Technology leader releases its 2010 CSR report
Cisco, the owners of virtual workforce-technologies like TelePresence and WebEX, has managed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 45 percent, according to the company’s sixth annual CSR report.
The recently published study indicates that the company achieved its goal of minimizing its environmental impact two years earlier than the anticipated 2012 deadline. Furthermore, the company has also eliminated its Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by a total of 12 percent since 2007.
The reduction in GHG has largely been achieved through more widespread use of technologies such as 800 TelePresence, of which there are more than 800 units in use in conference rooms and offices around the globe. This allows the company to connect employees, suppliers and customers remotely, thus minimizing the need for travel and also cutting office, energy and meeting room costs.
The TelePresence technology allows video conferencing and is installed in offices in 200 cities in 60 counties around the world. With the use of the WebEx desktop conferencing product, air travel has been reduced.
In addition, of 70,000 employees roughly 20,000 use the company’s virtual office to extend Cisco’s network into their homes, thus permitting them to telecommute at least one day or more a week, the report states.
‘We are proud to share our strategic approach,’ says Tae Yoo, Cisco’s senior vice president of corporate affairs. ‘[Our company] continues to develop robust CSR initiatives and innovative partnerships that engage the power of the human network to help address the most pressing challenges facing our world today.’
By integrating these new strategies into its existing business model, Cisco has created close to 19 million hours of time spent in virtual offices, which serves as a drastic reduction in carbon emissions, according to the report.
These new advancements have put Cisco in the front line for promoting ‘green’ information technology systems.
