French Sustainable Development Convention

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE HEALTHCARE SECTOR: THE FRENCH EXAMPLE

         


The healthcare sector is a significant user of energy, not only because it consumes considerable amounts of plastics, paper and other resources, but also because it produces solid, liquid and gaseous wastes, including pollutants. As an indirect result of these activities, the healthcare sector contributes to environmental degradation. As a matter of fact, eco-responsible practices have to be implemented urgently and public authorities have to define prompt measures.
Thus in France, a Convention has been signed in 2009 between Ministry for Health and Sports, Ministry for Ecology and Sustainable Development and hospitals federations, as part of the “Grenelle de l’Environnement” (A democratic process starting from workshops, public debates and Round Table discussions, The “Grenelle de l’ Environnement provided an opportunity for a vast “programme review” in France, leading to a genuine shift in strategy in the areas of transport, building and farming). That convention relies on the voluntary commitment of the care providers to adopt a sustainable strategy and encompasses support, bonuses and trainings to encourage the participants. The objectives mentioned are clearly defined and will be evaluated by the Sustainable Development Barometer. For example, it plans that 100% of the care providers will train their personal to eco-responsible buying by 2011.

The Sustainable Development Barometer :
The Barometer consists in a survey conducted by students from EHESP and supported by hospitals federations. Its main objective is to list the “sustainable actions” in hospitals and to evaluate their performance at national level. In the shape of a questionnaire, the Barometer is taking into account 8 determining points such as waste management, energy savings, green buildings and transports, etc. Relying on this tool, care providers are able to evaluate their state of progress and to analyze further their actions: which steering committee to implement the eco-programmes, which trainings to be granted to the personal, which buying policies to be adopted, etc.

Find out more about the topic during the conference :
“System-wide change: the French vision and strategy” : conducted by Marie-Christine Burnier, Hospital Director, in charge of Sustainable Development at Fédération Hospitalière de France (French Hospital Federation).
21 May, 14:30 - 15:30