Sustainability Lead

Introduction

Since 1985, Sir Fruit has been “squeezing the day” — crafting high-quality fruit juices, smoothies and health shots using locally sourced ingredients and a proudly South African supply chain.

We're a homegrown business with deep roots in local farming communities, built on strong relationships, innovation, and a genuine obsession with quality. We move fast, think differently, and continuously push to bring better-tasting, more natural products to market — without losing sight of our responsibility to people and the planet.

Our sustainability journey is rooted in doing things better across everything we touch — from how we make our products to how they’re packaged and delivered. From improving energy efficiency and reducing waste, to increasing recycled packaging and supporting more circular systems, we’re focused on making practical changes that add up to real impact

Duties & Responsibilities

This role sits at the centre of Sir Fruit’s sustainability journey — translating ambition into action and ensuring we can clearly track and communicate the impact we’re making.

The Sustainability Lead will drive the execution of sustainability initiatives across the business, while leading the development of robust, transparent ESG reporting. This role requires someone who is equally comfortable working on the factory floor, with suppliers, and with leadership — connecting data, operations and strategy.

You will play a key role in embedding sustainability into how we operate day-to-day, while ensuring our efforts are measurable, credible and aligned with industry standards and regulatory expectations. This is an opportunity to shape and scale sustainability in a business that is already on the journey.

Key ResponsibilIties

Strategy Development & Alignment

• Contribute to the development and continuous refinement of Sir Fruit’s sustainability strategy and roadmap, ensuring it is practical, measurable and aligned to business priorities.

• Help define clear sustainability pillars, targets and KPIs across the value chain — from sourcing through to production, packaging and delivery.

• Partner with the Human Capital team to drive internal behaviour change by embedding sustainability into company culture, including employee engagement initiatives such as recycling programmes and awareness campaigns.

• Support the integration of sustainability into everyday decision-making across operations, supply chain, and commercial teams.

• Identify and prioritise key impact areas, including:

• Sustainable packaging improvements

• Waste reduction and recycling systems (internal and post-consumer)

• Lower-impact logistics solutions (e.g. electric or alternative fuel vehicles)

• Circularity initiatives across products and materials

Sustainability Implementation

• Lead the execution of Sir Fruit’s sustainability strategy across operations, supply chain and product lifecycle.

• Identify and implement initiatives to reduce energy use, emissions, water consumption and waste.

• Support packaging improvements, including recycled content and circularity initiatives.

• Partner with procurement and supplier networks to advance responsible sourcing practices.

• Work with logistics partners to explore and implement lower-emission distribution solutions

• Drive continuous improvement programmes aligned with resource efficiency and cleaner production.

ESG Data, Reporting & Compliance

• Develop and manage systems for collecting, validating and analysing ESG data across the business

• Lead the preparation of sustainability and ESG reports aligned to recognised frameworks.

• Ensure compliance with emerging ESG regulations and disclosure requirements.

• Establish clear KPIs and track performance against sustainability targets.

• Coordinate internal audits and external assurance processes for ESG data.

Governance & Integration

• Embed sustainability into governance processes and operational standards.

• Develop policies and frameworks to support environmental and social performance.

• Align sustainability initiatives with broader business objectives and growth strategy.

• Provide insights to leadership on risks, opportunities and performance trends.

• Monitor global and local sustainability trends and recommend best practices

Desired Experience & Qualification

• Bachelor’s degree in Sustainability, Environmental Science, Engineering, Business or a related field.

• 5+ years’ experience in sustainability, ESG, or environmental Implementation and Reporting roles.

• Experience implementing sustainability initiatives in manufacturing, FMCG, or supply chain environments (preferred).

• Proven experience in ESG reporting, including familiarity with the relevant frameworks.

• Strong data analysis and reporting capability, with attention to accuracy and detail.

• Demonstrated ability to work cross-functionally and influence stakeholders at multiple levels.

• Solid understanding of environmental impact areas including energy, water, waste and packaging.

Key Skills & Competencies

• Pragmatic and hands-on approach to implementation

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills

• Clear and confident communicator (both written and verbal)

• Ability to translate complex sustainability concepts into practical actions

• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, evolving environment

• Genuine passion for sustainability and making measurable impact