Sustainable Transition Depends on Industry-Startup Collaboration

Q: For almost 13 years, Cámara Verde has been connecting innovative sustainability startups with large companies across Latin America looking to reduce their environmental impact. How has its strategy evolved over that time? 

A: When we started in 2012, we followed the US Green Chamber model and focused on SMEs in Colombia. After three to four years, we realized SMEs treated sustainability mostly as a compliance issue, with no real funding for it. We then shifted to working with green startups and connecting them to big players, since for large companies sustainability was becoming a must.

We began promoting business roundtables and open innovation so startups with new technologies could reach multinationals and major domestic firms. Through our work with the World Business Council and the Global Compact in Colombia, we also saw that many companies still treated social inclusion more like philanthropy than a business model. 

By 2020, when we expanded to Mexico, we had embraced the “Quintuple Helix” approach, focusing on business, academia, government, communities, and the environment. In Colombia, NGOs and civil society were already giving legal voice to rivers, forests, and species, and that influenced how we thought about representation. In Mexico, our focus is on integration. We bring together startups, medium and large companies, and potential supply chain partners. Companies like Walmart have joined our forums and trade missions, where big firms visit startups on-site to see technologies in action. These missions do not guarantee deals, but they let companies explore, compare, and evaluate solutions. So far, at least 20 large companies have participated, and the model is helping connect innovative green solutions with corporate needs.

Q: What are the most pressing sustainability challenges for Mexican companies, and how are these different from a decade ago?

A: The biggest challenge is getting companies and their leadership teams to realize that sustainability pays off. When they integrate sustainability strategy into their overall business strategy, that is  when real change happens for both the planet and society. But without that internal realization, nothing meaningful will happen.

The challenges can be seen as a triangle: processes, strategy, and culture. Regarding processes, most companies in Mexico still lack basic systems to measure their environmental footprint, unless they have already been taxed or fined for their emissions or waste. Numerous companies can support others in tracking these impacts, just as they already track production volumes, raw materials, or payroll. But most companies are not yet doing this. This gap in processes ties back to the broader challenge of linking sustainability and business strategy. The third part of the triangle, culture, involves changing corporate culture to embed sustainability, a step that is even further behind.

Q: The Mexican Financial Reporting Standards Council (CINIF) mandates disclosure but not decarbonization. What real business incentives exist for companies to actively reduce emissions beyond compliance? 

A: The main incentive for companies is to cater their products and services to younger generations, who are more demanding. Gallup polls show that younger people are willing to pay more if companies demonstrate that they are not just avoiding harm to the environment, but are actively contributing to life continuity. Younger consumers do not always have the largest purchasing power, so the return on investment from sustainability initiatives may take time.

There are also efficiency and competitiveness gains for companies that engage in the green transition. Targeting younger generations can increase sales, and reputation benefits extend across all demographics. For example, parents like me were influenced by children’s preferences for sustainable shopping, even if it cost more. Reputation influences buying patterns.

Innovation is another key factor. Legacy technologies rarely deliver noticeable returns. But when startups introduce new ideas and models operating costs drop.

Q: What recent success stories showcase Cámara Verde’s support for Mexican clients?

A: We have a years-long collaboration with Grupo Bimbo, which has sent speakers to our events and then participated in our program to match those seeking technologies to reduce their environmental footprint with potential providers. After years of successful collaboration, Grupo Bimbo even created a venture division to not only recruit startups as vendors but also acquire them and apply their technology across the group.

We also supported Siemens Energy’s annual Energy Challenge call for proposals, targeting startups and small firms. Beyond their own labs and R&D activities, companies like Siemens Energy have a real need for startups to provide innovative solutions. We see similar examples in Colombia with companies like Ecopetrol and ISA. Both have operations across multiple countries and actively recruit startup talent. They show that regardless of scale or geographic reach, engaging with startups remains a powerful strategy for implementing sustainability innovations.

Q: Why is gender inclusion critical in Latin America’s sustainability sector, and how does Cámara Verde support it?

A: Economists have coined the term “care economy” to describe the role women play in society. We extend that concept to the care of nature. About two-thirds of the startups we supported are led by women. Some of these women start their own companies because they cannot find employment. Even large corporations hire only a tiny fraction — probably 0.01% — of professionals with sustainability credentials. Formal sustainability training does not guarantee a job, so about 80% of these young professionals choose to launch their own startups. What they often lack is business expertise, financial knowledge, and sometimes organizational or HR skills necessary to grow a startup. That is where we step in. We provide the support, guidance, and mentorship to help them scale their businesses successfully.

Q: How has Cámara Verde leveraged Indigenous practices to advance sustainable economic initiatives in Mexico and the region? 

A: While we have not done extensive work with indigenous communities in Mexico, we have conducted several initiatives in Colombia. One such example was with the Instituto SINCHI, which is a division of Colombia's Ministry of the Environment. The institute works with indigenous communities in the Amazon to turn Amazonian plants into sustainable products such as food, pharmaceuticals, beverages, textiles, and even materials for vehicle construction.

We partnered with some of the startups in the region, mentoring them and helping them secure funding to explore how to use natural resources responsibly. With support from the United Nations, particularly the UNDP, we have also been able to connect consumption centers in the United States, such as New York City, with growers and collectors in the Amazon. One case involves açai berries, which have been transformed into a superfood sold in US markets.

Q: What sustainability initiatives is Cámara Verde leading in the lead up to COP30, which will be Latin America’s first COP summit in a decade?

A: In late October, we will host Latin America Climate Week, which will stream hybrid sustainability events from 10 cities, five in Mexico and five across the rest of Latin America. The climate week will be headlined by an event in Mexico City on Oct. 10, hosted in the Executive Tower of the Ministry of Economy. The event will bring together green entrepreneurs, government officials, NGOs, corporate leaders, and academics to discuss issues including national climate action, regenerative agriculture, green tech, climate finance, and the energy transition. Those who attend the Mexico Sustainability Summit on Oct. 7 will also be able to attend our event at no extra cost. 

Other climate week events in Mexico will include half-day sessions in Queretaro and Monterrey on Oct. 14, a full-day event in Puebla, and a half-day session in Chihuahua on Oct. 16.

Q: What goals does Cámara Verde aim to achieve through these events?

A: Our goal remains to highlight success stories in the environmental space. There is a growing phenomenon called eco-anxiety. To counter that, we want to show the glass half full rather than half empty by giving visibility to proven success stories. We ask participants to share their impact metrics, explain how their solutions can be replicated, and discuss their scalability. The idea is not just to wish them well but to connect them with researchers, investors, and potential partners interested in licensing or adopting their technologies elsewhere. 

Beyond visibility, we want these organizations to benefit from what we call our five components of value. First, access to capital. Second, access to markets. Third, access to clean technologies that can complement those they already use. Fourth, access to specialized talent drawn from our network of over 300 associate consultants, a number we expect will triple once Brazil and Spain formally join the network. And finally, visibility itself, which we provide not only through in-person events but also through our social media platforms that reach close to 700,000 followers.

Q: What emerging trends are expected to shape the Mexican corporate sustainability landscape over the next three to five years?

A: Over the next three years, the main sustainability trends will center on three areas. The first is water. Over 80% of Mexico’s territory faces hydraulic stress, so water management will become increasingly critical. The second is air quality, which is directly tied to the electrification of the vehicle fleet. And the third is sustainability reporting. If reporting requirements are enforced by financial authorities and institutions, they will become a defining trend across industries.

Q: Which sectors in Mexico show the most potential for sustainable transformation, and which face the greatest hurdles?

A: The biggest opportunities are in the energy sector. Mexico’s energy matrix is still highly dependent on fossil fuels, with over 70% of the energy consumption coming from burning them. The second major area of opportunity is water. While everyone would like to have cleaner and more reliable access to water, water access remains a luxury. That means technologies that reduce water consumption, enable water recycling, and improve rainwater capture are going to present both immense challenges, but also opportunities, for Mexico’s industrial and corporate leaders. 

Q: What is Cámara Verde’s long-term vision for Mexico and Latin America in terms of corporate decarbonization, innovation, and climate leadership?

A: Our vision is threefold. First, we want to consistently grow the green footprint of the economy by reducing the carbon, hydraulic, energy, and other environmental footprints tied to production and consumption. We are committed to breaking the link between economic growth and environmental degradation. Businesses can expand as productive units or as part of a value chain without reducing environmental quality. 

Second, our vision centers on innovation. We want to be recognized as a leader in diffusing technological innovations that help green startups grow and that create positive, ideally regenerative, impacts. As an example, we developed a regenerative business thermometer based on the UN’s global biodiversity impact model, which was incubated in Montreal during the 2022 COP on biodiversity. This tool helps businesses assess and advance their contributions to regeneration.

Third, our vision is about social inclusion. In Mexico, where informality is widespread, we want companies of all sizes to grow while respecting human rights and labor laws, and actively counteracting patterns of exclusion that have historically marginalized women, Indigenous communities, and other minorities. True sustainability must be both environmental and social.