APRES: Action Programme on REsponsible Sourcing

The 'Action Programme on REsponsible Sourcing' (APRES) network will be a new community 'centre' for knowledge-sharing and dissemination of responsible sourcing practices in UK construction, forging new research ideas and relationships and providing guidance to the industry. Responsible sourcing (RS) is about taking a systematic approach to sustainability, i.e. by addressing a range of environmental, economic and social considerations. RS can be demonstrated by an organisation's procurement policy, via its purchasing decisions and practices, but to prove that such an 'ethical approach' is being taken, detailed information on the provenance of materials, products and services throughout the supply chain is needed. Integrating this within a broader framework of corporate sustainability has a direct and major effect on procurement, supply chain management, product manufacture and specification practices, but can also lead to innovation through new, low impact products or services. In the UK, the construction industry needs to reduce the sustainability impacts associated with the development of the built environment such as carbon emissions, water consumption and waste and in 2008, the government and industry set a series of targets, to help the UK become a world leader in sustainable construction. One of these is that, by 2012, 25% of products used in construction shall be from schemes recognised for 'responsible sourcing' (about 10bn, or 5% of the UK's manufacturing output per annum). However, few suitable products or standards exist, and the industry's level of understanding of responsible sourcing is currently low. For this reason, a coordinated, business and research response on responsible sourcing is needed urgently so that more companies are able to participate in this emerging market and a new base of knowledge and research is formed. APRES is an academic-industry collaboration to develop an action programme for responsible sourcing in UK construction. It will provide an open forum to explore in depth the challenges, map the industry's skills and knowledge needs, define academic research and development directions, and identify and disseminate outcomes and best practice widely. The APRES network will use a series of activities to increase the productive interaction between members, both academic and industrial; anyone with an interest in responsible sourcing will be able to join. Regular quarterly meetings with core members will direct the project programme while open events will be attended by a broader audience. An online industry survey will be followed by one-day workshops; presentations, audience voting sessions and facilitated activities will address key context, markets, and technology challenges. Discussion and validation of the findings will result in an authoritative visioning report on the future of responsible sourcing. A range of dissemination routes will be used throughout to promote the work of the network and recruit new members, including a dedicated website and regular presence at academic and industry events. The construction industry and its supply chain, related government and advisory bodies will benefit most from the activities, discussions and outputs from APRES, but wider benefits would also be evident in improved environmental and working conditions in the UK and abroad. In the long term, through the use of more responsible sourcing practices, the industry will also witness lower environmental impacts, gain better credibility for its operations and achieve greater competitiveness in the emergent market for 'green' or sustainable construction, up to and beyind 2012.

The APRES network on responsible sourcing will benefit the UK construction industry and its supply chain, both in the public and private sectors; this is a new network and nothing comparable yet exists. During the network's funded period, the industry will gain a deeper understanding of responsible sourcing practices, be able to share ideas openly, and influence new research directions, standards and policy. Demand-side users (i.e. architects, engineers, clients, and contractors, and their professional institutions) will be able to access information from a central hub, explore viable ways of improving their specification, procurement and construction practices and hear about best practice. Supply-side product manufacturers (and their trade associations) will be able to share knowledge, consider technical developments and new products and discuss their customers' needs with them, all in an open and neutral environment. In the medium to long term, the network will help the industry as a whole to increase its uptake of responsible sourcing; this will improve the environmental and social credentials of the industry, reducing its impacts, improving its overall credibility and enhancing competitiveness. Those managing responsible sourcing schemes and standards, such as sector scheme councils and standard-setting bodies (e.g. BRE, BSI and others), government departments with a remit for construction (e.g. BIS and OGC) and regional construction bodies will also benefit immediately. They will get direct access to industry for feedback and development purposes, be much better able to gauge how well industry is progressing towards the UK government's target of 25% of products used in construction being 'responsibly sourced' by 2012, and relate industry's needs to future policy direction. Environmental consultants and advisors will also benefit from being part of the network, giving them the chance to meet new clients, discuss and develop new services. Their offering to industry in the short-medium term will become more viable, timely and relevant by participating in APRES events. A wider group of beneficiaries includes the construction labour force and local populations, both in the UK and abroad, from which raw materials are sourced; these groups are likely to see a long-term improvement in working and environmental conditions, as responsible sourcing practices become more widespread. To ensure that all these parties benefit from the APRES network, invitations to join network and participate in its events will be disseminated widely through professional institutions, peer networks, trade associations and the media, in particular the construction press, environmental alerts and corporate social responsibility media. Anyone with an interest in responsible sourcing will be able to join and access material from the dedicated APRES website, which will act as the main hub for information release, supplemented by print media for the final visioning report. Our experience of managing networks means that we will be able to deliver an effective communications and recruitment strategy. However, it will also be incumbent on all network members to further promote the network and its outputs, such that the wider community can benefit; this will include distribution of calls for membership and participation to related UK and European networks.