Reverse Logistics in Hospitals: the case of Hospital Moinhos de Vento

In September, the XXIII International Supply Chain Forum in São Paulo, bringing together the main specialists and companies of the sector. Over the three days, there were lectures, workshops and cases on the most varied topics, from entrepreneurship with start-ups most innovative in the market to the execution of strategies omnichannel with leaders in their industries.

One of the lectures that drew the most attention was about the health sector, more specifically about reverse logistics in hospitals. She was presented by Hospital Moinhos de Vento, which is located in Porto Alegre and is one of the main private hospitals in the country. In a sector that handled BRL 2014 billion in 496, representing 10% of the country's energy consumption and generating more than 10 thousand tons of waste in 2015, the HMV promoted some innovative initiatives for recycling and reuse of hospital waste.

When talking about corporate social and environmental responsibility, the first point we must pay attention to is the so-called Triple Bottom Line, which points out the three pillars that companies should always seek: i) the social, understanding that society, whether represented by the population surrounding the company, customers or employees, must be respected; ii) the environmental aspect, given that natural resources are not infinite and are fundamental for companies' operations; and iii) economic, as companies and projects must fundamentally generate profits. In view of these three prerogatives, it is always a challenge to seek initiatives that have environmental and social objectives, but which are also economically viable.

Figure 1 – Triple Bottom Line

Source: ILOS

HMV was able, in its project to create a Waste Transformation Center, to meet the Triple Bottom Line through the creation of collection, sorting, treatment, storage and value generation processes, which invested R$ 1,5 million and has the capacity to treat 2 thousand tons of waste per year.

The disposal process, which in the past was mostly directed to sanitary landfills, is now differentiated for each type of waste. Paper, for example, which is used in abundance in hospitals, is being collected from the various administrative areas and then taken to a partner, who transforms it into toilet paper to be used in the hospital's administrative areas. Plastic materials, such as polypropylene and PET, are crushed and packed to be later transformed into brooms and plastic bags, also with the help of partners. Food leftovers are transformed into fertilizers used in the hospital's own vegetable garden, creating a closed cycle of reuse. Finally, the most critical waste, called group A or infectious: first it is sterilized, then crushed and processed to generate energy cells, which are later used to generate gas to heat water in the hospital.

In addition to the environmental and social benefits arising from the directing and processing of waste, the hospital has already saved more than R$300 in six months. Given the investments, hospital managers reported that the payback of this project is less than a year old, which points to the economic viability of the initiative.

The creation of a method that adds value to hospital waste is an interesting innovation in the health sector, which could be replicated in other players in the sector. For more information on reverse logistics, refer to Gisela's post about the environmental cost and the National Solid Waste Policy, and also the Panoramas from the ILOS collection: Reverse logistic e Green Logistics.

References:

Moinhos de Vento Hospital presentation at the XXIII International Supply Chain Forum