Private Sector Center
for Sustainable Development Studies
(CESPEDES - Centro de Estudios del Sector Privado para el Desarrollo Sostenible)

Business Council for Sustainable Development - Mexico

(BCSD-Mexico)

CESPEDES was established in 1994 by a group of Mexican businessmen as a forum for analysis on sustainable development. Its aim is to promote actions favoring a more environment-friendly industrial activity that benefits both business and society. CESPEDES is one of the four research centers of the Coordinating Business Council (CCE - Consejo Coordinador Empresarial).

Starting in January 1997, CESPEDES was integrated into the Latin American network as Mexican council.

Activities

• International Forums. CESPEDES was designated as coordinator of a national effort to formulate Mexico's position at the Framework Conference on Climatic Change. This implies reaching a position of consensus that is also recognized and accepted by the international community.
  
  
• Incentives and stimuli. CESPEDES seeks to participate actively in the definition of national and international environmental policy instruments and dispositions (within the framework of NAFTA) as a representative of the business sector.
  
  Another specific project of CESPEDES on this topic is to promote the stimuli and incentives (economic, technological, or new plans for environmental regulation) that facilitate the action of Mexican businesses towards sustainable development. Proposals are being generated from the 6 plenary meetings held throughout 1996. In the near future, the viability of each of these will be studied in order to nitiate negotiations with the Ministry of the Environment, Natural Resources and Fisheries (SEMARNAP) of the Mexican government.
  
  The task force on investment was one of CESPEDES's priorities since this issue is considered to be focal point for Mexico's progress towards sustainable development. The purpose of this task force is to identify bottlenecks and obstacles that condition private investment in sustainable development, and recommend solutions. The task force on investment comprises seven groups that work on investment opportunities for water management, air, energy, solid waste, ecotourism and forestry.
  
  
• Laws and Regulations. CESPEDES coordinates the business representation in the formulation of regulations derived from the General Law of Ecological Equilibrium and Environmental Protection.
  
  
• Promotion of training. CESPEDES supports other business organizations in the development of concrete actions for training at a nation-wide level. The objective is to sensitize businessmen importance and need of having and using environmental management systems, and to act in favor of sustainable development.
  
  
• Protected Areas. In coordination with the Commission for Environmental Cooperation of the NAFTA, CESPEDES works to identify the opportunities and goals for the private sector in activities related to the country's protected wilderness areas.
  
  CESPEDES participates actively as a representative of the private sector in the definition of national and international policies on Protected Wilderness Areas.
  
  
• Dissemination. CESPEDES seeks to facilitate access for Mexican businesses to global markets, while deploying nationally and internationally their efforts in favor of environmental protection and sustainable development. This is achieved through mediums that include the production of a magazine (CESPEDES), bulletins and informative publications, as well as the creation of a home page on the internet.

Members

Héctor Larios Santillán - Consejo Coordinador Empresarial
Alonso Ancira Elizondo - Altos Hornos de México, S.A. de C.V.
Carlos Abascal Carranza - COPARMEX
Manuel Arango Arias - Concord, S.A. de C.V.
Armando Araujo Montaño - CONCANACO
Antonio Ariza Alduncín - Industrias Vinícolas Pedro Domeq, S.A. de C.V.
Francisco R. Calderón - Consejo Coordinador Empresarial
Javier Cantú Charles - Controladora Comercial Mexicana, S.A. de C.V.
Emilio Carrillo Gamboa - Bufete Carrillo Gamboa, S.A.
Santiago Castro O. - Compañía Nestlé, S.A. de C.V.
Manuel Castro Sánchez - Consejo Nacional Agropecuario
Alfonso Castro Toledo - AMIS
Eugenio Clariond Reyes - Grupo IMSA, S.A. de C.V.
Víctor Manuel Díaz Romero - CONCAMIN
Manuel Fernández Rodríguez - Parque Reforma, S.A. de C.V.
Pierre A. Froidevaux - Cementos Apasco, S.A. de C.V.
Armando García Segovia - CEMEX
Armando Garza Sada - Sigma Alimentos Corporativos, S.A. de C.V.
Claudio X. González - Consejo Mexicano de Hombres de Negocios
Tomás González Sada - Grupo CYDSA, S.A. de C.V.
Carlos Gutiérrez Ruiz - CANACINTRA
Julio Gutiérrez Trujillo - CONDUMEX, S.A.
Roberto Hernández Ramírez - BANAMEX
Rubén Kraiem - Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison
Ángel Lozada Gómez - Grupo Gigante, S.A. de C.V.
Raúl Muñoz Leos - Dupont, S.A. de C.V.
Ramón Pérez Gil Salcido - CESPEDES
Manuel Robleda González de Castilla - Asociación Mexicana de Intermediarios Bursátiles
Andrés M. Sada - Grupo CYDSA, S.A. de C.V.
José Alfredo Santos Asseo - CANACO
Clemente Serna Alvear - Radio Programas de México
Lorenzo Servitje - Grupo Industrial Bimbo, S.A. de C.V.
Víctor Urquidi - El Colegio de México
Lorenzo H. Zambrano - Cementos Mexicanos, S.A. de C.V.

Contact
Ramón Pérez Gil
Homero 527 piso 8
Col. Chapultepec Morales
11570 México, D.F.
Tels. (52-5) 250 7755 and 250 6977 ext. 119
Fax (52-5) 545 0702
email: cespedes@laneta.apc.org