Práticas sustentáveis em centros da área da saúde: percepção de servidores da UFPB

Abstract

This research investigates sustainability in higher education, contextualized by the urgency of global guidelines such as the Agenda 2030, which position universities as key agents in promoting sustainable development. The research problem examines how staff members from the health-related teaching centers at the Universidade Federal da Paraíba perceive the sustainable practices developed within the institution in light of the guidelines established in the Institutional Development Plans and the Sustainable Logistics Plan (PLS). The general objective of this study is to understand the perceptions of staff members from the health-related teaching centers at the Universidade Federal da Paraíba regarding the sustainable practices implemented at the institution, in light of the guidelines and actions established in the Institutional Development Plans (2019–2023 and 2024–2028) and the PLS. The methodological approach adopted is qualitative and interpretivist, grounded in Sociological Discourse Analysis, using as documentary corpus the strategic plans, sustainable logistics plans, and institutional reports, in addition to data obtained through 21 semi-structured interviews conducted with faculty members and administrative staff from two teaching centers. The main findings indicate a mismatch between the institutional discourse, which seeks to consolidate the image of a “sustainable university,” and the practices perceived by staff members, which appear fragmented and predominantly oriented toward operational actions such as reducing paper consumption and managing waste. The study reveals that, although normative advances exist, there are shortcomings in communication and engagement, resulting in widespread lack of awareness regarding the goals established in the Institutional Development Plans and the Sustainable Logistics Plan. The study’s contributions lie in providing a critical diagnosis that may assist managers in formulating more participatory and effective sustainability policies within the academic context. Finally, the limitations of the research relate to the geographical and sectoral delimitation of the analyzed object, as well as the restricted focus on the environmental dimension, which resulted in the secondary consideration of the social and economic dimensions. Additionally, the short implementation period of the 2024–2028 Institutional Development Plan and the 2025 Sustainable Logistics Plan did not allow sufficient time for their broad dissemination and assimilation by institutional teams. Moreover, the study did not include the perspectives of certain relevant institutional actors, specifically senior administrative managers, members of the Environmental Management Commission, and outsourced staff. In this regard, future research is encouraged to expand the scope of analysis to other sectors and even to other institutions, as well as to include the participation of these actors who were not considered in this study, in order to enable a more systemic understanding of institutional dynamics. It is also recommended that longitudinal research designs be adopted to monitor the evolution and consolidation of practices over time.