Episode 087 | August 11, 2025 | 40:17
Guest: Michael Maagaard (Region Midt)
Published: August 11, 2025
Duration: 40:17
Note: Part 2 of 2-episode series with Michael Maagaard
Description
Joachim from Green Innovation Group and Michael Maagaard from the Central Danish region dive into the findings of a survey on how healthcare workers perceive and act upon sustainability. Themes covered: motivation, shared responsibility, practical roadblocks, and the need for better tools, visibility and leadership.
Full transcript
About this transcript
This transcript was automatically generated and may contain inaccuracies, typos, or mistranslations. Episodes recorded before 2024 were transcribed by an on-site model and may have a higher error rate. The content reflects the original conversation to the best of our ability. For the authoritative version, please listen to the audio episode.
Welcome to the Sustainable Healthcare Podcast. Michael Maagaard from Central Denmark Region is back. Today we discuss findings from a 290-respondent survey of healthcare workers in the region.
Michael: 290 randomly selected staff and managers — about 1% of total employees, 95% confidence interval. Our sustainability strategy is nearly five years old and needs revitalizing — this baseline helps us see what’s actually true.
Theme 1 — People care, but don’t know how to act at work. 62% know what to do in their private life “to a high or very high degree.” Only 24% say the same about work. Big gap. Committed in private life, unsure or insecure at work. Positive: people are clearly motivated; the gap is closable.
What suppliers can do: let the end user feel that meaningful choices were made in product design and that they’re doing something positive — beyond ease of use, price and hygiene.
Theme 2 — Strong shared responsibility, just not strong visible results. 91% say sustainability is a shared responsibility at their department. But only 3% say sustainability brings benefit “to a very high degree” and 21% “to a high degree” — meaning ~70% don’t see strong positive outcomes. 34% say “little or no benefit at all.” Why? Sustainability sometimes adds work (sorting vs one bag, washing products). Important coupling: they feel it’s troublesome AND they’re still motivated — 91% want to work for it. That’s stronger than abstract “should we work on this.”
Four main tracks: circular economy (85% of emissions — needs everyone’s action), electricity/water/heat (specialists handle), mobility/transport/logistics. Three simple principles: use less, use longer, use greener. 37 seconds of an everyday person’s time vs 37 hours from specialists — that’s where the masses are.
Clinicians often jump to “put it in the tender — suppliers are the bad guys.” We turn focus inward — if you use 200 pieces where 20 would do, supplier packaging is secondary. Then yes, work with suppliers too.
Theme 3 — Motivation is not the issue. It’s sky high. 67% motivated to a high or very high degree; including medium, 94%. Only 6% opposed or hesitant. We can skip the motivational chapter in our training material — start at page four. That demolishes the myth that clinicians don’t care about sustainability.
The bar is shifting — before, sustainability had to exceed in all parameters (better, cheaper, faster). Now the same outcome for the patient on hygiene and treatment is enough; being slightly more expensive or taking slightly more time is becoming OK. What does the next 2-3 years look like? Probably even more tolerance.
People are motivated even without visible results. Two-thirds know about the sustainability work; 80% know we have agreements on sustainability. They have confidence somebody is working on it. If we get better at specific local feedback, the response will accelerate.
Theme 4 — Real practical roadblocks. Open-ended responses. Top: lack of waste-sorting systems (many hospitals running pilots). Time pressure and workload — the arms-crossed opening of every meeting. My response: sustainability isn’t an extra thing, it’s a new way of doing what you’re already doing. 30-40% of what we do in healthcare may be ineffective — finding and removing those is super sustainable. Compared to a few years ago, our “sustainability store” has shelves stocked: vetted measures, pullable data, national agendas, tenders. Earlier you needed superhuman persistence to overcome barriers — now you need much less. “People are not resisting change — they’re just overwhelmed and undersupported. We need to remove the day-to-day obstacles.”
Theme 5 — Missing links: tools, visibility, leadership. Tools = practical step-by-step “measures” to swap product A for product B. Automate this — push the system to point out who’s still ordering A and how their pattern translates to results if they switch. Visibility = local progress, e.g. bedding-sheet cover has been removed 98% at Randers and Horsens hospitals. Want the same at ward level. Leadership = poke leaders directly. The baseline shows employees are motivated; leaders fearing resistance is unfounded. Reassure leaders. “Pray in all the churches” so initiatives don’t get reversed by hygiene the next day.
Wrap-up: Michael plans to repeat this survey annually — track motivation and the changing practical roadblocks. Updated baseline for the people you’re trying to change. Adapt campaigns and measures accordingly. Thank you Michael. Thanks to all our listeners.