- We are looking forward to Green Solutions and Energy Day this week
Every year more British companies in the renewable energy and environmental sectors come to Mexico to learn about the wide business opportunities in the region. My team of UKTI hosted 8 British companies in the UK pavilion during the GREEN Expo last week. This includes companies like Symphony Environmental Ltd. which has developed a new, cost-effective additive that makes plastic products biodegrade a short time after their useful life has come to an end. The company appointed a Mexican distributor in 2006 and Grupo Bimbo, the world’s largest bakery, is a major client. We also profiled a new and innovative design of segregated waste bins.
In addition, UK companyEnvironmental Resources Management (ERM) Ltd., the biggest environmental consulting company in the world (with a global team of over 3,300 staff), has established in Mexico in 1991 and successfully executed more than 1,600 complex and challenging environmental projects for national and multinational industries in European and Latin-American countries. Their success in Mexico was also reflected last week when regional ERM directors and I inaugurated their new offices in Mexico in a LEED-certified building to host a growing team of more than 50 people.
Why Mexico? Many reasons but primarily beacuse both Mexico and the UK share similar goals regarding sustainable development and the efficient use of energy. Mexico has plans to reduce its emissions by 50% by the year 2050 (compared to 2010 levels, which has lead to a greater interest and market opening regarding technologies, services and policies aimed towards a reduction in emissions and green house gases.
Mexico has also become an important market for sustainable products and it will probably become a new actor in the sector, as it is now a legal obligation that climate change has to be slowed down and emissions have to be reduced. Consequently, local companies are interested in knowing what UK companies have to offer. Mexico is also in a privileged geographical area in which access to a great number of renewable energy sources are available, sun in most of the country, windy conditions in certain regions, surrounded by sea and with high biomass and biogas possibilities just to mention a few, all which require access to different services to reach their fullest capabilities, which the UK can offer.
Now, we are looking forward to Energy Day (9th Oct) and Green Solutions (9-10th Oct) this week, where my Programme Team in two panels will show the results of some projects on urban development and sustainable mobility founded by the British Embassy in Mexico.
Energy Day is one of the most important events in the energy sector, which brings together the key players of the industry in Mexico. This year, the eleventh edition of the event, will be focused in analysing the progress that has been made in the sector and the challenges to move towards a sustainable development, and create recommendations of energy policy to the new Mexican government. International and local experts will discuss key topics for the industry such as regulation, the creation of new contract models and evolution of national oil companies in the world, among others.