CSR project at Montpellier University Hospital: communication is the key to success
Montpellier University Hospital is determined to make sustainable development an integral part of its DNA. CSR coordinator Morgane Morat explains.
"We organized co-construction workshops with nearly 80 volunteer professionals, resulting in an action plan presented to all departments in the summer of 2023. This action plan, validated and integrated into the 2023-2027 establishment project, includes some sixty concrete actions adapted to each department and profession".
Four areas of commitment
"The hospital's carbon transition has been identified as our number 1 challenge, with a target of reducing our emissions by 17% compared with 2019, our baseline year. To achieve this goal, we are focusing on four key areas of commitment: developing eco-design of care, promoting responsible purchasing and its use, optimizing travel flows, whether professional, home-to-work or logistical, and a final cross-cutting area of training and awareness-raising to get all staff on board," continues Morgane Morat.
Concrete, measurable actions
Each area is broken down into concrete actions. With regard to eco-design of care, for example, the facility aims to reduce the use of care products and medical devices to limit waste.
"Today, with our ambassadors, we are working on responsible purchasing with specific environmental tools and clauses, and on mobility with optimized management of the transport fleet and bicycle repair workshops," explains Morgane Morat.
Communication and awareness: the keys to success
Communication plays an essential role in this approach, both internally and externally. The CHU publicizes its commitments and encourages staff to sign up and participate through a network of CSR ambassadors. Employees are invited to join this network and implement actions at their own level.
"We wanted to take stock of the first actions taken by publishing a CSR activity report for the year 2023. We have also just launched "CSR Minute" videos to showcase initiatives undertaken in our departments. The aim is to give a voice to CSR ambassadors who have helped us set up actions, and to inspire other staff within the establishment. For us, it's a way of demonstrating that there are good practices that could be replicated in other departments. But our main internal communication channel is our weekly newsletter, the Webzine. It's our number-one means of communication," concludes Morgane Morat.