Cisco 2020 Environment Technical Review 
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Cisco 
2020 
Environment 
Technical Review

Cisco 2020 Environment Technical Review 
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Table of contents 
Table of contents ....................................................................................................................................... 2 
List of tables .............................................................................................................................................. 5 
List of figures ............................................................................................................................................. 7 
Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 8 
Environmental sustainability reporting frameworks ................................................................................... 8 
GRI ......................................................................................................................................................... 8 
SDG ....................................................................................................................................................... 9 
SASB...................................................................................................................................................... 9 
TCFD...................................................................................................................................................... 9 
General ...................................................................................................................................................... 9 
CSR materiality - environment ............................................................................................................. 10 
Stakeholder inquiries ........................................................................................................................ 11 
Life-cycle assessment ...................................................................................................................... 11 
ESG rankings and ratings ................................................................................................................ 13 
Clean revenue .............................................................................................................................. 14 
Environmental policy ............................................................................................................................ 15 
Environment goals ............................................................................................................................ 16 
Environment governance ................................................................................................................. 17 
Energy/GHG emissions ................................................................................................................ 17 
Circular economy .......................................................................................................................... 18 
Risk management ............................................................................................................................ 18 
Design for environment .................................................................................................................... 18 
Environmental management system ................................................................................................... 19 
Scope and implementation ............................................................................................................... 20 
Environmental compliance ............................................................................................................... 22 
Environment employee engagement ................................................................................................... 22 
Education and awareness ................................................................................................................ 22 
Activities and volunteering ............................................................................................................... 23 
Supplier environmental performance ...................................................................................................... 24 
Supplier GHG emissions...................................................................................................................... 25 
Supplier material waste........................................................................................................................ 25 
Supplier water security......................................................................................................................... 26 
Environmental risk management in China ........................................................................................... 26 
Audits and self assessments ............................................................................................................... 27 
Energy and GHG emissions .................................................................................................................... 28 
Energy and GHG emissions goals ....................................................................................................... 28 
Energy and Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions ........................................................................................ 28 
The Cisco workplace ........................................................................................................................ 31

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Energy efficiency in our buildings, labs, and data centers ............................................................... 31 
Labs and data centers .................................................................................................................. 32 
GHG emissions from outsourced IT ................................................................................................. 33 
Green building standards ............................................................................................................. 33 
Renewable energy ........................................................................................................................... 33 
Onsite renewable power ............................................................................................................... 33 
Purchasing renewable electricity .................................................................................................. 33 
Scope 3 GHG emissions...................................................................................................................... 34 
Scope 3 reduction strategy .............................................................................................................. 34 
Scope 3 supply chain operations ..................................................................................................... 34 
Scope 3 category 1: purchased goods and services ....................................................................... 35 
GHG emissions from outsourced IT – DCaaS, IaaS, SaaS and PaaS ........................................ 35 
Scope 3 category 4: upstream transportation and distribution ........................................................ 36 
Scope 3 category 6: business travel ................................................................................................ 36 
Scope 3 category 7: employee commuting ...................................................................................... 36 
Flexible work practices ................................................................................................................. 36 
Transportation services ................................................................................................................ 37 
Scope 3 category 11: use of sold products (product energy efficiency) .......................................... 38 
Stakeholder engagement and standards development ................................................................ 38 
Improving product energy efficiency ............................................................................................. 39 
Reducing product energy consumption ........................................................................................ 41 
Scope 3 category 12: end-of-use treatment of sold products (end-of-life) ....................................... 43 
IT solutions for the environment .......................................................................................................... 43 
Reducing GHG emissions from business air travel and teleworking ............................................... 43 
Products and packaging materials .......................................................................................................... 44 
Product and packaging goals .............................................................................................................. 44 
Stakeholder engagement for the circular economy ............................................................................. 44 
Circular design ..................................................................................................................................... 45 
Product materials ................................................................................................................................. 46 
Recycled material content ................................................................................................................ 46 
Eliminating paper from new product shipments ............................................................................... 47 
Materials of concern ......................................................................................................................... 47 
Halogenated flame retardants ...................................................................................................... 47 
Polyvinyl chloride .......................................................................................................................... 47 
Batteries ........................................................................................................................................ 47 
Product life-cycle management ........................................................................................................... 48 
Use ................................................................................................................................................... 48 
End of use ........................................................................................................................................ 48 
Returns ......................................................................................................................................... 48

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Improving the customer returns experience ............................................................................. 48 
Customer and partner programs ............................................................................................... 49 
Cisco-internal programs ............................................................................................................ 49 
Reuse ........................................................................................................................................... 50 
End of life ......................................................................................................................................... 50 
Harvesting ..................................................................................................................................... 51 
Recycling ...................................................................................................................................... 51 
Product packaging ............................................................................................................................... 53 
Product packaging materials ............................................................................................................ 54 
Product packaging end-of-life .......................................................................................................... 54 
Water ....................................................................................................................................................... 55 
Water usage ......................................................................................................................................... 55 
Water stewardship ............................................................................................................................... 56 
Water-energy nexus ............................................................................................................................. 57 
Biodiversity (including land use) .............................................................................................................. 57 
Operations ........................................................................................................................................... 57 
Species conservation ........................................................................................................................... 58 
Solid waste from operations (trash) ......................................................................................................... 58 
RTP zero waste ................................................................................................................................... 60 
Other campus waste initiatives ............................................................................................................ 60 
Effluents (Liquid) ...................................................................................................................................... 60 
Non-GHG emissions ................................................................................................................................ 60 
Appendix I – Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) .......................................................... 62 
Appendix II – Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) .......................................... 64 
The science and scenarios .................................................................................................................. 64 
Analysis ................................................................................................................................................ 66 
Appendix III – Supplier environmental engagement and performance ................................................... 70 
Appendix IV – Cisco FY20 Scope 3 emissions ....................................................................................... 71 
Appendix V – Past Cisco environment goals .......................................................................................... 72 
Appendix VI – United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) ................................................ 73

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List of tables 
Table 1: Cisco environmental reporting frameworks .................................................................................... 8 
Table 2: GRI standards environment topics compared to ETR sections ...................................................... 9 
Table 3: Cisco materiality ranking of environment topics ........................................................................... 10 
Table 4: Breakdown of GHG emissions by life-cycle phase for various Cisco product categories ............ 12 
Table 5: IP phone and blade server breakdown of GHG emissions for manufacturing phase ................... 12 
Table 6: Blade server impacts by life-cycle phase ...................................................................................... 12 
Table 7: Blade server manufacturing environmental impacts by component or subassembly ................... 13 
Table 8: Key environment ratings and rankings performance .................................................................... 13 
Table 9: Cisco historical CDP Climate Change scores ............................................................................... 14 
Table 10: Current Cisco environmental goals ............................................................................................. 16 
Table 11: Cisco ISO 14001 certified site locations ..................................................................................... 20 
Table 12: Cisco Environment Management System ISO 14001 certification ............................................. 20 
Table 13: Environment aspect teams per region ........................................................................................ 20 
Table 14: Supply-chain, environment-focused organizations and initiatives .............................................. 24 
Table 15: Suppliers with public absolute GHG reduction target ................................................................. 25 
Table 16: Supply-chain-related Scope 3 GHG emissions and reduction goal ............................................ 25 
Table 17: Performance toward supplier zero waste goal ............................................................................ 26 
Table 18: Self-assessment questionnaire coverage by supplier type ........................................................ 27 
Table 19: RBA audit nonconformances for FY20, Environment category .................................................. 27 
Table 20: Summary of Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions1 ............................................................................. 29 
Table 21: Electricity emissions factors1....................................................................................................... 30 
Table 22: Summary of Scope 1 and 2 energy usage ................................................................................. 30 
Table 23: Energy and GHG emissions reduction projects1 ........................................................................ 32 
Table 24: Electricity from low-carbon sources (renewables) ...................................................................... 34 
Table 25: Supplier adoption of absolute GHG reduction goals ................................................................... 35 
Table 26: GHG emissions from outsourced IT services (IaaS, SaaS, PaaS). ............................................ 36 
Table 27: Scope 3 emissions from employee commuting .......................................................................... 36 
Table 28: Cisco locations with EV charging ................................................................................................ 37 
Table 29: Percentage EVs in Cisco company cars ..................................................................................... 37 
Table 30: Total estimated electricity and GHG emissions from use of sold products. ............................... 38 
Table 31: Cisco product categories by power consumption and product revenue ..................................... 38 
Table 32: Energy efficiency initiatives and organizations with whom Cisco actively engages ................... 39 
Table 33: Product power efficiency improvements (large rack-mounted-equipment) ................................ 41 
Table 34: Remote collaboration technology solutions ................................................................................ 43 
Table 35: Circular economy-related initiatives and organizations in which Cisco participates ................... 44 
Table 36: Progress toward meeting our virgin-plastics goal ....................................................................... 46 
Table 37: Cisco product return programs ................................................................................................... 49 
Table 38: Product return, reuse and recycling ............................................................................................ 52 
Table 39: Performance toward foam reduction goal ................................................................................... 53 
Table 40: Focus areas for sustainable product, packaging and fulfillment solutions.................................. 54 
Table 41: Water use in direct operations .................................................................................................... 55 
Table 42: Biodiversity and land use ............................................................................................................ 57 
Table 43: Cisco solid waste reduction initiatives......................................................................................... 58

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Table 44: Recycling rates for solid waste (trash) from major campus locations ......................................... 59 
Table 45: Solid waste from operations (trash) ............................................................................................ 59 
Table 46: Effluent spills and discharges ..................................................................................................... 60 
Table 47: Non-GHG emissions ................................................................................................................... 61 
Table 48: SASB sustainability disclosure topics & accounting metrics (Hardware industry) ...................... 62 
Table 49: TCFD recommended disclosures* .............................................................................................. 66 
Table 50: Cisco climate-related risks and potential financial impact .......................................................... 68 
Table 51: Cisco climate-related opportunities and potential financial impact ............................................. 68 
Table 52: Supplier progress reporting to CDP and achieving key GHG-related milestones ...................... 70 
Table 53: Scope 3 emissions for FY20 ....................................................................................................... 71 
Table 54: Cisco completed environment goals ........................................................................................... 72 
Table 55: United Nations SDGs aligned with Cisco environmental Initiatives ............................................ 73

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List of figures 
Figure 1: Cisco reverse logistics locations .................................................................................................. 52 
Figure 2: Atmospheric CO2 concentrations at Mauna Loa Observatory ..................................................... 64 
Figure 3: Atmospheric CO2 concentrations for the past 800,000 years ...................................................... 65 
Figure 4: Global total net CO2 emissions in pathways limiting global warming to 1.5°C ............................ 66 
Figure 5: Climate-related risks and opportunities ....................................................................................... 68

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Introduction 
The Environment Technical Review (ETR) provides a comprehensive reference for all Cisco 
environmental sustainability information. Information is provided either directly in this report or through a 
hyperlink to other publicly accessible material. This report and information referenced therein should be 
considered the comprehensive source for Cisco’s environmental sustainability reporting. 
Because corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting (1) includes a wide range of environmental, 
social and corporate governance issues (ESG), and (2) addresses the interests of a broad range of 
stakeholders—including customers, financial and industry analysts, shareholders and investors, media, 
advocacy, academia and Cisco employees—Cisco is publishing its CSR information in three formats: 
1. 
The 2020 Corporate Social Responsibility Impact Report (CSR Impact Report) provides summary and 
highlight information on ESG topics of stakeholder interest. 
2. 
This Environment Technical Review (ETR), is a detailed compendium of all Cisco environment-related 
information. All environment information in the CSR Impact Report or the online ESG Reporting Hub is 
included in this ETR. 
3. 
An online ESG Reporting Hub (ESG Hub) contains detailed information and data related to our social and 
corporate governance ESG pillars, performance, policies and initiatives. 
A list of all hyperlinks embedded in this report is provided as Appendix VII. 
Environmental sustainability reporting frameworks 
Based on feedback from stakeholders, especially customers, analysts, shareholders and advocacy 
organizations, the four reporting frameworks shown in Table 1 were used in preparing this report. 
Table 1: Cisco environmental reporting frameworks 
GRI 
Global Reporting Initiative 
UN SDG 
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 
• Economic, environmental, social 
• Global comparability and quality 
• 37 topic-specific standards 
• 2015: Adopted by United Nations members 
• Shared blueprint: peace and prosperity, people and the 
planet, now and future 
• 17 goals, detailed targets and indicators 
 
SASB 
Sustainable Accounting Standards Board 
TCFD  
Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures 
• 11 sectors: 77 industry-specific standards 
• Topics: 5 Dimensions; 26 Issue Categories 
• Cisco 
o Sector – Technology Communications 
o Industry – Hardware 
• Financial impact of climate related risks and 
opportunities 
• Governance, strategy, risk management, metrics and 
targets 
GRI 
Cisco’s ESG reporting has been prepared in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) 
Standards (Core). We have standardized on GRI terminology for the major sections of this report. The 
GRI standards address non-environment-related topics and that reporting is provided in the CSR Impact 
Report and ESG Hub. 
Tags to GRI topics are embedded throughout the report at the beginning of the relevant section and 
reference the standard effective July 1, 2018. In organizing the ETR, we’ve adjusted the topic names 
slightly to better align to the specifics of Cisco business as shown in Table 2.

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Table 2: GRI standards environment topics compared to ETR sections 
GRI Topic-Specific Standard 
Related ETR section 
301: Materials 
Products and packaging materials 
302: Energy 
Energy and GHG emissions 
303: Water and Effluents 
Water 
Effluents (Liquid) 
304: Biodiversity 
Biodiversity (including land use) 
305: Emissions 
Non-GHG emissions 
306: Effluents and Waste 
Effluents (Liquid) 
Solid waste from operations (trash) 
307: Environmental Compliance 
Environmental sustainability 
        Environmental compliance 
308: Supplier Environmental Assessment 
Supplier environmental performance 
There are two significant differences between our report headings and GRI topics. 
• 
Energy and a subset of emissions—greenhouse gases (GHG)—are grouped under a single heading 
• 
“Waste” refers to operational waste from our labs and offices. It does not include Cisco product 
manufacturing. Refer to Products and packaging materials for information on Cisco’s circular economy 
initiatives implemented throughout the product life cycle, from product design and manufacturing to 
service and end-of-life management. 
SDG 
A cross-reference between Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and Cisco’s environmental initiatives 
and goals is provided as Appendix VI – United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). All 
environment-related SDGs are listed for clarity and completeness. Like GRI requirements, the UN 
Sustainable Development Goals address non-environmental topics that are addressed in the CSR Impact 
Report and the ESG Hub. 
SASB 
Guidance by the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) was used in the preparation of 
Appendix I – Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB). SASB requirements address more than 
environment-related issues, but our assessment against all SASB requirements is provided here for 
convenience. 
TCFD 
Climate change is a very significant and material issue that continues to receive heightened attention by 
our stakeholders, especially analysts and other members of the financial community. Cisco’s assessment 
against the guidance provided by the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) is 
provided as Appendix II – Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures. 
General 
Under this general major heading, sustainability materiality, environmental policies, our environmental 
management system (EMS) and environment related employee engagement are discussed. 
The remaining major sections address environmental topics using the terminology from the GRI 
Standards as modified per Table 2.

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CSR materiality - environment 
The environmental sustainability team at Cisco continually evaluates sustainability materiality based on 
inquiries received daily from stakeholders, including customers, analysts, investors, advocacy and 
employees. Every two years we complete a full materiality assessment, in partnership with an 
independent environmental consultancy, to confirm our understanding of global priorities. 
Prioritization based on environmental materiality has been stable for more than ten years. Our latest full 
assessment, completed in FY19, confirmed our environment-related priorities remain: 
• 
Energy and GHG emissions: energy consumption and GHG emissions from our operations, our supply 
chain and our products. 
• 
Product and packaging materials: circular economy initiatives implemented throughout the product life 
cycle, from product design and manufacturing to service and end-of-life management 
These top two issues are addressed through initiatives with dedicated funding and program structure. 
Progress is motivated and measured through publicly announced goals and annual performance 
reporting. Internally, our energy/GHG and circular economy programs have equal visibility, but 
energy/GHG is ranked higher on our materiality assessment due to the global impact expected from 
increasing GHG emissions in the Earth’s atmosphere. 
All environment-related topics are stack ranked in Table 3 based on stakeholder input and our 
environmental sustainability materiality assessment. We began publishing this stack ranking starting in 
our 2011 CSR Report (p. F2). 
Table 3: Cisco materiality ranking of environment topics 
Tier 
Environment topic 
1 
Energy / GHG emissions 
Material use & waste 
2 
IT solutions for the environment 
3 
Water 
Biodiversity (including land use) 
Solid waste from operations (trash) 
Effluents (liquid) 
Non-GHG emissions 
Cisco also takes action on Tier 3 environmental issues through normal, operational due diligence by the 
responsible business functions. The order within Tier 3 also indicates a prioritization but recognizes a 
wider uncertainty band compared to Tiers 1 and 2. Water is ranked highest in Tier 3 because of scarcity 
in some areas where Cisco maintains operations, but also because of its substantial use in electricity 
generation. Details of our efforts and performance are provided in the topic-specific sections of this 
document. 
In FY20, we continued to see increasing customer and investor interest in environmental sustainability, as 
reflected in customer requests for proposals, customer and environmental advocacy surveys, and other 
inquiries. The scope of environment impact includes our operations, extended operations (supply chain), 
and products and services. 
Stakeholder inquiries, life-cycle assessments (LCA) and key ESG rankings and ratings provide significant 
insight into materiality and are discussed in the following sections. A sustainability materiality assessment 
is separately completed for social and corporate governance issues with those results provided in the 
ESG Reporting Hub. 
Our fiscal 2021 sustainability materiality assessment will utilize multiple methods, including big data and 
direct stakeholder input. A full description of the sustainability materiality assessment process and the 
current materiality matrix can be found on the ESG Reporting Hub.

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Stakeholder inquiries 
Cisco’s CSR business process is based on our annual sustainability materiality assessment and ongoing 
stakeholder engagement. In addition to the formal materiality assessment, the environment team 
independently gathers feedback on emerging issues, the quality and accessibility of our reporting, and 
our sustainability performance from additional sources including stakeholder inquiries and key rankings 
and ratings. “Stakeholder inquiries” is the umbrella term we use for questions we receive from a variety of 
sources, including: 
• 
Customer and partners. The visibility of environmental sustainability continues to increase in customer 
and partner request for proposal (RFP), supplier qualification, and contract processes. 
• 
Employees 
• 
Financial and industry analysts 
• 
Shareholders and investors 
• 
Sustainability data aggregators, which includes companies like EcoVadis that collect sustainability 
information for our customers and partners as well as a broad range of organizations that collect and 
package sustainability information for resale or for their own analysis. 
• 
Environmental advocacy groups 
• 
Academia, including researchers and students 
• 
Media 
Environment-related topics form the majority of CSR-related inquiries from customers and partners. 
These inquiries provide continuous, real-time insight into the environmental issues of interest to different 
categories of stakeholders. 
Life-cycle assessment 
Cisco uses life-cycle assessments (LCAs) to estimate the GHG emissions associated with our products, 
which feeds into our understanding of the environmental impacts of our products through their entire life 
cycle. 
Our LCAs use the five product life-cycle stages defined by the GHG Protocol in the Product Life Cycle 
Accounting and Reporting Standard, which itself is based on the ISO 14040 standard: 
• 
Material acquisition and pre-processing 
• 
Manufacturing 
• 
Transport (distribution and storage) 
• 
Use 
• 
End-of-life 
We continue to see that our products consume the largest proportion of energy and are responsible for 
the most GHG emissions during the product-use life-cycle phase. 
In building our LCA approach, we have used external tools and data sources, including thinkstep GaBi 
7.3 and publicly available data sources, such as the International Energy Agency (IEA); the United 
Kingdom’s Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy; and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. 
In FY19 we began using the Product Attribute to Impact Algorithm (PAIA) tool, which uses a streamlined 
LCA methodology that relates product attributes such as Printed Wiring Board (PWB) area or product 
weight to its global warming potential (GWP) impact. Using the PAIA tool, we have reduced our cost and 
time to complete an LCA and, based on this experience, we continue to use the PAIA tool for LCA work. 
One limitation of the PAIA is that only our servers and network switches are in scope for the tool. Due to 
the similarity between the components used in our switches and routers, we are working with the PAIA 
team to evaluate whether or not the network switch tool could be expanded to include routers. This would 
allow us to bring a larger share of our products in scope of the PAIA tool.

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Table 4 provides a snapshot of percent of GHG emissions by life-cycle phase for a representative sample 
of Cisco products. The use phase is the leading contributor to our product’s GHG emissions ranging from 
81% to 95% of total life-cycle emissions. This range of total life-cycle emissions varies depending on 
weight, material, and power. 
Table 4: Breakdown of GHG emissions by life-cycle phase for various Cisco product categories 
Cisco device 
Life-cycle phase (percent of total emissions) 
 
Use 
Manufacturing 
Transport 
End-of-Life 
IP Phone1 
81.5% 
19.4% 
0.9% 
-1.8% 
Chassis-based switch2 
88.0% 
5.2% 
6.8% 
-0.1% 
Desktop switch/router 
92.4% 
6.1% 
1.7% 
-0.2% 
Large chassis router/switch2 
92.7% 
5.6% 
2.0% 
-0.3% 
Chassis-based router2 
95.2% 
3.0% 
1.1% 
0.6% 
Blade-server1 
91.2% 
9.0% 
0.1% 
-0.3% 
1 FY19 LCA 
2 FY13 or earlier LCA 
Our last full life-cycle assessments were completed in FY19 on an IP phone and blade server. The results 
were similar to previous assessments that showed the use phase dominates product life-cycle GHG 
emissions. 
From a product manufacturing perspective, LCAs also help us understand how the various 
subassemblies in a given product impact manufacturing phase GHG emissions. Table 5 provides a 
breakdown of GHG emissions by product component or subassembly for an IP phone and blade-server. 
Table 5: IP phone and blade server breakdown of GHG emissions for manufacturing phase 
 
Percent of GHG emissions by product component type 
Cisco device 
Printed 
wiring 
board 
Integrated 
circuits 
Hard disk 
drive 
Electronics 
(other) 
Packaging Enclosure 
materials 
Assembly 
& test 
LCD screen 
IP Phone 
21% 
40% 
na 
14% 
2% 
17% 
4% 
2% 
Blade-server 
46% 
24% 
22% 
5% 
2% 
<1% 
<1% 
na 
LCAs also provide information on other environmental impacts besides GHG emissions. The extraction 
and processing of precious metals like copper and gold required to make printed circuit boards (PCBs) 
and integrated circuits (ICs) are the primary drivers of all categories of environmental impact, including 
abiotic depletion, which is the decreasing availability of non-living resources like minerals and fossil fuels. 
Hard-drive manufacturing processes, including washing and cooling of production chemicals, are the 
primary drivers of blue water consumption and smog formation, respectively. 
• 
Table 6 breaks out LCA environmental impact categories by life-cycle phase for a blade server. 
• 
Table 7 breaks out LCA environmental impact categories by product component or subassembly for the 
same blade server. 
Table 6: Blade server impacts by life-cycle phase 
 
Life-cycle phase (percent of total impact) 
Life-cycle phase environmental impact 
Use 
Manufacturing Transport 
End-of-Life 
Global warming potential 
91% 
9% 
0% 
0% 
Primary energy demand 
94% 
6% 
0% 
0%

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Blue water consumption 
79% 
21% 
0% 
0% 
Eutrophication potential 
77% 
21% 
1% 
0% 
Acidification potential 
85% 
15% 
1% 
0% 
Abiotic depletion 
3% 
98% 
0% 
-1% 
Smog formation potential 
66% 
34% 
0% 
0% 
 
Table 7: Blade server manufacturing environmental impacts by component or subassembly 
Manufacturing environmental 
impact 
Printed 
wiring board 
Integrated 
circuits 
Hard disk 
drive 
Electronics 
(other) 
Packaging 
Enclosure 
materials 
Assembly & 
test 
Global warming potential 
46% 
24% 
23% 
5% 
2% 
0% 
0% 
Primary energy demand 
52% 
34% 
1% 
7% 
5% 
0% 
0% 
Blue water consumption 
26% 
8% 
59% 
6% 
1% 
0% 
0% 
Eutrophication potential 
44% 
20% 
31% 
4% 
1% 
0% 
0% 
Acidification potential 
38% 
26% 
26% 
9% 
1% 
0% 
0% 
Abiotic depletion 
39% 
51% 
0% 
9% 
0% 
0% 
0% 
Smog formation potential 
17% 
9% 
71% 
3% 
0% 
0% 
0% 
ESG rankings and ratings 
Cisco relies on six key rankings to gain insight into how Environmental topics are prioritized and to 
evaluate our sustainability reporting and performance, shown in Table 8. We have chosen these rankings 
based on their public visibility, the transparency of the scoring methodology, and our ability to engage 
consistently with analysts to discuss their priority topics and our areas for reporting and performance 
improvement. 
Except for Barron’s and the Wall Street Journal, which have only reported rankings the last three years, 
we have maintained this set of benchmarks for more than five years. For example, we’ve reported to CDP 
since its inception and to RobecoSAM (DJSI) since at least 2005. 
Table 8: Key environment ratings and rankings performance 
Key Environment Benchmarks 
2016 
2017 
2018 
2019 
2020 
S&P Dow Jones Indices (DJSI) 
World & North 
America 
World & North 
America 
World & North 
America 
World & North 
America 
World & North 
America 
Corporate Knights Global 100 (Release date) 
#57 
#3 
#7 
#14 
#4 
CDP Climate Change  
A List 
A List 
A List 
A List 
A List 
Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs (IPE) 
Corporate Information Transparency Index (CITI) 
IT Sector 
#11 
#12 
#7 
#2 
#2 
Barron’s Most Sustainable U.S. Companies 
- 
- 
#1 
#2 
#7 
WSJ Management Top 250 
- 
#9 
#13 
#5 
#6 
For information on Cisco’s historical CDP Climate Change performance see Table 9. The CDP Climate 
A List includes companies from around the world that have been identified as leaders in their reporting 
and actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

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Table 9: Cisco historical CDP Climate Change scores 
CDP Year / Cisco FY 
Cisco CDP 
Score 
Disclosure / 
Performance 
CDP 
A List 
CDP 
CDLI 
CDP 
CPLI 
2005 (CDP1) / FY04  
Responded 
– 
2006 (CDP2) / FY05 
70 
– 
2007 (CDP3) / FY06 
70 
– 
2008 (CDP4) / FY07 
96 
√ 
2009 (CDP5) / FY08 
88 
 
√ 
 
2010 (CDP6) / FY09 
92 / A 
√ 
√ 
2011 / FY10 
98 / A 
√ 
√ 
2012 / FY11 
96 / B 
√ 
– 
2013 / FY12 
100 / A 
 
√ 
√ 
2014 / FY13 
100 / A 
 
√ 
√ 
2015 / FY14 
100 / A 
√ 
√ 
# 
2016 / FY15 
A 
√ 
2017 / FY16 
A 
√ 
2018 / FY17 
A 
√ 
2019 / FY18 
A 
√ 
 
 
2020 / FY19 
A 
√ 
 
 
√:  on index 
–:  not on index 
#: CPLI transitioned to the A List in 2015; CDLI followed in 2016 
CDLI: Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index 
CPLI Carbon Performance Leadership Index. Performance scoring and the CPLI began with CDP 2010. 
Clean revenue 
Each year more stakeholders are asking us to quantify the percent of our yearly revenue that is 
considered “clean” or “green.” Different stakeholders provide differing criteria defining what should be 
included in this metric. The method provided by Corporate Knights, in their Clean Taxonomy version 3.0, 
uses the following definition: “Clean revenue measures a company’s revenue from all goods and services 
which have clear environmental and, in a limited number of well-defined cases, social benefits. This 
includes revenue from clean transition, low-carbon economy and circular economy revenue segments.” 
Revenue included in our Corporate Knights green revenue calculation includes: 
• 
Products with environmental certifications (e.g. ENERGY STAR, EPEAT) 
• 
Collaboration products such as Webex Meetings, Webex Rooms, Cisco Virtual Office and Meraki Virtual 
Office. 
• 
Products that have been recycled or refurbished 
• 
Software and services that reduce energy consumption and enable longer product life 
Based on Corporate Knights Clean Taxonomy version 3.0, we determined that 58 percent1 of our FY19 
revenue can be considered clean/green. Although this FY19 figure is a year behind our typical 
 
1 The FY19 clean revenue percent reported in our FY19 CSR report has been recalculated and restate here using version 3.0 of the Corporate Knights 
taxonomy. The ‘2021 Corporate Knights Global 100’ survey requests FY19 data.

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environmental reporting cycling it is what is requested by Corporate Knights during this (FY20) reporting 
year. 
FTSE’s Green Revenue Classification System definition 2.0 defines green revenue as “those that are 
derived from products and services that have a positive environmental utility: that help prevent, restore 
and adapt to issues deriving from climate change, natural resource limitations and environmental 
degradation.” 
Based on the FTSE classification system, we have determined that 27 percent of our FY19 revenue can 
be considered green. Revenue included in our FTSE green revenue calculation includes: 
• 
Collaboration products such as Webex Meetings, Webex Rooms, Cisco Virtual Office and Meraki Virtual 
Office. 
• 
Products that provide private and hybrid cloud solutions for enterprise customers, such as Cisco ONE 
Enterprise Cloud Suite. 
• 
Products that provide Cisco smart grid solutions, including Cisco Connected Grid Network Management 
solution which helps utility operations manage converged smart grid communications networks. 
• 
Cloud services such as Cisco Powered cloud services for infrastructure-as-a-service and Cisco 
Powered Desktop-as-a Service solution. 
We believe stakeholders should use caution in comparing companies with a self-reported green/clean 
revenue number. There are multiple and differing frameworks that are open to interpretation, which 
makes this reporting difficult to verify. Due to competitive considerations, the categories that make up 
clean/green revenue are often not aligned with current public financial reporting. 
Environmental policy 
Cisco has developed a series of policies over the last ten years that guide our environmental efforts. 
These policies declare our values and inform our decision-making. Our practices are: 
• 
We will eliminate or mitigate our environmental impacts. Cisco accepts responsibility for negative 
environmental impacts from our operations, extended operations (supply chain), and throughout the life 
cycle of our products. 
• 
We will implement our environmental policies consistently across all Cisco operations and legal entities 
worldwide, all extended operations, and all products. 
• 
We will govern our environment-related efforts using an externally certified, ISO 14001, environmental 
management system. 
• 
We will take a broad approach. The scope of our EMS includes energy and GHG emissions, product 
and packaging materials, water, biodiversity and land use, solid waste from operations, liquid effluents, 
and non-GHG emissions. 
• 
We will lead by example. When we ask our suppliers to contribute to our efforts, it will be on the 
foundation of Cisco’s successful action. Our supply chain environmental requirements will be 
documented, retrievable, and made available through our annual CSR reporting and our report 
archives. 
• 
We will listen. The Earth’s ecosystem is complex and there is much to be learned from our customers, 
our employees, advocacy groups, academia, and other stakeholders. 
• 
We will identify key analysts and advocacy groups and form strong working relationships. This will help 
us build a consistent, independent, external measure of our environmental performance. 
• 
We will identify our environmental impact through annual sustainability materiality assessments 
informed by stakeholder listening. We will follow the precautionary principle in establishing priorities and 
implementing initiatives. 
• 
We will set unambiguous, public goals to drive improvement and demonstrate accountability. Please 
refer to Table 10, Cisco current environmental goals, for more detail. A table of past environment goals 
is in Appendix V.

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• 
We will report annually and publicly our environmental performance, prioritizing full disclosure and the 
stakeholder perspective. 
Environment goals 
Our sustainability materiality assessment process incorporates input and feedback from our stakeholders 
as well as a technical assessment of the global problem and Cisco’s contribution to both the problem and 
the solution. In 2006, we announced our first public goal, for business air travel reduction. Since then, 
we’ve understood the importance of public goals for our most material issues, accompanied by a strong 
governing protocol. Table 10 lists Cisco’s current goals for our top 2 material issues in chronological 
order. 
Links in the table’s left-hand column direct to the Cisco blog post announcing each goal. Links in the right 
column direct to pages of this document if we are reporting performance against the goal this year. Table 
54 lists past goals with a link and page reference to the CSR Impact Report corresponding to the target 
year, or completion year if the goal was reached early. 
Table 10: Current Cisco environmental goals 
Date goal 
announced 
 
Goal topic 
 
Goal statement (performance table) 
September 2017 
Energy / GHG 
1. Reduce total Cisco Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions worldwide by 60 percent absolute by 
FY22 (FY07 baseline). (Table 20) 
2. Use electricity generated from renewable sources for at least 85 percent of our global 
electricity by FY22. (Table 24) 
Assurance statement 
September 2018 
Energy / GHG 
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 percent to 87 percent by FY22 (FY16 baseline). (Table 33) 
October 2018 
Product and 
packaging materials 
Decrease the use of virgin plastic by 20 percent by FY25 (FY18 base year)1 (Table 36) 
December 2018 
(p. 19) 
Products and 
packaging materials 
Design 100 percent of new Cisco products and packaging to incorporate circular design 
principles by FY25. 
July 2019 
Product and 
packaging materials 
1. Reduce all foam used in Cisco product packaging by 75 percent, measured by weight, 
by FY25 (FY19 base year). (Table 39) 
2. Increase product packaging cube efficiency by 50% by FY25 (FY19 base year)2 
3. 70 percent of Cisco component and manufacturing suppliers by spend will achieve a 
zero-waste diversion rate at one or more sites by FY25.3 (Table 17) 
August 2019 
Energy / GHG 
1. 80 percent of Cisco component, manufacturing, and logistics suppliers by spend will 
have a public, absolute GHG emissions reduction target by FY25.4 (Table 15) 
2. Reduce Cisco supply chain-related Scope 3 GHG emissions by 30 percent absolute by 
FY30 (FY19 base year).5 (Table 16) 
July 2020 
Product and 
packaging materials 
Eliminate all paper documentation included in new product shipments by FY21.6 
1 The plastics included in this goal make up the majority of Cisco’s use. However, it excludes plastics contained in commodity 
components sourced from suppliers (such as printed circuit boards). Most of these electronic components require the electrical 
insulating property provided by plastics. 
2 This goal language has been slightly modified from that published in FY19, to better align with industry standard terminology. It 
does not reflect a change in the goal itself. We refined our packaging efficiency efforts to focus on packaging volume rather than 
volume per weight of product. In doing so, we will both reduce the total amount of packaging used and realize logistics savings. 
3 According to current standard definitions used in certification protocols, “zero waste” diversion is defined as a 90 percent or 
greater overall diversion of solid, nonhazardous wastes from landfill, incineration (waste-to-energy), and the environment. 
Diversion methods can include reduction, reuse, recycling, and/or compost. 
4 Preferably in line with an approved science-based methodology (applying either a 1.5 or well below 2°C reduction scenario). 
Includes suppliers that set intensity targets that produce an absolute emissions reduction during the target period.

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5 Includes allocated emissions from Cisco’s Tier 1 and Tier 2 manufacturing, component, and warehouse suppliers, and 
calculated emissions associated with transportation emissions managed and paid for by Cisco. Emissions are allocated based 
on Cisco’s financial share of the supplier’s reported global Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions. Transportation emissions will 
be reported as Upstream Transportation and Distribution according to GHG Protocol methodology because they are paid directly 
by Cisco. 
6 Exceptions to this policy will be allowed where it is business critical or legally required for the product to include paper 
documents in the shipment. 
Cisco has also made public environmental commitments that are outside of our materiality-driven goal 
process but provide inspiration for attacking difficult problems that aren’t well suited for a fixed horizon 
goal. For example: 
• 
At Davos in January 2018, CEO Chuck Robbins committed to 100 percent product return, pledging that 
Cisco will take back used equipment upon request from any customer, expand tools and incentives to 
promote that practice, and grow our reuse of equipment through remanufacturing, refurbishment, and 
repair (Capital Equipment Pledge from World Economic Forum). 
• 
At our RTP campus, we are piloting techniques to achieve water neutrality and zero waste 
• 
Cisco e-scrap recycling partners will maintain a diversion rate to landfill of less than 0.38 percent by 
weight of all material received. 
Cisco’s Scope 1 and 2 and Scope 3 (product power efficiency) emission reduction goals have been 
approved by the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi). Our scopes 1 and 2 targets are consistent with 
reductions required to keep global warming to “Well-below 2°C”, per the SBTi target classification. 
Environment governance2 
Corporate Affairs, part of the People and Communities organization (HR), champions Cisco’s strategic 
approach to corporate social responsibility, including environmental sustainability. Corporate Affairs 
stewards our commitments to sustainability, our performance, and transparency in our public reporting. 
The Corporate Affairs environment team is responsible for: 
• 
Setting and stewarding Cisco’s sustainability strategy and materiality process 
• 
Engaging with internal and external stakeholders 
• 
Researching and monitoring environment-related issues and trends 
• 
Conducting impact assessments and developing programmatic data-driven insights 
• 
Producing our annual CSR reporting 
Business functions also own sustainability priorities. Teams integrate priorities into their business strategy 
by setting goals, implementing plans, and measuring performance. Some priorities touch multiple 
functions. In these cases, we establish cross-functional teams to align and implement against our 
commitments. Governance of our environment program has evolved as sustainability has become better 
integrated into the business. 
Corporate Affairs, reporting to the Chief People Officer, champions Cisco’s overall CSR strategy, 
including environmental sustainability. CSR and environmental sustainability are represented through Tae 
Yoo, senior vice president of Corporate Affairs, and Francine Katsoudas, executive vice president and 
Chief People Officer. 
Energy/GHG emissions 
Three executives sponsor our energy and GHG initiatives. This structure reflects the multipronged nature 
of the issue affecting operations, extended operations (supply chain), and our products. 
• 
The Executive Vice President, Chief of Operations (COO) is the executive sponsor for all initiatives 
impacting operations, including Scope 1 and 2 emissions reduction, renewable energy and our 
response to the annual CDP climate change questionnaire. 
 
2 Overall CSR governance is discussed in the ESG Reporting Hub.

Cisco 2020 Environment Technical Review 
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• 
The Senior Vice President, Supply Chain Operations is the sponsor of initiatives related to supplier 
operations’ energy efficiency and GHG emissions reduction. 
• 
The Senior Vice President, Hardware Engineering, along with two Cisco Fellows, sponsors product 
power architecture and product energy efficiency efforts. 
Circular economy 
In 2018, Cisco launched an enterprise-wide circular economy program. The program extends from how 
we design, build, and deliver products, to how we value the assets we have and turn them into new 
products. We also apply Cisco technology to support our customers in their own circular transformations. 
Our circular economy initiatives are focused in five major areas: 
• 
Circular design: Design products and packaging with circularity in mind (e.g. design for reuse, repair, 
recycling, and resource efficiency) 
• 
Circular operations: Reduce consumption and use renewable sources across our value chain 
• 
Circular consumption: Manage our equipment for multiple life cycles and deploy new business models 
to facilitate this approach 
• 
Circular solutions: Shape and pioneer technology-driven solutions and services to enable circular 
economy value creation for customers 
• 
Ecosystem leadership: Advance the circular economy through industry innovation, collaboration, and 
public policy 
The program operates under a dedicated program management office under the executive sponsorship of 
our Senior Vice President of Global Supply Chain Operations. The team runs multiple levels of 
governance bodies and cross-functional working groups to establish and achieve strategic priorities 
across the company. These include: 
• 
Circular Economy Executive Change Network: Champions Cisco’s holistic circular economy vision; 
drives engagement and business alignment. 
• 
Operational Leadership Committee: Responsible for making decisions, taking accountability, 
influencing, and allocating resources for circular economy end-to-end at Cisco. 
• 
Circular Consumption and Circular Design Steering Committees: Responsible for driving strategic 
initiatives to advance product returns and reuse and product and packaging design, respectively. These 
committees operate cross-functionally and are responsible for helping to envision the future state, 
making decisions, taking accountability, influencing, and allocating resources for circular economy 
within their specific pillar of focus. 
• 
Working Groups: Responsible for initiating, implementing, and managing specific circular economy 
projects; organized by pillar or strategic priority area. 
• 
Circular Economy Regional Leader Network: Responsible for championing our vision within their 
regions, facilitating local engagement, and providing business support. 
Risk management 
The Board of Directors, acting directly and through the Audit Committee, is responsible for oversight of 
risk management at Cisco, including risks associated with CSR and sustainability. Our enterprise risk 
management (ERM) process supports the identification, assessment, mitigation and monitoring of risks—
including climate—and Cisco’s response to those risks. Risks are identified through industry reports, peer 
benchmarks and executive interviews. Input is prioritized, risk owners are assigned, risk management and 
mitigation work plans are developed, and metrics measuring the effectiveness of risk management and 
mitigation actions are tracked and reported. 
Design for environment 
In the past, we used a Design for Environment (DfE) program which incorporated environmental design 
principles into our products and manufacturing processes. Our DfE program included both formal 
requirements (for example, ECMA-TR/370) and best practices developed within our business which led to

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fewer raw materials used, less packaging needed, and product refurbishment and recycling becoming 
more feasible and effective. 
Cisco’s DfE approach focused on the following areas: 
• 
Energy efficiency (with a goal to improve system power efficiency of large rack-mounted equipment 
from 77 percent to 87 percent by 2022 (FY16 baseline) 
• 
Reduction of hazardous materials 
• 
Design for upgradability and longevity 
• 
Recycling markings on plastic components (ISO 11469, formerly SPI codes) for ease of sorting during 
recycling 
• 
Packaging and fulfillment (reduction of materials and package volume as well as logistics impacts) 
• 
Ability to opt out of product accessories not needed (power cords, cables) 
• 
Use of recycled content materials and materials with less environmental impact 
• 
Standardized and modularized components and enclosures, which allow us to reduce use of unique 
components on each product 
• 
Design for disassembly, repair, and reuse, using easily separable components with similar materials to 
facilitate recycling and reusable components 
We have built on our DfE principles to form a holistic circular design strategy focused on five main areas: 
• 
Material Use 
• 
Standardization and modularization 
• 
Sustainable packaging 
• 
Smart energy consumption 
• 
Design for disassembly, repair, and reuse 
Further details on our Circular Design Principles can be found in the Products and packaging materials 
section of this document. 
Environmental management system 
Cisco’s ISO 14001 Environmental Management System (EMS) is a global framework that touches all 
functions and aspects of our CSR program. It relies on individual accountability, management 
responsibility, measurement of key performance indicators (KPIs), and a continuous improvement 
philosophy to meet business and environment goals and drive environmental performance. 
Cisco’s Corporate Environmental Policy outlines Cisco’s high-level environmental framework that helps 
make our EMS so successful, driving continuous improvement of Cisco’s environmental performance. 
Our EMS is certified by TUV SUD America Inc. to the international EMS standard ISO 14001:2015. A 
copy of our EMS certification is available for download. We have found that an increasing number of our 
customers request that we have and maintain our EMS certification. 
We select Cisco sites for ISO 14001 certification based on criteria including: 
• 
Facility size and lab area 
• 
Building headcount capacity or persons housed 
• 
Primary facility function 
These criteria focus on sites with the greatest potential to reduce negative environmental impacts and 
enhance positive impacts. Once we’ve selected a site for certification, we evaluate its associated impacts, 
including corporate functional areas; associated products, activities, or services at that location; and the 
environmental impacts associated with the generation or use of materials, impacts on air and water, and 
depletion of natural resources. Using this information, we calculate an environmental score to further help

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us prioritize facilities and issues. Each site aligns with Cisco’s corporate sustainability priorities, in addition 
to site-specific goals. Cisco continually assesses existing sites and acquisitions against the certification 
criteria and incorporates them into the ISO 14001 certification roadmap to meet business and customer 
needs. Table 11 shows Cisco’s global ISO 14001 certified site locations by region. 
Table 11: Cisco ISO 14001 certified site locations 
Americas 
Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Russia 
(EMEAR) 
Asia Pacific, Japan, China, and India 
(APJCI) 
Austin, Texas 
Alpharetta, Georgia 
Lawrenceville, Georgia 
Boxborough, Massachusetts 
Fulton, Maryland 
Herndon, Virginia 
Kanata, Canada 
New York, New York 
Richardson, Texas 
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 
San Jose, California 
Toronto, Canada 
Amsterdam, Netherlands 
Bedfont Lakes, United Kingdom 
Reading, United Kingdom 
Brussels, Belgium 
Dusseldorf, Germany 
Galway, Ireland 
Krakow, Poland 
Netanya, Israel 
Paris, France 
Vimercate, Italy 
Bangalore, India 
Beijing, China 
Hong Kong, China 
Shanghai, China 
Singapore, Singapore 
St. Leonards, Australia 
N. Sydney, Australia 
Tokyo, Japan 
Scope and implementation 
Cisco’s ISO 14001 certified sites are audited annually by TUV SUD America Inc. Sites that were part of 
an acquisition are included in the scope of our corporate environmental policy and associated 
environmental initiatives. Therefore, they may become 14001 certified and audited. Table 12 shows our 
ISO 14001 certification KPIs. 
Table 12: Cisco Environment Management System ISO 14001 certification 
KPI 
FY16 
FY17 
FY18 
FY19 
FY20 
Number of Cisco sites with ISO 
14001 certification 
26 
30 
32 
32 
31 
Percent of real estate portfolio with 
ISO 14001 certification 
>90%1 
>90%1 
>90%1 
>90%1 
>90%1 
1 We have met our goal of certifying a high percentage of our real estate portfolio. We will maintain >90 percent coverage of sites 
that meet the certification criteria. 
We use our EMS process to help identify our most significant environmental impacts, evaluate their risks 
at each Cisco site, and set relevant corporate and local objectives. All ISO 14001 certified sites have 
environment aspect teams. Each site’s team reports on goals, initiatives, and metrics to measure our 
environmental performance. Local initiatives are aligned to corporate-level programs where possible. 
Table 13 lists the number and type of aspect teams per region. 
Table 13: Environment aspect teams per region 
 
Aspect Teams 
 
Global 
Teams 
 
Americas 
Europe, Middle 
East, Africa and 
Russia 
(EMEAR) 
Asia Pacific, 
Japan, China 
and India 
(APJCI) 
 
Total 
Waste reduction and 
recycling 
 
6 
7 
9 
22 
E-scrap management1 
√ 
13 
10 
2 
25 
Energy management2 
√ 
0 
2 
9 
11 
Green Initiative/ 
Environmental awareness 
 
7 
5 
0 
12

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Wastewater management 
 
1 
0 
0 
1 
Total per region 
 
27 
24 
20 
71 
1 These teams have site-specific activities and goals but also support a corporate-level/global goal. 
2 Used at smaller sites, these teams typically include activities around employee engagement, energy management, e-scrap 
management, waste reduction and recycling, and local “green” activities. 
Cisco’s corporate sustainability activities are included in our certified EMS and are part of the internal and 
external audits we perform annually. This enables us to internally track key corporate environmental 
performance goals, initiatives, and metrics. 
Our EMS aligns closely with our circular economy, GHG emissions, waste and energy management 
programs and supports the management of our sustainability information. This alignment has helped us 
automate our sustainability data collection and focus resources on other important tasks, such as 
evaluating and implementing mitigation projects. Internal EMS audits provide insight into how our 
environmental processes and commitments have been implemented and how well we are improving our 
EMS at our certified sites. The frequency of these audits depends on criteria such as site size, operational 
activities at the site, and the results of previous audits. In a typical three-year period, every site will 
receive one on-site audit and one virtual audit. 
As part of our ISO 14001 certification, we participate in annual audits conducted by a third-party registrar. 
These audits identify areas of improvement and performance while providing external validation and 
verification of our EMS processes and programs. 
Cisco has piloted virtual external ISO 14001 certification audits with our third-party registrar. For the last 
three years, at least one of our annual external site audits is done virtually using Cisco technology. This 
helps decrease Cisco’s travel footprint. 
In response to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the environmental programs and aspect teams reviewed 
their activities, metrics and goals to make needed adjustments to align with the March 2020 transition to 
remote working. Several teams developed innovative ways to engage with employees, while others had 
to adjust timelines and programs for in-person activities like our company wide Recycle IT Day. The ISO 
14001 EMS internal and external audit programs utilized Cisco technology to shift completely to virtual 
audits. This resulted in a Best Practice to ensure effective ‘site’ audits where accomplished while teams 
were not traveling, and only critical employees were allowed on site. The ISO 14001 EMS and associated 
green programs and activities adapted to the physical distancing requirements dictated by the pandemic 
and were still able to realize some positive outcomes. 
During our internal and external audits in FY20, Cisco received 19 Positive Comments and five Best 
Practice recognitions on our ISO 14001 certified EMS. The Positive Comments were primarily tied to 
innovative employee engagement, activities and communication, improving Cisco environmental 
performance, excellent and meticulous green metrics, exceeding environmental goals and targets, risk 
management and aligning our day-to-day operations with sustainability in mind. The Best Practices were 
found across the globe and include: 
• 
Cisco’s green product design resulting in the reduction of e-scrap and waste 
• 
A focus on green operational management, actively mitigating environmental risks and impacts 
• 
Emergency response SMOKE TENT program where volunteers were trained on life saving evacuation 
techniques, e.g. gain better visibility by crawling when an area is filled with smoke 
• 
Detailed and thoughtful reporting and easily accessible and comprehensive metrics in the 
environmental portion of the FY19 CSR report 
• 
Adapting to the remote and virtual world required given the COVID-19 pandemic. This has led to the 
creation of an innovative virtual site audit process making them more immersive and value-add 
All numeric claims made in this ETR are subject to a multiday, detailed, bottom-up audit conducted by our 
internal ISO 14001 audit team and part of the annual ISO 14001 internal audit plan. Verification is key to 
reporting valid data and helps us actively identify needed corrective actions. All environmental claims

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made in the 2019 CSR report were successfully audited and verified through Cisco’s internal audit 
process. Cisco’s environment-related claims in the 2020 ETR will be audited in FY21. 
Environmental compliance 
Cisco has incurred no significant fines— defined as more than $10,000—in any of the last five years. Nor 
have we been subject to nonmonetary sanctions for noncompliance with environmental laws and 
regulations. Cisco is not aware of any formal grievance filed about environmental impacts. 
Cisco closely monitors developing Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) legislation globally 
and complies with applicable WEEE regulations. Products are labeled with a crossed-out “wheelie bin” 
symbol to encourage users to reuse or recycle electronics instead of putting them in the trash. For 
additional information on our compliance with the WEEE Directive and other takeback and recycling 
regulations visit WEEE Compliance on Cisco’s website. 
Environment employee engagement 
We encourage employees to be global problem solvers related to environmental sustainability. The 
actions they choose to take often depend on their experiences, their location, their expertise, and issues 
they care about. Through digital tools, educational activities, and volunteer opportunities, Cisco helps 
improve employees’ awareness of the many ways to get involved. 
Education and awareness 
Cisco employees receive many hours of education and awareness per year. One hour of our New 
Employee Orientation (NEO) is dedicated to sharing information about Cisco’s CSR program. We also 
help employees incorporate environmental design principles into our products, packaging, and solutions. 
To further embed environmental practices into our business operations, we offer employee training on our 
business management system. This training covers our Environment Management System (EMS) and 
environmental policies. The supply chain human rights training educates employees on how they can 
help follow through on our human rights commitments. We also provide ad hoc training to employees on 
topics such as correct waste sorting on campus. 
The Cisco Green Team Network (GTN) is a global employee-led team with 12 local chapters and 
hundreds of members. Cisco GTN envisions a more environmentally sustainable business and world. It’s 
made up of people passionate about educating their fellow employees and making change. Chapters 
raise awareness of environmental issues, share how to make changes at work and at home, and connect 
employees with local resources—all while having fun. GTN-sponsored discussions and activities have 
included the benefits of a plant-based diet, how to plant trees, and tips for composting at home. 
Since Cisco GTN was established, the team has: 
• 
Eliminated paper cups from select Cisco buildings in India, Europe, and the U.S. 
• 
Established community gardens in San Jose, California and Bangalore, India 
• 
Developed an urban farm at our Diegem, Belgium, site 
• 
Designed and installed shadow boxes above the landfill, recycling, and composting receptacles in San 
Jose and RTP cafeterias to help employees quickly and easily sort waste 
• 
Received Cisco’s Excellence in Environmental Stewardship award (December 2017) 
In addition, Cisco hosts events for employees to learn more about sustainability programs and current 
opportunities to get involved, such as SustainX, part of our annual Earth Aware campaign. Learning 
opportunities include: 
• 
Cisco Green. This is a hub on our internal social media site that enables employees to learn about 
Cisco’s environmental sustainability activities. It provides links to programs, information, and other tools. 
• 
Cisco GreenHouse. In 2016, we launched an interactive sustainability web platform for employees 
hosted by WeSpire. Cisco GreenHouse connects passionate employees who want to find ways to lead

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more sustainable lives with likeminded peers all over the world. By the end of FY20, more than 8,000 
employees had joined the site and taken 48,000 actions to learn about or be more sustainable. 
• 
SustainX. SustainX is our thought leadership forum on sustainability. In FY20, our fifth annual event 
was 100% virtual. During this event, we invite internal executives to share what their teams are doing to 
reduce their environmental impact and external speakers to discuss the innovative ways they are 
working to improve the environment. In FY20, leading environmentalist and author Paul Hawken shared 
his “Drawdown” approach to addressing global warming, and a Cisco Fellow explained how our new 
8000 Series routers save significant amounts of power and materials. 
• 
Virtual presentations. Cisco Green Teams hosted many Webex presentations for employees to learn 
more about topics such as living a zero-waste lifestyle, environmental justice, and cleaning local 
watersheds, as well as a sustainability trivia event. We even gave employees a virtual tour of the new 
beehives at our Research Triangle Park campus. 
• 
Circular economy newsletter and Webex Teams space. Each quarter, the newsletter highlights circular 
economy success stories, provides updates on progress towards our public goals, and shares 
opportunities to collaborate on circular initiatives. Hundreds of employees keep tabs on the latest 
announcements and events while connecting with others enthusiastic about sustainability. 
• 
Circular Economy webinars and internal website. In fiscal 2020, we hosted two employee webinars on 
topics related to circular operations and circular design. We launched an internal website and case 
studies on the Cisco Circular Design Principles. 
• 
Circular Economy working groups. Cisco regularly convenes a variety of extended-team workgroups. 
These groups include the Circular Design Working Group, the Circular Economy Regional Leader 
Network, and the Circular Economy Sales Champion Network. 
• 
The Cisco Responsible Sourcing campaign. Launched in fiscal 2020, the campaign is raising internal 
awareness of our commitment to source products ethically and sustainably. One element of the 
campaign is our Champions of Sustainability, a recognition program that highlights the people behind 
responsible sourcing at Cisco across our Supply Chain Operations and Global Procurement Services. 
Activities and volunteering 
Cisco provides opportunities for employees to volunteer or take part in annual sustainability events. Cisco 
employees can also volunteer to help with a sustainable business project through our stretch assignment 
program or create their own green team to advocate for sustainable changes in their location. 
• 
Annual shutdown: Cisco requires employees in North America, and encourages other employees 
worldwide, to take time off at the end of December. The shutdown gives us an opportunity to power 
down facilities and unused equipment during a time when much of our workforce is already taking time 
off. Over the 10-day shutdown beginning in December 2019, Cisco avoided approximately $690,000 in 
energy costs and 3,400 metric tonne CO2e of emissions. Employees working in buildings in India, Hong 
Kong, reduced their electricity consumption by at least 40 percent during the shutdown. 
• 
Stretch assignments: Cisco groups post stretch assignments for employees to get involved in 
sustainability-related initiatives. Examples of stretch assignments include managing communications for 
sustainability-related activities, calculating sustainable solutions for our customers, and circular 
economy projects focused on zero-waste initiatives at our manufacturing sites and embedding our 
Circular Design Principles into our internal tools and processes. 
Given COVID-19 restrictions, employees were not able to participate in annual sustainability events. 
Once employees are cleared to return to our offices, Cisco will re-institute these programs. Some 
examples are: 
• 
Recycle IT Day: Employees love Recycle IT Day. Many collect their used electronics year-round and 
bring them to their local Cisco office on Earth Day in April. Cisco responsibly recycles the equipment 
using the same vendors we use to recycle Cisco products. In FY19, Cisco collected 422,108 pounds 
(191 metric tonne) of electronic waste from over 160 sites around the world. 
• 
Earth Aware: While Earth Day is just one day, Cisco extends the celebration with a two-month 
employee volunteerism and awareness campaign, Earth Aware. During Earth Aware, we invite 
employees to practice sustainable behaviors like biking to work and properly sorting waste in cafeterias. 
We also host activities like on-campus farmer’s markets and information sessions about Cisco’s species

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conservation efforts. Earth Aware sparks new ideas and renews dedication to live in more 
environmentally responsible ways. 
• 
Bike to Work Day (BTWD). As part of the Earth Aware campaign, Cisco sponsors Bike to Work Day 
activities. While it is a global opportunity, Cisco employees and contractors in San Jose come out in 
large numbers. They visit Cisco’s energizer station, grab bagels and fruit, get free chair massages, use 
the repair station, and visit with fellow cyclists. In partnership with the Silicon Valley Bike Coalition, 
Cisco helps remove thousands of cars from the roads in the Bay Area through this event. Also, in the 
month of May, employees in Bangalore take part in the Zero Emissions Ride. 
Supplier environmental performance 
Cisco has consolidated its supplier sustainability requirements into a single document linked from the 
Supply Chain Sustainability web page. The Environmental Stewardship and Circular Economy sections of 
this document, address environment-related requirements Cisco applies to its supply chain. GHG 
emissions, water, waste, environmental pollution and public reporting requirements are described. 
Our suppliers are essential partners as we work to improve environmental performance across our supply 
chain. We hold our suppliers—and their suppliers—to the same high standards we practice through the 
Supplier Code of Conduct and other responsible sourcing policies. To follow through on our 
commitments, we conduct due diligence with suppliers and address impacts to protect workers, 
communities and the environment from harm. Through supplier engagement, we believe in building 
foundations that can drive positive outcomes for people and ecosystems in our supply chain. Per Table 
14, we collaborate extensively with industry groups, peers, suppliers, and other stakeholders to advance 
responsible, sustainable supply chains across our industry. 
Table 14: Supply-chain, environment-focused organizations and initiatives 
Organization  
Engagement areas 
Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) 
Cisco has adopted AWS International Water Stewardship Standard for evaluating 
and driving water stewardship in the supply chain. 
CDP (formerly Carbon Disclosure 
Project) 
Cisco participates in CDP’s disclosure system to report on our efforts and promote 
public reporting within the supply chain. 
Clean Electronics Production Network 
We are a full member of CEPN, a multi-stakeholder network with the goal to 
address workers’ exposure to toxic chemicals during electronics manufacturing. We 
work to develop tools for due diligence and identify best practices to be propagated 
in the supply chain. 
European Partnership for Responsible 
Minerals (EPRM) 
We are a member of EPRM, a multi-stakeholder partnership aimed at increasing 
the availability of responsibly produced minerals through supporting mine sites, 
supporting mid- and downstream companies, and strengthening linkages between 
production and sourcing. 
Institute of Public and Environmental 
Affairs (IPE) 
Cisco has an ongoing partnership with IPE to prevent, mitigate, and remediate 
environmental risks with supplier sites in mainland China. 
Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) 
Cisco is an original founder and full member of the RBA. We collaborate with peers 
at the RBA to propagate best practices across the industry and supply chain. 
• RBA Chemical Management 
Taskforce 
We promote the adoption and dissemination of tools and resources to improve 
chemical management practices and protect workers from exposure to chemicals in 
the electronics supply chain. 
• RBA Environmental Sustainability 
Working Group (ESWG) 
We collaborate with peers at the RBA ESWG to develop tools and disseminate 
resources to build more sustainable supply chains. 
• RBA VAP Advisory Council 
Cisco participates in RBA’s VAP Advisory Council which comprises of member 
companies who advise RBA leadership regarding the VAP program. 
Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI) 
We actively participate and collaborate with peer companies at RMI to address 
concerns and develop new solutions for responsibly sourcing minerals.

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Supplier GHG emissions 
Because Cisco has a fully outsourced supply chain, these emissions are captured in our Scope 3 
Category 1 Purchased Goods and Services and Category 4 Upstream Transportation and Distribution 
inventory. Cisco has committed to reduce supply-chain-related Scope 3 GHG emissions by 30 percent 
absolute by FY30 (FY19 base year). To support Cisco in meeting this goal suppliers are expected to 
report GHG emissions and energy consumption to CDP on an annual basis. 
Our expectations for supplier reporting are: 
1. 
Provide a complete and accurate inventory of corporate-wide Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 
2. 
Make the response publicly available via the option provided by CDP 
3. 
Obtain third-party assurance of reported GHG emissions 
4. 
Set an absolute GHG emissions reduction goal and report annual progress against that goal 
5. 
Request suppliers and business partners report to CDP using this same five-step process. 
Progress by our suppliers towards meeting these expectations is provided in Appendix III – Supplier 
environmental engagement and performance. Our active supplier GHG emission reduction goals are 
shown in Table 10. Performance towards these GHG emissions goals is shown in Table 15 and Table 16 
below. 
Table 15: Suppliers with public absolute GHG reduction target 
KPI 
FY19 
FY20 
Comments 
Suppliers with a public absolute GHG reduction target 
Goal: 80 percent of Cisco component, manufacturing, and 
logistics suppliers by spend will have a public, absolute 
GHG emissions reduction target by FY25. 
23% 
33% 
 
 
Table 16: Supply-chain-related Scope 3 GHG emissions and reduction goal 
KPI 
FY19 
FY20 
Comments 
Supply chain GHG emissions: Scope 3, metric tonne 
CO2e 
1,845,0001 
* 
 
Percent progress toward goal. 
Goal: Reduce Cisco supply chain-related Scope 3 GHG 
emissions by 30 percent absolute by FY30 (FY19 base 
year). 
baseline 
* 
 
1  Due to the nature of Scope 3 targets and how emissions are calculated, we have established a standard process to govern any 
future required adjustments, e.g., due to the availability of new data or improved methodology. While we do not expect any such 
changes to impact these figures more than 1%, any increase or decrease exceeding this threshold would cause a restatement of 
the baseline. 
*  Due to the lag between when emissions occur at our suppliers and when they are reported to Cisco through CDP, we will be 
reporting our FY19 baseline in this report. Progress against this goal will not be available until our 2021 CSR report. 
Supplier material waste 
Our focus on developing and promoting a circular economy has driven efforts to better understand how 
materials are consumed upstream in our supply chain. Cisco has committed that 70 percent of Cisco 
component and manufacturing suppliers by spend will achieve a zero-waste diversion rate at one or more 
sites by FY25. To support Cisco in meeting this goal, first-tier manufacturing suppliers are expected to 
monitor and collect waste diversion data. These requirements include: 
• 
Reporting facility-level data to Cisco as requested 
• 
Striving to achieve a zero-waste diversion rate across each site 
In FY20, Cisco continued our partnership with TRUE Zero Waste to support and verify completion of our 
manufacturing partners’ efforts to achieve a zero-waste diversion rate at specific sites and to maximize

Cisco 2020 Environment Technical Review 
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their efficiency in the use of resources. We are in the final stages of the TRUE certification process for 
Cisco operations at partner manufacturing sites in China and Thailand, and plan to kick off similar 
initiatives at manufacturing partner sites in Mexico and Malaysia in the first half of FY21. 
Table 17: Performance toward supplier zero waste goal 
KPI 
FY19 
baseline 
FY20 
Comments 
Suppliers achieving a zero waste diversion metric at one 
site. 
Goal: 70 percent of Cisco component and manufacturing 
suppliers by spend will achieve a zero waste diversion rate 
at one or more sites by FY25.1 
21% 
23% 
 
1  According to current standard definitions used in certification protocols, “zero waste” diversion is defined as a 90 percent or 
greater overall diversion of solid, nonhazardous wastes from landfill, incineration (waste-to-energy), and the environment. 
Diversion methods can include reduction, reuse, recycling, and/or compost. 
Information on solid waste in our operations (Cisco-owned or -leased facilities) is provided in the Solid 
waste from operations (trash) section below. 
Supplier water security 
During FY20, we dug further into how we could help to improve environmental vitality of water systems in 
the areas where our supply chain operates. We conducted a survey to identify the water consumption 
levels of different commodity types within our supply chain. Leveraging World Resources Institute’s 
Aqueduct tools and the data we collected from suppliers, we were able to identify high water consumption 
supplier sites operating in water-stressed areas. As a result, we have prioritized suppliers to engage in 
capability-building in partnership with the Alliance for Water Stewardship in FY21. Our goal is to reduce 
water-related risks to business and improve the health of water ecosystems long-term. 
We also worked to broaden the scope of environmental reporting and transparency to help us better 
understand the water footprint in our global supply chain. In addition to reporting GHG emissions, we 
asked supplier sites to complete the CDP water survey during FY20. 
Environmental risk management in China 
We have an ongoing partnership with Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs (IPE) and conduct a 
series of activities to prevent and mitigate the environmental risk from our supplier sites in mainland 
China. We are recognized for our work at IPE and were ranked 2nd in the IT industry for the Corporate 
Information Transparency Index (CITI) at the end of FY20. See Table 8 for 5 years of our CITI IT industry 
ranking. 
Some of the work we conduct leverages IPE’s Blue Map database which identifies existing and historical 
environmental violations. We work closely with these suppliers to ensure that they remediate any 
environmental issues and comply with the local environmental law. In addition, Cisco requires suppliers to 
publish their corrective actions on the IPE website to improve environmental transparency, and get the 
violations addressed and delisted within the required timeline. In FY20, 50 supplier sites in mainland 
China remediated environmental violations and were delisted from the IPE Blue Map. 
We also work with our manufacturing partners to cascade these expectations to their next-tier suppliers in 
a program called the Green Supply Chain initiative. By building the capability of suppliers, we can 
influence better environmental performance and transparency further down in the supply chain. In FY20, 
100 percent of our manufacturing partners in mainland China set up programs to manage their suppliers’ 
environmental performance using IPE Blue Map. With direct one-on-one coaching from Cisco, partners 
became able to identify their suppliers’ environmental pollution violations and work with suppliers on 
remediation. IPE recognized one of Cisco’s partners for their focused efforts to launch and scale the 
program without prior experience. The supplier shared their positive experience of working with Cisco at 
the IPE Annual Forum so peers, NGOs, government, and other stakeholders could learn from it. These 
manufacturing partners regularly report to Cisco the environmental violations identified within their supply

Cisco 2020 Environment Technical Review 
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chains, how they engage with their suppliers, and how many violations have been resolved. They receive 
continued guidance from Cisco on driving successful pollution abatement programs. 
Environmental reporting and transparency are critical to understanding the environmental impact of our 
supply chain. This reporting includes making information publicly available on what chemicals are being 
released to the air, water, and soil, and what pollutants are being transferred to another site for treatment 
and disposal. Collecting this data also helps us identify environmental conservation initiatives and to set 
supply chain goals for reducing pollution. To drive this work, Cisco encourages high environmental impact 
suppliers to disclose energy conservation, water, air, and waste information through the Pollution Release 
and Transfer Report (PRTR) reporting system on the IPE website. In FY20, 102 supplier sites completed 
PRTR reporting compared to 60 in FY19. We saw large increases in part by motivating our manufacturing 
partners to ask their high environmental impact suppliers to complete this reporting. 
We are also taking steps to help suppliers address current environmental compliance challenges. In 
FY20, Cisco organized virtual environmental training seminars with more than 219 attendees from 173 
suppliers. The seminars included presentations and how to protect the environment in their daily 
operations. For manufacturing partners who have struggled with addressing their pollution violations, we 
hired third-party consultants to identify gaps and coach partners to implement corrective actions onsite for 
more than four months. After coaching, the facilities were able to successfully mitigate and remediate 
identified environmental issues and validate closure through IPE’s review processes. 
Audits and self assessments 
We have adopted the RBA’s industry standard accountability and assessment tools. These include Self-
Assessment Questionnaires (SAQs) and the Validated Assessment Program (VAP). SAQs engage 
suppliers to assess their conformance to the RBA Code of Conduct and identify any gaps. Using RBA’s 
industry-standard protocol reduces audit fatigue and makes clear the expectations suppliers should 
perform to. Table 18 show SAQ coverage by supplier type. 
Table 18: Self-assessment questionnaire coverage by supplier type 
 
FY19 
FY20 
Manufacturing partners 
100% 
100% 
Components suppliers (by 
spend) 
80% 
80% 
Logistics suppliers 
100% 
100% 
Our comprehensive supplier auditing program helps suppliers build capability and improve their 
performance. Third-party auditors trained and certified in social and environmental auditing and RBA’s 
VAP protocols conduct audits on site. Auditors walk through production areas, dormitories, and canteens; 
interview workers and management; and review policy and procedure documentation. More information 
about VAP standard protocols can be found on the RBA website. 
Suppliers share their audit results with Cisco through the RBA-ONLINE platform. We require regular 
audits of manufacturing partners every two years. And each year, we audit at least 25 percent of 
component supplier facilities that are deemed high risk according to our risk assessment process. 
Environmental responsibility is a key dimension of the Cisco Supplier Code of Conduct. Cisco performs 
audits on our high-risk suppliers through the RBA Validated Audit Protocol (VAP). Read more about our 
audit processes and supplier audit results in the ESG Hub. Environment specific audit nonconformances 
are shown in Table 19. 
Table 19: RBA audit nonconformances for FY20, Environment category 
 
 
Total Component 
Suppler 
Total Contract 
Manufacturer  
 
Nonconformances 
Identified as Priority 
 
Nonconformances 
Identified as Major 
 
Nonconformances 
Identified as Minor 
Environmental permits and 
reporting 
6 
1 
0 
7 
0

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Pollution prevention and 
resource reduction 
2 
1 
0 
1 
2 
Hazardous substances 
22 
0 
0 
20 
2 
Solid waste 
3 
0 
0 
3 
0 
Air emissions 
10 
1 
0 
8 
3 
Materials restrictions 
1 
0 
0 
0 
1 
Water management 
5 
0 
0 
3 
2 
Energy consumption and 
greenhouse gas emissions 
9 
0 
0 
3 
6 
There were no priority environment audit nonconformances in FY20. We worked with our suppliers to 
close nonconformances according to RBA timelines and helped suppliers to improve environmental 
management systems. 
Energy and GHG emissions 
We are making progress reducing our energy use and GHG emissions through energy efficiency 
initiatives, investments in renewable energy, engagement with our supply chain partners, and 
improvements to the efficiency of our products. All of these topics are described below. 
Energy and GHG emissions goals 
Our current energy and GHG emissions goals are summarized, along with other environmental goals, in 
Table 10. Past goals are summarized in Appendix V. 
We form our GHG emission reduction goals based on internal best practices and expert opinion, including 
recommendations from the IPCC, SBTi, the U.S. EPA, the IEA, and The 3% Solution report3 published by 
the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and CDP. Cisco has set science-based targets that exceed the rate of 
decarbonization required to keep global average temperature increase below 2°C compared to pre-
industrial temperatures, as described in the Fifth Assessment Report of the IPCC. Our FY22 GHG 
reduction goal of 60 percent (FY07 baseline) equates to a 4 percent reduction per year. 
Cisco typically sets public goals in 5-yr increments that include appropriate funding and expected financial 
return on investment. We also set internal annual targets that are reviewed on a quarterly basis to ensure 
annual progress is made against our public goals. 
Energy and Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 
To achieve our Scope 1 and 2 GHG reduction and renewable energy goals, we will: 
• 
Invest more than $45 million between FY18 and FY22 in energy efficiency and renewable energy 
• 
Implement hundreds of energy efficiency and on-site renewable energy projects across our real estate 
portfolio 
• 
Increase renewable energy procurement through utility green power programs, power purchase 
agreements (PPAs), and renewable energy certificates (RECs) 
Reducing our energy consumption and GHG emissions while enabling a diverse energy supply for our 
operations helps us stay competitive and benefits the environment. Our overall strategy to accomplish 
these objectives is to: 
• 
Use our real estate space more efficiently 
 
3 The 3% Solution report is named for the annual emissions reduction thought to be needed through 2020 to meet IPCC guidance. According to the 
IPCC Annex 1, developed countries need to reduce GHG emissions by 25 to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020, and by 80 to 95 percent below 
1990 levels by 2050. Such a stabilization pathway was said to provide a “reasonable chance” of averting warming beyond 2°C above preindustrial 
temperature.

Cisco 2020 Environment Technical Review 
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• 
Increase the energy efficiency of our real estate operations 
• 
Generate low-carbon electricity from on-site systems and purchase renewable energy 
• 
Engage our stakeholders, including customers and employees, on our sustainability strategy 
Our Scope 2 emissions result almost exclusively from electricity use and represent 94 percent of our 
Scope 1 and 2 emissions. As a result, implementing projects to reduce our electricity use and increasing 
our use of renewable electricity are major parts of our energy and GHG reduction strategy. In FY20, our 
Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions were 55 percent lower than our FY07 baseline on an absolute basis. See 
Table 20 for details. 
Table 20: Summary of Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions1 
 
KPI 
FY07 
baseline 
 
FY16 
 
FY17 
 
FY18 
 
FY19 
 
FY20 
 
Comments 
Total GHG emissions: 
Scope 1, metric tonne 
CO2e 
48,311 
53,123 
41,926 
41,171 
41,181 
34,777 
 
Total GHG emissions: 
Scope 2 (location-based), 
metric tonne CO2e 
448,950 
731,662 
744,929 
666,708 
651,331 
613,211 
“Location-based” is used 
consistent with GHG 
Protocol and does not 
include renewable energy 
purchases. 
Total GHG emissions: 
Scope 2 (market-based), 
metric tonne CO2e 
402,422 
247,933 
223,558 
205,141 
187,428 
167,381 
“Market-based” is used 
consistent with GHG 
Protocol and includes 
renewable energy 
purchases. 
Scope 1 and 2 emissions 
(location-based) intensity, 
metric tonne CO2e per 
million dollars of revenue 
14.2 
15.9 
16.0 
14.4 
 
13.3 
13.1 
Location-based intensity is 
a measure of operational 
efficiency commonly used 
by many Cisco 
stakeholders. 
Scope 2 emissions from 
primary data, percent 
96.4% 
98.1% 
98.0% 
98.2% 
97.5% 
97.7% 
 
Total GHG emissions: 
Scope 1 and 2 (market-
based), metric tonne CO2e 
450,733 
301,057 
265,484 
246,312 
228,610 
202,158 
 
Percent progress against 
FY22 reduction goal2 
Goal: Reduce total Cisco 
Scope 1 and 2 GHG 
emissions worldwide by 60 
percent absolute by FY22 
(FY07 baseline) 
baseline 
-33.2% 
-41.1% 
-45.4% 
-49.3% 
-55.1% 
Results are based on 
Scope 2 GHG Protocol 
methodology released in 
2015. Cisco’s current GHG 
reduction goal was 
announced in September 
2017. 
 1 Our reporting policy for environmental metrics is to show the baseline year, data for the past five completed years, the goal, and 
progress against the goal. 
2 Scope 2 emissions for all years have been adjusted to reflect the GHG Protocol’s new Scope 2 guidance. This new guidance 
was released in 2015 and had material impacts on Cisco’s current and Scope 2 figures calculated prior to 2015. 
Cisco uses the GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard as the basis for our Scope 1 
and 2 calculations. We report Scope 1 and 2 emissions based on operations over which we have 
operational control. Calculations are based on site-specific data for fuel consumed and utilities 
purchased, applying published emissions factors and global warming potentials (GWPs). See Table 21 
for details.

Cisco 2020 Environment Technical Review 
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Table 21: Electricity emissions factors1 
 
KPI 
FY07 
baseline 
 
FY16 
 
FY17 
 
FY18 
 
FY19 
 
FY20 
 
Comments 
IEA world average emission 
factor, g CO2e per kWh 
507.1 
536.0 
506.0 
491.8 
487.5 
480.9 
Latest factors used for our 
current FY20 report from IEA, 
RE-DISS, and EPA GHG 
Emissions Factors Hub. Prior 
years used the latest factors 
available at time of prior-year 
reporting. See footnotes for 
emission factor and GWP 
sources.2 
Cisco global average electricity 
emission factor (location-based), 
g CO2e per kWh 
437.9 
448.2 
447.1 
407.9 
404.7 
394.8 
 
Cisco major data center average 
electricity emission factor 
(location-based), g CO2e per 
kWh 
394.7 
419.4 
419.5 
353.9 
353.6 
332.8 
 
Cisco global average electricity 
emission factor (market-based), 
g CO2e per kWh 
392.5 
152.8 
134.5 
125.5 
116.5 
107.8 
 
 1  Our reporting policy for environmental metrics is to show the baseline year, data for the past five completed years, the goal, and 
progress against the goal. 
2 Cisco used emission factors from the following databases for its FY20 GHG inventory: 2020 IEA Electricity Information Database 
2018 IEA factors, 2019 EU Residual Mix Factors from RE-DISS, Center for Corporate Climate Leadership GHG Emission 
Factors Hub (modified March 9, 2020). 2020 country-specific emission factors for Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, and United 
Kingdom provided from those countries’ governments. 100-year GWPs from IPCC Fourth Assessment Report (AR4), 2007. 
The EPA Center for Corporate Climate Leadership provides additional program guidance. Of the seven 
GHGs covered by the GHG Protocol (CO2, CH4, N2O, HFCs, PFCs, SF6, and NF3), four (CO2, CH4, 
N2O, and HFCs) are applicable to our operations. We do not have biogenic carbon emissions. 
We report market- and location-based Scope 2 emissions in accordance with the GHG Protocol’s Scope 
2 guidance. Each year, an independent third party provides a limited assurance review of our Scope 1 
and 2 GHG inventory. This limited assurance review is provided in accordance with the ISO 14064-3 
International Standard and is published as part of our CDP submittal. The assurance statement is 
available for download here. 
Historical Scope 1 and 2 emissions data in Table 22 may vary from previous publicly reported values, 
either in the most recent CDP survey or our previous CSR report. This is due to updated reporting 
guidance, emissions factors, adjustments for acquisitions or divestitures, or correction of errors found 
during review. 
Table 22: Summary of Scope 1 and 2 energy usage 
 
KPI 
FY07 
baseline 
 
FY16 
 
FY17 
 
FY18 
 
FY19 
 
FY20 
 
Comments 
Energy generated, GWh 
0 
2.5 
2.6 
2.6 
2.2 
2.3 
Cisco uses all the energy generated by its 
onsite solar PV systems and does not sell 
any energy. 
Energy usage, GWh 
1,239 
1,850 
1,831 
1,815 
1,788 
1,701 
 
Indirect energy usage, GWh 1,025 
1,641 
1,656 
1,637 
1.612 
1.556 
Electricity is the only indirect energy source 
used by Cisco—we do not purchase any 
heating, cooling, or steam. 
Direct energy usage, GWh 
213 
209 
176 
178 
177 
146 
Direct energy consumption is the sum of 
Cisco’s natural gas, propane, and diesel 
usage for heating and backup power

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generation and regular gasoline and diesel 
fuel used in Cisco’s fleet. 
Electricity usage, GWh 
1,025 
1,641 
1,656 
1,637 
1,612 
1,556 
 
Natural gas usage, GWh 
135 
94 
90 
90 
93 
79 
 
Stationary diesel usage, 
GWh 
18 
33 
15 
21 
20 
19 
Stationary diesel is typically used for backup 
power generation. 
Propane usage, GWh 
0.8 
0.2 
2 
2 
2 
0.8 
 
Transportation fuel usage 
(combined gasoline and 
diesel fuel), GWh 
59 
73 
68 
65 
62 
46.3 
Transportation fuel includes regular gasoline 
and diesel fuel used in Cisco’s fleet. 
Energy use per unit of 
revenue, GWh of energy 
consumed per billion dollars 
in revenue 
35.5 
37.6 
37.2 
36.8 
34.5 
34.5 
 
The Cisco workplace 
We continue to optimize our real estate portfolio while reducing energy use and GHG emissions. Our 
solutions integrate leadership engagement, change management, design, procurement, policy, and 
technology to transform the workplace experience. For example, our activity-based workspaces can 
accommodate more employees than a traditional office layout, substantially reducing space and land 
requirements and associated environmental impacts. 
New buildings and renovation projects include energy efficiency requirements such as standards for LED 
lighting and efficient air conditioning. We have changed our workplace occupancy model from individual 
to group assignment, giving our employees flexibility and choice while increasing the utilization of our 
assets. In addition, with our flexible work policy and mobile technology solutions, employees can work 
from any Cisco office, as well as from home, a customer site, or even a coffee shop. 
Energy efficiency in our buildings, labs, and data centers 
Our Global Energy Management and Sustainability (GEMS) team leads all energy and sustainability 
initiatives across our 19 million square feet of global real estate. The team currently manages the $45 
million, five-year global EnergyOps program. EnergyOps aims to implement hundreds of efficiency and 
renewable energy projects every year through FY22. The GEMS team includes Cisco employees and 
contracted energy managers who have the following primary responsibilities: 
• 
Managing Cisco’s global annual utility budget and contracts 
• 
Identifying and implementing demand- and supply-side energy solutions, such as energy efficiency 
upgrades and on-site renewable energy projects 
• 
Embedding sustainability and efficiency criteria into our building, lab, and data center design standards 
• 
Exploring and evaluating options for higher efficiency in all of Cisco’s real estate projects 
• 
Engaging employees to participate in resource conservation 
In FY20, the GEMS team enabled Cisco to avoid approximately 19.3 GWh of energy consumption and 
8,600 metric tonne CO2e by investing $8.7 million to implement 44 energy efficiency projects. This does 
not include our renewable energy purchases or on-site renewable energy generation. We estimate that 
the over 440 energy efficiency and on-site renewable energy projects we have implemented since FY16 
have avoided approximately 142 GWh of energy and 62,000 metric tonne CO2e. This program has also 
allowed us to make our operations more efficient and increase the amount of renewable electricity we 
buy, directly contributing to the achievement of the FY17 sustainability goals and the creation of our FY22 
goals. 
Table 23 shows the energy savings associated with the GHG reduction projects we implemented 
between FY16 and FY20. Projects the GEMS team implemented globally in FY20 include:

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• 
Updating lighting controls and using LED technologies to increase lighting efficiency 
• 
Installing and upgrading waterside economization technologies to improve free cooling utilization 
• 
Balancing airflow and improving hot and cold aisle containment within our labs 
• 
Recommissioning and optimizing major mechanical equipment and control systems to improve energy 
efficiency of our heating and cooling systems 
• 
Participating in emergency energy demand response programs in both Texas and California 
• 
Continuing an employee engagement campaign to promote, educate, and incentivize employees to 
conserve energy 
Table 23: Energy and GHG emissions reduction projects1 
KPI 
FY16 
FY17 
FY18 
FY19 
FY20 
Number of projects implemented 
103 
103 
145 
48 
44 
Annual energy avoided, GWh/yr 
31.2 
40.1 
32.4 
19.4 
19.3 
Total estimated annual CO2e savings, metric tonne 
CO2e /yr 
12,400 
23,600 
10,300 
7,100 
8,550 
1  Does not include renewable energy purchases 
Labs and data centers 
Approximately 80 percent of our operational electricity is used to power and cool equipment in our labs 
and data centers. Increasing the energy efficiency of these spaces is our greatest opportunity to reduce 
Cisco’s operational GHG emissions and energy costs. We can do this by focusing on efficiency in the 
design of our labs and practicing smart approaches to utilization and power management. 
Our Global Lab Specification includes efficiency standards for new, high-density labs and retrofits. Our 
standards mandate airflow management in all new labs globally and recommend it for renovation 
projects. EnergyOps projects, as well as projects initiated by lab managers, also help us improve existing 
airflow management, ventilation, cooling, and other building infrastructure systems. 
To reduce electricity usage in our labs and data centers, we use smart power distribution units to monitor 
our lab equipment. We increase server utilization by using virtual machines. Our Cisco Customer 
Experience labs use a check-in, check-out system of automation pods to allow lab employees to set up 
configurations virtually and then release equipment when they are finished with it. This system maximizes 
the number of people who can use the equipment, minimizes the amount of equipment physically needed 
in each lab, and reduces the amount of energy used collectively by our labs. When a lab team moves to a 
different lab, users remove unused or old equipment, thereby saving space, power, and cooling. 
Our data center efficiency strategy focuses on design, utilization, and power management. Our data 
centers in RTP, North Carolina, and Allen, Texas, were designed to achieve a power usage effectiveness 
(PUE) of 1.41 and 1.35 at full load, respectively. Both centers have achieved Leadership in Energy and 
Environmental Design (LEED) New Construction (NC) Gold Certification (v2.2) from the U.S. Green 
Building Council for incorporating numerous sustainable design features. Examples of efficiency retrofits 
we completed in our labs and data centers over the last several years include: 
• 
Balancing airflow and improving hot and cold aisle containment 
• 
Replacing electric-resistance heaters with more efficient heat pumps in our backup generators 
• 
Retrofitting existing Computer Room Air Handling units with EC fans to allow more efficient variable fan 
speed 
• 
Installing mixed-mode waterside economizers to allow greater utilization of free cooling throughout the 
year 
We have also increased efficiency by migrating IT loads into key locations. By consolidating our footprint, 
we’ve reduced our square footage costs and our overall electricity use. Since July 2013, we have reduced 
data center square footage by over 25 percent.

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GHG emissions from outsourced IT 
Refer to a later section, Scope 3 category 1: purchased goods and services, for a discussion of 
outsourced IT GHG emissions. 
Green building standards 
We have integrated green building standards into our real estate since our first LEED-certified building 
was built in 2009. By the end of FY20, 18 Cisco facilities were LEED-certified, with 13 rated Gold or 
Platinum. These facilities represent over 2.5 million square feet of LEED-certified space, which is about 
13 percent of Cisco’s global real estate portfolio. 
We also incorporate principles of green building standards into our standard workplace design, even if 
we’re not planning for LEED certification. These standards make our spaces more comfortable for our 
occupants while reducing our buildings’ environmental impact. 
Renewable energy 
Generating and purchasing low-carbon electricity is a key component of our GHG reduction strategy. We 
prefer on-site power projects where possible, but off-site power is often the better option due to factors 
such as location, budget, and space constraints. While we do use unbundled renewable energy 
certificates (RECs) today to help meet our renewable energy goal, we continue to engage utilities and 
renewable energy providers to expand both our on-site and off-site renewable energy activities so we can 
help support the development of new renewable energy systems in locations where we operate. We 
identify and evaluate potential projects in the following order: 
1. 
On-site power opportunities 
2. 
Green power contracts with utilities 
3. 
Off-site power opportunities 
4. 
RECs 
Onsite renewable power 
We have 2.9 MW of onsite solar PV installations in Texas, Massachusetts, North Carolina and India that 
produce an average 3.2 million kWh of electricity, avoiding 1,200 metric tonne CO2e each year over the 
projected 25-year life of the systems. We continue to look for new onsite renewable opportunities and are 
currently planning to add two new onsite solar projects in Raleigh, NC and India over the next 12 months. 
Purchasing renewable electricity 
Purchasing electricity generated from renewable or other low-carbon sources is a key component of our 
GHG reduction strategy. We summarize our global renewable electricity purchases in Table 24. We have 
purchased renewable electricity in the U.S. and Europe since FY06 by buying RECs and entering into 
green power contracts with various electricity suppliers. 
We are actively exploring how to increase the percentage of renewable energy obtained from utility 
contracts and PPAs. We engage with green power providers and buyers through the Renewable Energy 
Buyers Alliance (REBA) and also participate in the EPA's Green Power Partnership, where we are 
consistently ranked highly in their Green Power Top Partner Rankings. 
In April 2020, Cisco completed a 10 MW virtual PPA to purchase power from the Mesquite Star wind 
farm, a 419-megawatt (MW) wind farm in Texas. Cisco’s portion of the project provides approximately 40 
percent of the electricity we use annually at our data centers in Richardson and Allen, Texas. See blog for 
details. 
We have expanded our renewable electricity purchases in India to include both long-term by buying 
RECs and entering into green power contracts with various electricity suppliers. In 2018, Cisco signed 
two solar power purchase agreements (PPAs) that will collectively deliver 85,000 megawatt-hours of 
clean, renewable electricity every year to the local electric grid where our Bangalore campus is located. 
These agreements provide nearly 40% of the electricity we need to power our Bangalore campus. For 
more information, read our blog on the project.

Cisco 2020 Environment Technical Review 
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Other renewable energy accomplishments in FY20 include: 
• 
Purchased 100 percent of the electricity used at Cisco facilities in the U.S., Belgium, Denmark, France, 
Germany, Ireland, Italy, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom from renewable sources. 
• 
Partnered with multiple companies to sign a 10 MW virtual PPA from a large wind farm in Texas. 
Construction began in May 2019 and we started receiving power from the system in April 2020. See the 
blog for details. 
• 
Continued participation in Duke Energy’s Green Rider program to purchase about 10 percent of the 
electricity used at our RTP campus from 10 MW of solar projects located in North Carolina 
• 
Continued participation in Austin Energy’s Green Choice program to purchase 100 percent of the 
electricity used at our facilities in Austin, Texas, from local wind power systems 
Table 24: Electricity from low-carbon sources (renewables) 
 
KPI 
FY07 
baseline 
 
FY15 
 
FY16 
 
FY17 
 
FY18 
 
FY19 
 
FY20 
Electricity from renewable sources, GWh 
110 
1,167 
1,264 
1,324 
1,344 
1,344 
1,292 
Percent progress against renewable energy goal 
Goal: Use electricity generated from renewable 
sources for 85 percent of our global electricity by 
FY22 
11% 
71% 
77% 
80% 
82% 
83% 
83% 
 
Electricity usage from renewable sources by region: 
 
EMEAR (Europe, Middle East, Africa, and 
Russia) 
31% 
48% 
44% 
49% 
62% 
65% 
63% 
India 
0% 
2% 
33% 
45% 
49% 
52% 
60% 
United States 
10% 
97% 
100% 
100% 
100% 
100% 
100% 
Scope 3 GHG emissions 
Cisco measures our environmental footprint across our supply chain to prioritize areas for improvement. 
Scope 3 emissions cover a broad range of activities across Cisco’s supply chain, operations, products, 
and solutions. Below we discuss the most significant areas of impact. For a complete table of our Scope 3 
emissions as reported to CDP, see Appendix IV. Additional Scope 3 emissions information is available in 
our response to CDP Question 6.5 of our 2020 CDP Investor Survey response. 
Scope 3 reduction strategy 
Our Scope 3 focus areas are reducing emissions related to product energy use and in our supply chain 
operations by: 
• 
Increasing product power efficiency through continual engineering improvements 
• 
Integrating carbon accounting metrics into our supply chain operations to optimize transport and 
materials in the manufacturing of our products, and increase energy efficiency in our extended 
operations 
• 
Collaborating with manufacturing, component, and logistics suppliers to manage and report GHG 
reduction targets, influencing improvements in performance year over year (see Supplier environmental 
performance section for more details) 
Scope 3 supply chain operations 
Cisco and the broader electronics industry rely on suppliers worldwide to provide components, assemble, 
test, and ultimately ship products to our end customers. As a result, supply chain emissions make up a 
significant proportion of Cisco's GHG footprint. To help us understand critical impacts in our supply chain, 
we use recognized global frameworks and industry standards for accountability and reporting.

Cisco 2020 Environment Technical Review 
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As a member of the CDP Supply Chain Program, we request that all of our direct suppliers—with whom 
we have a significant business relationship—report their carbon impacts to CDP. Table 52 in Appendix III 
provides the percent of our manufacturing, component, and logistics suppliers, by spend, that report their 
Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions to CDP. Furthermore, Scope 3 category 1 and category 4 GHG 
emissions are included in the boundary for our Supply Chain related Scope 3 absolute GHG emissions 
goal. 
Scope 3 category 1: purchased goods and services 
This Scope 3 category is included in our supply chain absolute reduction goal. The boundary incorporates 
the allocated GHG emissions of our Tier 1 and Tier 2 manufacturing, component and warehouse 
suppliers. Emissions are allocated based on Cisco’s financial share of the supplier’s reported global 
Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions. The majority of emissions are related to the electricity 
consumption used to manufacture sub-components and complete final testing for our products. 
To reduce Scope 3 category 1 emissions, we have set an absolute GHG reduction goal for our supply 
chain as shown in Table 25. 
Table 25: Supplier adoption of absolute GHG reduction goals 
Supply chain GHG emissions 
FY19 
FY20 
Suppliers, by spend, with a public, absolute GHG reduction 
target 
Goal: 80 percent of Cisco component, manufacturing, and 
logistics suppliers by spend will have a public, absolute GHG 
emissions reduction target by FY25.* 
23% 
33% 
* Preferably in line with an approved science-based methodology (applying either a 1.5°C or well below 2°C reduction scenario). 
Includes suppliers that set intensity targets that produce an absolute emissions reduction during the target period. 
GHG emissions from outsourced IT – DCaaS, IaaS, SaaS and PaaS 
IT services come in several forms: on premise, co-located data center as a service (DCaaS), 
infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), and software as a service (SaaS). As part 
of our annual GHG emissions reporting, we calculate the on-premise emissions of Cisco-managed data 
centers. However, we are shifting more IT services into co-located data center facilities or the cloud (as-a-
service providers). In 2019, our Chief Information Officer confirmed this shift to outsourced IT. As part of 
this transition to cloud resources, Cisco is targeting a 30 percent reduction in the number of Cisco on-
premise data centers within the next five years. When IT services move from on-premise to co-located 
DCaaS facilities and remain in our operational control, the GHG emissions accounting remain in our 
Scope 2. When IT services move from on-premise facilities to the cloud, operational control is 
relinquished and GHG emissions accounting shifts, from our Scope 2 to Scope 3 (IaaS, SaaS and PaaS). 
This year is the first year we calculated our GHG emissions from these types of outsourced IT. Due to 
data availability these estimates were calculated for FY19. The methodology for calculating DCaaS GHG 
emissions can be straight forward. Where possible, we used publicly reported revenue, GHG emissions 
reported to CDP and our spend with each partner to estimate our portion of emissions. In the cases 
where annual revenue and carbon emissions information was not available, we used a carbon intensity 
average and our spend with the provider to estimate our portion of emissions. 
We classify our use of IaaS, PaaS and SaaS products as purchased goods and services (Scope 3). We 
have estimated our GHG emissions for our use of IaaS and PaaS services using the Greenhouse Gas 
Protocol guidance for calculating Scope 3 emissions (version 1.0). For our IaaS calculation, we used 
facility-level data provided by our partners. If this wasn’t available, we allocated our portion of our 
partner’s scope 2 emissions. To do this calculation, we used publicly reported revenue, GHG emissions 
reported to CDP and our spend with each partner. 
There is difficulty aligning these 3 sources as they all cover a slightly different time period, but we believe 
that we are in the correct order of magnitude. Our emissions for DCaaS, IaaS and PaaS can be found in 
Table 26.

Cisco 2020 Environment Technical Review 
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Table 26: GHG emissions from outsourced IT services (IaaS, SaaS, PaaS). 
KPI 
FY19 
FY20 
Comments 
Scope 2 GHG emissions from outsourced IT - DCaaS 
(Location-Based), metric tonne CO2e 
8,690 
TBD1 
 
Scope 3 GHG emissions from outsourced IT – IaaS 
and PaaS (Market-Based), metric tonne CO2e 
5,935 
TBD1 
SaaS is not included in our FY19 estimate 
1 FY20 emissions calculation is dependent on receipt FY20 CDP supply chain data and will be reported when data is available. 
Scope 3 category 4: upstream transportation and distribution 
This Scope 3 category is included in our supply chain absolute reduction goal. The boundary incorporates 
the GHG emissions from transportation and distribution services directly purchased by Cisco over the 
reporting year. The majority of emissions are related to the air transportation used to deliver products and 
services within our manufacturing and distribution networks. 
Downstream transportation emissions, paid by Cisco, are included in Category 4 Upstream 
Transportation and Distribution (in accordance with the GHG Protocol). 
Scope 3 category 6: business travel 
Cisco closed its last travel goal in 2017. Our two travel goals are listed in Appendix V. We continue to 
report travel emissions as part of our Scope 3 CDP reporting, summarized in Appendix IV – FY20 Scope 
3 emissions. Due to the impacts of COVID-19 on corporate travel our scope 3 business travel emissions 
are approximately 40 percent less than we would have expected during a normal year. 
Scope 3 category 7: employee commuting 
Cisco used our latest employee commuting survey completed in FY18 to estimate the emissions 
produced from employees commuting to work in FY20. Our Scope 3 emissions from employee 
commuting decreased significantly from FY19 to FY20 due to our mandatory work from home policy 
during the COVID-19 pandemic. Table 27 summarizes our associated Scope 3 commuting emissions. 
Table 27: Scope 3 emissions from employee commuting 
KPI 
FY16 
FY17 
FY18 
FY19 
FY20 
Comments 
Scope 3 GHG emissions from employee 
commuting, metric tonne CO2e 
91,586 
80,506 
81,394 
79,735 
47,973 
Our FY18, FY19 figures were 
externally verified. FY20 data is 
not being verified due to the 
impacts from COVID-19 
pandemic. 
Flexible work practices 
In addition to the collaboration tools we make widely available to our employees, several Cisco network 
technologies also permit flexible working environments (for example, working from home or remotely). 
These include Cisco Virtual Office and Cisco OfficeExtend. Cisco Virtual Office provides wired and 
wireless voice, data, and video service for an employee’s home or for small commercial offices, using 
Cisco integrated services routers (ISRs) and IP phones. Cisco OfficeExtend is an even simpler solution. 
It’s a remote wireless access point in the employee’s home that provides the same highly secure 
communications to a wireless local area network (WLAN) controller at the connected Cisco campus. 
Many employees also use Cisco’s AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client to connect to our enterprise 
network, enabling them to work from any device, at any time, in any location. Although working remotely 
does not directly reduce air travel, it helps our employees become more proficient in using collaborative 
technologies, which is especially important for a global technology company.

Cisco 2020 Environment Technical Review 
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Transportation services 
We provide a variety of transportation services to our employees to help them commute, move around 
our campus locations and adjoining communities, and maintain their vehicles. Cisco also maintains over 
500 ports available for employees and guests at our headquarters in San Jose. Globally, Cisco has over 
380 stations with more than 680 charging ports (Table 28). 
Table 28: Cisco locations with EV charging 
United States 
Outside the United States 
Irvine, California 
Pleasanton, California 
Rancho Cordova, California 
San Francisco, California 
San Jose, California 
Lawrenceville, Georgia 
Fulton, Maryland 
Boxborough, Massachusetts 
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 
Malvern, Pennsylvania 
Richardson, Texas 
San Antonio, Texas 
Salzburg, Austria 
Vienna, Austria 
Diegem, Belgium 
Ottawa, Canada 
Toronto, Canada 
Hangzhou, China 
Hefei, China 
Suzhou, China 
San Jose, Costa Rica 
Prague, Czech Republic 
Espoo, Finland 
Paris, France 
Lyon, France 
Berlin, Germany 
Budapest, Hungary 
Bangalore, India 
Rome, Italy 
Vimercate, Italy 
Lysaker, Norway 
Krakow, Poland 
Bucharest, Romania 
Madrid, Spain 
Stockholm, Sweden 
Bedfont Lakes, United Kingdom 
Chandlers Ford, United Kingdom 
Green Park, United Kingdom 
Cisco includes the electricity used to charge employee EVs in our Scope 2 emissions reported as shown 
in Table 22. 
Cisco also maintains a fleet of company cars for our employees in Europe and has been working to 
reduce the GHG emissions associated with this fleet over the last five years (Table 29). We have set a 
limit on the allowable CO2 emissions of newly purchased vehicles and promote EVs when possible. The 
current limit we set is 151 g/km for diesel cars, and 160 g/km for gasoline cars (WLTP). We expect to 
further reduce these limits over time, as the automobile industry continues to release more fuel-efficient 
and less polluting vehicles, as well as an increased number of full electric vehicles. 
Table 29: Percentage EVs in Cisco company cars 
Year 
FY16 
FY17 
FY18 
FY19 
FY20 
Total fleet size 
6,100 
5,950 
5,440 
4,772 
4,620 
Number of electric vehicles 
334 
420 
469 
540 
773 
Percentage of electric vehicles 
5.5% 
7.1% 
8.6% 
11.3% 
15.7%

Cisco 2020 Environment Technical Review 
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Scope 3 category 11: use of sold products (product energy efficiency) 
Cisco calculates our Scope 3 use of sold products GHG emissions based on the Greenhouse Gas 
Protocol guidance for calculating Scope 3 emissions (version 1.0). Our use of sold products are classified 
as direct use-phase emissions as our products directly consume energy during their use. We use 
equation 1 to estimate the total CO2e from the use of our sold products. Because our products have 
varying expected lifetimes, we assume a conservative average of 5 years. In actuality, it could be 
anywhere from 2-15 years depending on the product type. To account for the previous 4 years of product 
energy consumption, we include those previous yearly estimates in our current yearly estimate. 
෍𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐 𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝 𝑢𝑢𝑢𝑢𝑢𝑢 (𝑘𝑘𝑘𝑘ℎ) 𝑥𝑥 𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠 𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹 𝑌𝑌𝑌𝑌𝑌𝑌𝑌𝑌 𝑥𝑥 𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙 𝑥𝑥 𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 (𝑘𝑘𝑘𝑘 𝐶𝐶𝑂𝑂2𝑒𝑒
𝑘𝑘𝑘𝑘ℎ
)   (1) 
Table 30 provides the GHG emissions from the use of sold products. Electricity and GHG emissions 
decreased in FY20 due to manufacturing restrictions due to COVID-19. About 80 percent of these 
emissions were calculated using primary data. 
Table 30: Total estimated electricity and GHG emissions from use of sold products. 
KPI 
FY17 
FY18 
FY19 
FY20 
Electricity from use of sold products, TWh 
49.8 
49.2 
49.0 
46.4 
Scope 3 GHG emissions from use of sold 
products metric tonne CO2e 
26,423,996 
25,653,819 
24,929,174 
23,271,302 
To better calculate this number, we are creating a database to track our product energy consumption. Our 
goal is to automate this process to allow for easier energy use calculations and more consistent data year 
over year. By the end of FY21, we plan to have our initial database ready to help calculate our GHG 
emissions from use of sold products. 
We estimate that Cisco is responsible for around 6% of the electricity consumed by the Information and 
Communications Technology (ICT) sector. This estimate is based on research published in 2018 by Jens 
Malmodin and Dag Lunden which estimated that in 2015 the ICT sector consumed 805 TWh.4 This same 
study also found that electricity consumption by the ICT industry has not grown exponentially as once 
predicted, but has remained roughly flat due to continued focus on product energy efficiency. This finding 
was supported by further research finding that global data center usage only grew from about 194 TWh in 
2010 to 205 TWh in 2018.5 This assumption allows us to derive our estimate of 6% by assuming the ICT 
sector still consumes roughly 805 TWh. 
Table 31: Cisco product categories by power consumption and product revenue 
Year 
% Total power 
% Total product revenue 
Infrastructure 
92.2% 
75.4% 
Applications 
6.3% 
15.9% 
Security 
1.5% 
8.8% 
Other products 
0% 
0.4% 
Stakeholder engagement and standards development 
Cisco engages with governments, regulatory agencies, and standards development organizations to 
monitor and influence the development of emerging product energy efficiency requirements and 
standards. Product energy efficiency standards can promote innovation by being performance-based, by 
taking into account product functionality, and by relying on objective criteria, real-world data, and system-
level efficiency. Predictable requirements enable companies to focus on the environmental issues most 
relevant to them. 
 
4 J. Malmodin and D. Lunden. “The Energy and Carbon Footprint of the Global ICT and E&M Sectors 2010–2015” (2018) 
5 E. Masanet, A. Shehabi, N. Lei, S. Smith, J. Koomey. “Recalibrating global data center energy-use estimates” (Science Magazine, 2020)

Cisco 2020 Environment Technical Review 
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Many eco-design standards and regulations generally apply to a single point of energy conversion in the 
power supply at the front end of the total system. Cisco supports the idea of studying energy consumption 
more broadly. This systems approach should result in a fair and correct way to promote energy 
efficiencies in tomorrow’s networks. One standard that embodies this approach is the Alliance for 
Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) Telecommunications Energy Efficiency Ratio (TEER). This 
measurement method covers all power conversion and power distribution from the front end of the 
system to the data wire plug, including application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). 
The ATIS TEER standards created a framework for measuring product energy usage that takes product 
functionality into account. They use real-world loads to determine energy efficiency across the entire 
product. This is important because it allows companies like Cisco to compare energy-usage design 
improvements from one product generation to the next, and it helps consumers make better-informed 
purchasing decisions. The ATIS TEER standards have been incorporated into the Network Equipment 
Building System (NEBS) design guidelines applied to telecommunications equipment in the U.S. NEBS is 
the most common set of safety, spatial, and environmental design guidelines applied to 
telecommunications equipment. Compliance with these guidelines is an industry (but not a legal) 
requirement. Table 32 lists organizations Cisco works with on energy efficiency. 
Table 32: Energy efficiency initiatives and organizations with whom Cisco actively engages 
Organization 
Engagement Areas 
Alliance for Telecommunications 
Industry Solutions (ATIS)  
Cisco is an active member of ATIS and engages with other member organizations 
to develop standards relevant to the telecommunications industry. Last year, we 
submitted a draft to update ATIS-0600015 (Servers and server blades) and bring 
the IT in line with other energy efficiency standards 
European Commission Joint Research 
Center, Codes of Conduct 
Cisco is a signatory and active member of the EU Code of Conduct on Energy 
Consumption of Broadband Communication Equipment. 
Aspirational goals are provided to reduce energy consumption of broadband 
communication equipment without hampering fast-technological developments and 
service provided. 
Electronic Product Environmental 
Assessment Tool—EPEAT  
Cisco has engaged with IEEE and NSF International in the development of server 
standards for energy efficiency. Cisco is an advisory committee team member and 
active member of the EPEAT program for servers and is contributing to both the 
Common Criteria (NSF 487) and Sustainable Network Equipment specifications. 
European Telecommunications 
Standards Institute (ETSI)  
Cisco is engaged with ETSI in the development of standards for energy efficiency. 
We lead the ETSI server standard EN303470, which defines the active efficiency 
metrics and idle measurements for 2- and 4-socket servers and where high 
temperature testing are being defined. 
Cisco also leads DEN/EE-EEPS47-2 on the verification of compliance with the 
requirement on the secure data deletion functionality, including instructions on how 
to use the functionality, the techniques used and the supported secure data 
deletion standard(s). 
International Telecommunication Union 
(ITU) (worldwide) 
Cisco is a contributor to the ITU-T SG5 Study Group while holding a Vice-chairman 
position on the management team.  
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), 
Environmental Protection Agency 
(EPA)  
Cisco has been working with the EPA to define ENERGY STAR standards for 
networking equipment: SNE, LNE, telephony equipment, and servers. Cisco has 
also worked with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the EPA/DOE technical 
arm; Navigant; the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC); and Ecova on 
measurement methodologies and metrics. Cisco most recently provided feedback 
expand the product scope for the LNE specification. 
Improving product energy efficiency 
Improving product energy efficiency addresses two key challenges for Cisco. First, to achieve the 
projected product performance specifications for the next five to ten years, Cisco products need an 
architecture with “energy scalability”. This is one that can provide energy-efficient service for variable 
traffic types, traffic demands, customer usage, and installs. Second, product use is our largest, Scope 3

Cisco 2020 Environment Technical Review 
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GHG emissions source. To address these challenges, Cisco is investing in five primary product energy 
efficiency engineering initiatives. These initiatives were chosen because they enable the largest impact 
on improving our products’ energy consumption. 
• 
Power initiative: We are improving the efficiency of our products from plug to port and set a product 
power efficiency goal in early FY18. This goal is to 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 percent to 87 percent by FY22 (FY16 baseline). Read more 
about this goal in our goal announcement blog post. Progress toward this goal is shown in Table 33. To 
achieve this power efficiency goal we are reducing resistance – the hindrance of the flow of electrons – 
in our Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) and other components through the use of better conductive 
materials. By reducing the overall resistance, we can decrease the energy lost as heat, increasing the 
overall system level efficiency and reducing the amount of heat that needs to be exhausted from the 
system. 
• 
Thermal initiative: Commonly used forced air-cooling systems have limitations in cooling higher 
powered next-generation products. As such, we are exploring alternative methods of cooling such as 
liquid or refrigerant cooling, which will reduce power used by the products dedicated to cooling. 
Currently, liquid and refrigerant cooling is technically feasible, but implementation is dependent on 
customers upgrading their facilities to integrate properly with these cooling methods. Where appropriate 
we advocate for the use of liquid or refrigerant cooling, but until these methods are more widely 
adopted, we continue to develop advanced thermal techniques and optimize traditional forced air 
cooling to remove heat from our products. 
• 
High-speed interconnects and ASIC initiatives: High-speed silicon-to-silicon or optics-to-silicon 
interconnects are an integral part of routing and switching systems. As throughput (or bandwidth) 
requirements increase, the interconnects can consume a significant portion of the total system power. 
Through advancements in optics, we can deliver increased bandwidth using the same or less power 
compared with earlier generation interconnects. Previous generation ASIC packet processing 
technology designs consumed large amounts of power. The Cisco Silicon One ASIC architecture, a 
complete redesign, has allowed the ASIC to be twice as efficient than previous ASIC technologies while 
enabling a move from Gbps to Tbps capacity with a single ASIC. For more information on how the 
Silicon ONE is reducing energy, read our blog here. 
• 
Customer facilities initiative: We are working with customers to reduce the amount of energy required to 
operate IT facilities with power solutions that 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. Our customers are constrained by the total amount of electricity that can 
be delivered to a given data center. Because of this, every watt counts and delivering electricity to our 
products in the most efficient way is becoming an even higher priority. Currently, data centers are using 
208 or 239VAC or 48/60VDC inputs, while the most efficient input voltage is 277VAC or 380VDC. There 
has been low adoption of the 380VDC input voltage due to concerns over safety. To alleviate these 
safety concerns we are working with customers to design and implement fault managed power systems 
which can be integrated into connected building applications and reduce the cost of building out of 
future electrical infrastructure. To reduce energy consumption at facilities even more, we have proposed 
an improved cooling system with a smart HVAC system. The paper can be found in Technical 
Disclosure Commons here. 
• 
Power Supply Initiative: Power supplies play a critical role in managing product energy efficiencies, as 
they are the first step where energy is lost. To overcome this loss, we are working to offer more energy-
efficient options for power supplies, giving customers the option of platinum or titanium 80+ rated power 
supplies whenever possible. This provides cost-sensitive customers the option of selecting lower-rated 
power supplies, such as gold or silver, while allowing customers concerned about reducing their total 
energy use to select the higher-rated supplies. Over 50% of the new power supplies designs we 
developed last year were tested for a rating of platinum and above. This initiative also includes 
developing power supplies with wide-ranging AC and DC inputs that support AC/HVAC/HVDC for 200-
277VAC or 240/380VDC. These designs allow us to support both AC and DC with legacy low input AC 
voltages or higher voltages that have higher efficiencies. Once customers begin to switch to 380VDC, 
we will develop power supplies that are optimized for this input voltage. For external power supplies, we 
ship products that are DOE6 compliant, aligning with the latest U.S. energy efficiency standards. 
When we evaluate product energy efficiency, we consider the power performance of the entire system. 
We measure the percent efficiency as electricity passes through each component or function. This can

Cisco 2020 Environment Technical Review 
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include, for example, the external power supply units (PSU), intermediate bus converter (IBC), point of 
load (POL), and ASIC, memory, or other chips. 
Table 33: Product power efficiency improvements (large rack-mounted-equipment) 
KPI 
FY16 
FY17 
FY18 
FY19 
FY20 
System power efficiency (percent) 
Goal: 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 percent by FY22 (FY16 
baseline). 
77% 
baseline 
80% 
82% 
85% 
85% 
Reducing product energy consumption 
Increasing energy efficiency is key to Cisco’s strategy for managing the total amount of energy used by 
our products, but it is only one part. Cisco produces a wide variety of products ranging in size from 
access points (APs) to large networking equipment (LNE). This means we must take a multifaceted 
approach to managing energy consumption. 
Our products fall into three categories in which we report revenue: Infrastructure Platforms, Applications, 
and Security. Each product segment requires a different approach. Switching, routing and optical 
networking falls under the Infrastructure category and these products make up the backbone of the 
network and consume the most energy. The total energy footprint of each of our products is determined 
mainly by which components we use. As components, such as the ASICs, CPUs, PHYs, and DIMMs, 
continue to consume more energy, our products will, too. To counter this energy increase, we’re utilizing 
the below design techniques to reduce energy consumption. 
• 
Reduced the process geometry of our ASICs which reduces the energy consumption and also allowed 
us to combine multiple chips into one, improving energy efficiency even more. 
• 
Utilize Automatic Voltage Scaling (AVS) which allows us to adjust the processor voltage and core 
frequency, decreasing the energy consumption. 
• 
Migrated from legacy synchronous DRAM and SRAM to DDR4 and Serdes based high density 
memories like HMC and HMB and improving memory architecture with hybrid queuing and ingress VOQ 
to improve energy consumption. 
• 
Utilize fan speed controls that are based on component temperature and altitude as opposed to inlet-
based temperatures. 
• 
Modules can be classified as normal or high power and depending on what is installed, the fans speeds 
can be adjusted to fit the profile installed to save energy. 
• 
Unused line cards or ports are powered-off to reduce energy consumption. 
Our wireless portfolio, which includes APs, also falls under this segment. These products are primarily 
powered through PoE, making energy consumption a high priority. Each product must fit into the desired 
PoE standard, ranging from the 802.3af standard of max power at 15.4W to the 802.3bt max power rating 
of 90W. Products are also designed with an option to reduce usage of certain features, such as link 
speed, number of spatial streams available and USB availability to reduce power when these features 
aren’t needed. Further design improvements include the following: 
• 
Products are designed with Field-Effect Transistors (FETs) instead of diodes in our PoE system. This 
can reduce the power draw and on an 802.3at powered device can save about 0.75W. 
• 
Utilize automatic rate shifting for power savings through optimizing the amount of power internal buses 
use when communicating between components. 
Products falling under our IoT segment are essentially hardened versions of our switches, routers and 
access points that are deployed in environmentally uncontrolled environments. They may be installed in 
remote areas, with little power available so it’s essential that they’re designed to minimize energy 
consumption and usage of high failure components such as fans. We released the IR1101, with a focus 
on reducing energy consumption as a pilot and then utilizing these techniques on our next generation

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hardened switches and APs whenever possible. These design improvements resulted in a 45% reduction 
in power over the previous generation of router. Design improvements are listed below. 
• 
Utilize front end power supplies that have an efficiency greater than 90%. 
• 
Reduce the number of stages where voltage is reduced, improving system efficiency. 
• 
Use a lower powered CPU at a reduced clock frequency. 
• 
Reduce number of LEDs and the brightness for remaining ones to reduce energy consumption. 
Compute products as a whole have continued to increase their energy use each year and our rack, blade 
and node servers have followed this industry trend. The key drivers to this increase are processing 
power, use of persistent memory, accelerators such as GPUs and FPGAs and denser packaging (e.g. 
expanded storage and IO devices packaged into the same form factor. As the system power increases, 
the servers also must use higher performing fans to support this increased power density trend. 
Cisco’s compute products are Energy Star and EPEAT certified, and compliant with EU Directive 
2019/424. The technology innovations that enable our compute products to comply with these standards 
are: 
• 
Architecture consolidation of data and management into a single fabric to reduce number of IO devices, 
switches and redundant management components that consume energy. 
• 
Dynamic power rebalancing between high and low customers to eliminate stranded power allocations to 
improve efficiency of available power. 
• 
Hardware layer is abstracted to enable policy-based management. This allows users to easily push 
BIOS policies optimized for energy efficiency to their entire install base regardless of form factor, 
version or processor architecture. 
• 
Optimized fan design with policies biased towards low power operation and a use of a variable fan 
speed algorithm which includes component temperature and power consumption to optimize fan speed 
selection. This eliminates unnecessary overcooling and wasted fan power. 
Our collaboration portfolio is made up primarily of our IP Phones, headset and telepresence products. 
Like APs, IP Phones can spend an even greater amount of their lifetime not in use. It’s critical for these 
products to be designed to efficiently power up for use, then switch into a standby mode to minimize their 
energy footprint. It is also a priority for our IP Phones to be designed to meet ENERGY STAR standards. 
Our headsets allow customers to integrate with our collaboration applications, while providing energy 
efficient features such as battery management and Bluetooth-power optimization reducing energy 
consumption and ultimately, providing longer call times between charges. With each new generation of IP 
Phone and headset, we’re also improving the design with the following: 
• 
Integrating the latest, most efficient silicon with our audio processing and call-control software 
• 
Developing intelligent power-management features that selectively enable power to only those functions 
needed for each use case. 
• 
Adopting the latest Bluetooth/Wi-Fi standards that transmit only as much antenna power as needed to 
maintain a stable wireless link. 
Telepresence products help customers reduce their GHG emissions from business air travel and 
commuting. When designing these products, we prioritize efficient switching between product use and 
standby modes. Future generations will also support three modes to minimize energy consumption: off, 
standby, and networked standby. Products can then be set to transition to either of the two standby 
modes if no input signals are detected for a predetermined time. Each generation of video endpoints is 
capable of supporting more features such as higher screen resolution, increased camera/video resolution 
and transmission rates and various sensors. While the newer generation products may use more power, 
we are improving the energy efficiency by using the latest ASIC, display and monitor technology. 
Our security portfolio is made up of physical and cloud-based product offerings. Similar to our 
infrastructure platforms, energy consumption is determined by component selection. Each generation of 
products uses more energy, but bps/W ratios are also increasing. This offsets the additional energy 
increase.

Cisco 2020 Environment Technical Review 
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Scope 3 category 12: end-of-use treatment of sold products (end-of-life) 
This Scope 3 category is not included in our supply chain absolute reduction goal. The boundary 
incorporates the allocated Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions of our Tier 1 recycling partners. We do 
not include embedded emissions related to reuse or recycling of Cisco products. Further details can be 
found in the Product end-of-use section of this document. 
IT solutions for the environment 
We are making progress in managing GHG emissions in our own operations, in our supply chain, and at 
other phases of the product life cycle. Our products and services also offer opportunities through the 
“enabling effect.”6 
The enabling effect happens when technology helps lower emissions in other industries. For example, 
high-definition videoconferencing can be used in place of face-to-face interaction to avoid air travel. 
Energy monitoring and control of IP-enabled devices can reduce buildings’ energy consumption. 
Cisco sponsored and contributed to the first SMART 2020 report in 2009. The report identified 
opportunities for the ICT sector to develop and apply network technologies to reduce total GHG 
emissions by 15 percent. The report continues to be a seminal work and guides industry strategy. 
Considering the ICT sector was projected to be responsible for only 3 percent of global emissions in 
2020, this represents a substantial positive impact. Potential reductions are concentrated in the areas of 
transportation, buildings, power/energy, and industry. 
Reducing GHG emissions from business air travel and teleworking 
Remote collaboration technologies (Table 34) help Cisco and our clients reduce emissions from air travel 
and commuting. These technologies include Webex Teams®, Cisco TelePresence®, Cisco Webex®, 
Cisco Unified Communications, and Cisco Jabber® collaboration solutions. Beyond reducing emissions, 
these technologies also increase employee productivity, promote work-life balance, and help us build 
customer relationships. 
Table 34: Remote collaboration technology solutions 
Technology solution 
 
Immersive videoconferencing 
We have more than 5800 multipurpose TelePresence rooms, an 
additional 200 fully immersive TelePresence rooms and over 1000 
Webex Teams Boards, deployed in our offices worldwide. 
Small office/Personal video 
conferencing 
The Cisco Workplace is Cisco’s shared office space solution. Many 
small, flexible-use rooms for one to two people have Webex Pro, 
DX80, IP Phones or MX00 videoconferencing units installed. 
We’ve deployed over 88,000 IP Phones and over 17,000 personal 
Cisco TelePresence devices (Webex Pro, DX80, etc.) worldwide to 
help enable our shared office space solution. 
Desktop/Devices 
videoconferencing 
Webex Meetings, Webex Teams are available to all Cisco employees 
using Cisco-assigned laptops. 
- 
In FY20, we logged over 1.7M Webex meetings per month 
consisting of both voice and video meetings, supporting over 7.3 
M attendees per month. 
- 
On Webex teams in FY20, we had over 122K monthly active 
users exchange 150M messages and share over 3.6M files 
monthly. 
- 
There are over 92,000 deployments of Soft Clients, where 
employee can forward phone calls through their computer 
eliminating the need all together to be near a communication 
device. 
- 
Cisco Jabber, Cisco Webex Meetings and Cisco Webex Teams is 
interoperable on smart phones with over 67,000 devices 
 
6 See the SMART 2020 report published by GeSI for a more detailed explanation of the enabling effect.

Cisco 2020 Environment Technical Review 
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registered, providing flexibility to communicate in even more 
locations. 
Home/remote office 
videoconferencing 
Through our Cisco Virtual Office (CVO) hardware and Cisco 
AnyConnect VPN, employees had more flexibility to either work from 
home or any other location with network access. In FY20, we 
supported over 29,000 CVO units and over 106 K Cisco AnyConnect 
VPN users worldwide. 
Replacing business air travel with remote collaboration requires more than just technology. Our business 
processes, management practices, and culture have also had to adapt. As experience with collaborative 
technologies increases, within Cisco and among our customers and partners, remote interactions have 
gone from being the exception to standard practice. 
Hosting and attending Webex meetings with other employees or with customers, partners, and other 
stakeholders has become as common as using the telephone. We use Cisco TelePresence, Jabber, and 
Webex for virtual company meetings, executive operational reviews, and department all-hands meetings. 
In addition, about one-third of our annual global ISO 14001 site audits are performed using Cisco remote 
collaboration solutions. This real-world experience guides product development and helps with the rollout 
of supporting management practices. Because adoption of remote collaboration technologies has 
matured, we are no longer tracking adoption metrics included in our previous CSR reports. 
Products and packaging materials 
Product and packaging goals 
Cisco has set new goals and committed the necessary resources to meaningfully reduce our 
environmental impact and contribute to a circular economy. See Table 10 for a complete list of our current 
product and packaging goals. Our progress on these goals is reported in tables in this Products and 
packaging materials section that are also listed in Table 10. 
At the World Economic Forum in 2018 as part of the Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy 
(PACE) initiative, Cisco made a 100-percent product-return pledge. Product return is a foundational 
element of the circular economy. The Product return sections detail the various elements of our efforts to 
increase product return from our customers and drive higher rates of reuse according to circular economy 
principles. 
Stakeholder engagement for the circular economy 
Cisco engages with a variety of organizations, including governments, standards development 
organizations, and nonprofits, to collaborate and influence on circular economy and related topics. 
Through our involvement, we share with and learn from peers, work to help bring clarity and consistency 
to the global marketplace, create predictable requirements that enable companies to focus on the 
environmental issues most relevant to their business, and address opportunities or challenges that cannot 
be solved alone. Table 35 highlights several circular economy initiatives and organizations in which Cisco 
participated in FY20. 
Table 35: Circular economy-related initiatives and organizations in which Cisco participates 
Organization  
Engagement Areas 
CDP IT Industry Collaboration Group 
Cisco reports annually to CDP, a not-for-profit organization that runs the global 
disclosure system for investors, companies, cities, states and regions to manage 
their environmental impacts. Cisco engages with CDP and a group of peer 
technology companies through the IT Industry Collaboration Group to set clear 
expectations and provide joint training for our suppliers. 
CENELEC 
Cisco is actively working with CENELEC, a European standards organization, on 
standards for circular design. 
Circular Electronics Partnership (CEP) 
Cisco is an active participant in a multi-stakeholder collaboration with seven 
organizations (GeSI, Green Electronics Council, ITU, PACE, Responsible Business

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Alliance, World Economic Forum, WBSCD) and peer companies to establish a 
shared vision and roadmap for a circular electronics value chain. 
Digital Europe 
Cisco is a member of Digital Europe, a trade association representing digitally 
transforming industries in Europe and is leading industry input to the EU ICT impact 
study and the EU Circular Economy Action Plan. 
Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF) 
Cisco was a founding partner of EMF, and we continue to leverage member 
connections, trainings, and shared learnings as a Member of EMF. 
European Telecommunications 
Standards Institute (ETSI)  
Cisco actively engages with ETSI, a European Standards Organization (ESO) that 
is a recognized standards body dealing with telecommunications, broadcasting and 
other electronic communications networks and services. Cisco engages in material 
efficiency standards related to mandates from the European Commission, and is 
leading the work on secure data deletion and on energy metrics for servers. 
International Telecommunication Union 
(ITU) (worldwide)  
Cisco is a contributor to the ITU-T SG5 WP2 Lead Study Group on ICT and climate 
change. On circular economy aspects, we co-edited the standard “ITU-T L.1023: 
Assessment method for circular scoring.” 
Partnership to Reuse, Refill, Replace 
Single-Use Plastics (PR3) 
Cisco is a technology sponsor of PR3, a cross-industry initiative with the goal of 
replacing single-use packaging by making reuse systems globally scalable, and 
economically, socially and environmentally preferable for consumers and the whole 
value chain. 
Platform for Accelerating the Circular 
Economy (PACE) Capital Equipment 
Coalition (part of the World Economic 
Forum) 
Cisco is an active member of the Capital Equipment Coalition, an affiliated project 
of PACE, which shares and publishes best practices as well as progress toward the 
pledges each member made in January 2018. 
Product Attribute to Impact Algorithm 
(PAIA) 
Cisco is part of a multi-stakeholder consortium of ICT companies using shared 
industry-standard inputs in the PAIA platform—a joint initiative of MIT and Quantis 
— that provides a streamlined methodology for ICT product environmental 
footprinting. 
Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) 
Cisco is an original founder and full member of the RBA. We collaborate with peers 
at the RBA to propagate best practices across the industry and supply chain, 
including those related to circular economy. 
Reverse Logistics Association (RLA) 
Cisco serves on the Advisory Board and is a Diamond member of the RLA, a global 
trade association for the returns and reverse logistics industry. 
Circular design 
Circular design is fundamental to our ability to implement a circular economy, both now and in the future. 
Our circular design strategy spans five focus areas, which address our most material impacts. In FY20, 
guided this framework, we developed Circular Design Principles, allowing us to make progress toward 
several of our product and packaging goals. 
1. 
Material selection – Incorporate recycled content into our products, reduce the use of non-renewable 
materials, and reduce exposure to resource scarcity risks as part of material selection. 
2. 
Standardization and modularization – Standardize and modularize components and enclosures to simplify 
our supply chain and enable reuse, repair, remanufacturing, and recycling. 
3. 
Sustainable packaging – Use recycled and renewable packaging materials, reduce foam and plastic use, 
move toward fiber-based designs, and increase packaging efficiency. 
4. 
Smart energy consumption – Improve product energy efficiency through activity-based and power 
management features.  
5. 
Design for disassembly, repair, and reuse – Design products with easily separable components that use 
similar materials to facilitate reuse, repair, remanufacturing, and recycling. 
We are embedding these Circular Design Principles into standard design tools and processes, and 
developing a product-scoring methodology to measure progress toward our circular design principles 
goal. Per Table 10, we have set a goal to design 100 percent of new Cisco products and packaging to 
incorporate circular design principles by FY25. We will report our progress against this goal in our FY21 
CSR reporting.

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In FY20, we held eight workshops globally with stakeholders from across our design community, including 
Cisco employees from supply chain, engineering, and product management. These workshops increased 
awareness of our circular design strategy, sparked innovative new design ideas, and grew the community 
of advocates advancing circular design in their business units. We also established a Circular Design 
Steering Committee and launched a Circular Design Working Group, which meets regularly to share case 
studies, discuss best practices, and stay updated on key initiatives. 
To increase awareness and understanding of our circular design strategy, we developed an interactive, 
gamified training course targeted at our design community. In this course, launching in FY21, employees 
will make a series of design decisions to “build” virtual Cisco products and learn about the Circular Design 
Principles as they go. 
Our Circular Design Principles are increasingly being incorporated into the design of new products, 
making those products more durable, environmentally friendly, and easier to reuse through multiple life 
cycles. In FY20, we launched our first products with closed-loop plastic. Another example is our IR1101 
router, which employs a highly modular and expandable hardware design to extend product lifetime. 
Customers have the flexibility to add or upgrade components as their needs and technologies evolve. The 
updated design also reduced the idle power by 45% from the previous generation. 
Product materials 
Recycled material content 
Like many companies, Cisco uses plastic in both our products and packaging. Plastic has many 
advantages, from its technical properties to its low cost and light weight, the latter helping to reduce 
emissions from transport. However, plastic in products and especially packaging presents sustainability 
challenges if the product or packaging is not properly dispositioned. 
Where technically feasible, we will design plastic out of our products and packaging to reduce the total 
use of plastic material. Where it is not viable to design out plastic, we will increase the use of recycled 
plastic to reduce the use of virgin material and associated drilling for oil. Driving increased demand for 
recycled plastic helps making recycled materials a more economically viable option for more companies. 
In FY20, we launched select models of the IP phone 8800 series and the Webex Room Kit Plus using 
100 percent post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic resin. These products are the first to carry a new 
closed-loop plastic label Cisco has created to differentiate products made with recycled plastic sourced 
from industrial recyclers including our own. And by using PCR resin, we will reduce the carbon footprint of 
these plastic components by as much as 95 percent. Since the plastic components in these few products 
account for more than 15 percent of Cisco’s total direct plastic procurement, full implementation in 
manufacturing will have a significant impact toward achieving our goal to reduce virgin-plastic use by 20 
percent by 2025. Progress toward meeting this goal is shown in Table 36. 
Table 36: Progress toward meeting our virgin-plastics goal 
KPI 
FY18 
FY19 
FY20 
Comments 
Total plastic consumption, metric tonne 
6,175 
not reported 4,563 
 
Percent reduction in use of virgin plastic 
Goal: Decrease use of virgin plastics by 20 
percent by FY25 (FY18 base year)1 
baseline 
not reported -26% 
 
1  Plastics contained in commodity components sourced from suppliers, such as printed circuit boards, are excluded. Most of these 
components require the electrical insulating property provided by plastic. 
The production of the 8800-series and WebEx Room Kit products was delayed due to COVID-19, but will 
take full effect in FY21. COVID-19-related impacts beginning in March 2020 through the July end of 
Cisco’s fiscal year largely drove the indicated 26% virgin-plastic reduction in FY20. Given this extenuating 
circumstance, we do not consider the goal to be met and continue to drive reduction efforts in FY21.

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Eliminating paper from new product shipments 
In July 2020, we announced a goal to eliminate all paper documentation that is included in new product 
shipments by the end of FY21. (See Table 10) For many of Cisco’s hardware products and software 
solutions, a significant amount of paper is shipped in the form of licenses, manuals, and compliance 
documentation. Eliminating these paper shipments and moving to electronic delivery represents an 
opportunity to reduce waste, cost, and GHG emissions while streamlining the supply chain and enhancing 
the customer experience. We will report our progress against this goal in our FY21 CSR reporting. 
Materials of concern 
As a global supplier of network equipment, we conform to applicable material regulations for product, 
packaging, and battery materials. We’re committed to reducing the impact of the materials used in our 
products and in our supply chain. We developed our Controlled Substances Specification to fulfill global 
environmental regulations. The purpose of this specification is to share Cisco’s substance use and 
reporting requirements with component suppliers and manufacturing partners. It outlines controlled 
substances and any conditions of use, regulatory restrictions, substances to be reported and phased out, 
and substances under study for potential inclusion. We restrict more than 230 hazardous substances and 
38 previously allowed substance exemptions. In addition, we are evaluating more than 20 additional 
substance groups for potential future restrictions beyond 2021 calendar year due to global trends and 
customer priorities. 
For additional information on materials-related regulations, visit Cisco’s Materials webpage. To obtain to-
date product-level information such as a CE Declaration of Conformity, visit our self-service Product 
Approvals Status (PAS) tool7. 
The following sections cover a number of materials that, while currently not prohibited for use in our 
industry, we are working to reduce or substitute in our products where possible. 
Halogenated flame retardants 
Nonregulated halogenated flame retardants (HFRs) can be found in PCBs and plastic parts. We have 
worked with manufacturing partners, industry standards technical committees, and academia to validate 
proposed alternatives to HFRs. Cisco continues to identify when and where, if technically possible, to 
phase out nonregulated HFRs. 
Some of the actions we have taken include: 
• 
Qualifying additional halogen-free PCB laminate materials and increasing their use in new products 
• 
Eliminating, from thousands of Cisco-designed plastic parts, the HFRs found in resin compounds 
• 
Performing material assessments and identifying areas within our business with the greatest opportunity 
to move to HFR-free materials 
Polyvinyl chloride 
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is a nonregulated substance found in cable insulation. Cisco worked on the 
iNEMI PVC Alternatives Project to reduce PVC content in cable insulation. This work focused on 
understanding the environmental trade-offs of standard, halogen-free, and bio-based cable jacketing. 
Cisco will continue to research alternate materials and apply them to new products where we can 
maintain quality and performance requirements. 
Batteries 
Batteries in Cisco products are generally used to maintain information in volatile memory when a device 
is powered off at the switch or plug. Products with batteries are designed so that the batteries can be 
easily located, removed and properly dispositioned for recycling. We use product labels to indicate if a 
product contains a battery. This label alerts our recyclers to remove a battery before further processing. 
 
7 Cisco.com registration is required. Register here. Note: This tool is only accessible using Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox.

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Product life-cycle management 
Central to the concept of a circular economy is maintaining physical assets at their highest and best use 
for as long as possible. As Cisco transforms to become a software and features-driven business, we must 
not lose sight of the importance of our hardware in enabling those solutions. 
We continue to make progress toward our PACE pledge (above), as well as our broader circular economy 
vision, building on close to two decades of programs to facilitate product returns for reuse and recycling, 
offer comprehensive service and repair, and remanufacture used equipment for sale through Cisco 
Refresh. Our strategy focuses on improving the customer experience to drive increased product returns 
at end-of-use, expanding business and as-a-service models to facilitate return and reuse, and improving 
product design to facilitate reuse and recycling. The programs covered in this section aim to extend the 
useful life of our hardware and are organized by product life cycle stage—from use, to return to reuse and 
end-of-life. 
Use 
After design, the use phase of our products is the first key step as we incorporate our circular economy 
approach into the life-cycle management of our equipment. Cisco’s Global Service Supply Chain 
organization delivers and supports customer and partner hardware Return Material Authorizations 
(RMAs). Smart Net Total Care is Cisco’s service offering to support Cisco equipment in customer 
facilities, offering return and replacement at varying service levels depending on the customer and 
location in the network.  
We are constantly optimizing our network and inventory levels as parts are used, customers deploy new 
products, and old hardware becomes obsolete. To maximize products’ useful life, we replace, recover, 
and refurbish equipment and components as necessary through an extensive logistics, warehouse, 
planning, and repair operations network. Each device is repaired and repeatedly tested to ensure 
compliance with the latest manufacturing specifications. Product energy consumption (above) is also a 
key customer metric in the use phase of Cisco products. 
End of use 
Returns 
End-of-use is not end-of-life. Enabling multiple lifecycles for our products and the components inside 
them has long been a Cisco priority. We operate multiple programs to promote customer product return 
and to then remanufacture, refurbish, and reuse at the product, component or material level, as 
appropriate. Our various return programs are designed to support the needs of customers and partners, 
suppliers, and internal users. 
Information on our compliance with product recycling regulations, such as the Waste Electrical and 
Electronic Equipment (WEEE) can be found in the Environmental compliance section above. 
Improving the customer returns experience 
Knowing that the user experience is key to driving product returns and the circular model we envision, we 
simplified the product return process for customers and partners in FY20. We analyzed over two dozen 
processes across Cisco and found two areas where we could make an immediate change, with 
meaningful impact for our customers. 
First, we consolidated all the information on Cisco returns procedures into one Cisco Returns Portal. This 
new portal walks the user through the process step by step, making it easier for customers and partners 
to request and complete returns, and providing a phone number to answer any questions. 
Second, we re-launched our product takeback program in the U.S.—Takeback and Recycle is now 
Takeback and Reuse. Customers can follow simple instructions using a web form, a new call center, or 
our Send IT Back mobile app to conveniently request a free pickup of any used Cisco equipment. This 
program can also be applied to competitive equipment with approval. In the coming months, we plan to 
expand this program in compliance with all global trade regulations.

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A summary of Cisco product return programs is provided in Table 37 with additional detail provided in the 
following sections. 
Table 37: Cisco product return programs 
Customer Programs 
Programs for companies producing or 
repairing Cisco products 
Internal programs for Cisco 
• 
Cisco Takeback and Reuse 
Program 
• 
Exceptional Pick-Up Program 
(EPUP) 
• 
Customer Recycling Solutions 
(CRS) 
• 
Cisco Migration Incentive 
Program (MIP) 
• 
Manufacturing Scrap/Reuse 
Program 
• 
Global Scrap Program 
• 
eBin/Lab Scrap Program 
• 
Cisco Data Center Server 
Recycling Program 
• 
Non-Genuine Brand Program 
• 
Recycle IT Day events 
The Cisco Returns Portal helps customers and partners find the right return path to meet their needs. 
Customer and partner programs 
Our trade-in and recycling programs are designed to bring back the products that Cisco or our acquired 
companies sold to customers. The Cisco Migration Incentive Program (MIP; formerly Technology 
Migration Program) and Product Takeback and Reuse Program (formerly Takeback and Recycling) 
enable customers to return equipment at end-of-use. MIP is a global channel partner program that uses 
discounts in exchange for product returns to reward partners for migrating their customers’ networks to 
new Cisco technologies. The Product Takeback and Reuse Program, which includes the Exceptional 
Pick-Up Program (EPUP), provides a simple, secure and sustainable means of returning end-of-use 
Cisco equipment, along with Cisco-acquired-company equipment, at no cost. It was relaunched in FY20 
in support of our commitment to the circular economy and our pledge of 100 percent product return. 
Customers who specifically seek to return end-of-life equipment to be recycled can take advantage of 
Cisco's free recycling program, recently rebranded as Customer Recycling Solutions (CRS). The CRS 
Program focuses on Cisco-branded items that are ready to be recycled. CRS also accepts equipment 
from other manufacturers that has been replaced by newly purchased Cisco items. These materials go to 
the closest Cisco-approved recycling site. The number of locations of Cisco authorized recyclers 
continues to expand based on the growth in our business and the requirements of local regulations. 
• 
Cisco Customer Recycling Solutions Submission Form 
• 
Customer Recycling Solutions Program (email): recycling@external.cisco.com 
Cisco-internal programs 
Manufacturing scrap/reuse and global scrap 
The Cisco Manufacturing Scrap/Reuse Program collects and works to redeploy excess, obsolete, or 
damaged materials from our contract manufacturers, manufacturing partners, original equipment 
manufacturers (OEMs), original design manufacturers (ODMs), and proprietary component suppliers. In 
addition, the Global Scrap Program supports the recycling needs of our contracted repair manufacturers 
and distribution depots. Both programs are a valuable source of reusable product. 
• 
Global Scrap Program 
• 
Manufacturing Scrap/Reuse (email): cmeod-recycling@cisco.com 
eBin / Cisco data centers / non-genuine Cisco products 
The largest of Cisco’s internal programs is the eBin/Lab Scrap Program. eBins are green plastic rolling 
bins, or in some cases gaylord boxes, that are placed in labs or Cisco offices around the world to collect 
orphaned, used, and test equipment for recycling. In FY20, our eBin program serviced 235 offices and 
accounted for 13 percent of the total weight collected globally for recycling.

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The Cisco Data Center Server Recycling Program serves data centers in eleven countries. When a data 
center no longer needs a server, it is offered to other Cisco data centers for possible reuse. When one of 
these servers reaches the end of its useful life, it is recycled, and all parts are shredded. 
The Non-Genuine Materials Program handles non-genuine Cisco products sometimes received in an 
equipment return. Items are classified “non-genuine” if they are competitor products or if they are Cisco 
products that have been altered by someone outside of our certified repair vendors. They can also come 
to Cisco through law enforcement seizure of counterfeit Cisco equipment. When we find non-genuine 
equipment, we use a special witnessed protocol whereby we shred and separate materials into their basic 
components to send to downstream recyclers and vendors. 
• 
Data center / eBin / Non-genuine Submission Form 
Recycle IT Day 
Employees have an opportunity to return unneeded personal electronics at our annual Recycle IT Day 
scheduled as part of Earth Day-related activities. Cisco employees and contractors can bring their e-
scrap from home, and Cisco pays to have the materials recycled properly. Any Cisco office location can 
host a recycling day event. In FY19, we held our 24th annual Recycle IT Day event, with 161 Cisco sites 
around the world participating and 191.5 metric tonne of used electronics collected. Since Cisco started 
holding these events in 1995, our employees and contractors have helped recycle 3,235 metric tonne of 
used electronics. 
Recycle IT Day usually takes place on or around Earth Day in April. Due to COVID-19, we postponed and 
eventually canceled our FY20 Recycle IT Day for the safety of our employees. More information is 
available in the Environment employee engagement section. 
Reuse 
Reuse is always our first priority. Returned devices that can be reused are remanufactured, refurbished, 
or repaired and reused by Cisco CX Service Operations or our internal labs, or resold by Cisco Refresh. 
Cisco Refresh, our certified remanufactured equipment program, plays an important role in our circular 
economy initiatives, creating a second life for equipment and thereby not only saving the resources 
required for new manufacturing, but also reducing waste. Cisco Refresh products are backed by the 
same Cisco warranty and service options as new products. Equipment is sold only through Cisco 
authorized resellers and is available in more than 80 countries. Inventory includes products from all 
technology areas, including switching, routing, wireless, IP telephony, security, and other advanced 
technologies. 
We also reuse product in our Return to A-Stock program, where unused products from our distribution 
centers are sent to be reused by our contracted manufacturing sites. In FY20, Cisco expanded this 
program from nine sites to 10. Returned products that are considered “new-in-box” are sent back to be 
tested and, if necessary, reconfigured. This allows us to better reuse these products while also improving 
our ability to satisfy demand for new equipment without new manufacturing. 
Alongside our efforts to increase our reuse of used equipment, we must also address external barriers in 
order to scale these opportunities. We collaborate with peer companies, NGOs and policymakers to 
address challenges and unintended consequences, such as the many global classifications of waste for 
transboundary movement which can impact our ability to repair equipment. 
End of life 
When products can no longer be re-used, they are sent to recyclers for components to be harvested and 
the remaining commodities to be responsibly recycled and redirected to global materials markets. We 
currently have two contracted recyclers. Each recycler uses both company-owned facilities and 
subcontracted recyclers to provide global recycling coverage. Cisco’s contracted recyclers are required to 
be certified to one or more e-scrap-specific recycling standards, such as R2, R2 RIOS, eStewards, and 
WEEELABEX.

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In addition, our contracts with our recyclers include strict and formally documented recycling processes 
that are also applied to subcontractors that work with Cisco equipment. We approve every prospective 
recycling company and every recycling location before sending any Cisco equipment for processing. 
Each contracted recycler provides Cisco with monthly reports showing all cases opened and processed 
on a lot-by-lot basis. Reports include a mass balance showing the weight as received and the weights of 
each fractional commodity adding up to the gross weight received. On a quarterly basis, we hold business 
reviews with the recyclers to review recent results, action items, and upcoming focus areas. We also 
conduct random site audits of recycling facilities. 
Harvesting 
Cisco’s overarching goal is to redeploy as much material as possible, which led to the launch of a 
harvesting pilot program in January 2017. For the first time, Cisco allowed our recycling partners to 
capture commodity components from product sent to the recycler for disposition. The pilot was a success, 
and harvesting is now part of our standard process. 
After material is received and weighed on a calibrated scale, recyclers review items for possible 
component harvesting. They may harvest processors, memory, and other hardware with sufficient market 
value to offset the cost of their harvesting, cleaning, packaging, and resale. Harvested components must 
be cleared of data in compliance with the NIST 800-88 standard before being available for resale. In 
FY20 our component harvesting program allowed more than 120 million components to be reintroduced 
into the market, thus extending their useful lives and reducing the need to manufacture new parts. 
After harvesting, the remainder of the product e-scrap is dismantled and sorted into “commodity 
fractions”: steel, aluminum, cardboard, plastic, wire/cable, and printed circuit boards (PCBs). All other 
materials, including any batteries or packaging materials, are sent to downstream recyclers. 
Recycling 
Recyclers are the last resort after we have exhausted all options for reuse. They are the common 
destination of all end-of-life materials, including customer returns, employee office equipment, and lab 
equipment, as well as excess, obsolete, and damaged materials from our contract manufacturers, 
manufacturing partners, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), original design manufacturers 
(ODMs), contracted repair partners, and distribution depots. 
Cisco’s two contracted recyclers together have worldwide coverage as shown shaded in blue in Figure 1.

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Figure 1: Cisco reverse logistics locations 
 
Of products sent to our e-scrap recyclers, nearly 100 percent are harvested or broken down into 
commodity fractions and sent to downstream vendors to create new products. From FY16–18, our target 
was to keep the percentage of material sent to landfill under 0.48 percent. In FY19, this objective was 
lowered to 0.38 percent. Because our customers or partners are responsible for packaging used product 
for return to Cisco, we have limited control over the material received, including any packaging or trash. In 
spite of this uncertainty, we will continue to use 0.38 percent to landfill as an operational measure of our 
recycling partners. 
In fiscal 2020, we saw an overall decrease in return volume coupled with an increase in our reuse, resale, 
and refurbishment rate, while the percentage of material sent to landfill decreased (Table 38). Some of 
the decline in returns is due to site access limitations due to COVID-19 restrictions, as well as a decline in 
returns of unused products from our distributors. However, returns from customer end-of-use have held 
steady, and this is the area we are focused on for growth. Increases in reuse can be attributed to 
incremental improvements in the channels for reused or refurbished equipment, an area where we made 
progress in fiscal 2020, despite challenges related to COVID-19. We continue to explore opportunities to 
use recycled content in our new products as described under Recycled material content. 
Table 38: Product return, reuse and recycling 
KPI 
FY16 
FY17 
FY18 
FY19 
FY20 
Comments 
Product returns, metric tonne 
12,609 
11,398 
13,946 
9,881 
8,914 
All materials sent for harvesting, recycling, 
and reuse, including materials received via 
a Product Return Materials Authorization 
(RMA) 
Refurbish, resell, and reuse rate, 
percent 
19.0% 
15.7% 
31.0% 
13.1% 
15.3% 
Material returned from customers, stock 
rotations, or internal sources that is 
redeployed by Value Recovery and Repo 
Depot groups to Cisco Service Supply, 
Cisco Refresh, or internal users to avoid 
new purchases 
Recycle rate, percent 
80.7% 
83.9% 
68.6% 
86.5% 
84.6% 
All remaining electronic waste materials, 
including plastics, precious and 
nonprecious metals, that are shredded

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and recycled by our contracted e-scrap 
recyclers 
Returned material sent to landfill, 
percent 
0.28% 
0.36% 
0.35% 
0.38% 
0.16% 
Landfill material consists of nonelectronic 
waste materials, such as broken pallets, 
wet cardboard, and shrink wrap, 
accompanying Cisco product returned by 
customers 
Product packaging 
In a truly circular economy, there is no such thing as waste. The current reality is that many packaging 
materials become waste immediately after first use. We are working to remove unnecessary packaging 
and make what remains reusable and/or easy to recycle. Some common materials used for packaging 
are difficult to recycle, like foams or expanded polymers, yet they continue to be selected due to their 
ability to protect products during shipment. Products that are damaged in transit create negative business 
and environmental impacts, since repairing or replacing a damaged good damages customer good will 
and requires more material and energy resources. 
To support Cisco’s commitment to sustainable packaging, we announced two new goals in July 2019 
focused on reducing the use of foam and improving product packaging efficiency. 
Table 39: Performance toward foam reduction goal 
KPI 
FY19  
FY20 
Comments 
Percent reduction in foam in packaging 
Goal: Reduce all foam used in Cisco product 
packaging by 75 percent, measured by weight, by 
FY25 (FY19 base year). 
baseline 
-11.5% 
 
For the foam-reduction goal, COVID-19-related impacts beginning in March 2020 through the July end of 
Cisco’s fiscal year affected reporting. We expect FY21 reporting to be more representative of actual 
progress toward meeting this goal. 
We are reducing the environmental footprint of our packaging and making progress toward our goals by 
optimizing packaging efficiency, minimizing single-use plastics and foam, reducing unwanted or 
redundant items in shipments, and using readily recyclable materials. In FY20, we updated the packaging 
for our Carrier Routing System Performance Route Processor and Fan Controller spares by redesigning 
the foam cushions and carton. These changes reduced the dimensional weight of the spare pack while 
also removing nearly two pounds of foam for each product shipped. Through additional packaging design 
changes, we also eliminated more than 80,000 pounds of corrugate from our total packaging shipped in 
fiscal 2020. With a number of additional projects underway, we expect to see increased reduction in fiscal 
2021. 
Beyond basic packaging and material requirements, Cisco evaluates four additional aspects of 
environmental package design:  
• 
Packaging material optimization: Designing a package that adequately protects the product from 
transport damage or waste while optimizing the volume of material and complying with all relevant 
environmental regulations  
• 
Space efficiency optimization: Designing a package that optimizes space efficiency during transport.  
Per Table 10, we have set a goal to increase product packaging cube efficiency by 50% by FY25 (FY19 
base year). We refined our packaging efficiency efforts to focus on packaging volume rather than 
volume per weight of product. In doing so, we will both reduce the total amount of packaging used and 
realize logistics savings. We will report our progress against this goal in our FY21 CSR reporting. 
• 
Multi-pack evaluation:  Design a multi-pack solution when appropriate for high volume products to 
reduce the total amount of packaging material. 
• 
Sustainable materials: Including recycled content and recyclability

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Table 40: Focus areas for sustainable product, packaging and fulfillment solutions 
Product packaging materials 
Generally, our packaging uses corrugated cardboard that includes a minimum of 25 percent recycled 
content. Almost all of our packaging for new products is made either of a single material or of multiple 
materials that are separable for recycling. In our global market, customer, municipal, and 
regional recycling practices vary greatly. Customers’ ability to recycle our packaging depends on the 
recycling facilities in place in their location.  
The plastic used in Cisco packaging falls into categories identified by Resin Identification Codes 1 to 7. 
Polyethylene (codes 2 and 4) is the predominant material. Some plastic components carry labels 
indicating their plastic recycling code number to support end-of-life recycling. We use thermoformed 
medium-density polyethylene cushions made from virgin material or from recycled substitutes. When 
regionally available and technically feasible, we use cushions made from recycled polyethylene. Cisco 
legacy products, including those produced by our acquired companies, may not incorporate all current 
packaging best practices. A similar challenge also exists for packaging provided with OEM products that 
a Cisco supplier delivers directly to a customer. 
We strive to use recyclable packaging, however sometimes this is not possible due to limited options for 
alternative, sustainable materials. For example, although metallized antistatic bags are not easily 
recycled, they are essential to the safe transport of products susceptible to damage from electrostatic 
discharge. We size bags to fit the product being shipped and minimize the amount of material we use. 
Our contract manufacturers also reuse antistatic bags. 
Product packaging end-of-life 
Cisco product packaging is designed to be separable and recyclable so it can be absorbed by local 
packaging material recycling programs. Cisco does not collect used packaging, as shipping empty 
product packaging to Cisco for recycling would create unnecessary environmental impacts. However, we 
are exploring reusable packaging options for specific scenarios. One example is using reusable 
packaging for customers near our distribution sites. This would allow packaging to move between two 
locations for reuse while minimizing the environmental impact of shipping empty material. Read more 
about Cisco’s compliance with environmental packaging regulations. 
Category 
Benefits 
Cisco product examples 
Secondary product 
configurable options 
Reduce materials, packaging, and shipping 
costs by providing customers with a way to opt 
out of receiving cables, brackets, and similar 
items. 
Customers can choose not to receive: 
• 
Cables from our UCS Storage products, Security products and 
Catalyst switching products 
• 
Cisco Aironet® wireless access point mounting brackets and 
clips 
We intend to expand the availability of options to address growing 
customer demands. However, widespread customer awareness and 
adoption of such options remains a challenge. 
Electronic delivery 
of software, licenses, 
and product 
documentation 
Increase dematerialization and operational 
efficiencies. Reduce CDs, paper, and 
packaging. Reduce packaging and fulfillment 
costs. 
The eDelivery program updates products available for electronic 
delivery though unique product IDs and/or Cisco Commerce- based 
electronic fulfillment preferences.  “Pointer cards” are used across 
Cisco product lines to consolidate web links for product and 
compliance documentation.  
Multi-packs 
Reduce packaging and shipping costs and 
increase operational efficiencies by shipping 
products in multi-unit packaging. 
Bulk-pack models are available for select high-volume products or 
spare, including cables, optics pluggables, memory, central 
processing units, hard drives, fans, and rack gear kits. 
Waste reduction 
Reduce amount of packaging being used on 
Cisco products. 
Improved product testing had led to a reduction in the amount of 
packaging needed to protect products. Designs have been optimized 
to reduce corrugate, paper, and foam. 
Use of recycled 
materials 
Reduce the amount of new materials required 
to produce our products and packaging and 
divert waste from landfill. 
Sourcing alternative materials with recycled content, such as molded 
fiber and thermoform cushions.

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Water 
Even though Cisco does not use significant amounts of water in our direct operations1, we understand the 
importance of reducing water consumption as much as we can in our operations and supply chain. It’s 
essential to protect this limited resource not only for our business needs, but also for the sake of 
communities in which we operate. 
Cisco’s water strategy is to: 
• 
Benchmark and report water use and risks according to industry best practices 
• 
Conserve water in our operations, focusing on water-scarce and water-stressed locations 
• 
Work towards setting long-term water goals at our major campuses 
Water usage 
Cisco’s primary use of fresh water in our direct operations is for water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) 
services in the workplace, such as in restrooms and cafeterias. We also use water in our cooling towers 
and for irrigation where we are unable to use recycled water. Our primary use of recycled water is for 
irrigating landscapes and use in our cooling towers at several of our major campuses. See Table 41 for 
details on Cisco’s water use. 
Many of our suppliers require fresh water as a direct input during production, and for drinking water and 
sanitation for their employees. Our Tier 1 suppliers’ (i.e., contract manufacturing and ODM suppliers) 
primary use of fresh water is the same as Cisco’s. They provide WASH services in the workplace as well 
as for cooling towers and irrigation. For some Tier 2 component suppliers that need large amounts of 
water in their production process, such as semiconductor and PCB suppliers, water quantity and quality 
impact their daily operations. 
We use the WRI Aqueduct tool to better understand our water use and risks within our operations. The 
Aqueduct tool revealed that 19% percent of Cisco’s water use by volume is withdrawn from water-
stressed areas – mainly in Bangalore, India. Notably, our headquarters in San Jose are no longer 
considered water stressed. This because in 2019, the WRI Aqueduct Tool updated its baseline water 
stress for the California Coyote River Basin, in which our headquarters are located, from Extremely High 
(>80%) to Low (<10%). This change does not affect our commitment to water stewardship in California. 
We will continue to monitor our entire portfolio for changes in water availability and will develop contextual 
water management strategies accordingly. 
Table 41: Water use in direct operations 
KPI 
FY16 
FY17 
FY18 
FY19 
FY20 
Comments 
Total water withdrawn, 
m3, thousands 
3,050 
3,220 
3,394 
3,299 
3,018 
This figure covers 100 percent of Cisco’s facilities within our 
operational control. Withdrawal sources are reported below. 
Cisco does not withdraw water from any source not listed 
below. 
Water withdrawn from 
municipal supply (third-
party sources), m3, 
thousands 
3,010
 
3,204 
 
 
3,366 
 
3,111 
2,823 
The majority of Cisco's water withdrawals are from third-
party sources. 
Water withdrawn from 
fresh surface water, m3, 
thousands 
148 
168 
169 
165 
165 
We withdraw water from a nearby lake at our Vaud, 
Switzerland, location, use it on site in a closed-loop cooling 
system, then discharge it back to the lake 
Water withdrawn from 
groundwater, m3, 
thousands 
40 
16 
28 
22 
30 
Water is treated on site at our Boxborough facilities and 
then discharged back to the groundwater. 
Total water recycled and 
reused, m3, thousands 
95 
106 
116 
109 
65 
Cisco recycles and reuses about 60 percent of the water it 
withdraws for use at our Bangalore, India, facilities.

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Total water consumption, 
m3, thousands 
- 
- 
108 
358 
358 
We are in the process of improving our water accounting 
practices and expect to more accurately report the water we 
use for evaporative cooling and irrigation. 
Total water discharged, 
m3, thousands 
3,050 
3,220 
3,286 
2,941 
2,660 
This figure covers 100 percent of Cisco’s facilities within our 
operational control. Discharge destinations are reported 
below. Cisco does not discharge water to any destination 
not listed below. 
Total water discharged to 
sewer (third-party 
destinations), m3, 
thousands 
2,862 
3,149 
3,258 
2,753 
2,465 
The majority of Cisco's water discharges are to third-party 
destinations. 
Total water discharged to 
fresh surface water, m3, 
thousands 
148 
168 
159 
165 
165 
We withdraw water from a nearby lake at our Vaud, 
Switzerland, location, use it on site in a closed-loop cooling 
system, then discharge it back to the lake. 
Total water discharged to 
groundwater, m3, 
thousands 
40 
16 
28 
22 
30 
Water is treated on site at our Boxborough facilities and 
then discharged back to the groundwater. 
Real estate portfolio 
Real estate portfolio 
covered by water 
reporting 
100% 100% 100% 100% 100%  
Real estate portfolio 
where we receive water 
data from the utility 
 73% 
72% 
71% 
71% 
71% 
 
1 The Energy Information Agency (EIA) estimates large commercial buildings in the U.S. use about 18,400 gallons (69.7 m3) of 
water per worker per year. In FY19, Cisco used 42 m3 of water per employee, far below the EIA average. 
Water stewardship 
Cisco is committed to managing water responsibly across our direct operations and our supply chain, see 
Supplier water security. We have implemented numerous water conservation projects in our direct 
operations over the past few years. These projects are still conserving water today and will continue to do 
so for many years to come: 
• 
Upgrading irrigation controllers throughout the San Jose main campus 
• 
Using reclaimed water for irrigation and cooling towers in RTP 
• 
Installing variable-frequency drives in our cooling towers 
• 
Installing two-way valves for toilets, waterless urinals, sink aerators, low-flow showerheads, and pre-
rinse spray valves for kitchen sinks 
• 
Replacing water fountains and turf in San Jose and RTP with native planter beds that require little 
water, and installing drip irrigation lines to improve irrigation efficiency 
• 
Cisco has also implemented a comprehensive water management system in Bangalore, India. The 
campus is a zero-discharge facility, meaning no wastewater is discharged to third parties or the 
environment. All building water discharge is sent to two sewage treatment plants that use filtration and 
reverse osmosis to treat the water for eventual reuse. The treated water is used in an evaporative 
cooling system, for irrigation, and for toilet flushing in two campus buildings. 
• 
We also achieved our water neutrality goal for our RTP campus. We began by completing a water audit 
to determine how water efficient the campus was and identify opportunities to reduce our water usage. 
The audit concluded that the campus is already quite water efficient; however, several efficiency 
opportunities (such as replacing kitchen sprayers, sink and showerhead fixtures and installing new 
filters in cooling towers) were identified that we plan to implement in FY21. 
To balance the remainder of the water that we use in RTP, we invested in water restoration projects that 
restore local watersheds in North Carolina and the Southeast. We are collectively restoring a volume of 
water equal to RTP campus’ annual water consumption through these projects, enabling us to meet our

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water neutrality goal. One of the projects we invested in is the removal of a decommissioned dam in 
Western North Carolina. This project opens recreational access, improves public safety, restores 
important free flowing aquatic habitat for several species and improves water quality. It also reconnects 
140 miles of streams and ranks as the highest-priority dam removal project in the state and highest in the 
region in terms of ecological improvement. 
The next phase of our water stewardship journey is to develop targeted strategies to conserve water and 
evaluate partnerships with local organizations to address local water issues at our major campuses 
around the world. We are preparing for this initiative by performing water audits and upgrading key water 
infrastructure in these locations. 
Water-energy nexus 
The production of electrical power is one of the largest users of fresh water. Therefore, one of the 
greatest opportunities for Cisco to reduce our impact on water resources globally is by continuing to make 
our products and operations more energy efficient. 
The U.S. Geological Survey estimates in their latest 2015 water report that an average 15 gallons of 
water are used to produce 1 kilowatt- hour of electricity in the U.S. Considering this, the energy savings 
we achieve through our energy and GHG reduction efforts have a big impact on reducing water usage. 
We estimate our FY20 energy reduction projects (Table 23), which avoided 19.3 GWh of energy usage, 
also avoided 1.1 million cubic meters (m3) of water – roughly half/a third of our total FY20 water use. 
Biodiversity (including land use) 
Biodiversity is the variability among living organisms and the ecological complexes they are a part of. All 
organizations impact biodiversity directly through their own activities or indirectly through their supply 
chains. Cisco’s primary impact on biodiversity is the land we use for our facilities. We mitigate this impact 
by reducing the demand for physical office space through employee telework programs and other support 
solutions. 
Operations 
Cisco uses environmental impact assessments to evaluate the biodiversity and land-use impacts of our 
sites. We generate annual biodiversity summary reports for all land and property we own. Table 42 shows 
the percentage of our portfolio with biodiversity assessments in place. Note that as Cisco’s total square 
footage decreases, our percentage of real estate portfolio with biodiversity assessment decreases as 
well. Some of the buildings we own in San Jose are located near a protected area for the American Cliff 
Swallow, which is a bird species on the Least Concern category of the International Union for 
Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. To protect their habitat during nesting season, we close our 
balconies on those buildings. We then remove the mud nesting locations on our buildings after nesting 
season is over. 
Table 42: Biodiversity and land use 
Over the last several years, we’ve come to understand the importance of ocean biodiversity and 
ecosystem health. To support and promote improved ocean health, Cisco has become a signatory to the 
UN Global Compact Sustainable Ocean Principles. Guided by these principles, Cisco commits, where 
KPI 
FY16 
FY17 
FY18 
FY19 
FY20 
Comments 
Percent of real estate portfolio 
with biodiversity assessment 
59% 
58% 
54% 
55% 
53% 
Includes IUCN Red List and national conservation 
list species with habitats in areas affected by 
operations. See Cisco’s current CDP Water and 
Climate responses. 
Total real estate footprint square 
footage, millions 
22.2 
20.8 
21.4 
20.6 
19.4 
Reducing our square footage minimizes our 
physical impact.

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relevant, to ensure that we integrate material ocean-related risks and opportunities in corporate strategy, 
risk management, and reporting. 
Species conservation 
In FY20, Cisco donated networking equipment to five game reserves located in Botswana, Kenya and 
South Africa. These game reserves are using networking technology to reduce poaching by improving 
game reserve boundary control, monitoring people entering or within the reserves, or tracking the animals 
to more effectively deploy park resources that protect the animals. 
Solid waste from operations (trash) 
Cisco’s waste reduction and recycling program is a key component of our ISO 14001 certification and 
global environmental policy. While municipal and regional recycling practices vary, all our facilities take 
steps to reduce their operational waste and reuse and recycle materials. Our strategy is to reduce both 
our total waste produced and the proportion of waste sent to landfill by incorporating the principles of 
reduce, reuse and recycle throughout all of our direct operations. See Table 43 for examples of our waste 
reduction initiatives. 
Information on reducing solid waste at our supply chain manufacturing facilities is addressed in the 
Supplier material waste section above. 
Table 43: Cisco solid waste reduction initiatives 
Reduce 
• Using online learning and communications technologies to reduce paper use 
• Automatic double-sided print for all printers 
• Making product information available online to reduce paper use 
• Replacing plastic to-go containers with biodegradable alternatives 
• Rightsizing meal portions and catering orders to minimize food waste 
Reuse 
• Managing an internal Repo Depot program, which allows us to reuse lab and testing equipment 
• Reusing incoming pallets with outgoing shipments wherever possible 
• Collecting PC equipment for reuse by our vendor 
• Donating surplus used office supplies to local schools 
• Utilizing reusable cutlery and dishware in select cafes and breakrooms 
• Donating furniture from refreshed Cisco spaces 
• Donating excess cafeteria food to local nonprofits 
Recycle 
• Batteries 
• Kitchen Oil 
• Lightbulbs 
• Confidential materials 
• Beverage containers 
• Wood and pallets 
• Glass 
• Cardboard 
• Mixed paper 
• Toner cartridges 
• Compost 
• Polyurethane foam 
• Landscape waste for onsite compost/mulch 
• Electronic scrap 
• Food waste 
• Construction waste

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In FY20, we diverted approximately 80 percent of the waste generated at our facilities from landfill 
globally (Table 45). 
Table 44: Recycling rates for solid waste (trash) from major campus locations 
Campus location 
FY16 
FY17 
FY18 
FY19 
FY20 
San Jose 
85% 
84% 
86% 
87% 
89% 
Boxborough 
84% 
86% 
100% 
100% 
100% 
RTP 
52% 
60% 
67% 
67% 
66% 
Bedfont Lakes 
22% 
15% 
100% 
100% 
100% 
Greenpark 
NA 
74% 
100% 
100% 
100% 
Shanghai 
30% 
29% 
43% 
59% 
41% 
Tokyo 
90% 
 90%  
87% 
90% 
75% 
Bangalore 
63% 
71% 
68% 
84% 
91% 
Total 
75% 
68% 
73% 
81% 
80% 
COVID-19 had a significant impact on the total waste generated at our facilities (Table 45). The majority 
of our sites were closed, with employees under mandatory work from home, for almost half the year. As a 
result, we produced about half of the waste compared to the previous year. Our headquarters in San Jose 
diverted 89 percent of all waste streams from landfill in FY20, including a compost program that diverted 
approximately 520 metric tonne of waste from local landfills. To build upon the success of our program, 
we continue to set and work toward aggressive waste and recycling goals. 
Table 45: Solid waste from operations (trash) 
KPI 
FY16 
FY17 
FY18 
FY19 
FY20 
Comments 
Total operational waste 
generated, metric tonne 
9,805 
12,519 
10,559 
10,498 
5,863 
This figure covers 100 percent of Cisco’s 
facilities over which we have operational 
control. COVID-19 has significantly reduced 
the amount of waste generated in our facilities 
during FY20. 
Waste sent to landfill 
  (municipal solid waste) 
2,448 
4,019 
2,842 
2,004 
1,149 
This includes waste sent to landfill and waste 
incinerated. 
Landfill diversion rate 
75% 
68% 
73% 
81% 
80% 
 
Total operational waste 
diverted, metric tonne 
7,358 
8,500 
7,717 
8,480 
4,714 
This includes waste recycled, composted, 
hazardous/universal waste recycled, and 
waste to energy. The FY20 number is 
dramatically down from FY19 due to the 
COVID-19 work from home order. 
Recycled 
6,369 
7,407 
6,292 
6,683 
2,885 
Municipal recycling 
Composted 
784 
770 
808 
1,180 
1,942 
 
Hazardous/ Universal waste 
205 
323 
617 
617 
254 
This includes batteries, kitchen oil, lamps, 
printer toner 
Waste to energy 
- 
- 
- 
- 
141 
This is waste burned to generate energy. Data 
prior to FY19 is not available. 
Percent real estate portfolio 
covered by waste reporting 
100% 
100% 
100% 
100% 
100 % 
Includes major campus locations in the United 
States, India, and China.

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RTP zero waste 
We have been working toward a zero waste goal for our RTP campus8. More information on our RTP 
campus goals can be found here. In FY20, we diverted 76% percent of the waste produced at RTP 
campus from landfill, up from 38 percent diverted in FY14. 
In the first half of the year we expanded the zero waste program by switching plastic breakroom, cafe and 
catering items over to reusable and compostable options and transitioning the campus from deskside 
trash bins to centralized waste. However, COVID-19 had a significant impact on achieving our zero waste 
goal in FY20: total waste produced at the campus is down 80 percent and the reusable program is on 
hold until we return back to the office. 
Other campus waste initiatives 
We are also moving away from plastic and paper cups and toward reusable cups and mugs in many 
offices around the world, including our Bedfont Lakes campus in the U.K. and the majority of our facilities 
in Asia and Europe. In the U.K., we are also replacing the plastic and polystyrene to-go boxes, cutlery, 
and straws with compostable options, and adding campus composting. In FY20, 128 facilities, making up 
about 40 percent of our office square footage, were paper-cup-free. 
The next phase of our waste reduction journey is to work towards setting long-term waste diversion and 
reduction goals at our major campuses. 
Effluents (Liquid) 
We seek to locate our operations in areas where we can successfully serve our customers while limiting 
our negative environmental impacts. Effluent spills, such as chemical, oil, and fuel spills, can have 
significant negative impacts on the surrounding environment. They can potentially affect soil, water, air, 
biodiversity, and human health, as well as our business. We take this and other environmental health and 
safety issues very seriously. Cisco has had no significant releases to an environmental receptor over the 
reporting year. Table 46 tracks liquid spills and discharges from Cisco facilities. 
Table 46: Effluent spills and discharges 
KPI 
FY16 
FY17 
FY18 
FY19 
FY20 
Spills and discharges 
None 
None 
None 
None 
None 
Non-GHG emissions 
Because our production is outsourced to supply chain partners, our global operations primarily consist of 
standard office activities and research labs. This limits our non-GHG emissions to volatile organic 
compounds (VOCs) from cleaning products, nitrous oxides (NOX), and sulfur oxides (SOX) from on-site 
fuel combustion (from vehicle engines, boilers, or emergency generators), and the subsequent formation 
of ozone from the photochemical reaction of NOX. Table 47 summarizes our relevant non-GHG-related 
airborne emissions: VOCs, NOX, SOX, and particulate matter. 
We comply with California Air Resources Board requests and do not use mechanical equipment, such as 
gasoline-powered lawn mowers, after 11 a.m. on designated Spare the Air days, when air quality is poor 
in the San Francisco Bay Area. In accordance with the 1987 Montreal Protocol On Substances That 
Deplete The Ozone Layer, we also have worked with our supply chain partners to phase out the use of 
ozone-depleting substances. 
 
8 According to definitions used in the TRUE and UL Zero Waste certification protocols, “zero waste” diversion is defined as a 90 percent or greater 
overall diversion of solid, nonhazardous wastes from landfill, incineration (waste-to-energy), and the environment. Diversion methods can include 
reduction, reuse, recycling, and/or compost.

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Table 47: Non-GHG emissions 
KPI 
FY16 
FY17 
FY18 
FY19 
FY20 
Volatile organic compound (VOC) 
emissions1 
Negligible 
Negligible 
Negligible 
Negligible 
Negligible 
NOx, metric tonne 
207 
138 
176 
156 
141 
SOx, metric tonne 
0.72 
0.65 
0.67 
0.59 
0.45 
Particulate matter 
Negligible 
Negligible 
Negligible 
Negligible 
Negligible 
1  Quantities of VOC-based chemicals deployed are minimal and monitoring is not required.

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Appendix I – Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) 
SASB standards were published in late 2018. In the current version of the standards, a materiality matrix 
establishes 26 issue categories grouped into five dimensions. These issue categories are then applied by 
SASB across 11 industry sectors broken into 77 industries. 
Cisco is classified by SASB in the Hardware industry category under the Technology & Communications 
sector. On the SASB materiality matrix, five issue categories are identified as material for the Hardware 
industry. 
Table 48 provides Cisco’s SASB disclosure for the Hardware industry. Disclosure guidance was taken 
from the SASB Hardware Sustainability Accounting Standard (October 2018) as informed by the SASB 
Hardware Basis for Conclusions report (October 2018). 
Table 48: SASB sustainability disclosure topics & accounting metrics (Hardware industry) 
Topic 
SASB Code 
SASB Accounting Metric 
Disclosure 
Data Security 
TC-HW-230a.1 
Description of approach to identifying and 
addressing data security risks in products 
Please refer to pp. 23-24 of the 2020 CSR Impact 
Report 
Employee 
Engagement, 
Diversity & Inclusion 
TC-HW-330a.1 
Percentage of gender and racial/ethnic group 
representation for (1) management, (2) technical 
staff, and (3) all other employees 
Please refer to pp. 43-46 of the 2020 CSR Impact 
Report 
Product Design and 
Life-cycle 
Management 
TC-HW-410a.1 
Percentage of products by revenue that contain 
IEC 62474 declarable substances 
100% of our electronic products may contain small 
amounts of some of the chemicals on the IEC 
62474 declarable substances list. We have tracked 
and restricted the substances of concern in our 
products that have been identified as highest priority 
for restriction in jurisdictions worldwide. Any 
remaining uses of substances of concern in 
products are for applications that lack viable 
alternatives or substances of lower regulatory 
priority. 
Electronics companies still have products which 
claim RoHS exemptions or REACH candidate 
substances when there is no currently viable 
alternative. For example, 100% of electronics 
products still contain some amount of lead used in 
specialized applications that are allowed under 
RoHS exemptions. Also, ethylene glycol dimethyl 
ether (EGDME), for which there is no known 
replacement, is used in all coin cell batteries. 
 
TC-HW-410a.2 
Percentage of eligible products, by revenue, 
meeting the requirements for EPEAT registration 
or equivalent 
To be provided mid-2021 
 
 
TC-HW-410a.3 
Percentage of eligible products, by revenue, 
meeting ENERGY STAR® criteria 
To be provided mid-2021 
 
TC-HW-410a.4 
Weight of end-of-life products and e-waste 
recovered, percentage recycled 
1. Product return: Weight of product returned from 
customers, stock rotations or Cisco-internal 
sources, including via recycling request or Return 
Materials Authorization (RMA) 
FY20: 8914 metric tonne 
2. Refurbish, resell and reuse: Material redeployed 
to Cisco services, Cisco Refresh, or internal 
FY20: 1363 metric tonne (15.3%) 
3. All material not refurbished, resold or reused is 
redirected for component and commodity 
harvesting. 
Landfill material only consists of nonelectronic 
waste materials—such as broken pallets, wet 
cardboard, and shrink wrap—accompanying Cisco 
product returned by customers.

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FY20: 0.16% to landfill 
Supply Chain 
Management 
TC-HW-430a.1 
Percentage of Tier 1 supplier facilities audited in 
the RBA Validated Audit Process (VAP) or 
equivalent, by (a) all facilities and (b) high-risk 
facilities 
We require RBA audits of all manufacturing partners 
every two years. 
Each year, RBA or Cisco audits at least 25% of 
component supplier facilities that are deemed high 
risk according to our risk assessment are required 
to conduct RBA audits. 
 
TC-HW-430a.2 
Tier 1 suppliers’ (1) non-conformance rate with 
the RBA Validated Audit Process (VAP) or 
equivalent, and (2) associated corrective action 
rate for (a) priority non-conformances and (b) 
other non-conformances 
Information on our RBA audit program is provided in 
the Audits and self assessments (environment) 
section above. 
Details about our RBA VAP audit program can be 
found in the ESG Hub. 
Details about the audit nonconformances can be 
found here. 
Materials Sourcing 
& Efficiency 
TC-HW-440a.1 
Description of the management of risks 
associated with the use of critical materials 
Cisco assesses and addresses supply chain 
business continuity risks through its business 
resiliency program.

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Appendix II – Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) 
TCFD was established to assess potential business impacts of climate change, including efforts to reduce 
GHG emissions and to mitigate the impact of climate change. These impacts can potentially emerge over 
a time period measured in decades and for which typical business forecasting is not well suited. 
Suggested TCFD methodology focuses on evaluating scenarios. Per section B.2 of TCFD Technical 
Supplement, The Use of Scenario Analysis in Disclosure of Climate Related Risks and Opportunities: 
It is important to remember that scenarios are hypothetical constructs; they are not forecasts or 
predictions nor are they sensitivity analyses… Scenario analysis is a tool to enhance critical 
strategic thinking. A key feature of scenarios is that they should challenge conventional wisdom 
about the future. 
Section B.2 of the Technical Supplement further explains that scenarios should be plausible, distinctive, 
consistent, relevant and challenging. 
The science and scenarios 
The impact of increasing greenhouse gas concentrations in the Earth’s atmosphere is projected to have 
increasing impacts on climate as the global average temperature increases due to the retention of energy 
previously radiated into space. 
The Mauna Loa CO2 data shown in Figure 2 are a clear view of the potential for climate change given the 
unabated increases in CO2 concentrations that interfere with black body re-radiation. The Mauna Loa 
data only reports on CO2. Other GHG emissions, such as methane and chlorofluorocarbons, are also 
increasing, contributing to the absorption of infrared radiation emitted by the Earth. 
Atmospheric CO2 concentrations continue to increase and are increasing at a faster rate. 
Figure 2: Atmospheric CO2 concentrations at Mauna Loa Observatory 
 
Before 1960, the rate of increase was less than 1 ppm CO2 /yr. Today the increase is more than 2.5 
ppm/yr, with the absolute CO2 concentration increasing from around 315 ppm CO2 to about 415 ppm 
CO2. 
Extrapolating to the year 2050, CO2 concentrations will likely approach or even exceed 500 ppm CO2. 
This path to 500 ppm by 2050 has been chosen as our base-case scenario. This base case includes 
GHG reduction efforts implemented worldwide to date and that may continue, but which have not had an 
appreciable impact on GHG concentrations in the Earth’s atmosphere. 
275.00
300.00
325.00
350.00
375.00
400.00
425.00
450.00
475.00
500.00
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
2020
2030
2040
2050
CO2, parts per million
Year
Atmospheric CO2 at Mauna Loa Observatory
~280 ppm (pre-industrial level)

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From Figure 3, the increase in CO2 concentration above the historic maximum of 280 ppm has gone from 
35 ppm CO2 in 1960 to 135 ppm CO2 in 2020 (280+35=315 ppm, the approximate CO2 concentration in 
1960; 280+135=415 ppm, the approximate CO2 concentration in 2020). 
Figure 3: Atmospheric CO2 concentrations for the past 800,000 years 
 
Per Table 3.1 of the IPCC report, Climate Change 2014 – Synthesis Report, 500 ppm in 2050 is indicative 
of a 3 ºC temperature rise “more likely than not.” Continued increases in GHG concentration through 2100 
would further push temperature upward. Cisco is using the “2050 base case” for its scenario construction 
and risk assessment. 
 
A second scenario is constructed projecting that, as of some future date, there will be no net impact on 
GHG concentrations from Cisco operations or from its products. Although terminology such as “carbon 
neutral” and “net zero” has not been standardized, “no net impact” is used to mean that, starting at a to-
be-determined future date, there would be no net increase in GHG emissions from Cisco operations or 
from product manufacture, use, or end-of-life. Accomplishing such a future state would be the result of 
energy efficiency initiatives, low-carbon sources of energy, and validated carbon offset mechanisms, the 
latter needed to remove residual GHG emissions from any remaining use of fossil fuels. 
Assuming a “no net impact” date of 2050, this second Cisco scenario is aligned with a 1.5°C 21st-century 
temperature rise, relative to pre-industrial levels, described in Figure 4 from the 2019 IPCC special report, 
Global Warming of 1.5 ºC. 
2020: ~415 ppm
~280 ppm (pre-industrial level)

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Figure 4: Global total net CO2 emissions in pathways limiting global warming to 1.5°C (Figure SPM.3a of 
IPCC special report) 
 
This Scenario 2 has two distinct paths: 
1. 
Cisco successfully implements “no net impact”, as does the world 
2. 
Cisco successfully implements “no net impact”, but global action is similar in effect as the Scenario 1 base 
case 
Analysis 
TCFD documentation specifies two kinds of reporting. The first is four widely adoptable recommendations 
for disclosure on governance, strategy, risk management, and metrics and targets, provided as Table 49. 
Table 49: TCFD recommended disclosures* 
 
Recommended disclosures 
Discussion 
1. Governance 
a) Board oversight of risks and 
opportunities 
The Board Nomination and Governance Committee reviews policies and 
programs concerning corporate social responsibility. Environmental 
sustainability was reported to the company Board in early April 2020. 
 
b) Management role in assessing and 
managing climate-related risks and 
opportunities. 
The Corporate Affairs environmental sustainability team is responsible for 
environmental sustainability strategy and initiatives. Currently, our facilities 
(WPR/Workplace Resources), manufacturing (SCO/Supply Chain 
Operations) and Engineering organizations have announced public, GHG 
emissions-related goals against which Cisco reports annually in this 
sustainability report. Services (Cx/Customer Experience), Legal Regulatory 
Affairs, Corporate Compliance, Finance, and Government Affairs also 
support Cisco environmental sustainability efforts. 
Refer to section CSR materiality for a discussion of sustainability 
materiality and Table 10 and Appendix V for current and past goals, 
respectively. 
2. Strategy 
a) climate-related risks and 
opportunities the organization has 
identified over the short, medium, and 
long term. 
Summary: Physical risks from climate change are enveloped by factors 
already considered in current continuity-of-supply assessments. As part of 
our response to COVID-19, Cisco has demonstrated substantial resilience 
to potential physical risks to operations (Cisco-owned or -leased facilities) 
from climate change, where most of our workforce easily switched to 
teleworking. Our collaboration technology and associated culture facilitated 
this ready migration. 
Adverse weather and other environmental factors can affect our 
employees in their personal lives, potentially impact business operation or 
productivity. Recent examples include water shortages in India, a 
prolonged freeze in Texas, and wildfires and the accompanying smoke in 
California.

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Many environment-related improvement efforts focus on resource 
efficiency, whether water, materials or energy. Efficiency is typically driven 
by improved monitoring, measurement and analysis, which requires the 
use of network technologies and provides business opportunity. 
More detailed discussion of risks and opportunities is provided in our 
response to Section C2 questions in the CDP carbon questionnaire. 
 
b) Business, strategy and financial 
planning impact 
Refer to our response to Section C3 Business Strategy questions in the 
CDP carbon questionnaire. 
 
c) Strategy scenario resilience 
Cisco operations and supply chain are relatively energy, water and land 
efficient with limited presence in coastal regions that may be affected by 
climate change. 
3. Risk 
management 
a) Climate risk assessment process 
Climate-related input is provided to the enterprise risk management (ERM) 
process, the results of which are presented to the company Board. Cisco 
includes climate risk assessment details in our response to CDP’s annual 
carbon questionnaire 
 
b) Managing risks process 
Cisco uses public goals to address identified environment-related risks, 
taking advantage of existing sustainability materiality assessment and 
performance reporting processes. 
 
c) Climate process integration with 
ERM 
Climate-related input is provided to the enterprise risk management (ERM) 
process, the results of which are presented to the company Board. 
4. Metrics and 
targets 
a) Metrics disclosure 
Cisco reports climate-related metrics in our annual sustainability reporting 
(this ETR). We establish goals based on sustainability materiality and use 
the goal approval and release process to establish management 
consensus and commitment. The seniority of management engaged in this 
process depends on the required resources and coordination across 
business functions. 
 
b) Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions and 
risks 
Our Scope 1 and 2 emissions are reported in Table 20. Scope 3 emissions 
are reported in Appendix IV – FY20 Scope 3 emissions. References in the 
Appendix to ETR report sections provide more detail for the more 
significant sources of Scope 3 emissions. 
Cisco’s environmental goals, including those related to GHG emissions 
reduction and product energy efficiency, are provided in Table 10. Our 
goals are designed to reduce significant environmental impacts, reducing 
risk. 
 
c) Targets to manage risks, 
opportunities and performance 
Refer to Item 4b for reference to tables detailing our publicly announced 
goals and performance. Cisco is currently studying the impact of a “no net 
impact” GHG emissions goal in accordance with Scenario 2 reported 
previously in this Appendix II. 
*  from Figure 4, Recommendations and Supporting Recommended Disclosures, from Final Report, Recommendations of the 
Task Force on Climate related Financial Disclosures 
The second kind of TCFD-specified reporting is a description of climate-related risks and opportunities as 
depicted in Figure 5 and as provided for Cisco in Table 50 and Table 51.

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Figure 5: Climate-related risks and opportunities (from Figure 1 of TCFD Recommendations of the Task 
Force on Climate related Financial Disclosures) 
 
 
Table 50: Cisco climate-related risks and potential financial impact, per Table 1 of TCFD 
Recommendations of the Task Force on Climate related Financial Disclosures 
Risks 
 
Potential Impact 
Transition risks 
Policy and Legal 
Carbon neutrality obligations from regulation, standards, customer requirement or 
voluntary/proactive company action can require investing in or purchasing carbon 
offsets. Projecting carbon-offset pricing is uncertain, but has increased as more 
companies take on carbon neutrality commitments. Investing in projects to develop 
carbon removal could also be subject to competition to lock up startups developing such 
technologies. 
 
Technology 
Development of more energy-efficient products may require incremental investment, 
although managing energy consumption and heat removal is a longstanding design 
objective as customers fit increased network functionality into locations with fixed power 
and space. 
 
Market 
Continued and growing demand for information technologies seems likely with business 
models and success tied to increasing traffic and use of secure networks, applications, 
analytics, and connectivity. Required material and components for Cisco products 
should not be subject to unusual cost pressures from climate change. 
 
Reputation 
Maintaining Cisco’s reputation as a socially and environmentally responsible company 
with top-tier ratings in notable rankings will continue to be a company objective. 
Physical risks 
Acute 
Cisco is not thought to be exposed to acute physical risks from Increased severity of 
extreme weather events such as cyclones and floods. 
 
Chronic 
Cisco is not thought to be exposed to chronic physical risks from Increased severity of 
extreme weather events such as cyclones and floods. A potential impact is logistics and 
disruptions to the supply chain should transportation facilities and lanes be unavailable 
for extended periods. While impact on the business physical plant may be manageable, 
impacts on personnel (housing, water, power, commuting) will need ongoing 
[re]assessment. 
 
Table 51: Cisco climate-related opportunities and potential financial impact, per Table 2 of TCFD 
Recommendations of the Task Force on Climate related Financial Disclosures 
Opportunities 
Climate-related opportunity 
Potential Impact 
Resource efficiency 
Reduced use of virgin material; 
increased use of recycled material. 
Improved material resource efficiency through implementation 
of circular economy principles may reduce costs and provide 
alternative sources of supply. 
 
Improved energy efficiency in operations 
and extended operations (supply chain) 
Investments to meet Cisco Scope 1 and 2 reduction goals 
have averaged about 3-1/2 years payback, ranging from <1 
year to as long as 5 years. Improved energy efficiency in the

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supply chain to meet our absolute GHG reduction goal may 
similarly reduce cost. 
Energy source 
Low-carbon/renewable sources of 
electricity 
Reduced operating costs and less exposure to future fossil 
fuel price increases. Circumstances can vary in regulated vs. 
unregulated markets. 
Products and services 
More energy-efficient products 
Substantially more efficient products, such as the new 8000-
series routers, may provide an incentive for customers to 
upgrade and retire legacy network gear. This incentive may be 
higher for a customer that has adopted carbon neutrality, 
although many such customers have also committed to 100% 
renewables, which could reduce the GHG-emissions impact of 
higher energy consumption. 
 
Cisco solutions that facilitate improved 
resource buildings, reduced business 
travel, and teleworking. 
Substantial working-from-home during COVID-19 
demonstrated the power of remote collaboration technologies, 
with the same technologies applied to telemedicine, fitness, 
retail, food service, and entertainment, all at the expense of 
physical travel and physical presence. 
Markets 
Acceleration or step change in cultural 
norms virtualizing many aspects life. 
Refer to the row directly above (the opportunity starting with 
“Cisco solutions.”) 
Resilience 
Use renewable energy and adopt energy 
efficiency measures. 
Cisco has set FY22 goals to (1) use electricity from renewable 
sources for 85% of our worldwide electricity and (2) to reduce 
GHG emissions 60% (FY07 baseline) by investing more than 
$45 million from FY18–22 in energy efficiency and renewable 
energy. 
 
Resource substitution 
Increased revenue through collaboration products that 
facilitate transport substitution.

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Appendix III – Supplier environmental engagement and performance 
This Appendix collects our direct supplier historical progress toward managing carbon emissions and 
waste reduction. Table 52 shows the progress of various categories of suppliers in reporting to CDP and 
achieving key GHG-related milestones, from reporting GHG emissions publicly to setting goals and 
engaging their own suppliers on GHG emissions. 
Please refer to: 
• 
Table 15 for supplier progress setting a public absolute GHG reduction target 
• 
Table 16 for supply-chain-related Scope 3 GHG emissions and progress against our reduction goal 
• 
Table 17 for supplier progress toward our zero waste goal. 
Table 52: Supplier progress reporting to CDP and achieving key GHG-related milestones 
CDP supplier reporting — climate change 
FY16 
FY17 
FY18 
FY19 
FY20 
Manufacturing Partners 
 
 
 
 
 
Report Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions to CDP 
100% 
100% 
100% 
100% 
100% 
Make this response publicly available 
36% 
33% 
99% 
95% 
100% 
3rd party assurance Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions 
20% 
78% 
99% 
99% 
100% 
Set a GHG reduction target 
100% 
44% 
100% 
100% 
100% 
Engage their suppliers on GHG emissions 
87% 
32% 
87% 
86% 
83% 
Component Suppliers 
 
 
 
 
 
Report Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions to CDP 
82% 
86% 
86% 
91% 
86% 
Make this response publicly available 
62% 
50% 
70% 
73% 
76% 
3rd party assurance Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions 
51% 
58% 
64% 
60% 
62% 
Set a GHG reduction target 
72% 
64% 
74% 
70% 
69% 
Engage their suppliers on GHG emissions 
47% 
54% 
65% 
66% 
69% 
Logistics Suppliers 
 
 
 
 
 
Report Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions to CDP 
96% 
96% 
96% 
95% 
96% 
Make this response publicly available 
87% 
67% 
89% 
95% 
96% 
3rd party assurance Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions 
68% 
64% 
62% 
73% 
76% 
Set a GHG reduction target 
90% 
91% 
64% 
73% 
71% 
Engage their suppliers on GHG emissions 
82% 
86% 
88% 
85% 
85%

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Appendix IV – Cisco FY20 Scope 3 emissions 
Table 53 provides a summary of our Scope 3 emissions. Important notes for understanding the values 
provided: 
• 
Where emissions in a Scope 3 category are significant further discussion is provided in the section 
linked from the first column. 
• 
Cisco’s fiscal year runs August through July, so the end of our FY20 is the end of July 2020. 
• 
Each summer, companies reporting GHG emissions as part of CDP’s supply chain initiative submit data 
for their last completed fiscal year for which data is available. In Cisco’s case, we report FY19 data in 
the summer of 2020 (“CDP 2020”), because our FY20 data is not yet available. A similar offset may 
occur for other Scope 3 reporting companies. 
• 
CDP 2020 supply chain data was not released to supply chain members in time to support the analysis 
for relevant categories in this report. 
• 
For our response to the CDP 2021 carbon questionnaire, the numbers below will be updated to reflect 
full FY20 data (or CDP 2020 data for supply-chain related emissions). 
Table 53: Scope 3 emissions for FY20 
 
Emissions category 
CDP response evaluation status 
FY2020 
(metric tonne CO2e) 
Scope 3 category 1: purchased goods 
and services 
Relevant, calculated 
1,030,000 
(uses Cisco FY20 supplier spend and 
supplier FY19 emissions reported to CDP) 
Scope 3 category 2: capital goods 
Relevant, not calculated 
not applicable 
Scope 3 category 3: fuel- and energy-
related activities (not included in scope 
1 or 2) 
Not relevant, calculated 
36,793 
Scope 3 category 4: upstream 
transportation and distribution 
Relevant, calculated 
430,000 
Scope 3 category 5: waste generated 
in operations 
Not relevant, calculated 
443 
Scope 3 category 6: business travel 
Relevant, calculated 
88,939 
Scope 3 category 7: employee 
commuting 
Relevant, calculated 
47,973 
Scope 3 category 8: upstream leased 
assets 
Not relevant, explanation provided 
not applicable 
Scope 3 category 9: downstream 
transportation and distribution 
Relevant, not calculated 
not applicable 
Scope 3 category 10: processing of 
sold products 
Not relevant, explanation provided 
not applicable 
Scope 3 category 11: use of sold 
products (product energy efficiency) 
Relevant, calculated 
23,271,302 
Scope 3 category 12: end-of-use 
treatment of sold products (end-of-life) 
Not relevant, calculated 
250* 
Scope 3 category 13: downstream 
leased assets 
Not relevant, explanation provided 
not applicable 
Scope 3 category 14: franchises 
Not relevant, explanation provided 
not applicable 
Scope 3 category 15: investments 
Not relevant, explanation provided 
not applicable

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Appendix V – Past Cisco environment goals 
Past Cisco environment goals are shown in Table 54. Current goals are listed in Table 10. 
Table 54: Cisco completed environment goals 
Date Goal 
Established 
Goal topic 
Environment goal 
Final reporting fiscal 
year 
September 2006 
Energy / GHG Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) commitment to reduce GHG 
emissions from all Cisco business air travel worldwide by 10 
percent absolute by FY09 (FY06 baseline). 
CSR Report 2009 
(p. C32) 
June 2008 
Energy / GHG U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Climate Leaders 
commitment to reduce all Scope 1, Scope 2, and business-air-
travel Scope 3 GHG emissions worldwide by 25 percent absolute 
by end of CY12 (CY07 baseline). 
CSR Report 2012 
(p. F14) 
February 2013 
Energy / GHG 1. Reduce total Cisco Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions worldwide 
by 40 percent absolute by FY17 (FY07 baseline). 
2. Reduce total Cisco business-air-travel Scope 3 GHG 
emissions worldwide by 40 percent absolute by FY17 (FY07 
baseline). 
3. Reduce Cisco’s FY17 net consumption-weighted electricity 
emission factor to half of the latest International Energy Agency 
(IEA) world average emission factor publicly available before the 
end of FY17. 
4. Reduce total Cisco operational energy use per unit of revenue 
worldwide by 15 percent by FY17 (FY07 baseline). 
5. Use electricity generated from renewable sources for at least 
25 percent of our electricity every year through FY17. 
CSR Report 2017 
(pp. 101, 102, 106 
and 108) 
June 2016 
Energy / GHG Avoid 1 million metric tonne cumulative of GHG emissions in our 
supply chain from FY12 to FY20. 
CSR Report 2019 
(pp. 135, 142, 150, 
152, 169 and 170)

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Appendix VI – United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 
In 2015, the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) issued in 2000 were superseded by 
seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs provide a shared blueprint for peace and 
prosperity for people and the planet. The SDGs, their targets and indicators have a goal year of 2030. 
The following tables shows how Cisco’s environmental initiatives and goals align with environment-related 
(SDGs).9 All environment-related SDGs are listed for clarity and completeness. 
Table 55: United Nations SDGs aligned with Cisco environmental Initiatives 
SDG Goals 
SDG description 
Cisco Initiatives and Goals 
 
6. Clean Water 
and Sanitation 
6.3  By 2030, improve water quality by 
reducing pollution, eliminating dumping 
and minimizing release of hazardous 
chemicals and materials, halving the 
proportion of untreated wastewater and 
substantially increasing recycling and 
safe reuse globally 
Cisco IoT products—networks, edge processing—
are used by commercial companies and 
municipalities that operate water and waste 
treatment plants. An example of a commercial use 
is a paper mill. Our cyber security solutions protect 
these systems to prevent bad actors from interfering 
with the proper treatment of water before use or 
waste before release. 
 
 
6.4  By 2030, substantially increase 
water-use efficiency across all sectors 
and ensure sustainable withdrawals and 
supply of freshwater to address water 
scarcity and substantially reduce the 
number of people suffering from water 
scarcity. 
Cisco has partnered with a large food processor to 
use flow sensors that match real time water usage 
with ambient temperature in order to reduce water 
usage per unit of production. 
 
7. Affordable and 
Clean Energy 
7.2  By 2030, increase substantially the 
share of renewable energy in the global 
energy mix 
Cisco is currently using renewables sources for 
83% of worldwide electricity use (see goal, Table 10 
and performance, Table 24). 
Cisco has committed to reduce supply chain 
emissions by 30% absolute, which will likely require 
renewable and other low-carbon sources (see goal, 
Table 10 and performance, Table 45). 
 
 
7.3  By 2030, double the global rate of 
improvement in energy efficiency 
Cisco is nearing completion of our third, 5-year, 
absolute Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions reduction 
goal. Achieving these reductions is due to using 
low-carbon sources of electricity and investing in 
hundreds of energy efficiency projects at our 
facilities around the world (see goal, Table 10 and 
performance, Table 20 and Table 23). 
Cisco is improving the energy efficiency of our 
products (see goal, Table 10 and performance, 
Table 33). 
Cisco switches with Universal Power Over Ethernet 
(UPOE+) provide opportunity to increase building 
energy efficiency through converged DC networks 
and improved monitoring and control (smart 
buildings). 
 
11. Sustainable 
Cities and 
Communities 
11.6  By 2030, reduce the adverse per 
capita environmental impact of cities, 
including by paying special attention to air 
quality and municipal and other waste 
management 
Refer to the discussion of Target 6.3. 
 
9 Cisco priority focus areas are mapped to the SDGs in the ESG Reporting Hub.

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12. Responsible 
Consumption and 
Production 
12.2  By 2030, achieve the sustainable 
management and efficient use of natural 
resources 
Refer to discussion in report sections addressing 
Water and Products and packaging materials. 
 
 
12.4  By 2020, achieve the 
environmentally sound management of 
chemicals and all wastes throughout their 
life cycle, in accordance with agreed 
international frameworks, and 
significantly reduce their release to air, 
water and soil in order to minimize their 
adverse impacts on human health and 
the environment 
Refer to discussion in report sections Materials of 
concern and Product end-of-use. 
 
 
12.5  By 2030, substantially reduce waste 
generation through prevention, reduction, 
recycling and reuse 
Refer to discussion in report sections addressing 
Solid waste from operations (trash) and Products 
and packaging materials (see goal, Table 10 and 
performance, Table 17). 
 
 
12.6  Encourage companies, especially 
large and transnational companies, to 
adopt sustainable practices and to 
integrate sustainability information into 
their reporting cycle 
Refer to this Environmental Technical Review. 
 
13. Climate 
Action 
13.3  Improve education, awareness-
raising and human and institutional 
capacity on climate change mitigation, 
adaptation, impact reduction and early 
warning 
Refer to the discussion of Targets 7.2 and 7.3 (see 
energy/GHG-related goals, Table 10 and associated 
performance tables). Refer to discussion in the 
report section addressing Energy and GHG 
emissions. 
 
14. Life Below 
Water 
 
Cisco currently has no initiatives directed at SDG 14 
Targets. 
 
15. Life on Land 
15.7  Take urgent action to end poaching 
and trafficking of protected species of 
flora and fauna and address both 
demand and supply of illegal wildlife 
products 
Refer to the discussion in the report section 
addressing Biodiversity (including land use), 
especially Species conservation. 
 
17. Partnerships 
for the Goals 
17.7  Promote the development, transfer, 
dissemination and diffusion of 
environmentally sound technologies to 
developing countries on favourable 
terms, including on concessional and 
preferential terms, as mutually agreed  
Cisco’s core business providing network 
technologies promotes low-impact economic 
development and enable reduced environmental 
impact through improved resource efficiency. 
 
 
17.16  Enhance the global partnership for 
sustainable development, complemented 
by multi-stakeholder partnerships that 
mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, 
technology and financial resources, to 
support the achievement of the 
sustainable development goals in all 
countries, in particular developing 
countries. 
17.17  Encourage and promote effective 
public, public-private and civil society 
partnerships, building on the experience 
and resourcing strategies of partnerships 
Cisco has maintained a 15-year relationship 
supporting CDP (formerly Carbon Disclosure 
Project) through donation of remote collaboration 
technologies. 
Cisco particularly values its participation in the 
Corporate EcoForum and the close and valuable 
engagements with sustainability leaders from many 
industry sectors. 
A list of energy efficiency-related organizations with 
whom Cisco actively engages is provided as Table 
32. 
A list of supply-chain-related, environment-focused 
organizations with whom Cisco actively engages is 
provided as Table 14.

Cisco has more than 440 offices worldwide. Addresses, phone numbers, and
fax numbers are listed on the Cisco website at www.cisco.com/go/offices.
Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/
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trademarks, go to www.cisco.com/go/trademarks. Third party trademarks 
mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word 
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company. (111OR)
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