APRES: Action Programme on REsponsible Sourcing

“负责任采购行动计划”(APRES)网络将成为一个新的社区“中心”，用于知识共享和传播英国建筑业的负责任采购实践，打造新的研究思路和关系，并为行业提供指导。负责任的采购(RS)是关于对可持续性采取系统的方法，即通过解决一系列环境、经济和社会因素。RS可以通过组织的采购政策、采购决策和采购实践来证明，但要证明正在采取这种“道德方法”，需要关于整个供应链中材料、产品和服务的来源的详细信息。将这一点整合到企业可持续发展的更广泛框架中，对采购、供应链管理、产品制造和规范实践产生直接和重大的影响，但也可以通过新的、影响较小的产品或服务带来创新。在英国，建筑业需要减少与建筑环境发展相关的可持续发展影响，如碳排放、水消耗和废物。2008年，政府和行业制定了一系列目标，以帮助英国成为可持续建筑领域的世界领导者。其中之一是，到2012年，用于建筑的产品中将有25%来自公认的“负责任采购”计划(约为100亿英镑，占英国每年制造业产出的5%)。然而，几乎没有合适的产品或标准，而且该行业目前对负责任的采购的理解水平很低。为此，迫切需要对负责任的采购做出协调、商业和研究的回应，以便更多的公司能够参与这个新兴市场，并形成新的知识和研究基础。APRES是一个学术和行业合作的组织，旨在为英国建筑业负责任的采购制定行动计划。它将提供一个开放的论坛，深入探讨挑战，绘制行业的技能和知识需求图，确定学术研究和发展方向，并确定和广泛传播成果和最佳实践。APRES网络将利用一系列活动来加强成员之间的富有成效的互动，无论是学术界还是产业界；任何对负责任的采购感兴趣的人都可以加入。与核心成员的定期季度会议将指导项目方案，而公开活动将有更广泛的受众参加。在线行业调查之后将举行为期一天的研讨会；演讲、观众投票会议和促进活动将涉及关键背景、市场和技术挑战。对调查结果的讨论和验证将产生一份关于负责任采购的未来的权威远景报告。将在整个过程中使用一系列传播途径来促进该网络的工作和招募新成员，包括建立一个专门的网站，并定期参加学术和行业活动。建筑业及其供应链、相关的政府和咨询机构将从APRE的活动、讨论和成果中受益最大，但更广泛的好处也将明显体现在英国和国外环境和工作条件的改善上。从长远来看，通过使用更负责任的采购实践，在2012年前及之后，该行业还将看到对环境的影响降低，其运营获得更好的可信度，并在“绿色”或可持续建筑的新兴市场获得更大的竞争力。

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.