Cisco Partners and Sustainability: we can help you do your part

Environmental sustainability is an expanding focus and topic of discussion for many business leaders around the world. This is a period of great change. Businesses all over the world continue reshaping their operations to further support the wellbeing, stability, and future of the planet. We are evolving from an economy that extracts resources and eventually discards them, to a circular one which finds new uses for products and their inputs. According to a survey from McKinsey & Co., most people in the world today are attuned to the environmental impacts of their lifestyles, and 66% of consumers prefer to purchase sustainable items. Similarly, a recent IDC study showed that 63% of technology professionals worldwide believe sustainability is a very or extremely important business priority.

Given these trends and Cisco’s status as a global tech leader, our approach to environmental sustainability is holistic, including our operations, our engagement with suppliers, and our efforts to help customers and communities reduce their environmental impacts and adapt to a changing world. As a company, we are committed to leverage our unique strengths to power an inclusive future for all. That is why we are focusing on not just a sustainable future, but a regenerative one.

Get More Involved in Sustainability

There are so many opportunities to dive into sustainability. If you are interested in learning more, here are some links:

1. The Plan for Possible: Connecting a regenerative future – Cisco Blogs
2. Environmental Sustainability – Cisco
3. Cisco Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Reporting Hub
4. Sustainability Home Page
5. Grow a sustainable IT Strategy with Cisco Capital and Cisco Refresh

Moreover, we have expanded our sustainability efforts to our valued Partners by offering an Environmental Sustainability Specialization (ESS) Program, which rewards partners for supporting Cisco’s product return pledge and participating in Cisco’s global initiative to responsibly repurpose or recycle end-of-use products. The Specialization enables partners to educate customers, promote product takeback, assist in customers’ move to circular business models, and further their own sustainability practices. Cisco ESS partners in participating countries are exclusively eligible for new incentive offers including incremental discounts of up to 4% on new products registered and additional 3% for incremental accelerator discounts with a commitment to return the used hardware back to Cisco, through Cisco’s Takeback & Reuse Program.

Furthermore, our Environmental Sustainability Black Belt track aims to help partners support customers’ sustainability priorities. If you would like a dedicated learning map on Environmental Sustainability this is for you! You will learn about strategies that can help customers move toward net zero, the circular economy, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions, and other sustainability initiatives.

Finally, if you know someone (it might be you!) who is leading sustainability initiatives at our Partners or at Cisco – we would welcome you to nominate them as a Partner Sustainability Champion. Here is the link.

By pursuing what’s possible, we can accelerate the transition into the digital age while maintaining the health of the planet — and a climate future we need and desire for future generations to come.

Visit our ESG Reporting Hub for more details on our initiatives