Inovações na gestão ambiental portuária : um estudo de caso no Porto do Rio Grande - Brasil

Abstract

In the corporate environment, as well as the port, changes are necessary because clients are increasingly informed and demanding for their choices. Thus, changes may occur through innovative and sustainable actions, which will also force management systems in ports, to obtain better indexes of efficiency and productivity, which are distinguishing factors among ports. In this sense, the research question was: which are the innovations established in the Port of Rio Grande, according to the scope of the Oslo Protocol, on environmental management? Consequently, the objective of this research was to identify the innovations promoted at the Port of Rio Grande, according to the dimensions of the Oslo Protocol, related to environmental management. Regarding the methodological characteristics, the research strategy was a case study in which the data collection was conducted through in-depth interviews, based on a pre-established procedure, applied to a population of thirty managers of the Port. The problem was approached under two emphases: during the qualitative phase, it was aimed to identify, through interviews with the questionnaire, what were the innovations that have occurred in the environmental are at the Port of Rio Grande in the last three years, according to the Oslo Protocol, through the content analysis approach. The quantitative phase consisted of three stages, which was intended to: i) verify the perception of managers about the actions that characterize the environmental management of the Port, related to the assessment requirements of the environmental management proposed by the National Agency of Waterway Transportation (ANTAQ), ii) identify which were the identification data of the professional profile of the managers who influenced the emergence of innovations that occurred at the Port, and iii) determine whether the possible innovations relate to the assessment requirements of the environmental management of medium term proposed by ANTAQ. As a result, forty-five innovations were identified. According to the Oslo Protocol, they were classified as: product innovations (02), process innovations (14); marketing innovations (05), and organizational innovations (24). It is worth noting that more than 90% of managers of the Port positively perceive the importance of environmental issues for their sector; some knowledge regarding the environmental monitoring carried out by the Port; that to implement environmental management at the port it is necessary integration and collaboration of all sectors; and, that their sector is relevant to the environmental education program. On the other hand, some respondents reported a lack of environmental indicators that could serve as a tool for helping to assess the performance of the sector. Among the variables of the professional profile analysed, employment and academic training showed a significant correlation with the number of innovations identified in the population. Finally, it appears that the Port of Rio Grande has developed a number of innovations in its various sectors, that contribute to environmental issues, which will benefit the society as a whole.