corporate websites. While these public displays signal organisational commitment, they do not necessarily capture the lived realities of all stakeholders. Addressing this gap, this study explored the lived experiences of a rural South African community involved in a corporate-funded agricultural sustainability initiative, intending to amplify community voices and examine how these stakeholders understand, adapt to, and engage with such initiatives. To understand the essence of these shared experiences, a phenomenological research strategy was adopted to extract meaningful first-hand accounts of how corporate sustainability was experienced by the community. The empirical data was thematically analysed using inductive analysis to derive the themes discussed in this article. By foregrounding community perspectives, the study contributes to sustainability scholarship by revealing the relational dynamics and practical implications of corporate-community partnerships. Findings highlight that community members were empowered by the initiative and confirmed the interdependence between the corporate, the community-based organisation, and the community members. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that stakeholder inclusion in decision-making is not merely desirable but critical, as it facilitates meaningful engagement and the embeddedness of sustainability

Corporate governance · Lived experience · Narrative · Qualitative research · Sustainability · Community and Sustainable Development · Management and Organizational Studies · Participatory Visual Research Methods

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Open DOIOpen Access