How Do Mexican B Corps Contribute to Sustainable Development Goals? Mapping Business Strategies, Roles in Sustainable Business Ecosystems, and Efforts to Solve Social Issues

ABSTRACTB Corps have emerged as a significant organizational model in developing economies, focusing on bridging governance andsocio-environmental gaps by integrating sustainability into their operations. These companies align their activities with the UnitedNations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The rise of B Corps reflects a global movement towards sustainable developmentand an increasing recognition that traditional corporate models often fail to achieve meaningful societal impact, particularly inenvironments characterized by institutional voids and regulatory uncertainty. This study aims to analyze how Mexican B Corpscontribute to the UN SDGs through an exploratory qualitative approach based on 20 semi-structured interviews with these orga-nizations. The research focuses on three main themes. (a) Strategies for incorporating social and environmental objectives: thestudy identifies mechanisms that B Corps use to integrate social and environmental goals into their products and services; thisincludes developing consumer-focused solutions, providing sustainable options for corporate clients, initiating projects that drivesocietal change, enhancing relationships with external stakeholders, and addressing public issues and regulatory challenges. (b)Stakeholder engagement through an ecosystem-oriented approach: within this framework, B Corps take on various roles, such ascapacity builders, communicators, enablers, collaborators, change-makers, and activists in their efforts to engage stakeholders. (c)B Corps address a range of social issues to advance further the UN SDGs, including climate change, labor-related challenges, lackof community involvement, inadequate education, insufficient government support, poverty, challenges in the primary sector,unsustainable consumption patterns, and fragmented efforts. The findings of this study contribute to existing research from boththeoretical and policy perspectives.