Mexican Humanism and the New Industrial Era
The administration of President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo has outlined the “Second Floor of the Fourth Transformation” based on the principles of Mexican humanism, which prioritizes social welfare and national sovereignty. In this context, the Plan México emerged, presented by the President on January 13, 2025, a strategy for equitable and sustainable economic development aimed at positioning the country as the world’s tenth-largest economy by 2030. The mining industry, a cornerstone of the national economy contributing nearly 3% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), lies at the heart of this reconfiguration.
For mining companies, adopting these new pillars is not merely a matter of legal compliance but a strategic business decision. By aligning with these policies, companies secure their social license to operate, gain access to tax incentives, and integrate into high-tech value chains, ensuring their viability in a geopolitical environment that demands critical minerals and responsible processes.
Background: Plan México as the Engine of Industrial and Sovereign Transformation
The emergence of the current mining policy is not an isolated event but a fundamental component of Plan México, the long-term economic development strategy presented by Mexico’s President. This initiative stems from the pressing need to bolster national sovereignty by reducing reliance on foreign suppliers -particularly from Asia- for products and inputs that the country is capable of producing domestically. As defined by Secretary of Economy Marcelo Ebrard, Plan México serves as the “roadmap” guiding the nation toward a new era of industrial consolidation and social welfare.
Plan México is grounded in the principles of Mexican humanism, which posits that economic growth is meaningless unless it translates into well-being for individuals and social justice. This model, termed “Shared Prosperity,” requires industrial development to advance in close harmony with environmental protection and natural resource conservation.
In addition, the plan sets ambitious targets that redefine the relationship between the State and the private sector, including:
a) Productive Investment: Raise the investment-to-GDP ratio above 25%, achieving an initial portfolio of USD 277 billion across nearly 2,000 projects.
b) National Content: Ensure that 50 % of procurement and national consumption in strategic sectors is “Made in Mexico,” substituting Asian imports with local inputs.
c) Relocalization and Welfare Poles: Promote the creation of 100 industrial parks and 12 “Welfare Poles”, strategic areas designed to foster regional development based on each territory’s resources and vocations.
Link to Mining and the New Pillars
Mining is identified in Plan México as the “foundation of the economy,” essential for safeguarding the country’s energy and industrial self-sufficiency. Secretary Marcelo Ebrard has emphasized that Mexico must be proactive in preventing vulnerabilities in the supply of critical minerals. Accordingly, the five new pillars of mining policy (water regulation, forest sustainability, educational innovation, TSM standards, and national content) derive directly from Plan México’s commitments to environmental sustainability and technological sovereignty.
Adopting these pillars enables mining companies to align with the Relocalization Decree, which provides benefits such as accelerated depreciation of new investments and additional deductions for worker training in partnership with research institutions. In this way, Plan México not only sets the rules for socially responsible mining but…
I. Water as a Human Right: New Regulation and Water Responsibility
This first pillar is embodied in the National Water Plan 2024-2030 and the National Agreement on the Human Right to Water and Sustainability. The goal is to transition to a model where water is managed as a national and public good, ensuring sufficient quantity and quality for human consumption rather than treating it as a commercial resource.
Recent amendments to the National Waters Law and the publication of the new General Water Law introduce the concept of water responsibility. This imposes a strict obligation to measure extracted water volumes, including process water in mines.
Voluntary compliance with these parameters -such as returning unused volumes- protects companies from concession forfeiture and sanctions that could lead to permanent closure. Moreover, digitization via the “Water for Welfare” platform will streamline procedures for those demonstrating best practices.
II. Forest Sustainability: Net-Zero Deforestation by 2030
Under the Institutional Program of the National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR) (PIC) 2025-2030, Mexico has committed to halting ecosystem degradation. Mining operations must now adopt an integrated territorial management approach.
The PIC 2025-2030 establishes 166 lines of action to restore degraded ecosystems. Companies failing to mitigate their environmental impact will face weakened rule-of-law enforcement, facilitating scrutiny of unauthorized activities.
Adopting reforestation and restoration programs not only mitigates climate change but enhances operational resilience against natural disasters and strengthens ties with local communities, which hold 50.9 % of the country’s forest land under social ownership.
III. Innovation and Sovereignty: The Mexico 2025 Mining Education Committee
Established by the Secretariat of Economy, this multisectoral committee aims to transform mining from a primary activity into a knowledge- and innovation-driven industry.
Companies must partner with over 26 academic institutions to bolster dual education and professional internships. The objective is to generate Mexican patents and achieve technical self-sufficiency.
Compliance with these goals equips mining firms with highly skilled labor, reducing turnover and foreign technology dependence. It paves the way for regional leadership and competitive wages.
IV. International Standards: TSM as a Bridge to Authorities
The adoption of the “Towards Sustainable Mining” (TSM) standard by CAMIMEX and CANCHAM establishes clear indicators for reporting socio-environmental performance.
TSM is a globally recognized framework requiring external audits every three years. Meeting these parameters aligns companies with the Mexico-Canada Action Plan 2025-2026, enhancing their standing with national and international authorities.
It improves transparency and stakeholder communication channels, serving as a reputational shield and facilitating access to international capital that demands ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) criteria.
V. FIFOMI and Its Importance for Mining Projects in Mexico
The Mining Development Trust (FIFOMI) is a development bank classified as a public trust within Mexico’s financial system, with the Secretariat of Finance and Public Credit as settlor, Nacional Financiera as trustee, and regulation by the National Banking and Securities Commission.
Starting December 1, 2024, under the institution’s new administration, FIFOMI has charted a renewed course—stronger than ever, with refreshed structures and accumulated expertise, poised to continue driving mining development in Mexico, particularly in small- and medium-scale sectors, while positioning itself as a reliable ally to producers and concession holders nationwide.
Despite inherited challenges, per Secretariat of Economy figures, it has achieved significant progress in nine months, ushering in a new phase of solidity. International rating agency Fitch Ratings upgraded the institution’s credit rating to A+ with a stable outlook, reflecting financial discipline and restored confidence. The delinquency rate dropped from 37% to 24.9%, while first-tier credit placements were reactivated, supporting a major fluorite producer in Durango and a Chihuahua-based mining safety firm.
Parallel efforts include advancing over 40 projects under analysis, signing agreements with universities to enhance youth training and small-scale mining research, and resuming a training program benefiting over 4,000 people this year. This is complemented by the early recovery of MXN 180 million from a borrower, evidencing the trust and rigor of the new administration.
In this new context, FIFOMI strategically aligns with Objective 3.10 of the National Development Plan 2025-2030, which seeks to increase national content in production chains, and with Plan México’s point 14, targeting at least 3.5% annual growth in SMEs accessing credit, so that 30% of such firms have financing by 2030. It reinforces its historic mission by directing its renewed structure toward channeling credits, training, and specialized technical assistance to small- and medium-scale mining, offering products and services such as direct credits (simple, revolving, input/advances, liability payments, and revolving current account/advances), the FIFOMI-NAFIN Productive Chains scheme for electronic factoring, as well as personalized technical advisory and in-person or virtual training in exploration, exploitation, processing, mineralization marketing, environment, and safety. These tools support mineral producers, mining industry service providers, mineral processors, distributors, and marketers of mineral-derived products, thereby strengthening the entire sector’s value chain.
Looking ahead, FIFOMI aims to consolidate as a state-owned enterprise serving national mining, with an active role in managing strategic state mining concessions, promoting beneficiation plant infrastructure to add value to minerals domestically, and bolstering an institutional framework for sector productivity reactivation. Through these axes, the Mining Development Trust projects itself as a modern, flexible instrument capable of addressing micro-, small-, and medium-scale mining needs while integrating into the sustainable economic development vision outlined by the National Development Plan 2025-2030 and Plan México.
The Value of Certainty
Adopting these five pillars -though sometimes viewed as a regulatory burden- proves an effective tool for building an ecosystem of legal certainty and operational efficiency. By subjecting business interests to these axes, mining companies ensure their longevity in a Mexico that demands profitability with responsibility.
Para las empresas mineras, adoptar estos nuevos pilares no es solo una cuestión de cumplimiento legal, sino una decisión estratégica de negocio. Al alinearse con estás políticas, las empresas aseguran su licencia social para operar, acceden a incentivos fiscales y se integran en cadenas de valor de alta tecnología, garantizando su viabilidad en un entorno geopolítico que demandas minerales críticos y procesos responsables.
Background: The Mexico Plan as an engine of industrial and sovereign transformation
El surgimiento de la actual política minera no es un hecho aislado, sino que constituye una pieza fundamental del Plan México, la estrategia de desarrollo económico de largo plazo presentada por la presidente de México. Esta iniciativa nace de la necesidad imperativa de fortalecer la soberanía nacional al reducir la dependencia de proveeduría extranjera, particularmente de Asia, en productos e insumos que el país tiene la capacidad de fabricar internamente. Bajo la definición del secretario de Economía, Marcelo Ebrard, el Plan México es la “carta de navegación” que guiará al país hacia una nueva era de consolidación industrial y bienestar social.
El Plan México se asienta sobre los principios del humanismo mexicano, el cual postula que el crecimiento económico carece de sentido si no se traduce en bienestar para las personas y justicia social. Este modelo, denominado “Prosperidad Compartida”, exige que el desarrollo industrial avance, exige que el desarrollo industrial avance en estrecha armonía con la protección del medio ambiente y los recursos naturales.
Aunado a ello, dicho plan establece metas audaces que redefinen la relación entre el Estado y el sector privado, como lo son:
a) Productive Investment: Raise the proportion of investment relative to GDP above 25 %, reaching an initial portfolio of 277 billion dollars in approximately 2,000 projects.
b) National Content: Ensure that 50% of the national supply and consumption in strategic sectors are “Made in Mexico”, replacing Asian imports with local inputs.
c) Relocation and Wellbeing Poles: Promote the creation of 100 industrial parks and 12 “Wellbeing Poles”, strategic areas designed to open up regional development according to the resources and vocations of each territory.
Link with mining and the new pillars
La minería es identificada dentro del Plan México como la “base de la economía”, siendo vital para proteger la autosuficiencia energética e industrial del país. El secretario Marcelo Ebrard ha enfatizado que el país debe ser propositivo y prevenir vulnerabilidades en cuanto al suministro de minerales críticos. En consecuencia, los cinco nuevos pilares de la política minera (regulación hídrica, sostenibilidad forestal, innovación educativa, estándares TSM y contenido nacional) se derivan directamente de los compromisos de sostenibilidad ambiental y soberanía tecnológica que exige el Plan México.
La adopción de estos pilares permite a las empresas mineras alinearse con el Decreto de Relocalización, el cual otorga beneficios como la depreciación acelerada de inversiones nuevas y deducciones adicionales por la capacitación de trabajadores en vinculación con instituciones de investigación. De esta manera, el Plan México no solo establece las reglas del juego para una minería socialmente responsable
I. Water as a Human Right: New Regulation and Water Responsibility
This first pillar is embodied in the National Water Plan 2024-2030 and the National Agreement on the Human Right to Water and Sustainability. The goal is to transition to a model where water is managed as a national and public good, ensuring sufficient quantity and quality for human consumption rather than treating it as a commercial resource.
Recent amendments to the National Waters Law and the publication of the new General Water Law introduce the concept of water responsibility. This imposes a strict obligation to measure extracted water volumes, including process water in mines.
Voluntary compliance with these parameters—such as returning unused volumes—protects companies from concession forfeiture and sanctions that could lead to permanent closure. Moreover, digitization via the “Water for Welfare” platform will streamline procedures for those demonstrating best practices.
II. Forest Sustainability: Net-Zero Deforestation by 2030
Under the Institutional Program of the National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR) (PIC) 2025-2030, Mexico has committed to halting ecosystem degradation. Mining operations must now adopt an integrated territorial management approach.
The PIC 2025-2030 establishes 166 lines of action to restore degraded ecosystems. Companies failing to mitigate their environmental impact will face weakened rule-of-law enforcement, facilitating scrutiny of unauthorized activities.
Adopting reforestation and restoration programs not only mitigates climate change but enhances operational resilience against natural disasters and strengthens ties with local communities, which hold 50.9% of the country’s forest land under social ownership.
III. Innovation and Sovereignty: The Mexico 2025 Mining Education Committee
Established by the Secretariat of Economy, this multisectoral committee aims to transform mining from a primary activity into a knowledge- and innovation-driven industry.
Companies must partner with over 26 academic institutions to bolster dual education and professional internships. The objective is to generate Mexican patents and achieve technical self-sufficiency.
Compliance with these goals equips mining firms with highly skilled labor, reducing turnover and foreign technology dependence. It paves the way for regional leadership and competitive wages.
IV. International Standards: TSM as a Bridge to Authorities
The adoption of the “Towards Sustainable Mining” (TSM) standard by CAMIMEX and CANCHAM establishes clear indicators for reporting socio-environmental performance.
TSM is a globally recognized framework requiring external audits every three years. Meeting these parameters aligns companies with the Mexico-Canada Action Plan 2025-2026, enhancing their standing with national and international authorities.
It improves transparency and stakeholder communication channels, serving as a reputational shield and facilitating access to international capital that demands ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) criteria.
V. FIFOMI and Its Importance for Mining Projects in Mexico
The Mining Development Trust (FIFOMI) is a development bank classified as a public trust within Mexico’s financial system, with the Secretariat of Finance and Public Credit as settlor, Nacional Financiera as trustee, and regulation by the National Banking and Securities Commission.
Starting December 1, 2024, under the institution’s new administration, FIFOMI has charted a renewed course—stronger than ever, with refreshed structures and accumulated expertise, poised to continue driving mining development in Mexico, particularly in small- and medium-scale sectors, while positioning itself as a reliable ally to producers and concession holders nationwide.
Despite inherited challenges, per Secretariat of Economy figures, it has achieved significant progress in nine months, ushering in a new phase of solidity. International rating agency Fitch Ratings upgraded the institution’s credit rating to A+ with a stable outlook, reflecting financial discipline and restored confidence. The delinquency rate dropped from 37% to 24.9%, while first-tier credit placements were reactivated, supporting a major fluorite producer in Durango and a Chihuahua-based mining safety firm.
Parallel efforts include advancing over 40 projects under analysis, signing agreements with universities to enhance youth training and small-scale mining research, and resuming a training program benefiting over 4,000 people this year. This is complemented by the early recovery of MXN 180 million from a borrower, evidencing the trust and rigor of the new administration.
In this new context, FIFOMI strategically aligns with Objective 3.10 of the National Development Plan 2025-2030, which seeks to increase national content in production chains, and with Plan México’s point 14, targeting at least 3.5% annual growth in SMEs accessing credit, so that 30% of such firms have financing by 2030. It reinforces its historic mission by directing its renewed structure toward channeling credits, training, and specialized technical assistance to small- and medium-scale mining, offering products and services such as direct credits (simple, revolving, input/advances, liability payments, and revolving current account/advances), the FIFOMI-NAFIN Productive Chains scheme for electronic factoring, as well as personalized technical advisory and in-person or virtual training in exploration, exploitation, processing, mineralization marketing, environment, and safety. These tools support mineral producers, mining industry service providers, mineral processors, distributors, and marketers of mineral-derived products, thereby strengthening the entire sector’s value chain.
Looking ahead, FIFOMI aims to consolidate as a state-owned enterprise serving national mining, with an active role in managing strategic state mining concessions, promoting beneficiation plant infrastructure to add value to minerals domestically, and bolstering an institutional framework for sector productivity reactivation. Through these axes, the Mining Development Trust projects itself as a modern, flexible instrument capable of addressing micro-, small-, and medium-scale mining needs while integrating into the sustainable economic development vision outlined by the National Development Plan 2025-2030 and Plan México.
The Value of Certainty
Adopting these five pillars—though sometimes viewed as a regulatory burden—proves an effective tool for building an ecosystem of legal certainty and operational efficiency. By subjecting business interests to these axes, mining companies ensure their longevity in a Mexico that demands profitability with responsibility.
[1]National Development Plan 2025-2030
[2]BBC News Mundo. “Plan Mexico: What is Claudia Sheinbaum’s ambitious project to place her country among the top 10 economies in the world?” January 15, 2025. https://www.bbc.com/mundo/articles/cre8ze0dvdno
[3]Office of the President of the Republic. Press. “President Claudia Sheinbaum presents the Mexico Plan, which includes an investment portfolio of 277 million dollars”
[4]Ministry of Economy. Press. “Mexico Bets on Mining Innovation: Ministry of Economy Establishes First Mining Education Committee 2025.”June 18, 2025. https://www.gob.mx/se/prensa/apuesta-mexico-por-la-innovacion-minera-secretaria-de-economia-instala-el-primer-comite-educativo-de-mineria-2025
Authors: Socios Joel Antonio González y Francisco Javier Andujo Tarango. Asociado Marco Antonio Perea Arias.
