In conversation with Cristina Contreras, CEO, Sinfranova

As climate change and rapid urbanization converge, sustainable and resilient infrastructure has become vital to economic stability and community well-being. Yet, achieving this requires coordinated action across governments, developers, financiers, and standards bodies.

In this conversation, Cristina Contreras, Founder and CEO of Sinfranova, reflects on the evolution of sustainable infrastructure, the challenges that remain, and the strategies driving high-impact projects. At the heart of Sinfranova’s work is bridging research and practice to help governments, developers, and investors deliver resilient, inclusive, and future-ready infrastructure.

1. How would you describe Sinfranova’s core mission and areas of expertise, and in which regions are you currently most active?

Sinfranova is a boutique consulting firm operating at the intersection of research and practice, with a mission to strengthen sustainable and resilient infrastructure worldwide. 

“While project developers, investors, and governments are increasingly interested in sustainability and resilience, the sector often faces capacity gaps, fragmented understanding, and weak policy frameworks, which translates into sending  mixed signals to the market and creating confusion.”

To address these challenges, Sinfranova focuses on strengthening policy and institutional frameworks, improving engineering solutions at the project level, and building capacity among stakeholders. Our clients include national governments, multilateral development banks, international institutions like the UN and GIZ, project developers, investment groups, professional associations, and standards bodies.

Sinfranova has been active primarily in Latin America—Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Brazil—while also engaging in Europe and, more recently, Africa, reflecting the global demand for sustainable infrastructure advisory services.

2. How has the demand for sustainable and resilient infrastructure advisory services evolved globally and regionally, and what trends have you observed in markets like Latin America over the past decade?

Over the past decade, demand for sustainable and resilient infrastructure advisory services has grown substantially, with some notable regional differences. In Latin America, for example, some of these include:

• Shift from aspiration to practice: Sustainability has moved from being a conceptual goal to a practical, integrated part of infrastructure projects.
  
• Technical capabilities: Countries in the region leverage strong technical expertise, enabling them to overcome challenges common in developing economies, such as outdated infrastructure or rigid policy frameworks.
  
• Private sector investment: Investment from the private sector continues to drive implementation, signaling that sustainability is increasingly linked to financial viability.
  
• Policy support: Governments are introducing green taxonomies and fiscal incentives to reward projects that demonstrate measurable sustainability outcomes.

These trends indicate a maturing market where sustainability is no longer optional but instrumental to the long-term success of infrastructure projects.

3. How has the infrastructure market evolved over the years in terms of sustainability and resilience, and what key drivers are shaping investment and development priorities?

“Sustainability and resilience have shifted from being optional features to becoming central to planning, financing, and executing infrastructure projects.”

Initially, the concept of sustainable infrastructure lacked a clear, standardized definition, and different stakeholders approached it from their own perspectives: technical professionals treated sustainability as a feature of high-quality projects, policymakers saw it as a tool to meet national commitments, and investors considered it a way to mitigate risks and enhance long-term asset value.

Key drivers shaping investment and development priorities include:

• Increased exposure to extreme weather events making resilience critical for asset valuation.
  
• Policies transitioning from voluntary guidelines to regulatory requirements.
  
• Standardized frameworks, such as the FAST-Infra Label, improving alignment across stakeholders and enhancing market confidence.
  
• Financial incentives, including reduced insurance costs and higher valuations for resilient and sustainable projects.
  
• Insurance sector raising the bar on climate risk assessment, directly influencing project feasibility.

Resilience is now a core consideration rather than a “nice-to-have.” Future projects will increasingly emphasize climate adaptation and mitigation strategies beyond emission reduction, periodic reporting to track evolving risks, and tech-driven, AI-enabled decision-making to stress-test infrastructure. Ongoing investment in these areas is essential to ensure projects remain robust, investible, and fit for the long term.

4. What are the main challenges still hindering the integration of sustainability and resilience in infrastructure, and how can stakeholders effectively address them?

Despite significant progress, embedding sustainability and resilience into infrastructure remains challenging. Access to reliable data is a persistent barrier. While numerous tools and frameworks exist to measure performance, data is often fragmented, difficult to access, or highly context-specific, particularly in relation to resilience. Governance and institutional support also pose hurdles: meaningful integration requires consistent, long-term policies and strategies, yet many efforts remain short-term, project-based, or poorly articulated.

Different stakeholders have distinct roles to play in overcoming these gaps. Governments can provide direction by articulating long-term sustainability visions aligned with climate and biodiversity goals, embedding them into robust policy frameworks, and ensuring compliance. Developers should move beyond one-size-fits-all models and instead, tailor solutions to local conditions, build internal expertise, and harness existing tools. Financiers can accelerate progress by channeling finance toward resilient projects and linking investments to measurable outcomes.

Wider adoption of frameworks like the FAST-Infra Label can make a significant difference. By providing a structured way to collect, centralize, and communicate project-level sustainability and resilience data, such tools increase transparency, build trust, and reduce risk. This strengthens investor confidence and helps mobilize greater capital flows toward truly sustainable and resilient infrastructure.

5. What are the most important first steps an infrastructure player should take when beginning to align with sustainability goals?

For organizations starting their sustainability journey,

• Begin with small, achievable actions to create immediate impact.
• Set measurable targets aligned with global standards.
• Embed sustainability considerations into core decision-making processes.
• Engage stakeholders early to ensure alignment and support.
• Build internal capacity to implement and manage sustainability initiatives.
• Track progress with transparent metrics to ensure continuous improvement and credibility.

These efforts can be implemented incrementally, depending on the organization’s readiness and ambition, ensuring credibility and sustainable growth over time.

6. What is Sinfranova’s vision for advancing resilient, high-impact projects over the next decade?

Looking ahead, Sinfranova envisions a future where technology and AI will streamline reporting, standardize data, and embed sustainability and resilience as core aspects of project planning and execution. By prioritizing climate resilience, raising investment standards and encouraging early adoption, the firm aims to support infrastructure that is not only financially viable but also durable and beneficial to communities and the environment. Those who embrace these practices today will set the foundation and influence  the next generation of resilient, high-impact infrastructure.