The interest for sustainable procurement and TCO Certified is really growing and we are happy to welcome Barton Finn to our team. He will offer free support to purchasers in French speaking Europe including Belgium, France and the Netherlands.
Hi Barton, what will your new role be?
“My job is to support purchasing organizations that want to make responsible choices of the IT products they buy. This primarily means providing IT procurers with operational support and expertise in using TCO Certified in their tenders. It also entails working with Europeans and national governments to drive effective policies fostering responsible procurement practises.”
Tell us a bit about yourself!
“I am a belgian citizen born and raised in Brussels where I studied PR and European affairs. I have a passion for politics and technology which in the past led me to work for the European Parliament and more recently as part of the government affairs department of a major IT company. Through those experiences, I grew a strong interest in working at the crossroads of IT, sustainability and procurement. As a person, my motto is to always value and enjoy human contacts.”
Why did you choose to join TCO Development?
“I am really excited to join TCO Development since sustainability is now mainstream in my region and organizations are starting to realize the significant role procurement can play. From that perspective, TCO Development offers a solution, both for purchasing more sustainable IT products and for driving improvements in the IT industry. Being part of that solution and therefore enabling a better planet and society is why I chose to join TCO Development.”
What’s happening in sustainable procurement in your region?
“At the EU level, the new commission has just introduced its EU Green Deal which will elevate climate neutrality as Europe’s main overarching objective. From a procurement perspective this is really interesting because it will trigger new commitments and new targets being taken at the EU level in relation to sustainable public procurement practices. I’m really looking forward to seeing these new commitments, and to work with the EU on that front.”
In your new role, what will your first steps be?
“My first aim will be to build a comprehensive understanding of the markets that I am covering: how supportive is their legislative environment; what are the key regional players; what is their overall level of ambition… This should then allow me to get my feet on the ground and start to engage locally with identified stakeholders and relevant policy initiatives. In parallel, I also plan to get more familiar with the day-to-day reality of procurers through relevant seminars and training.”
What’s your best advice to organizations that want to make responsible choices when they purchase IT products?
“There are many but one thing I see is key and often overlooked by purchasing organizations is looking at verification. No matter how ambitious the criteria, if you don’t ensure compliance with them, it can compromise all your prior efforts. This is especially true during the execution of the contract — regular and independent checks are the only way to ensure the same levels of performance during its full validity. Being mindful about verification should therefore be a key element of an organizational sustainable procurement strategy if it wants to drive real impacts. That’s why TCO Certified includes independent verification of compliance with criteria, both pre and post certification.”
Our Purchaser Engagement Group has local presence on several markets and supports purchasers all over the world. Learn more about who we are and how we can support you.
