General Legal Counsel

Xignux

At Xignux, there is a Corporate Committee that was organized to define strategies, objectives and policies related to ESG. This Corporate Committee is comprised of the top management of Xignux and convenes every year to ensure that the Xignux companies are aligned with ESG guidelines as provided by this Committee. Furthermore, there is a Sustainability Workforce (of which I am a member) made up of different Xignux´s Directors that has as its main purpose the follow up and compliance of ESG Guidelines. This Group works hand in hand with EHS Managers of the different Xignux Companies to implement and replicate best practices.

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

Xignux Foundation is the instrument by which we contribute to the sustainable development of the communities in which we are involved. Our actions are focused on four priority areas of social investment: Energy, Nutrition, Education and Community Development. Guided by these principles, we seek out partnerships with leaders of other organizations and sectors of society to create lasting solutions that will further the common good. The volunteers of Xignux Foundation—employees and family members—invest their time, talent and resources to energize the lives of others. Visit our Media section to learn about the progress and results of our actions, which we undertake to improve the well-being of our communities.

Xignux Foundation invests in research and development projects aimed at bringing sustainable and clean energy solutions. Xignux Foundation contributes to the food security of more than 500 boys and girls.

Xignux Foundation promotes social transformation through various educational programs. Together with universities and nonprofit organizations, Xignux Foundation helps promote sustainable infrastructure. Overall, last year with the lead of Xignux Foundation, more than 24,000 hours were committed by 12,000 volunteers to carry out social programs with high impact, benefiting more than 120,000 persons.

A proper balance between professional and personal life and the improvement of the well-being of our people and their families, are fundamental goals at Xignux. The continuous accomplishment of these two goals is essential for doing our jobs well, in a pleasant, ethical and productive environment. For this reason, we created the Xignux Comprehensive Training Institute (IFIX), in which we provide various professional and human development programs for our employees and their families. Our five pillars: a) Employee Training b) Xignux Women’s Advancement c) Family Integration d) Education of Children and Youth e) Social Formation We also have an alliance with the Asociación Nacional Pro-Superación Personal, A.C. (ANSPAC) to encourage holistic education and advancement by strengthening human values.

With our Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development Model, we focus our initiatives on the following areas: Education, Nutrition, Energy and Community Development. Our employees and their families actively participate in all those areas. Moreover, said model impacts four fields of action (Ethics and values, Planet, Our people and Community).

Why are in-house lawyers well places to drive change in their organizations?

As opposed to outside counsel, in-house lawyers have a keen knowledge not only of legal matters related to their organization but also of the way day-to-day operations are run by management. The involvement of in-house lawyers in environmental compliance and matters related to actions and claims brought by different governmental authorities and third parties provide in-house lawyers with exposure and experience coupled with a deep sense to identify areas of opportunity where change is needed to comply with the vast array of environmental regulations. Furthermore, in-house lawyers do have associations and chambers where they can contact their peers in other companies to share their experiences in dealing with different situations and how they coped with them. This “sharing experience” is not only limited to environmental problem-solving issues but also includes the bigger picture of what trends companies are following in their organizational structure to comply and prevent environmental contingencies.

It is all but certain that in the near future more environmentally stringent regulations will be enacted by authorities in all levels of government (local, state and federal) to fight pollution and climate change. We strongly believe that in-house lawyers are poised in a unique position to drive change in their organization based on their legal and operative knowledge, experience and social network.

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

Understanding a “green company” as a friendly or sustainable business, in other words, as a company that conducts itself in a way that minimizes harm to the environment, what we believe has been missing in this broad definition is that the ultimate beneficiary of a “green company” is the people of the community of which this “green company” is a part of. There is a direct relationship between the actions taken by a company to be environmentally friendly and the quality of life of the people of the community of which this company is a part of. Thus, it is of the utmost importance to understand that “companies” and “people” are part of a living ecosystem called “Earth”. But it is usually forgotten that as much as “companies” and “people” are part of this ecosystem, other entities are also part of it such as oceans, rivers, forests, animals, plants and any other living organism. This living organism is also known as “Biosphere”.