Abstract
Purpose – The general objective of the research is to analyze an innovation in the Health Services Waste Management System (Medical Waste) and its importance for sustainable development in hospitals in Porto Alegre, capital of the state of Rio Grande do Sul (RS), Brazil, through the discussion of the concepts of sustainable innovation and sustainable leadership. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative case study was used as a research strategy, choosing an innovative entrepreneur in the development of technologies and management services for RSS, which already has two large hospitals as clients in Porto Alegre. Findings – The research results showed the compatibilization of his MW managing solution with the concept of sustainable innovation. Furthermore, the entrepreneur showed to contemplate the guidelines for leaders in sustainability in their proposal of sustainable innovation, aiding his clients to transform their organizational culture, towards sustainability. Research limitations/implications – As research limitations, it was not possible to visit hospitals, due to the pandemic caused by COVID-19, making it impossible to know the management of RSS in loco, nor interviewing environmental operators and managers. Practical implications - In practical terms, the study showed that the internal treatment of MW is relevant in maximizing economic, environmental and social gains. Social implications – The findings demonstrated a need for cultural change, on the part of hospitals, with regard to the treatment of MW. Originality/value – The value of the study is the originality of innovation in the treatment of RSS and its great importance for sustainable medical waste management.
Highlights
The solid residue management constitutes a great challenge for cities because expressive amounts of waste are generated daily in the urban environment, which can cause serious im-pacts on public health and environmental quality
Through a survey in cities and companies from the health sector, the national projection from the Brazilian Association of Urban Cleans-ing and Special Waste Management Companies (ABRELPE) showed, in 2019, that the vol-ume collected in the country was 253.000 tons of Medical Waste (MW), representing 1.213 kg per inhabitant/year (ABRELPE, 2020)
We sought to analyze the meanings of the words in the context of the codes created through the theoretical framework
Summary
The solid residue management constitutes a great challenge for cities because expressive amounts of waste are generated daily in the urban environment, which can cause serious im-pacts on public health and environmental quality. Effective actions are demanded from the public power, private organizations and citizens, through a shared responsibility, seeking solutions for the solid residue management, in particular MW, under the premise of sustainable development. To discipline solid residue management, one of the great regulatory landmarks in Brazil was the Federal Law no. 12.305/2010, which institutes the National Policy for Solid Residues (NPSR) In this federal legal instrument, it is expressed the need to take sustainable development into account in the integrated solid residue management, observing a set of actions seeking solutions, which con-template the political, economic, environmental, cultural and social dimensions, with social control (Brazil, 2010). In the issue of solid residue management, it is noted the in-corporation of the discussion of sustainable development in its multiple dimensions
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