Objectives: Sustainability has become one of the primary concerns of organizations and a symbol of their excellence. With the growing population and increasing demand for healthcare services, sustainable management of medical waste has gained critical importance. This study aims to assess the commitment of healthcare center managers to sustainability through the selection of waste disposal methods, utilizing knowledge management approaches and multi-criteria decision-making.
Method: This applied research employs a hybrid multi-criteria decision-making approach. Initially, sustainability criteria in economic, environmental, and social dimensions were identified through expert opinions and a review of specialized literature. Then, in a case study, various medical waste disposal methods were evaluated and ranked with input from waste management and sustainability experts. Data collection tools included specialized questionnaires and semi-structured interviews.
Results: The results indicated that methods such as recycling, source reduction, and innovative technologies showed the highest alignment with sustainability principles. In contrast, traditional methods like landfilling and incineration ranked lower.
Conclusions: Knowledge management serves as an effective tool for institutionalizing sustainability in healthcare centers, and multi-criteria decision-making enhances this process.By focusing on the linkage between knowledge management and sustainability commitment in medical waste management, this study offers a novel perspective in the literature on sustainability and organizational decision-making.