Research in Social Responsibility and Sustainability: Connecting Actions with Results

The 17th Anahuac International Congress on Social Responsibility took place over three days, bringing together specialists in the field who participated in various research roundtables, workshops, panels and keynote speeches.

Anahuac Mexico University, through its School of Social Responsibility, held the 17th International Anahuac Congress on Social Responsibility from August 28 to 30, entitled "Research in Social Responsibility and Sustainability: Connecting Actions with Results" in a mixed format, a space where the challenge of achieving goals in an increasingly dynamic and complex world was addressed.

This activity, organized with an awareness of the ever-changing environment, focused on the importance of the connection between our actions and their results, and how these can lead the way to sustainability.

With 1,168 participants, mostly from Mexico and Latin America in person, as well as remotely from Canada, the United States, Spain, Morocco, and the Philippines, the inauguration was attended by Dr. Cipriano Sánchez García, L.C, Rector of Anahuac Mexico University; Dr. Lorena Martínez Verduzco, Vice Rector of said institution; Carlos Ramos Cárdenas Artigas, Director of the School of Social Responsibility; Blanche Helene Toffel Quiñones, Director of the School of Design; and as a special guest, Edgar Báez Juárez, General Director of Centros de Reciclaje Recupera, S.A. de C.V., who gave a keynote speech entitled "Towards a new era of plastics: innovation, responsibility and a sustainable future".

During his presentation, he presented the need to transform our relationship with plastics, from their production to their post-consumer management, where innovation emerges as a central axis, proposing alternative materials and processes that minimize environmental impact, such as integrated management systems for the recovery and recycling of plastics, while positioning responsibility, both corporate and individual, as a cornerstone to ensure sustainable practices.

During the three days of the Congress, several research roundtables with 25 presentations were held under the thematic axes of Sustainability in Action: Civil Society, Community and Tourism; Innovation and Sustainability: Finance, Education and Circular Economy; University Social Responsibility: Impact and Future Perspectives; and Sustainability in Design: New Horizons and Challenges. Workshops, panels and keynote speeches were also held to enrich knowledge and promote the articulation of collective efforts to address today's challenges.
On this occasion, social responsibility was presented not only as a theoretical concept, but also as an ethical and operational imperative that allowed participants to question and explore new ways of linking research with the needs and expectations of society.

The School of Design played an active role with the panel "Sustainability in Design: New Horizons and Challenges" and the panel "From Fast Fashion to Sustainable Fashion: Challenges and New Business Opportunities", where students discussed the complex relationships between the design industry, social dynamics and sustainability. In addition, the disruptive revolution of fast fashion was discussed in the cases of Zara and Shein, as well as the exclusion of people with disabilities in fashion and entertainment.

Finally, during the presentation of the book Investigación en responsabilidad social y sostenibilidad: compromisos ante el cambio climático (Research on Social Responsibility and Sustainability: Commitments in the Face of Climate Change), coordinated by Carlos Lepe Pineda and Dr. Lorena Miranda Navarro, the papers presented at the 15th Anahuac International Congress on Social Responsibility were presented with the aim of highlighting the need to focus on the fight against climate change at a critical time for our planet and in a global context marked by growing concern about this phenomenon and its devastating effects.

As is the case every year, a special ceremony was held to present the 2024 Anahuac Awards for Social Responsibility, an award that has evolved in parallel with the School of Social Responsibility, reflecting in its design and materials the fundamental values that define the mission and vision of the School.

On this occasion, the winners were:

• Anahuac Award for Social Responsibility in the Economic Field - Fundación ProEmpleo Productivo, A.C.: Recognizes organizations that have implemented sustainable business practices that promote responsible economic growth, with special emphasis on the creation of quality jobs.
• Anahuac Award for Social Responsibility in the Social Field - Ingenio De Puga, S.A. de C.V.: Recognizes organizations that have demonstrated a deep commitment to the welfare and development of the communities in which they operate.
• Anahuac Award for Social Responsibility in the Environmental Field - Banca Financiera Comercial Hondureña, S.A.: Awarded to organizations that have shown a remarkable commitment to environmental protection, especially through their support of agricultural communities.

We cannot forget the national and international organizations and institutions that have placed their trust in the School of Social Responsibility and with whom they have been able to generate synergies over the years. On this occasion we had the support of the NFL, CARAS, Editorial Televisa, Red Bull and KidZania, who served as sponsors of the 17th Anahuac International Congress on Social Responsibility, which was created as a space of convergence for students, academics, researchers, professionals and leaders committed to building a more just and sustainable future through research and the implementation of socially responsible practices.