Team Size: Four

Can you discuss your or your company’s efforts relating to renewability, sustainability, or other environmentally friendly activities?

Since our Costa Palmas development is located on the western side of the Sea of Cortez in Mexico’s Baja California Sur, our commitment to the environment is essential. We have strict policies to comply with all our environmental permits and licenses. 

In this respect, among others, as part of the environmental protection activities carried out by Costa Palmas, the Comprehensive Wildlife Management Program is being developed. This program includes various activities such as the rescue and relocation of wildlife species present in the ecosystem within the development. Measures to deter animals are implemented in construction areas to ensure their safety. Additionally, organisms are relocated to safer areas that mirror similar environmental conditions to where they were originally found. 

Consideration of soil type, humidity, temperate climate, and vegetation is essential when relocating fauna to facilitate their easy adaptation and access to food in the new location. All activities related to flora and fauna at Costa Palmas adhere to Mexico’s environmental legislation and norms, specifically the General Law of Ecological Equilibrium and Environmental Protection (LEGEEPA) and Mexican regulations. 

Likewise, Costa Palmas consistently works to protect, conserve, rescue, relocate, control, and monitor flora and fauna within the development. Furthermore, Costa Palmas is committed to supporting an established program for the protection of sea turtles. It has been a member of the Network for the Protection of Sea Turtles in the Municipality of Los Cabos, B.C.S, continuously since 2010. The commitment involves achieving the objectives of contributing to the recovery of sea turtle populations nesting on the beaches of Baja California Sur. 

In 2022, the Costa Palmas Foundation joined the Management Plan of the Sea Turtle Protection Program during the nesting season, further solidifying its commitment to sea turtle conservation.

Why are in-house lawyers well-placed to drive change in their organisations? 

In-house lawyers are essential to organisations since, at the end of the day, almost all bad and good things have a legal component, and hence, run through the legal department.  

In-house lawyers function as a mini-law firm within the company, serving the needs of other companies and departments. We create strategies that reduce negative impacts on our company and strive to enhance the efficiency of both our department and others. On the other hand, many times we find ourselves being the “villains” for saying “no” to proposed implementations, either because they do not align with the company’s principles or simply because they do not comply with the current legal framework. However, we must have sensitivity in providing alternative solutions and figuring out how to make things happen.

It can be challenging to measure a company’s track record in environmentally friendly behaviour. What, in your opinion, has mostly been missed in discussions about how green a company is?

I believe that, in general terms, many companies still lack a global culture of sustainability and environmental friendliness. The assessment of these aspects should have an impact beyond their direct operations or, at the very least, be equally prioritised, as it is often relegated to a secondary role. The world is constantly changing in environmental terms, and we need to be aware that addressing these issues is something we must attend to sooner rather than later. 

At Irongate, and consequently at Costa Palmas, through the Costa Palmas Foundation, we make a daily effort to go above and beyond in environmental matters. We have very clear guidelines regarding Transparency and Reporting, Community Engagement, and, above all, adherence to applicable environmental laws. No effort is enough, so every day we strive to keep improving.