Abstract
The South African FMCG sector continues to face challenges in integrating environmental initiatives due to changing customer demands and global trends. Within this sector, SMMEs face challenges due to ineffective internal controls, which affect the adoption of sustainability practices. This study examines the implications of adopting sustainable practices for SMME owners and managers in the FMCG sector within the Gauteng Metropolis. This study was grounded in interpretivist paradigm and adopted a qualitative research approach to explore the primary objective. This study presents interviews done with 10 SMME owners who operate their businesses in Gauteng metropolis. The outcome shows that SMMEs in the FMCG sector within Gauteng do not extensively adopt sustainability in their businesses due to lack of awareness and expertise, and high costs. Hence, the result is important to SMME owners, policymakers, and the government to resolve these issues by training SMMEs in sound governance practices, to complement available government policies aimed at promoting their growth. Theoretically, the research findings challenge the effectiveness of TBL (triple bottom line), as awareness enables SMME owners in the FMCG sector to be conversant in environmental and social activities.