A comparative study of the adoption of sustainable construction by South African small, medium and micro enterprises and large enterprises

Abstract

Background: In South Africa, small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) and large enterprises (LEs) share the same regulatory environment but differ in resources, capacity and market exposure. Aim: This study compared knowledge, incentives, client demand, regulatory frameworks, behavioural intention (BI) and actual use of sustainable construction practices amongst South African SMMEs and LEs. Setting: The study was conducted in South Africa’s construction industry, with responses from firms across seven provinces. Methods: This quantitative study used a self-administered online questionnaire completed by 211 construction professionals. Independent samples t-tests compared SMMEs and LEs across eight adoption-related constructs. Results: Both SMMEs and LEs reported high BI and actual use of sustainable construction practices. Whilst both groups expressed positive BI, LEs reported significantly higher perceptions of usefulness, ease of use, incentives and client demand. Small, medium and micro enterprises demonstrated slightly higher levels of actual use, indicating experience-based adoption despite limited institutional support. No statistically significant differences emerged for knowledge of sustainable construction, regulatory standards or actual use. Effect size analysis revealed moderate to large practical differences for incentive- and demand-related constructs. Conclusion: Although sustainable construction practices are implemented across firm sizes, the drivers of adoption differ substantially. Large enterprises benefit more from formal institutional and market mechanisms, whereas SMMEs report comparably high actual use despite lower perceptions of institutional support, a pattern consistent with, though not directly evidencing, practice-led or necessity-driven adoption. Contribution: This study advances understanding of sustainable construction adoption in emerging economies and highlights the need for firm-size-specific policies and support.