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Nestled high in mountains of San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, 11 families in the Tzotzil Maya community of Monte Sión are the proud new owners of certified sustainable homes made with RESIN8®.

Named Lekil’Na by the community—it means “sustainable housing” in their native Tzotzil—this groundbreaking collaboration with CRDC Materials, Habitat for Humanity, Dow, and Wesco International aimed to alleviate regional housing shortages while showcasing circular economy best practices for construction that protect the environment and combat global warming.

“At CRDC Materials, we are convinced that the circular economy must also be at the service of those who need it most,” said María Laura Rojas, CEO of CRDC Materials Mexico. “This project is a firm step towards a more just and sustainable future to which we are committed, and we are proud to have been a part of making it a reality."

Supported by Wesco International and a USD 800,000 grant from Dow, homes were built with a sustainable design that earned the EDGE green building certification, an innovation of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group.

Built with energy-saving amenities like solar panels, wood-saving stones, and RESIN8® recycled-content aggregates, the 11 new homes are sustainable, affordable, and give legal certainty of ownership to the families moving into them. All phases of the project, from design creation to construction, were carried out with full participation from the community and future homeowners. In total, 42 people will benefit, including 23 minors and 19 adults.

Achieving EDGE certification for a social housing project is a significant milestone for advocates of climate adaptation and housing equity in Mexico, said David Domínguez, Director of 3Lotus Consulting, which donated services to facilitate and achieve the project’s EDGE certification.

"We are demonstrating that it is viable to build with quality, energy efficiency, and environmental responsibility in all segments," Domínguez said.

Supporting communities with social housing that meets international standards of sustainability, efficiency, and well-being was a key objective of the project for Habitat for Humanity Mexico (HFHM), said Vania Monterrubio, HFHM Director of Resource Development and Alliances.

“At Habitat for Humanity, we know that adequate housingis a human right that opens the opportunity for access to other rights, such asaccess to water and sanitation,” Monterrubio said. "Lekil’Nareflects our mission to work with and for communities, ensuring thatsustainability and constructive quality become an accessible reality for allpeople, including families and communities in situations of social inequalityin our country."

A key component of the project’s circular materials strategy was the integration of RESIN8®, a construction-grade aggregate engineered from discarded plastics by CRDC Materials.

In this case, concrete masonry units (CMU) manufactured by Adoblocks® of Chiapas integrated RESIN8® manufactured from used silicone cartridges collected and diverted from landfill by Dow.  

Blocks for each house incorporated approximately 232 kilograms of RESIN8®, facilitating the circular reuse of 2.3 tons of plastic in all.

Repurposing used plastics into high-quality building materials is a proven strategy to reduce the climate footprint of construction, an industry responsible for an estimated 40% of global carbon emissions.

Certification by EDGE—an acronym for Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies—contributes to combating climate change by promoting resource efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the built environment. It achieves this by encouraging the adoption of sustainable building practices that focus on energy and water conservation, as well as the use of eco-friendly materials. By minimizing a building's environmental impact, EDGE-certified developments help limit global temperature rise and contribute to a more sustainable future.

This is second time a Habitat for Humanity housing development used RESIN8™ and received an EDGE certification. The first was Valle Azul, a community of 102 homes constructed in Costa Rica in 2021.

“We are absolutely thrilled to see another project utilizing RESIN8® achieve EDGE certification," said Rojas of CRDC Materials. "This recognition is a powerful testament to how RESIN8® can contribute to truly sustainable construction. Having an EDGE-certified project showcases RESIN8®'s role in supporting a circular economy and building a more environmentally responsible future, for all people.”

3Lotus Consulting donated the EDGE consultancy and EDGE Auditor services to achieve the EDGE green building certification and Green Building Certifications Inc. (GBCI) Mexico contributed to support the certification process.

"We are proud to be part of an initiative that puts people and the planet at the center," said Rebeca Ortiz, representative of GBCI Mexico. “This project shows that the transformation of the housing sector towards more sustainable models is possible today.”

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More about Lekil'Na:

* Housing for the Tzotzil Community in Chiapas (July 29, 2025)

* Wesco International Supports Eco-Friendly Homebuilding in Mexico (December 10, 2024)

* Habitat for Humanity and CRDC Mexico join forces to build Sustainable Housing (February 9, 2023)

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