Profepa signs agreement with the Chamber of the Transformation Industry and the Institute for Environmental Protection and begins training companies to improve their environmental performance.

On December 11, the Regional Center for Environmental Prevention and Quality (CRPCA) was inaugurated in Monterrey, Nuevo León, a space designed to strengthen the technical and operational capabilities of companies in the region in terms of regulatory compliance, environmental prevention and the adoption of best practices.

As part of the opening ceremony, a collaboration agreement was signed between the Federal Attorney General's Office for Environmental Protection (Profepa), the Nuevo Leon Chamber of the Transformation Industry (Caintra) and the Institute for Environmental Protection of Nuevo Leon (IPA). The agreement will promote the training of environmental facilitators and support companies in ensuring regulatory compliance, the implementation of due diligence mechanisms, organizational control and responsible environmental management.

The event was headed by the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection, Mariana Boy, and the Undersecretary for Environmental Regulation of Semarnat, Ileana Villalobos, on behalf of the head of the agency, Alicia Bárcena. Also participating were Raúl Lozano, Nuevo León's Secretary of the Environment, Jorge Santos, President of the Nuevo León Chamber of the Transformation Industry (Caintra), and Bernardo Zambrano, President of the IPA Council, the Institute for Environmental Protection.

The new CRPCA will strategically address the environmental challenges of the Monterrey metropolitan area, one of the most important business regions in the country, characterized by intensive production processes, high energy demand and significant generation of waste and emissions. Through this Center, Profepa will promote actions focused on preventing environmental damage and improving air, water and soil quality, which will benefit the human health of the region's inhabitants.

The implementation of the CRPCA in Monterrey is part of the National Environmental Prevention Strategy promoted by Profepa to strengthen the culture of environmental legality and support companies in the transition to cleaner and more sustainable production models. With this agreement, the training program "Towards regulatory compliance and environmental prevention in companies" will begin, lasting a year and a half, through which participating facilities will develop capacities to improve their environmental performance and move towards certification under the National Environmental Audit Program (PNAA).

In her message, Attorney Mariana Boy Tamborrell emphasized that with this Center "we seek to promote that the industry joins the new environmental prevention policies, aimed at achieving greater compliance with environmental regulations, which is the first objective, and the adoption of better sustainability practices, so that production objectives are aligned with the country's commitment to protect its environment". He also highlighted the importance of the alliance with Caintra and IPA.

From CINTERMEX's Europa Hall, he added that at least 66 priority industrial facilities have been identified. "For Profepa it is essential to work in depth with these plants. From this regional center we are going to train them and accompany them through self-diagnosis tools so that they can review their environmental performance, so that they have sufficient information and can draw up a robust action plan aimed, first, at guaranteeing compliance with environmental regulations and, second, at implementing best practices in energy efficiency, waste management, water saving, and internal environmental management systems and controls".

He highlighted that 18 facilities of companies affiliated to Caintra, signed up to participate in the first phase of training at the Center, which began this very day. "These are 18 industrial facilities out of the 66 that we consider a priority to be integrated into our environmental auditing and self-regulation procedures; we started with 25% of the target facilities."

During her speech, Ileana Villalobos Estrada emphasized that "the operation of this Regional Center, together with Caintra and the IPA, is a very important step forward. This agreement and this Center reflect the commitment of the companies to comply with the law and reduce their environmental impacts. We recognize this effort and appreciate the trust to join forces with the environmental sector, especially with Profepa.

Bernardo Zambrano, Chairman of the IPA Board, said, "What we are inaugurating today is not a symbolic event; it is the beginning of a collaboration model. From the IPA, we want to invite more companies to join us. We are here to accompany them, support them and strengthen their capacities".

"This Center represents a modern, coordinated and responsible way of working together, society, business and government, for the development of Nuevo León. Today we are taking an important step towards a model where competitiveness and environmental care go hand in hand, with a shared vision, clear rules and the firm commitment of the industrial sector of Nuevo Leon to be part of the solutions," said Jorge Santos, Chairman of the Board of Caintra.

Finally, the Attorney General called on companies to strengthen their environmental commitment: "We invite industry to be proactive, to join the Program and to commit to the environment and the communities where they operate. Let us work together to make companies good neighbors, to restore environmental rights and bring environmental justice to the territories, especially to the populations that have been affected by industrial pollution processes".

The creation of the CRPCA in Monterrey consolidates the collaboration between the business, academic and governmental sectors, and represents a decisive step towards preventing environmental damage and building more favorable conditions for the region's inhabitants.