The Safor Salut cooperation program, a joint initiative between the Gandia Campus of the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV), FISABIO –Gandia Health Department, FISABIO-HACLE La Pedrera, and the Federation of Business Associations of La Safor (FAES), organized the Green Hospitals Technical Conference on November 26 at the Francesc de Borja Hospital in Gandia, with the collaboration of the Valencian Institute of Competitiveness and Innovation (IVACE+i).
The event brought together healthcare professionals, companies from the region, university research staff, public administrations, and institutions with a common goal: to exchange experiences to promote innovation in environmental sustainability within the healthcare system and move towards more efficient, resilient, and environmentally friendly hospitals, without compromising the quality of care for patients and professionals.
The event was opened by Pedro Rollán García, manager of the Gandia Health Department, followed by a presentation by the Safor Salut technical team, who outlined the program’s mission and strategy for channeling R&D&I proposals related to healthcare sustainability.
The event also featured the institutional participation of Alícia Izquierdo, deputy mayor and councilor for the Environment, Sustainability, and Climate Emergency of the Gandia City Council, who stressed the importance of “institutions, companies, and healthcare centers moving forward together towards a greener and more responsible model.”
Innovations and experiences: a tour of the thematic areas
Andrea Seguí, Innovation Technician at Fisabio, focused on the challenges of healthcare sustainability and presented a wide variety of innovative proposals organized into several thematic areas by companies in the region, all aimed at reducing the environmental impact of hospitals:
• Circular management of disposable healthcare products, by ULB Medical.
• Sustainable hospital textiles and green purchasing, by Aupa Hogar.
• Sustainable packaging for personalized pharmaceutical dosing, by Grupo Farmadosis.
• Low-temperature washing and energy recovery technologies, by Christeyns.
• Advanced hospital wastewater treatment technologies, by Labaqua.
• Advanced energy efficiency, by IKESOL and KLIMIA.
• Model towards Zero Food Waste, with initiatives to donate unserved prepared food and recover waste through composting, by Cáritas Gandia.
Round table: real needs and opportunities for collaboration
The second part of the day consisted of a round table with professionals from different health departments and research staff from the UPV: Mª Luisa Marín, researcher at ITQ (UPV); Jordi Amorós, from the Technical Office of the Alcoy Health Department; Salvador González, from Logistics at the Gandia Health Department; Miguel Castelló, from Occupational Risk Prevention at the Gandia Health Department; and Manuel César Martí, researcher at ISIRYM (UPV).
The debate, moderated by Josep Miquel Juan (Faes), identified real needs in the hospital environment, explored unresolved challenges, and outlined possible areas for joint research.
Joint reflection and collective multisectoral commitment for the hospitals of the future
The conference concluded with a networking session, where attendees shared ideas for future projects within the Safor Salut ecosystem. The event demonstrated, once again, the role of the Safor Salut program as a driver of innovation, promoting projects that combine technology, sustainability, and health to build the hospitals of the future. Hospital sustainability is not only a necessary goal, but also an opportunity to innovate, generate alliances, and move towards more efficient, resilient healthcare centers that are aligned with the 2030 Agenda and decarbonization policies.
New ideas and challenges
If you have a project idea and need a partner from the healthcare, university, business, or social sector to carry it out, submit your idea at saforsalut.es/ideas-retos and we will help you find one. You can also view the ideas submitted and actively participate by collaborating in their implementation.