CLAUT Edomex Promoting Decarbonization, Labor Standards

The automotive cluster of the State of Mexico continues to foster initiatives toward industry decarbonization and the application of the new labor standards set by the USMCA and the most recent Mexican labor reform.

"This year, we are crafting a sustainable agenda that will lead us toward a green portfolio while promoting new technologies that favor digitalization. The cluster is building its decarbonization agenda through the “Road to Decarbonization 2030” initiative, with a spirit of social entrepreneurship," said Elisa Crespo, Executive President of the CLAUT Edomex, on an interview with MBN.

Road to Industrial Decarbonization 2030 was the name of the hybrid conference organized by CLAUT Edomex, in which stakeholders from the manufacturing sector met to discuss strategies toward sustainability and labor affairs. On the latter, the cluster will work with the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) to assess the implementation of the Mexican Labor reform in the automotive sector.

"Besides the pandemic, the implementation of the USMCA has been a challenge for the automotive industry. It implies changes in the labor culture of companies. While the union-company relationship has been prioritized, freedom of affiliation to any union is not a simple process for business," said Crespo.

PADF and the cluster will conduct the three-year project in collaboration with companies and clusters present in Guanajuato and San Luis Potosi. During the first stages of the project, an assessment will be made regarding the compliance of USMCA Chapter 23, to then accompany heads of the companies in strengthening industrial relations with their employees. Finally, trainings on specific areas are to be carried out to comply with the new labor standards. INA and local ministries of labor from the three states will also take part in the project.

The Road to Decarbonization

During the same event Crespo and Clauda Avila, President of the Mexican Association of Private Industrial Parks, urged stakeholders to accelerate processes toward sustainability and decarbonization. "Each one of us ought to fight climate change by lowering greenhouse gas emissions in our plants," said Avila. "The goal is for everyone to be involved in the creation of a collective agenda to which the industry is committed. It will also invite society and academia to learn about the new public-private initiatives to align and understand the impact of a sustainable agenda," Crespo told MBN.

Other automotive experts have shared with MBN their thoughts about the importance of achieving carbon neutrality goals to achieve sustainable mobility. "At our Puebla plant in Mexico, we have a plan that will allow us to use only renewable sources of electricity in the medium term. We are still experimenting and finding out how the CO2 emissions we emit are distributed over the entire lifecycle of a car. While some processes contribute with 13 percent of emissions, others only contribute 2 percent, for example. We are working with the entire supply chain, right down to logistic partners, to ensure that everyone meets their target. It has to be handled in a holistic way," said Sussane Lehmann, Senior Director of Production at Volkswagen North America, during Mexico Automotive Summit 2021