The management practices that gave rise to the concept of CSR, began several decades ago, with the expansion of the activity of Multinational Corporations (MNCs); while FDI (foreign direct investment) began a process of dissemination that continues to this day and has become one of the axes of globalization. This led to a culture of productivity in which workers and companies share their progress, within a framework of flexibility, as well as respect for the law and labor practices, today it would undoubtedly be an example of CSR anywhere in the world.
The requirements of the SA 8000 standard are based on the recommendations of the International Labor Organization, the UN Declaration of Human Rights and the UN Convention on the Human Rights of the Child, among other conventions. In the field of ecology, ISO 14000, which is made up of a set of international standards that specifies the requirements to implement and assess a management system that ensures protection of the environment and prevention of pollution; Although SA 8000 and ISO 14000 are among the most important initiatives to harmonize CSR standards in the world, their coverage is still limited and there continues to be great regulatory heterogeneity in different companies and industries;while ISO 26000 on Social Responsibility opens the door to the third generation of international standards. It is intended that this standard integrate the different vectors of CSR in a single instrument
Mexico is an example of how labor and environmental issues reached the top of the international agenda. After having followed an “inward” growth model for several decades and having been an active promoter of restrictions on FDI and the free operation of MNCs, Mexico had to change the course of its economy. After opening up, trade and FDI increased significantly, and the growing relationship between the United States and Mexico evolved into a Free Trade Agreement that would enter into force on January 1, 1994; This negotiation included the fundamental concerns of CSR, although, in those documents, the term was not explicitly used.
Mexico's location as a middle-wage country in the world and its resounding failure as a “thief” of US jobs have earned it a low profile as a “target” of international CSR activists; It also appears to be the reason why SA 8000, a standard relating to working conditions, is practically not used in Mexican territory.
However, it is surprising that of the more than 100,000 plants in the world that have ISO 14000, Mexico only had 422 certified plants in 2006, according to ISO data. Mexico has participated in the consultations for the development of ISO 26000 and in the adoption of this standard it will have the opportunity to achieve the competitiveness required to expand its export presence in Europe and the Far East. Failure to do so will condemn its foreign trade to regional confinement and it is in this sense that CSR is seen as a necessary condition for the diversification of markets and the country's global competitiveness.
In my opinion, the Government, business organizations, trade unions and NGOs, supported by universities and research institutions, should promote the generation and dissemination of knowledge about the meaning of CSR and its importance for each of them. these sectors in Mexico for their global projection; regulating and randomly verifying any public information provided by companies that claim to be socially responsible.
It is necessary to promote the corporate culture and CSR at all levels of education, both public and private, and create among workers a CSR culture oriented towards productivity, equitably shared with the company, and based on flexibility and trust.
