Práticas de sustentabilidade nos institutos federais de educação, ciência e tecnologia brasileiros: um estudo dos planos de gestão de logística sustentável

Abstract

Sustainability is a theme that is present and increasingly gaining strength in all types of organizations (public, private, third sector). This is due to the growing concern with the preservation of the environment, allied to the economic and social aspects. Educational institutions are also engaged in the implementation of sustainability and, because they are transmitters of knowledge and educators of citizens, play an important role in this change. Among the educational institutions are the Federal Institutes of Education, Science and Technology (IFs), who are federal autarchies, of higher, basic and professional education, created in 2008 and linked to the Ministry of Education. Thus, the present study aims to analyze how the Brazilian Federal Institutes of Education, Science and Technology develop their sustainability practices. To meet this objective, it was decided to use a mixed method (qualitative and quantitative approach) with concurrent incorporated strategy and descriptive character. Data collection occurred through documents (Sustainable Logistics Management Plan (PLS) and evaluation and monitoring reports) and questionnaires on sustainability practices applied to campuses and rectories of the thirty-eight IFs. The sample selection regarding the questionnaire resulted from a sample calculation for a finite population, which considered the five Brazilian regions, reaching 248 respondents. Already the documents were collected on the websites and, when not found, requested to the rectories of the IFs. For analysis of the collected data three techniques were used: documental analysis, descriptive statistics and hypothesis test. The results show that only seventeen IFs have PLS and of these only four prepared the evaluation and follow-up report. As for the structure of the Plan, only one IF contains all the minimum required items. Regarding the reports, they also do not fully comply with the legislation. Regarding sustainability practices, greater attention is given to sustainable actions in the use of official vehicles than in procedures involving water and sewage. Nevertheless, the sustainability indicators show that most IFs have good sustainable practices, being classified as medium and highly sustainable. However, it was found that these practices are not related to the PLS, since it was found, from the hypothesis test, that there is no difference in sustainability practices between the IFs that have and those that do not have the Plan. Based on these findings, it is concluded that more than half of IFs are not complying with the legislation because they have not prepared the PLS and/or the report, and those who have done so have not been completely correct. Also, that sustainability practices are present in most Institutes, but there are no significant differences in practices between the IFs that elaborated and those that did not elaborate the PLS, except for two axes from two different regions.