Shaping a 'Just' Business Role in South Africa’s Energy Transition

• This report is a comprehensive review into the role of business in South Africa’s plans for a just energy transition. It includes actionable guidance for how the private sector can advance decarbonisation that also addresses socio-economic inequalities and historic injustices.
  
• South Africa’s plans for a just transition away from fossil fuels are ambitious, world leading, and facing a critical moment now three years on from South Africa securing an initial $8.5 billion in the world’s first 'Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP)' agreement. South Africa is one of the best possible proof points of whether just energy transitions are possible anywhere.
  
• The report finds that while South African policymakers have developed detailed frameworks and plans to transform the country’s energy system, more can be done to shape how business can advance - and not undermine - justice in the move away from fossil fuels.
  
• The report's recommendations are intended to help policymakers and businesses shape 'just' business action in South Africa. It provides guidance on how the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights can be used as a practical and effective tool to navigate the risks, opportunities, and trade-offs of a 'just' energy transition; and provides four essential elements to help achieve a 'just' transition.

Shaping a 'Just' Business Role in South Africa’s Energy Transition was developed by the Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB), with support from the Ford Foundation and the African Climate Foundation.

The report was authored by Haley St. Dennis and Judy Hofmeyr, with significant input from Tokelo Shai, Salil Tripathi, John Morrison, Julia Batho, and Scott Jerbi of IHRB. Supporting background research was also contributed by Michelle Joubert, Rashmi Mistry, and Neoka Naidoo of Better by CoDesign in South Africa.

The insights and recommendations are based on IHRB’s extensive experience engaging businesses on their human rights impacts, as well as dedicated desktop research, analysis of South Africa’s climate and social policy landscape, expert interviews, and multistakeholder dialogues with practitioners across South Africa’s JET ecosystem. We are deeply grateful to the many individuals who have generously contributed their time and expertise by participating in dialogues and interviews