How Cisco is Using Circularity to Enhance Sustainability

Global technology provider Cisco employs roughly 90,400 members of staff and maintains a corporate presence across more than 90 countries with 275 offices.

By integrating networking, security, observability and collaboration, the company intends to offer the essential infrastructure required for organisations to succeed during the age of artificial intelligence.

Across its wide-reaching operations, the business incorporates sustainability practices designed to encourage decarbonisation and improve energy efficiency within the supply chain.

The firm has now published its FY25 Purpose Report. This document clarifies how sustainability is being treated as a priority across the business to assist customers, wider communities and the local environment.

According to the report, the primary sustainability objective for Cisco is to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions. This involves a commitment to decreasing absolute Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions by 90% by 2040 when measured against the FY19 base year.

Achieving emissions reduction goals

To monitor this journey, the company uses near-term targets which include a 90% reduction in absolute Scope 1 and 2 emissions by FY25 and a 30% reduction in absolute Scope 3 emissions by FY30.

By the conclusion of FY25, Cisco has reached its Scope 1 and 2 target and has also managed a 35% decrease in its Scope 3 emissions. To hit these short-term targets, the business adopted an all-encompassing strategy for global operations that prioritised efficiency alongside decarbonisation.

During the 2025 fiscal year, the company carried out 78 energy efficiency schemes which assist in avoiding approximately 27,200 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent on an annual basis.

Cisco also utilised artificial intelligence and sophisticated analytics to track and improve energy usage, airflow and cooling systems within its laboratory environments.

Furthermore, the business grew the number of electric vehicles within its fleet of leased cars for staff in Europe, rising from 11% in FY19 to 66% in FY25.

Mary de Wysocki, Chief Sustainability Officer at Cisco, says: “In FY25, we delivered meaningful progress across our operations, products and value chain, reaching several important multi-year milestones that support energy efficiency, resilience and long-term value creation.”

Mary explained that she is proud of the various teams and partners involved in this development and noted the level of collaboration required to see results at such a scale.

Mary says: “As we look ahead, we’ll continue focusing on solutions that help our customers operate more efficiently, build resilience and grow responsibly in an increasingly digital and AI-driven world.”

Moving towards circular design

Since 2019, the organisation has integrated its Circular Design Principles into the development of products and packaging.

For FY25, Cisco intended to ensure that 100% of its new products and packaging layouts met these specific design requirements, an objective which the company has now met.

The business also went beyond its original goal to cut the amount of foam used in packaging by 75% by instead reaching a 78% reduction in FY25 compared to the FY19 baseline.

These Circular Design Principles involve the use of recycled materials and the creation of products that allow for more efficient transport and packaging.

They also involve the optimisation of component design to allow for easier repair or reuse while maintaining a focus on intelligent energy consumption.

All sustainability, net zero and sustainable procurement leaders should attend:

• Procurement and Supply Chain LIVE: The Net Zero Summit - QEII Centre, London, March 4-5
• Procurement and Supply Chain LIVE: The US Summit - Navy Pier, Chicago, April 21-22

Co-located with Sustainability LIVE, these events brings together CSOs, ESG leaders and senior decision-makers at a moment when sustainability, supply chains and commercial performance are increasingly interconnected.

Tickets can be booked online today for The Net Zero Summit and The US Summit. Group discounts available.

Advancing responsible technology use

Cisco intends to become a prominent figure in secure artificial intelligence research with a specific focus on deploying the technology in a responsible manner.

The firm prioritises transparency and trust throughout the entire life cycle of its artificial intelligence tools while prompting other businesses to follow a similar path.

The company is currently collaborating with government bodies, the private sector and various international stakeholders to help influence both national and global strategies for artificial intelligence.

This involves offering expertise to help refine public policies and regulations surrounding the technology.

Chuck Robbins, Chair and CEO of Cisco, says: “In this AI era, Cisco’s technology is more relevant than ever and the trust our customers and partners place in us has never mattered more.”

Chuck explained that the innovation being provided today could influence the world of the future and suggested that aligning technology with the corporate purpose of powering an inclusive future could increase its overall impact.

Chuck says: “We see this every day through all the meaningful ways our solutions make a difference.”

The company is currently collaborating with government bodies, the private sector and various international stakeholders to help influence both national and global strategies for artificial intelligence.

This involves offering expertise to help refine public policies and regulations surrounding the technology.

Chuck Robbins, Chair and CEO of Cisco, says: “In this AI era, Cisco’s technology is more relevant than ever and the trust our customers and partners place in us has never mattered more.”

Chuck explained that the innovation being provided today could influence the world of the future and suggested that aligning technology with the corporate purpose of powering an inclusive future could increase its overall impact.

Chuck says: “We see this every day through all the meaningful ways our solutions make a difference.”