In 1980, the ALFA Group, a Mexican conglomerate, initiated a diversification process that led to the acquisition of a cold cuts company, thus creating Sigma Alimentos. Fourteen years later, seeking to make greater use of its refrigerated supply chain, Sigma Alimentos chose to make its way into the then very competitive dairy industry. Having found that large milk producers were already committed to large dairy processing companies, Sigma Alimentos decided to launch a development program for small dairy farmers in order to ensure sufficient supply of quality milk. This case study explores how Sigma Alimentos' Fomento Lechero Program helped small suppliers to grow alongside the company. A little over 15 years since the program's inception, the case recounts how small farmers managed to overcome various challenges to grow exponentially. In addition, at the time this case was written, imported powdered milk prices had dropped considerably below fluid milk prices, thus generating the case's core dilemma: letting go or retaining small farmers that have been working alongside Sigma Alimentos for a very long time.

In 2003, the FEMSA Corporation -a Mexican company- acquired 100% of the shares of the largest franchise of the Coca-Cola system in Latin America (PANAMCO), and placed itself at the lead of the sales of carbonated beverages and other soft drinks in different countries of South America, including Colombia, which had been struggling with armed groups since the 1970s. This case explores how Coca-Cola FEMSA included different initiatives in its sustainability strategy, aimed at supporting the process of peaceful demobilization that would be carried out by the Alta Consejeria para la Reintegracion (ACR, High-Council for Reintegration) of the Colombian Government. As part of this disarmament process, the ACR offered the demobilized combatants (former combatants that had decided to lay down their arms peacefully and turn themselves in to the proper authorities) different options for social reintegration, such as financing for starting new businesses and connections with companies that could provide jobs, among other things, which were also shared with the business sector to see how it could help support the process. By August 2011, Coca-Cola FEMSA had already been collaborating with the Colombian Government for a little over three years, and had diversified its initiatives to support not only the former combatants, but also the soldiers, victims and general public affected by the conflict. Despite these multiple efforts, however, the actual impact of the company's actions on the solution of the problem of reintegrating more than 50,000 demobilized combatants was still negligible. Therefore, the ACR requested greater commitment from the company in the form of a massive campaign to broadcast the initiatives, in an attempt to motivate and increase the number of participating companies.

Starting in 1966, the Rehabilitation Institute of Puebla Civil Association (IPODERAC) has dedicated itself to providing a home and an education for children who have been abandoned in the streets of Mexico. Using an educational model based on the concept of personal development through honourable work, IPODERAC has successfully combined its desire to be financially self-sufficient with its goal of teaching educational values, responsibility and discipline to the children in its care, thus enabling them to develop a sense of belonging and some useful skills for life. This case explores the inception and the long evolution of IPODERAC's educational model, as the organization faces a constant search for production projects that will enable it to generate income. After meeting this goal, IPODERAC also faces the ongoing challenge of maintaining its business units without deviating from its institutional mission. By April 2009, IPODERAC had all but obtained self-sufficiency; however, given the national financial crisis and the emergence of the influenza A1H1 epidemic, IPODERAC's main source of income (i.e., the sale of gourmet cheeses) had suddenly diminished. This crisis affected the stability of the institution, and as a result new proposals for diversification were needed to strengthen IPODERAC's financial sustainability and to avoid similar pitfalls in the future.

In 1997, the Mexican subsidiary of the Groupe Danone, a global actor in the food industry, decided to launch a cause-related marketing campaign jointly with a civil society organization. The chosen partner was the Friendship Home (Casa de la Amistad para Ninos con Cancer, I.A.P.), an organization engaged in providing free medical treatment to low-income children suffering from cancer. Through the campaign, called "Let's Build Their Dreams," the company donated a fraction of the price of each yogurt product sold over a period of time.

Mexico City's Junior League, the Mexican chapter of Junior League International, was a civil society organization founded to promote volunteer work, women's potential, and community enhancement. Tetra Pak was the world's leader in multilayer packaging production. In the mid-1990s, parts of urban waste, such as multilayer packaging containers, were not recycled in Mexico. Every month, Mexico City alone disposed of 35 million containers of this kind, which took 35 years to disintegrate. In 1995, both organizations entered into a partnership to recycle these containers. They jointly launched a program called "Recyclable by Nature" and invited all parties benefiting from multilayer packaging to join, thus sharing the responsibility for their final disposal. The program included manufacturers, marketers, consumers, and even the local administration.

HEB, a family-owned Texan retailer, is the 12th largest supermarket chain in the United States. In expanding its operations into Mexico in 1997, the company transferred not only its products and services but also its social strategy of working with food banks. The Monterrey Food Bank (Banco de Alimentos de Monterrey), one of Caritas's social service programs, began in 1989 with the purpose of providing nutritional assistance to needy families regardless of religious affiliation. The collaboration of HEB with the Monterrey Food Bank enabled this operation to move from basic to world-class level in terms of new storage and handling facilities and administrative systems. The partners perceived significant benefits for each other and the community. Strong leadership and interpersonal relationships contributed to the development of a considerable mutual trust that has fostered a vigorous and growing partnership.