Sonora has 33 new reasons to be proud. In May 2026, during the national gathering organized by the Mexican Center for Philanthropy (Cemefi), 33 socially responsible companies in Sonora received the ESR 2026 Distinction in the Large Companies category, as reported by the magazine Bien Informado (2026). It sounds like a corporate trophy, but scratch the surface a little and you’ll find something more interesting: to win that distinction, each of those companies had to prove, with evidence and not with speeches, that it gives something real back to its community.
In this article we explain what this recognition means, why Sonora has spent years building toward it, and why the community-engagement pillar is the one that shows up most in the daily life of Sonoran families.
The news: Sonora shows up at Mexico's biggest CSR gathering
The ESR 2026 Distinction for large companies was awarded during the Latin American Meeting of Socially Responsible Companies, where Cemefi recognized 1,093 large companies operating in the country (Corresponsables, 2026). Of that national total, 33 are from Sonora, according to the magazine Bien Informado (2026). That’s no small thing: we’re talking about a state that competes against places with far more corporate concentration, like Mexico City, Nuevo León, and Jalisco (Latam Green, 2026).
There’s local work behind the result. In Sonora, the process is supported by the Sonoran Business Foundation (FESAC), a promoting ally of the distinction before Cemefi, which over the years has helped more than a hundred Sonoran companies of every size earn the recognition (FESAC, n.d.).
What exactly does the ESR Distinction evaluate?
The ESR Distinction is neither a certification nor an audit. It’s a documented self-assessment process: the company answers a questionnaire, uploads evidence backing up each answer, and a Cemefi technical committee verifies it. Only those who exceed the minimum social responsibility index earn the distinction (FESAC, n.d.).
The evaluation focuses on four areas: quality of life within the company, business ethics, the company’s engagement with the community, and care and preservation of the environment (FESAC, n.d.). In other words, it’s not enough to treat your people well or recycle the office paper. You also have to show what you do for the community where you operate.
Sonora didn't get here out of nowhere
The 2026 result is the continuation of a streak. Back in 2024, Sonora already had 42 recognized large companies, ranking seventh nationally (ExpokNews, 2024). And there are local track records spanning a decade and a half: the Technological Institute of Sonora has accumulated 17 consecutive years with the distinction, and organizations like the agro-industrial marketer AOASS and Molymex have surpassed 13 years (Noro, 2025). The technology wholesaler CT Internacional, headquartered in Hermosillo, received it in 2026 for the fourteenth consecutive year following evaluation by Cemefi and FESAC Sonora (eSemanal, 2026).
That continuity matters because the distinction is renewed every one or two years with new evidence. A company can pose for the photo once; sustaining the commitment for 10 or 15 years is another story.
Community engagement: the pillar that demands action
Of the distinction’s four areas, community engagement is probably the most visible to people who don’t work at the company. It’s the one that answers the question any neighbor in Hermosillo, Obregón, or Nogales might ask: and what has this company done for us?
And because Cemefi’s process requires documented evidence, good intentions aren’t enough. You need programs with real beneficiaries, dates, results, and continuity. That’s where education becomes many companies’ favorite answer, because it’s measurable: how many schools, how many students, how many training hours. In our article on corporate social responsibility and education we cover cases like the Ford schools in Sonora and Grupo Bimbo’s rainwater-harvesting program.
STEAM education: community engagement you can actually measure
At Dimex Ideas we experience it up close. We’re a civil association and authorized donee in Sonora that promotes education in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM). One of our programs consists precisely of adopting public schools: for a full school year, the school receives STEAM courses and training for both students and teachers, with financial backing from companies in the region.
For a company looking to earn or renew its ESR Distinction, this kind of alliance has a practical advantage: it generates verifiable evidence for the community-engagement area, with results you can count, photograph, and document. And for the community, the benefit is direct: girls, boys, and young people in public schools who gain access to robotics, electronics, and scientific thinking without their families having to pay for it. You can see the results of this work each year at ExpoCiencias Sonora and in programs like Scientific Thinking: From Theory to Practice.
If your company wants to join in, or if as an individual you’d like to do your part, here are the donation options:
If you have already subscribed you can manage your subscription here:
Manage your DIMEX donation subscription.
You can also find all the details of the school-adoption program and the personal and corporate donations at dimexideas.com/donativos.
Is your company going for the ESR Distinction? Start today, not at the call for applications
The distinction’s calendar runs by semesters: micro, small, and medium-sized companies participate in the first half of the year, and large companies and corporations in the second (Distintivo ESR, 2026). But the evidence isn’t manufactured in the final month. If your company wants to appear on next year’s list, the best time to launch a community program with documentable results is now.
The 33 Sonoran companies proudly displaying their ESR 2026 Distinction today all started the same way: with a first concrete decision. Adopting a public school and giving it a full cycle of STEAM education is one of the most well-rounded decisions there is: it benefits the community, it documents itself, and it leaves a mark on the next generation of Sonoran talent. Write to us on WhatsApp or learn more about us at dimexideas.com/acerca.
References
Corresponsables. (2026, 18 de mayo). Cemefi reconocerá a 1,093 grandes empresas con el Distintivo ESR 2026 y promoverá una cultura empresarial más responsable en México. https://www.corresponsables.com/mx/ods-9-industria-innovacion-e-infraestructura/cemefi-reconocera-a-1093-grandes-empresas-con-el-distintivo-esr-2026-y-promovera-una-cultura-empresarial-mas-responsable-en-mexico/
Distintivo ESR. (2026). Página informativa sobre el proceso de obtención del Distintivo ESR 2026. https://distintivoesr.com.mx/
eSemanal. (2026, 27 de febrero). Distintivo ESR se mantiene en CT Internacional tras evaluación de Cemefi y FESAC Sonora. https://esemanal.mx/2026/02/distintivo-esr-se-mantiene-en-ct-internacional-tras-evaluacion-de-cemefi-y-fesac-sonora/
ExpokNews. (2024, 23 de mayo). Cemefi entregó el Distintivo ESR a 1,035 empresas grandes. https://www.expoknews.com/cemefi-entrego-el-distintivo-esr-a-1035-empresas-grandes/
Fundación del Empresariado Sonorense (FESAC). (s.f.). ESR: ¿Qué es una Empresa Socialmente Responsable?https://www.fesac.org/esr/
Revista Bien Informado. (2026, mayo). Sonora fortalece su compromiso con la responsabilidad social: 33 empresas reciben el Distintivo ESR 2026 [Publicación de Facebook]. https://www.facebook.com/RevistaBienInformadoSonora/posts/sonora-fortalece-su-compromiso-con-la-responsabilidad-social-33-empresas-reciben/1596865795778840/
Vilela, A. (2026, 6 de marzo). CEMEFI da a conocer la lista de Empresas Socialmente Responsables de México 2026. Latam Green. https://latam-green.com/cemefi-empresas-socialmente-responsables-mexico/
