According to the 2024 Annual Report on Environmental Benefits of the National Environmental Auditing Program, 1,175 audits were conducted across the country last year. Of these, 67 were carried out in Nuevo León and 3 in San Nicolás de los Garza, one of them on Zinc Nacional. The evaluation process is conducted in cooperation between the environmental authority and local environmental protection offices. It focuses on economic sectors operating under an environmental certificate and environmental auditors, whose responsibility is to verify the status of the facilities.
Participating facilities measure and control their processes to estimate environmental benefits and report performance indicators to PROFEPA. However, some recent issues have arisen regarding the certification of companies. Why did Profepa not allow Zinc Nacional to correct deficiencies before closing it if it had a certificate? Why certify a company that then does not meet environmental standards?
Investigations by Quinto Elemento Lab and The Guardian revealed the presence of toxic substances around Zinc Nacional in San Nicolás de los Garza. This raises questions about the meaning of the Clean Industry Certificates awarded by Profepa. After certifying Zinc Nacional as "Clean Industry" in April 2024, the company was closed and sanctioned for pollution issues.
The certification of a "clean company" with a history of environmental problems raises doubts about the certification process of Profepa. How is it explained that a company with so many problems controlling its pollutants has been validated as clean? These questions prompt reflection on the effectiveness and transparency of environmental certification processes.