A Systematic Review of Responsible Sourcing Literature Across the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) Sector of the UK

The UK’s strategy for sustainable construction has raised concerns over the plethora of negative environmental impacts related to the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) sector. The introduction of policy documents (including the Construction Playbook) provides challenging targets for the AEC sector in relation to climate change, carbon impact and social value. Thus, construction and its associated processes, in order to respond, must transform to meet with expectations. Several tools are proposed in support of this change, which include green supply chain management (GSCM) and responsible sourcing (RS). The aim of this study is to provide a systematic review of literature and research with a focus on the UK’s AEC sector to identify the benefits and barriers to these practices and highlight opportunities for uptake. The PRISMA review process was used to identify, screen, and select (n=50) articles included in the review. Comprehensive document analysis reveals the most frequently reported benefits relating to the uptake of responsible sourcing were: (i) stakeholder value (44%); (ii) improved supply chain performance (42%) and (iii) competitive advantage (34%); whereas the most frequently reported barriers were: (i) cost (46%); (ii) lack of awareness (28%); and (iii) industry constraints (22%). To surmise, responsible sourcing clearly aligns with UK policies and AEC sector targets. However, the barriers remain an issue that must be addressed to effectively convert construction towards a sustainable future. It is, therefore, recommended that further investigation into the adoption of sustainable behaviours is undertaken. It is also recommended that support be provided by frameworks and public spending to allow tangible case studies proving the relevance and effectiveness of RS and GSCM.