RATING

Outlook

Positive

SECTOR

Telecommunications Hardware & Software

Chief Sustainability Officer

Andy Smith

Contact Details:

T: N/A

E-mail: N/A

Stock Exchange and Ticker

NASDAQ: CSCO

Website

Cisco

Contact

T: (408) 526-4000

E.mail: N/A

Listing

#15 Best Employers for Women (2022)
#20 Canada’s Best Employers For Diversity (2022)
#25 Best Employers for New Grads (2022)
#92 Global 2000 (2022)
#36 Best Employers for Diversity (2022)
#2 Fortune World’s Best Workplaces (2021)
#1 in IT Industry, IPE

Awards

7 Climate Leadership Awards in 2019
2018 Outstanding Company Contribution Award
Cyber Safe Workplace Award from National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA)
The Better Society Award
MSCI ESG Ratings — AA
CDP Disclosure Insight Action — A-
IPE Supply Chain Climate Action Index (SCTI)
IPE Green Supply Chain Corporate Information Transparency Index (CITI)
Dow Jones Sustainabilty Indices — Industry Best— Environmental and Governance & Economic in CMT Communications Equipment World Index
Dow Jones Sustainabilty Indices — North America Index

Revenue

$49.8B

Market Capitalisation

$198.91B

Employees

79,500

Content source

CISCO Sustainability Report

Evaluation of CISCO

The business has set very broad goals and is making progress toward them. The main operations of Cisco are grouped under the five main topics of power, cooling, high-speed interconnects, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and customer facilities.

Cisco’s mission is to “power an inclusive future for all.” Through its deeply ingrained corporate responsibility initiatives, Cisco is committed to improving the quality of life for individuals as well as for the planet as a whole. Another point that is worthwhile to mention is that including meeting the target one year earlier and reducing global Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 60% from fiscal 2007 levels. Cisco’s efforts in environmental sustainability center on achieving net zero for all scopes of greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, like many of its competitors in the IT and telecom market.

The company is continuing its efforts to share information about its community-based programs and their practical outcomes in its Cisco Purpose reports, while also enticing other businesses to carry out comparable assistance and initiatives globally, the biggest example of this is The first-ever Environmental Sustainability Specialization. Last but not least, they have a stellar online reputation. The overall result makes it a nearly sustainable company.

Sustainability Scorecard

CISCO Company Activity

Cisco System is part of a multi-billion dollar conglomerate made up of multiple acquired companies like Webex, Jasper, and OpenDNS. Cisco’s focus is primarily on the tech market like IoT. Founded in 1984 by Leonard Bosack and Sandy Lerner, Cisco was one of the first companies that caught an audience for the service provider domain, with its first major success being a router that had multiple network protocols . In the height of the dot-come era, Cisco was the most valuable company in 2000. Cisco continued this MVP status through 2014.

The company’s mission is to help “seize the opportunities of tomorrow by proving that amazing things can happen when you connect the unconnected. An integral part of our DNA is creating long-lasting customer partnerships, working together to identify our customers’ needs and provide solutions that fuel their success”. Cisco produces IT products ranging in 5 major areas: Networking, Collaboration, Security, Data Center, and the Internet of Things. To date some of the top products are the Cisco Catalyst Switches, Catalyst Series Access Points, and Services Router.

CISCO Sustainability Activity - As per company declarations

Cisco accepts full responsibility for their environmental impacts and is taking action to mitigate and end the harms on the environment through its production. environmental policy has been implemented across all operations and products. The company plans to act on greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity and land use, product and packaging materials, water, solid waste from operations, and liquid effluents. Cisco is setting public goals to promote accountability to their environment and sustainable goals.

Certificate & Labels, Standards and Frameworks

LEED
CASBEE
BREEAM
WELL
ISO 14001
Renewable energy certificates (RECs)
Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)
Value Reporting Foundation (SASB Standards)
Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures
Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP)
UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs)

CISCO in the news: Press Reviews and Social Media

New Cisco Environmental Sustainability Specialization, Incentives Are For ‘All Partners’ | CRN

For the first time ever, Cisco is introducing an environmental sustainability specialization. The specialization will instruct and certify Cisco partners who assist their clients with the responsible reuse or recycling of end-of-use products. The Takeback Incentive from Cisco allows partners to benefit from discounts of up to 7% on new products. Cisco’s Takeback program allows customers to return used equipment, which is then recycled or added to the Refresh program. With the same warranty and support options as new Cisco products, Refresh offers partners and customers certified Cisco remanufactured equipment. Chuck Robbins, the CEO of Cisco, promised to either take back and refurbish or recycle every piece of hardware the company sells.

Cisco pledges net-zero emissions by 2040 in latest ESG goals | Sustainability Magazine

To address the environmental impact of its operations and products, Cisco has established long-term objectives. The business has carried out over 440 energy-efficiency projects that lower costs and emissions over the last five years. Up to 85% of the clean electricity used by Cisco comes from renewable sources. The tenth most sustainable company in the world is Cisco. It has cut back on company vehicles as well as Scope 1 and 2 direct and indirect emissions by 60%. Cisco has also committed to investing US$100 million over a ten-year period in impact investments and nonprofit grants for climate solutions.

Environment Sustainability Initiatives at Cisco

The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) and The Climate Registry presented Cisco with three Climate Leadership Awards (TCR). These awards included one for supply chain leadership and two for effective greenhouse gas management. Cisco used renewable energy for 80% of their global electricity needs in 2019.

Highlights from CISCO Sustainability Report

Achievements

In fiscal 2021, 4000 workers were impacted by recruitment fees worldwide and US$200,000 was reimbursed to supplier workers for health check and recruitment fees
US$477 million in cash and in-kind contributions to community programs by Cisco and the Cisco Foundation, including US$367 million in in-kind contributions for the Cisco Networking Academy in fiscal 2021
Increasing the population of African American/Black employees at all levels of the company
2 million gallons of water saved: Almost two entire Olympic-sized swimming pools
4 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions avoided: Equal to taking 330 cars off the road for a year
224,000 pounds of waste reduced: Nearly 100 dumpsters worth of waste

Weaknesses and Setbacks

Disparity in employee gender rate

Targets vs Progress Reported

Target	Results reported
Achieve 80% community impact participation, as measured by employees’ actions, including advocating for causes they care deeply about, volunteering, donating, and participating in programs that positively impact communities by FY21	- ACHIEVED: 80% participation
Achieve a 25% increase in representation of all employees who self-identify as AA/Black from entry level through manager and a 75% increase in representation from Director to VP+ level (FY20 base year) by FY23	- ON TRACK: 11% entry level through manager - ACHIEVED: 90% Director level and 120% VP+ level in FY21 as compared to FY20
Expand supplier strategy by doubling the percentage spend with diverse suppliers and obtain reporting on diversity metrics from 100% of the FY20 preferred suppliers by FY23	- IN PROGRESS: Obtained executive commitment and established business function champions to support the journey to double their diversity spend - ACHIEVED: Received workforce diversity reports from 100% of the FY20 preferred suppliers with U.S. workers in FY21
Commit US$150 million to fund STEM education and drive technology modernization at four-year HBCUs by FY25	- Committed US$50 million to the Student Freedom Initiative “Access to Education” endowment, of which US$12.5 million was spent in FY21 - Selected 8 HBCUs to receive tech assessments in partnership with AVC Technologies as part of our IT Modernization program to build technology excellence
Commit US$50 million to increase the diversity in the partner ecosystem by increasing the number of AA/Black owned technology companies in the partner ecosystem and increasing opportunities to accelerate the financial growth of AA/Black owned partners by FY25	- Established the African American Cisco Partner Community (AACPC), starting with 53 partners in FY21, with a focus on investing in partner growth
Invest US$50 million in startups and venture funds led by diverse leaders by FY25	- ON TRACK: Tracking in line to meet the five-year commitment
Positively impact 1 billion people through the social impact grants and signature programs by FY25	- ON TRACK: 716 million people positively impacted through our social impact grants and signature programs between FY16-FY21
Reduce total Cisco Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions worldwide by 60% absolute (FY07 base year) by FY22	- ACHIEVED: 60% reduction
Use electricity generated from renewable sources for at least 85% of our global electricity by FY22	- ACHIEVED: 85% renewable
Improve large rack-mounted equipment system power efficiency—as measured from the input power from the facility to the board-mounted ASICs, memory, and other chip devices—from 77% to 87% (FY16 base year) by FY22	- ON TRACK: 85% efficiency
80% of Cisco component, manufacturing, and logistics suppliers by spend will have a public, absolute GHG emissions reduction target by FY25	- ON TRACK: 38% with targets
70% of Cisco component and manufacturing suppliers by spend will achieve a zero waste diversion rate at one or more sites by FY25	- ON TRACK: 27% by spend with at least one certified site
Decrease use of virgin plastics by 20% (FY18 base year by FY25)	- ACHIEVED: 38% decrease
Reduce foam used in Cisco product packaging by 75% as measured by weight (FY19 base year) by FY25	- ON TRACK: 19% reduction
Increase product packaging cube efficiency by 50% (FY19 base year) by FY25	- ON TRACK: 26% improvement
100% of new Cisco products and packaging to incorporate Circular Design Principles by FY25	- ON TRACK: Pilot completed
Reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions for Scope 1 and 2 (FY19 base year) by FY25	- NOT YET REPORTING
Reduce Cisco supply chain-related Scope 3 GHG emissions by 30% absolute (FY19 base year) by FY30	- ON TRACK: 23% reduction

UN SDGs Compliance Analysis

Progress made toward SDG targets
As reported by CISCO

Addressing economic inequality globally and in local communities including homelessness and shortages in affordable housing resulting in part from the technology economy. Specifically through the grant program and strategic social investments like Habitat for Humanity Program

30+ threatened species were protected including the endangered black rhino, African elephant, pangolin, lion, cheetah, and giraffe through Connected Conservation

In fiscal 2021, 4000 workers were impacted by recruitment fees worldwide and US$200,000 was reimbursed to supplier workers for health check and recruitment fees
Throughout the pandemic, Cisco connected its employees with oxygen concentrators, dedicated ambulances, supported securing hospital beds, hotel rooms to quarantine, financial assistance including salary advances, as well as access to testing and vaccine
Cisco has long offered back-up care, through which employees can request safe, reliable childcare at a center or at home if their regular care arrangements fall through
Cisco has long pursued building health and safety standards such as WELL certification, and it is exploring additional safety measures to protect the employees and customers who visit the campus locations. Its safety measures are based on expert guidance from multiple sources, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and are highly adaptable as situations change

Cisco provides training and education programs such as Our People Deal, Degreed, Cisco Networking Academy, Veterans Program, Global Problem Solvers (GPS)

Women made gains across all levels of people leadership, jumping from 24 percent to 26 percent globally from fiscal 2020 to fiscal 2021 and from 27 percent to 29 percent in the United States. While gains of 1 to 2 percent may seem modest, in a global enterprise of its size this level of growth is highly significant

Benchmark and report operational water use and risks
CISCO implemented a number of water efficiency projects over the last few years, such as upgrading the irrigation controllers and installing high-efficiency water fixtures throughout the buildings. It also continue to maintain a comprehensive water management system at the campus in Bangalore, India, that includes a rainwater harvesting system, an evaporative cooling system, and two sewer treatment plants
Advance water stewardship in water-stressed regions where the,r supply chain operates

Started supporting a project that will help enable artisanal miners in Burkina Faso to establish a commercially viable pathway to market for responsibly mined artisanal gold
Supported more than 70 Country Digital Acceleration projects specific to COVID-19 relief

They are exploring alternative methods of cooling (air flow, liquid, and refrigerant cooling) and continuing to optimize algorithms to reduce power
Cisco’s IoT business unit began offering a multipack option for Catalyst IR1101 Rugged Series Router customers with large orders, reducing corrugated cardboard by an estimated 7500 pounds per year

Cisco is dedicated to creating a diverse company and promoting “inclusivity of gender, generatio, race, ethnicity, orientation, ability, nationality, religion, veteran status, culture, experience, strengths, and perspectives” with programs and strategies such as Diverse Talent Accelerators, Next Generation Leaders, Inclusion & Collaboration Community, Conscious culture, emergency Time Off, flexible work arrangements, comprehensive benefits package
Cisco has strategies and programs in place to reduce inequalities regarding freedom of expression. Programs include Business and Human Rights at Cisco, Human Rights Working Group, Digital Readiness Index, Privacy Data Sheets and Data Maps
Launched the Inclusive Future Action Office to hold Cisco accountable for achieving our 12 Social Justice Actions
In their June Check-In during PRIDE month, Inclusive Community leaders reflected on progress and shared the vision for what is possible for our LGBTQ+ communities. The chat window graphics transformed with rainbow hues of the PRIDE flag, and our PRIDE leaders challenged them to look beyond the letters and see the true, whole selves of the people within the full spectrum of LGBTQ+

When ASHRAE, the world’s leading building standards organization, moved to a new corporate headquarters, it partnered with Cisco and NTT to retrofit a 43-year-old building into a secure, innovative, and sustainable workspace. The building’s universal PoE foundation, powered by Cisco, allows all systems to be managed over the network through an integrated building management system

They continue to explore ways to reduce the overall resistance in the components through the use of more conductive materials, and they continue to investigate and adapt high-efficiency conversion technologies to improve the overall system-level efficiency
Through advancements in optics, they can deliver increased bandwidth using the same or less power. These enhancements allow them to deliver significantly higher performance while maintaining, or reducing, energy use. Silicon One, the next-generation silicon design, provides more than twice the network bandwidth in a single ASIC than any other routing silicon, increasing our capacity from gigabytes per second to terabytes per second
They are working with customers to reduce the amount of energy required to operate their IT facilities. New power solutions increase the efficiency of overhead power, avoid step-down transformers, and provide integrated cooling strategies. These end-to-end solutions reduce hardware requirements and energy consumption while providing a more integrated method for managing IT infrastructures
Power supplies play a critical role in managing product energy efficiencies. They are working to offer more energy-efficient options for power supplies. For example, they have given customers the option of platinum or titanium 80 Plus rated power supplies whenever possible
Trained thousands of employees on Cisco’s Circular Design Principles and began evaluating the performance of new products and packaging
Circular design evaluation methodology and tool that will help them track progress toward the goal that 100 percent of new Cisco products and packaging incorporate the Design Principles by 2025
The latest generation of UCS-X products are featuring streamlined fastening to speed up the disassembly process, plastic parts made of post-consumer recycled resin, and a 62 percent reduction in powder coat usage compared to the prior generation
Packaging for the Catalyst IR8140 Heavy Duty Router is the first solution at Cisco to use a fiber-flute material suited to protect heavier products. The change eliminates an estimated 661 pounds of foam each year
The “Box Patch” program was launched to avoid disruption and reduce waste by keeping products and materials in use

The Cisco Foundation announced a 10-year, US$100 million commitment to fund nonprofit grants and impact investing in climate solutions
Met its Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas and renewable energy goals one year early and set new goals for fiscal 2025
Cisco has the overall goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by making renewable energy purchases, energy efficiency in work offices, labs, and data centers
In fiscal 2021, Cisco contributed to several industry efforts to educate and align expectations for IT suppliers. For the second year, it participated in a joint supplier communications letter sponsored by CDP to align around a standard set of environmental reporting priorities. The firm also co-hosted a training seminar with CDP to help the China-based suppliers better understand climate priorities and science-based reduction targets.
Cisco worked directly with the Responsible Business Alliance to draft and approve new guidance into their Code of Conduct accountability mechanisms to evaluate suppliers against requirements for corporate GHG reduction targets. We continue to partner with leading peers to engage the suppliers on GHG emissions reductions and contribute to the development of a supplier management platform that allows us to track its suppliers’ emissions performance against science-based reduction pathways. This platform combines corporate Scope 3 targets with meaningful supplier engagement, giving suppliers and brands the ability to visualize and achieve common goals. We plan to use this platform to build long-term engagements with our highest carbon-impact suppliers
Investments in renewable energy over the past 15 years have helped them drive down the Scope 1 and 2 emissions. Their strategy includes a combination of renewable energy purchases, onsite solar installations, green power contracts with local utilities, and power purchase agreements (PPAs) that add new renewable energy to the local electricity grid, such as the wind PPA in Texas
In fiscal 2021, CISCO sourced 1.3 million MWh of renewable energy, including 100 percent of the electricity used at Cisco facilities in the United States, Canada, and several European countries. It sourced 200 GWh of solar renewable energy certificates (RECs) generated in North Carolina and continued to participate in Duke Energy’s Green Rider program. The business continued to expand the renewable electricity purchases in India by entering into new long-term and short-term PPAs
They continue to engage with green power providers and buyers to accelerate the use of renewable energy through the Clean Energy Buyers Association (CEBA) and the EPA’s Green Power Partnership
Cisco’s hybrid work model and its collaboration tools reduce the need for business travel and commuting and the resulting emissions
32 Cisco facilities were certified by LEED, CASBEE, BREEAM, or another comparable green building certification. As a part of the hybrid work strategy, it will continue to expand the number of green buildings in our portfolio

In fiscal 2021, stemming from their work with partners NTT and Dimension Data, the nonprofit Connected Conservation Foundation (CCF) was born. CCF enables increased support for projects that deploy technology to protect wildlife and natural ecosystem
1 million hectares secured across Kenya, South Africa, and Zambia

The use of Cisco Secure Development Lifecycle, Transparency Report, and Trust center as ways to mitigate threats online and improve cyber security
Published updated guidelines that outline how we handle law enforcement and government requests for customer data
Formed a cross-functional Human Rights Advisory Committee that will inform the business and human rights strategy
Spearheading agreements to share threat intelligence with select organizations, such as NATO and Interpol, to jointly fight cyber crime

Enel is working with Cisco to introduce innovative solutions for agile grid operation, regulation, and supervision. Using Cisco technology, Enel can monitor its energy grid and preemptively address any faults or failures that threaten the network. Cisco is also helping Enel connect its grid to renewable energy sources like solar and wind energy at scale, speeding the transition to a low-carbon electricity grid. Together, Cisco and Enel are making energy more reliable, more affordable, and more sustainable

Sustainability Certificates, Awards and Listings

CISCO Sustainability Report

RATING

SECTOR

Chief Sustainability Officer

Stock Exchange and Ticker

Website

Contact

Listing

Awards

Revenue

Market Capitalisation

Employees

Content source

CISCO Sustainability Report

Evaluation of CISCO

Sustainability Scorecard

CISCO Company Activity

CISCO Sustainability Activity - As per company declarations

Certificate & Labels, Standards and Frameworks

CISCO in the news: Press Reviews and Social Media

Highlights from CISCO Sustainability Report

Targets vs Progress Reported

UN SDGs Compliance Analysis

Sustainability Certificates, Awards and Listings

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