The sustainability of Cisco manufacturing operations and products depends on the activities and impacts of our value chain. Cisco’s value chain is the network of integrated Cisco and partner activities that creates valuable products and services for our customers. We are committed to making sure that all Cisco products can be sourced, manufactured, and sold anywhere, any time in an environmentally and socially responsible manner.

Value Chain Profile

We share with our value chain partners the challenges of designing, fabricating, delivering, and managing the end of life of approximately 225 Cisco hardware product families. In FY09, this entailed working with more than 600 direct suppliers across more than 34 countries.

Our Approach to Value Chain Social Responsibility

We organize our value chain social responsibility activities around four pillars:

Labor: Protecting worker rights
Ethics and Intellectual Property Protection: Reflecting the highest standards of business integrity
Human Health and Safety: Maintaining high standards of health and safety in the workplace
Environment: Helping to ensure the efficient use and preservation of natural resources

Value Chain Highlights

In FY09, we continued to implement the Cisco Supplier Code of Conduct, which conforms to the Electronic Industry Code of Conduct developed by the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition.
Based on information gathered through supplier self-assessment questionnaires, Cisco used third-party auditors to conduct a detailed evaluation of several high-risk, first-tier facilities, which uncovered approximately 20 major and minor instances of noncompliance. We are working to address these findings systemically, as well as working with individual suppliers to create corrective action plans.
Among other supplier capability-building activities, Cisco supported and promoted the EICC Supplier Summit in Shenzen. This summit attracted more than 100 supplier representatives in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector, including 20 representatives from Cisco suppliers in China, to learn about social and environmental expectations and general sustainability issues.
By working proactively with suppliers to reduce carbon emissions, waste production, and natural resource demand in FY09, Cisco’s Global Value Chain Management group realized more than $12 million in annual cost savings. In addition, we have implemented more than 40 improvement projects focused on product packaging, resulting in an annualized reduction in materials of 4 million pounds.
To increase the impact and efficiency of our sustainability efforts, Cisco continued its active participation in industry collaborations, filling leadership positions in the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition, Global e-Sustainability Initiative, International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative, and Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions, among others.
Cisco furthered its supplier diversity initiatives, including expansion of diverse channel partners participating in the Cisco Certified Refurbished Equipment Program, launch of the Diverse Specialty Distributor Program, and increases in supplier diversity educational opportunities, such as the UCLA Management Development for Entrepreneurs Academy, Executive Mentor Protégé Program, and How to Do Business with Cisco.

Learn More

Cisco Supplier Code of Conduct PDF icon outlines our expectations for social, environmental, and ethical behavior in our supply chain.

Cisco RoHS Position New Window is our official statement on the European Union Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive.

Cisco and REACH Compliance New Window provides information on our program for complying with the European Union Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) Regulation.

Global Supplier Diversity Business Development New Window is our network of mutually supportive supplier diversity programs focusing on three themes: Engage, Collaborate, and Accelerate.