Sustainable Mexican companies: what benefits do they provide?
In Mexico, many companies already seek to balance sustainability with the local environment to offer quality products to today's customers without compromising the planet or future generations. This article explains the benefits of sustainable Mexican companies.
Sustainable businesses and companies have been an inescapable talking point for 40 or 50 years. Although many scientific groups have warned us for decades about the need to take care of the planet and its resources, very few companies took up the baton because they believed that we still had more time and that the planet could withstand pollution and plunder its resources. Well, we're now in 2023, and all scientific studies agree that time has run out and that if we don't take urgent measures, we will be left without a planet.
As a result of these frequent warnings, many Mexican companies have joined the global commitment to life and the planet and are now officially listed as responsible and sustainable. Let's take a closer look at what sustainability means and its three main principles.
What is sustainability, and what are its three main principles?
Sustainable businesses strive to use natural resources well and minimize waste or polluting emissions. Contrary to the misconceptions that continue to emerge, the purpose of being sustainable is not to impede economic development but to seek alternative production methods that don't compromise the environment.
Sustainable companies are aware of the scarcity of natural resources and endeavor to ensure that our generation doesn't deplete them and that our children and grandchildren will also be able to enjoy the planet.
The aim of sustainability is to find a way to maintain our current way of life indefinitely and without depleting the planet's resources. Experts estimate that we currently need the equivalent of one and a half planets to continue living as we do. This goal is underpinned by three essential principles: environmental protection, social development, and economic growth.
Environmental protection: Again, the underlying concept here is that, as the planet's resources aren't limitless, we must protect them and use them conscientiously. Environmental protection goes hand in hand with extensive educational work to help society to be good stewards of our resources.
Social development: This principle promotes social development based on community teamwork to achieve greater cohesion in terms of education, health, gender equality, etc., and thus a satisfactory quality of life.
Economic growth: Sustainability drives economic growth and creates wealth that must be distributed intelligently. Different sectors, such as tourism, agriculture, and industry, are involved in economic development.
What are sustainable companies doing to help the environment?
Sustainable companies review and monitor several departments to reduce pollutant emissions. A sustainable company reduces CO2 emissions and avoids the excessive use of natural gas, LPG, petrol, or diesel. It also seeks alternative ways of generating electricity, such as wind farms, is conscientious with water consumption, and ensures that all its waste is well managed. It also has essential principles such as these:
In all its production and marketing decisions, it prioritizes environmental protection and non-pollution.
It follows and analyses environmental recommendations, regulatory updates, and reports from environmental specialists.
They use natural resources appropriately.
They raise awareness of the problem of pollution and environmental conservation among their employees, partners, and customers.
As a side note, it is relevant to note that some companies' current efforts are only environmental, and in some cases, they may ignore the other two principles entirely.
México and sustainable companies
According to the Latin American Leadership Agenda for Sustainability, Mexico is the most committed country to corporate sustainability in the region, followed by Argentina, Brazil, and Colombia.
The list of sustainable companies is quite extensive. Even though not all of them can claim to be totally sustainable yet (a rather difficult goal at the moment), they do show commitment and are taking their first steps towards responsible stewardship of the planet. These changes are expected to be much more evident by 2030, and the list of sustainable companies is expected to increase by at least 30%.
While it is still challenging to be fully sustainable, some smaller companies that don't yet appear in the rankings are implementing so-called green purchasing (or green procurement), i.e. offering reusable bags, chemical-free products, substituting plastics with organic waste and encouraging their customers to support campaigns to care for the planet.
The challenge and commitment to sustainability have already begun, and even though we are moving at a slow pace, each action will undoubtedly lead to new opportunities and a healthier life that's more in touch with nature.
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