In a bid to make substantial strides towards a greener future, Cisco has revealed its comprehensive sustainability strategy. The company aims to mitigate the environmental impact of technology by implementing various initiatives.
During his keynote speech at Cisco Live 2023, CEO Chuck Robbins emphasized the company’s commitment to sustainability, stating that it is now one of Cisco’s top five customer priorities. Robbins firmly believes that conducting business in a sustainable and equitable manner is the only way forward.
As part of its sustainability goals, Cisco has set a target to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions throughout its value chain by 2040. Additionally, the company has pledged to offer 100% product return upon customer request, with no extra cost involved.
Acknowledging the significant energy consumption of data centers, Cisco cited statistics indicating that data center servers and switches alone consume up to 2% of electricity in the United States, with energy costs representing up to 30% of data center expenditures.
To provide customers with better insights into their energy consumption, Cisco has enhanced its Cisco Nexus Dashboard with energy management analytics. This upgrade offers comprehensive visibility into energy consumption, costs, and greenhouse gas emissions across the Cisco Networking Cloud.
Working alongside Cisco API integration partners Panduit and Vertiv, the enhanced service includes real-time and historical data on energy consumption and enables better monitoring of ambient temperatures in data centres to enhance cooling efficiency. It also ensures proper oversight of additional IT equipment such as servers, switches, and storage.
Expanding its efforts to the realm of the Internet of Things (IoT), Cisco showcased its Cisco IoT Operations Dashboard. This powerful tool allows organizations to gain real-time insights into their equipment, regardless of its physical location.
Furthermore, Cisco has taken steps to evaluate the environmental impact of its Webex services, such as video conferencing and meetings. The integration of Webex Control Hub provides users with the ability to estimate their emissions and analyze monthly trends in energy consumption.
Highlighting the company’s commitment to sustainability, Cisco appointed Mary de Wysocki as its first chief sustainability officer last year. She emphasized the significance of incorporating sustainable decision-making into the company’s core operations, asserting that Cisco’s technologies, policies, and practices can have a positive impact on the community.
With these ambitious sustainability plans, Cisco aims to set an example and drive positive change, firmly positioning itself as a leader in environmentally conscious business practices.
