Sostenibilidad exportadora en México: diversificación verde y complejidad económica

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21919/remef.v21i4.1317

Keywords:

Green economy, economic complexity, relatedness, Corporate diversification, corporate sustainability

Abstract

Sustainable Exports in Mexico: Green diversification and economic complexity

 

The objective of this study is to identify opportunities for export diversification toward products with environmental benefits in Mexico, contributing to a transition toward a green economy. The methodology is based on the Economic Complexity framework, using indicators such as average exports, revealed comparative advantage, total relatedness, income level associated with products, emission intensity, and product-level GINI inequality. The results identify 57 green products with high potential for the country, grouped according to their feasibility and estimated return. It is recommended that this portfolio be used as input for industrial and trade policy strategies aimed at sustainable exports. Among the limitations are the availability and disaggregation of environmental and social data at the product level. This research is original in its integration of economic, social, and environmental indicators within the analytical framework of economic complexity, broadening its interpretive potential. 

Author Biographies

María Guadalupe Montiel-Hernández, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo

Doctorante en Ciencias Económico Administrativas y maestra en Administración por la Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo. Su investigación se centra en complejidad económica, sostenibilidad y economía verde. Se desempeña como profesor por asignatura a nivel medio superior y superior. Ha participado como ponente en diferentes foros y congresos nacionales e internacionales. Fungió como coautora en una investigación para el Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo. UAEH

Carla Carolina Pérez-Hernández, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo

profesora de oficio + investigadora profesional. Doctora en Ciencias Económico Administrativas por la Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro. Ha realizado estancias de investigación en el Institut de Socio-Économie des Entreprises et des Organisations (ISEOR) en Lyon, Francia y en la Universidad de Almería, España; ésta última dentro del Programa de Intercambio Internacional de Personal Investigador (IRSES) - Marie Curie de la Comisión Europea. Ha trabajado como consultora externa del Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID) como líder-responsable técnica.

Fernando Gómez-Zaldívar, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Escuela de Ciencias Sociales y Gobierno

Doctor en Política Pública por el Tecnológico de Monterrey. Es miembro del Sistema Nacional de Investigadores (SNI) en México. Su principal línea de investigación se centra en el uso de los principios y herramientas de complejidad económica para el diseño de políticas de desarrollo productivo adaptadas a cada región.

Actualmente es profesor de la Escuela de Gobierno y Transformación Pública e investigador del Laboratorio de Desarrollo Regional, donde colabora con gobiernos e industrias en el diseño e implementación de planes de desarrollo productivo en México y Latinoamérica.

Manuel Gómez-Zaldívar, Universidad de Guanajuato

  • Doctor en Economía, Universidad Estatal de Arizona, Tempe, AZ, EE.UU. junio 2003

  • Maestro en Economía, Universidad Estatal de Arizona, Tempe, AZ, EE.UU. enero 2000

  • Licenciado en Economía, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, N.L., México diciembre 1998

References

Alshamsi, A., Pinheiro, F. L., & Hidalgo, C. A. (2018). Optimal diversification strategies in the networks of related products and of related research areas. Nature Communications, 9, 1328. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-03740-9

Andres, P., & Mealy, P. (2023). Green Transition Navigator. https://green-transition-navigator.org/

Andres, P., Mealy, P., Handler, N., & Fankhauser, S. (2023). Stranded nations? Transition risks and opportunities towards a clean economy. Environmental Research Letters, 18(4), 045004. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/acc347

Balassa, B. (1965). Trade liberalisation and “revealed” comparative advantage. The Manchester School, 33(2), 99–123. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9957.1965.tb00050.x

Balland, P.-A., Boschma, R., Crespo, J., & Rigby, D. L. (2019). Smart specialization policy in the European Union: Relatedness, knowledge complexity and regional diversification. Regional Studies, 53(9), 1252–1268. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2018.1437900

Balland, P.-A., Broekel, T., Diodato, D., Giuliani, E., Hausmann, R., O’Clery, N., & Rigby, D. (2022). The new paradigm of economic complexity. Research Policy, 51(3), 104450. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2021.104450

Barrios, D., Ramos, J., Tapia, J., Grisanti, A., & Morales, J. R. (2018). Baja California: Reporte de complejidad económica.

Belmartino, A. (2022). Green & non-green relatedness: Challenges and diversification opportunities for regional economies in Argentina (GSSI Discussion Paper Series in Regional Science & Economic Geography No. 2022-3).

Boschma, R. (2017). Relatedness as driver of regional diversification: A research agenda. Regional Studies, 51(3), 351–364. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2016.1254767

Boschma, R., & Frenken, K. (2011). The emerging empirics of evolutionary economic geography. Journal of Economic Geography, 11(2), 295–307. https://doi.org/10.1093/jeg/lbq053

Boschma, R., Minondo, A., & Navarro, M. (2013). The emergence of new industries at the regional level in Spain: A proximity approach based on product relatedness. Economic Geography, 89(1), 29–51. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1944-8287.2012.01170.x

Castañeda, G. (2018). Complejidad económica, estructuras productivas regionales y política industrial. Revista de Economía Mexicana. Anuario UNAM, 3, 144–206.

Chávez, J. C., Mosqueda, M. T., & Gómez-Zaldívar, M. (2017). Economic complexity and regional growth performance: Evidence from the Mexican economy. Review of Regional Studies, 47(2), 201–219. https://doi.org/10.52324/001c.8023

Comisión Nacional del Agua. (2022). Estadísticas del agua en México 2021.

Cooke, P. (2010). Regional innovation systems: Development opportunities from the ‘green turn’. Technology Analysis & Strategic Management, 22(7), 831–844. https://doi.org/10.1080/09537325.2010.511156

Cortinovis, N., Zhang, D., & Boschma, R. (2024). Regional diversification and intra-regional wage inequality in the Netherlands. Regional Studies, 58(12), 2292–2306. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2024.2319339

Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. (2019). Estudio económico de América Latina y el Caribe 2019: El nuevo contexto financiero mundial: Efectos y mecanismos de transmisión en la región.

Gaulier, G., & Zignago, S. (2010). BACI: International trade database at the product-level (the 1994–2007 version). CEPII Working Paper.

Gómez Zaldívar, F., Molina, E., Flores, M., & Gómez Zaldívar, M. de J. (2019). Complejidad económica de las Zonas Económicas Especiales en México: Oportunidades de diversificación y sofisticación industrial. Ensayos Revista de Economía, 38(1), 1–40. https://doi.org/10.29105/ensayos38.1-1

González Sierra, J. A., Pérez Hernández, C. C., & Mendoza Moheno, J. (2023). Inclusión financiera y complejidad económica en México. Revista Mexicana de Economía y Finanzas Nueva Época, 18(2), e760, 1–25. https://doi.org/10.21919/remef.v18i2.760

Growth Lab. (2024). The Atlas of Economic Complexity. Harvard University. https://atlas.cid.harvard.edu/

Hartmann, D., Bezerra, M., & Pinheiro, F. L. (2019). Identifying smart strategies for economic diversification and inclusive growth in developing economies: The case of Paraguay. SSRN. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3346790

Hartmann, D., Guevara, M. R., Jara-Figueroa, C., Aristarán, M., & Hidalgo, C. A. (2017). Linking economic complexity, institutions, and income inequality. World Development, 93, 75–93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2016.12.020

Hausmann, R. (2022). Green growth opportunities.

Hausmann, R., Cheston, T., & Santos, M. A. (2015). La complejidad económica de Chiapas: Análisis de capacidades y posibilidades de diversificación productiva.

Hausmann, R., Hwang, J., & Rodrik, D. (2007). What you export matters. Journal of Economic Growth, 12(1), 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10887-006-9009-4

Hidalgo, C. A. (2018). From useless to keystone. Nature Physics, 14, 9–10. https://doi.org/10.1038/nphys4337

Hidalgo, C. A. (2021). Economic complexity theory and applications. Nature Reviews Physics, 3(2), 92–113. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42254-020-00275-1

Hidalgo, C. A. (2022). The policy implications of economic complexity [Preprint]. arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2205.02164

Hidalgo, C. A. (2023). The policy implications of economic complexity. Research Policy, 52(9), 104863. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2023.104863

Hidalgo, C. A., & Hausmann, R. (2009). The building blocks of economic complexity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 106(26), 10570–10575. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0900943106

Hidalgo, C. A., Klinger, B., Barabási, A.-L., & Hausmann, R. (2007). The product space conditions the development of nations. Science, 317(5837), 482–487. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1144581

Instituto Nacional de Ecología y Cambio Climático. (2022). Calidad del aire. https://cambioclimatico.gob.mx/estadosymunicipios/Aire.html

Kautish, P., & Sharma, R. (2019). Value orientation, green attitude and green behavioral intentions: An empirical investigation among young consumers. Young Consumers, 20(4), 338–358. https://doi.org/10.1108/YC-11-2018-0881

Mealy, P., & Teytelboym, A. (2022). Economic complexity and the green economy. Research Policy, 51(8), 103948. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2020.103948

Neffke, F., Henning, M., & Boschma, R. (2011). How do regions diversify over time? Industry relatedness and the development of new growth paths in regions. Economic Geography, 87(3), 237–265. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1944-8287.2011.01121.x

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2021). OECD policy responses to coronavirus (COVID-19). https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/oecd-policy-responses-to-coronavirus-covid-19_5b0fd8cd-en.html

Observatory of Economic Complexity. (2022). Methods. https://oec.world/es/resources/methods#economic-complexity

Observatory of Economic Complexity. (2024). Mexico (MEX): Exports, imports, and trade partners. https://oec.world/es/profile/country/mex

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (1999). Future liberalisation of trade in environmental goods and services: Ensuring environmental protection as well as economic benefits.

Pérez-Hernández, C. C. (2022). Complejidad económica y economía verde en México: Buscando nuevos caminos para la sustentabilidad.

Pérez-Hernández, C. C., Montiel-Hernández, M. G., & Salazar-Hernández, B. C. (2025). Unlocking green export opportunities: Empirical insights from Southern Cone economies. Sustainability, 17(5), 2257. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17052257

Pérez-Hernández, C. C., Salazar-Hernández, B. C., Mendoza-Moheno, J., Cruz-Coria, E., & Hernández-Calzada, M. A. (2021). Mapping the green product-space in Mexico: From capabilities to green opportunities. Sustainability, 13(2), 945. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13020945

Pinheiro, F. L., Hartmann, D., Boschma, R., & Hidalgo, C. A. (2022). The time and frequency of unrelated diversification. Research Policy, 51(8), 104323. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2021.104323

Rigby, D. L. (2012). The geography of knowledge relatedness and technological diversification in U.S. cities.

Rigby, D. L., Roesler, C., Kogler, D., Boschma, R., & Balland, P.-A. (2022). Do EU regions benefit from Smart Specialisation principles? Regional Studies, 56(12), 2058–2073. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2022.2032628

Romero, J. P., & Gramkow, C. (2021). Economic complexity and greenhouse gas emissions. World Development, 139, 105317. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.105317

Teece, D. J., Pisano, G., & Shuen, A. (1997). Dynamic capabilities and strategic management. Strategic Management Journal, 18(7), 509–533. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0266(199708)18:7%3C509::AID-SMJ882%3E3.0.CO;2-Z

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. (2022, December 13). Global trade update: December 2022. https://unctad.org/publication/global-trade-update-december-2022

United Nations Environment Programme. (2023). Green economy. http://www.unep.org/regions/asia-and-pacific/regional-initiatives/supporting-resource-efficiency/green-economy

United Nations Statistics Division. (2024). Classifications on economic statistics. https://unstats.un.org/unsd/classifications/Econ#Correspondences

World Bank. (2024). World Bank Open Data. https://data.worldbank.org/

Downloads

Published

2026-09-17

Issue

Vol. 21 No. 4: October - December 2026

Section

Research and Review Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Revista Mexicana de Economía y Finanzas Nueva Época REMEF

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Todos los Derechos Reservados © 2019 IMEF | Aviso de Privacidad IMEF | Información Legal

Licencia de Creative Commons
Este obra está bajo una licencia de Creative Commons Reconocimiento-NoComercial 4.0 Internacional.