Cisco

Summary 70/100

Cisco leads the field on the second straight Leaderboard, showing strong leadership in solutions and advocacy. Along with Fujitsu, Cisco has demonstrated quality analysis and metrics associated with its solutions offerings, and should follow Fujitsu and Wipro’s lead in putting this toward a future savings goal for its products and services. Cisco marked the largest point gain in advocacy since Version 3, primarily for its strong work in the European Union.

While Cisco did finally weigh in to oppose Proposition 23 in California, its policy advocacy in the U.S remains far behind its efforts in the EU, and stronger statements from CEO John Chambers on the need for government policies to drive IT solutions would significantly enhance Cisco’s leadership standing.

Climate Solutions

31/40

Current Savings Calculations

19/20

Cisco sets the bar for the solutions category by providing an extensive and detailed submission with strong pre- and post-intervention data, well-explained assumptions, and support for the development of standards. Cisco provides numerous energy management solutions, such as EnergyWise and Home Energy Monitoring, as well as collaboration technologies, such as WebEx and TelePresence.

Public Metrics

10/10

Cisco provides various calculators for its remote collaboration, connected workplace, connected building, and telecommute offerings. The methodology and assumptions are transparent.

Investment

02/05

No applicable investment scored.

Future Savings Goal

00/05

No future savings goal.

Energy Impact

17/25

Reduction Target

05/05

Cisco scores full points as it has set an absolute greenhouse gas emission reduction target of 25 percent of 2007 emissions by 2012 and is showing leadership through much forward thinking about future reduction goals (p.C39 - C40) in line with the IPCC’s 4th Assessment Report.

Mitigation

07/10

Cisco scores high with its extensive mitigation strategies, of which the purchase of 37 percent of its electricity from renewable sources (p. C34) is an important component. Cisco scores extra for explicitly not buying offsets: “The significant changes to personal and business processes can’t be ‘outsourced’.” (Cisco, Leaderboard V.4 sumbmission)

Infrastructure Siting

02/05

Cisco includes the cost of renewable energy credits into site selections but does not have a policy to prioritise the availability of renewable energy or good conditions for energy efficiency. To score higher Cisco needs to firmly prioritise renewable energy as source of electricity supply for operations with a goal to eliminate fossil fuel use by 2020, and actively push for Renewable Energy Standards where it locates its infrastructure.

Supply Chain Footprint

03/05

Cisco scores well as it encourages all suppliers to report emissions to the Carbon Disclosure Project, and the company is active in a discussion on the setting of greenhouse gas emission reduction goals. Cisco could score higher if it worked with more of its top suppliers to disclose emissions from their supply chain (Scope 3).

Political Advocacy

22/35

Speech

07/10

Cisco scores high in speech for its repeated support of a key policy priority, the European Union’s proposed 30 percent greenhouse gas reduction target. Vice President of Cisco France, Laurent Blanchard, stated support for the 30 percent target at the Brussels Economic Forum in May, and the General Manager of Cisco Belguim repeated that support during a presentation in October with the Belgian Federal Minister of Economy.

Policy Advocacy

08/16

Cisco clearly opposed Proposition 23, an attempt to override California’s global warming legislation, in a blog post on its website by a Senior Vice President. This was an important demonstration of advocacy by Cisco and only could have scored higher had the delivery been publicly projected beyond the blog.

Repetition Bonus

07/10

Cisco earns the second-highest bonus for repetition, having demonstrated multiple showings of support for policy priorities such as the European Union’s 30% by 2020 target and California’s global warming law, AB32. Laura Ipsen, a Senior Vice President, also spoke twice in support of a specific target and ICT's role in achieving a global deal in Copenhagen.

Negative Lobby Penalty

0/-15

No negative lobby scored.

Cisco's scores to date