Circular Design

We are designing our products and packaging to​ enable reuse, minimize environmental impacts, drive innovation, and create value for our customers.

Why circular design?

Circular design provides business benefits like better energy efficiency, longer product life, and less waste.


Cisco's Circular Design Principles

Material use

Incorporating recycled content into our products, reducing the use of nonrenewable materials, and considering resource scarcity risks.

Standardization and modularization

Standardizing and modularizing components and enclosures to enable reuse, repair, remanufacturing, and recycling.

Packaging and accessories

Using recycled and renewable packaging materials, reducing foam and plastic use, and increasing packaging efficiency.

Smart energy consumption

Improving product energy efficiency through activity-based power and power management features.

Disassembly, repair, and reuse

Designing products with separable components that use similar materials to facilitate reuse, repair, remanufacturing, and recycling.


Our Circular Design Goals for fiscal year 2025

100 %

of new Cisco products & packaging to incorporate Circular Design Principles

75 %

reduction in foam used in Cisco product packaging, measured by weight. (FY19 base year)

50 %

of plastic used in our products (by weight) will be made of recycled content.

50 %

reduction in product packaging cube efficiency. (FY19 base year)

Circular Design case studies

Discover how Cisco products use recycled materials, modular parts, and more energy-efficient designs to help advance sustainability and support a circular economy.

Nexus 9332D-H2R Switch

Nexus 9332D-H2R Switch

Features an 80PLUS Platinum-rated power supply unit and is built with 75% post-consumer recycled (PCR) content in non-commodity plastic parts. Key parts like fans and power supply units are modular, allowing for easy field replacement.

Cisco Room Kit EQX

Cisco Room Kit EQX

Designed to reduce virgin material use, incorporating 85% PCR in the floor stand, leveraging metal lightweighting techniques, and minimizing parts that serve only cosmetic purposes.

Desk Phone 9800 Series

Desk Phone 9800 Series

Has the capability to reduce power required to 0.3 watts during deep sleep mode, which can potentially reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by over 40% annually during its use phase.

Cisco Room Bar

Cisco Room Bar

Redesigned with a simplified architecture to reduce the number of internal components compared to its predecessor, resulting in over 32,000 pounds of material savings per year.

Network Convergence System 1000 Series

Network Convergence System 1000 Series

Uses intelligent cooling, selective power shut down, and an 80 PLUS Platinum-rated power supply to enhance energy efficiency.

UCS-X Modular System

UCS-X Modular System

Built with modular, easily removable components, its upgradeable designs help to extend the use of the chassis, power supply, cooling, and other major components, and it is optimized for repair, reuse, and eventual recycling.

Circular Design news & features

Cisco’s circular design goal: Our journey to 100%

Cisco has reached its goal to incorporate Circular Design Principles into 100% of new products and packaging by the end of our 2025 fiscal year.

stack of wooden pallets

Striving for Sustainability: Meet Nicole

Nicole Kenney, Program Manager on the Packaging Engineering team, shares more about her work on packaging and material circularity.

View of a mountainside and flowing river

Striving for Sustainability: Meet Tom

Tom Jackson, Executive Sponsor of Circular Design at Cisco, shares how Cisco is embedding circular design across the company.

Power an Inclusive Future for All

Cisco Purpose Reporting Hub

Find in-depth reporting on our latest impact, goals, and progress.