How Cisco Harnesses Circular Design for Sustainable Products

Cisco has successfully integrated circular design principles into 100% of its new products and packaging, achieving its 2025 fiscal year sustainability goal. This accomplishment was honored with the 2025 Reuters Global Sustainability Award for Circularity, highlighting Cisco’s leadership in the circular economy.

What is Circularity?

Circularity is a sustainable model that seeks to eliminate waste by keeping products and materials in continuous use, emphasizing:

• Reuse
• Repair
• Refurbishment
• Recycling

This approach creates a closed-loop system, contrasting the traditional linear "take-make-dispose" model.

Mary de Wysocki, Cisco’s Chief Sustainability Officer, explains:
"By designing with circularity in mind, we are not only reducing waste; we are extending product life, improving efficiency and security, and creating meaningful progress for our customers and communities."

Implementing Circular Design at Cisco

Cisco’s circular design strategy involved extensive internal education, with over 7,000 employees trained in circular principles. Key elements include:

• Circular Design Evaluation Tool: A web-based system assessing every product and its packaging against Cisco’s 25 Circular Design Principles. New products require a minimum score of 75% for release.
• Governance Structure: Steering oversight and audit committees ensure program integrity and alignment across divisions.

This systematic approach serves as a robust model for other manufacturing and tech companies aiming for impactful sustainability programs.

Material and Cost Savings Through Circularity

Significant environmental and financial benefits have been realized:

• Webex Room Bar: Foam packaging eliminated, replaced with 55% recycled plastic, saving over 14,515 kg (32,000 lbs) of materials annually.
• Catalyst 9000 Product Line: Removal of oil-based paint saved approximately US$9 million between FY2020 and FY2025 and reduced emissions by:
  • 318 metric tonnes of volatile organic compounds
  • 3,400 metric tonnes of CO2 equivalent

Data Infrastructure and Ongoing Commitment

Cisco developed a Sustainability Data Foundation to consolidate sustainability metrics, monitor product carbon footprints, and analyze efficiency improvements. Transparency is maintained through Cisco’s Purpose Reporting Hub and annual Purpose Report.

Looking toward the future, circular design supports optimizing critical raw material use in expanding digital infrastructure, including AI technologies.

Mary de Wysocki emphasizes the strategy’s commercial benefits:
"Circular design makes good business sense and helps us deliver even greater value to our customers, partners, and suppliers."

Despite reaching its circularity integration target, Cisco views this milestone as the beginning of a continuous evolution informed by customer feedback and product teardown collaborations.

Conclusion

Cisco’s comprehensive circular design initiative demonstrates how technology companies can embed sustainability deeply into product development and operations. By prioritizing waste elimination, material reuse, and design innovation, Cisco sets a benchmark for sustainable manufacturing in the technology sector, ensuring lasting economic and environmental benefits.

Tags: Cisco, Circular Economy, Sustainability, ESG, Circular Design, Waste Reduction, Recycling, Technology, Packaging, Mary de Wysocki

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