How Cisco Harnesses Circular Design for Sustainable Products

Achieving 100% Circular Design Integration by 2025

Cisco achieved a strong step in sustainable design. They built circular design into 100% of new products and packaging. Six years of focused work met their 2025 goal. This work earned them the 2025 Reuters Global Sustainability Award for Circularity.
Mary de Wysocki, the Chief Sustainability Officer, leads this move. She states that circular design cuts waste, extends product life, and improves efficiency and security. It also drives key progress for customers and communities.

What is Circularity?

Circularity builds a closed-loop system. This system keeps products and materials in use without waste. Unlike the old linear path of "take-make-dispose," circular design values reuse, repair, refurbishment, and recycling. Its aim is to cut resource extraction and lessen environmental harms.

Structured Approach to Circularity Governance

Cisco uses a web-based Circular Design Evaluation Tool. This tool checks every new product and packaging against 25 detailed Circular Design Principles. Products need a score of at least 75% to reach the market.
A strong governance frame, with steering oversight and audit committees, holds the program accountable. This structure aligns work across Cisco divisions and guides others in building sustainable systems.

Significant Material and Cost Savings

Cisco shows clear gains with circular design:
• The Webex Room Bar dropped foam packaging. It now uses 55% recycled plastic. This change saves over 14,515 kg (32,000 lbs) of material each year.
• The Catalyst 9000 product line stopped using oil-based paint. This change cut costs by US$9 million from 2020 to 2025. It also reduced 318 metric tonnes of volatile organic compounds and about 3,400 metric tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions.

Data-Driven Sustainability Management

Cisco built the Sustainability Data Foundation. This platform holds and governs key sustainability metrics from circular design. It supports tasks such as:
• Analyzing a product’s carbon footprint
• Assessing efficiency gains
• Reporting transparently via the Purpose Reporting Hub and the annual Purpose Report

Future Outlook: Continuous Innovation and Expansion

Cisco sees circularity as an ongoing journey. They continue to update Circular Design Principles based on real feedback. They host teardown events where cross-team experts meet to create new sustainable ideas. They also improve hardware design, packaging, sourcing, and repair processes.
Mary de Wysocki sums up Cisco’s view:
  "Circular design makes good business sense and helps us deliver even greater value to our customers, partners, and suppliers."

Cisco’s clear circular design plan shows that tech firms can build sustainability into product development. In doing so, they turn environmental care into economic value and lead the way in a circular economy.

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