Cisco’s FY16 CSR Report: Empowering Global Problem Solvers

This blog originally appeared on The Platform.

We live in the age of digitization where astonishing opportunities emerge when people and devices connect. Mobile technology empowers remote workers. IoT-based factories achieve new levels of efficiency. Sensors monitor the availability of clean drinking water. We are innovating and reaching people in ways never before possible.

At Cisco, we strive to bring the benefits of digitization to every person in the world by…

Empowering individuals and organizations by developing digital skills and catalyzing an innovative and entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Advancing positive social and environmental change by investing in global problem solvers who apply innovative, technology-based solutions and multi-stakeholder partnerships.

Promoting sustainable outcomes across our business operations, supply chain, and customer base through good business practices and transformative solutions.

…to positively impact 1 billion people by 2025.

This approach is enabling us to change the way we address—and ultimately solve—the world’s most pressing social and environmental challenges.  Our 12th Annual Corporate Social Responsibility Report – Accelerating Global Problem Solving – demonstrates how, through our technology and expertise, Cisco empowers global problem solvers to make a positive difference for people, society, and the planet.

People

Our work to enable people to reach their full potential in a digital economy begins at Cisco, where our focus is to attract and retain the best talent. By focusing on connecting everything, innovating everywhere, and benefiting everyone, we transform the employee experience. Our people are able to flourish as global problem solvers in a way that is both responsible and ethical so they can make a meaningful difference in communities worldwide. In

In fiscal year 2016, 36 percent of employees supported non-profit organizations through their time, donations, and expertise, resulting in $12 million in donations and matched funds and more than 187,000 hours volunteered.  Our goal is to have 80 percent employee engagement by 2020.

Outside of Cisco, we actively nurture the talents of problem solvers around the world by providing foundational digitization and entrepreneurship skills to individuals of diverse backgrounds, preparing them to thrive in the digital economy. In fiscal year 2016, our Cisco Networking Academy Programreached more than one million students in 170 countries.

Beyond education and training, we also provided our students with career resources and connections to employers seeking IT talent. We believe this drives value for Cisco and our customers, ecosystem partners, and society at large. Our goal is to extend the reach of the Networking Academy to two million students a year within the next five years.

Society

Cisco strives to make positive inclusive social and economic impact in countries across the planet by investing in early stage, technology-based solutions that have the potential to be scaled, replicated, and sustained. In fiscal year 2016, we provided cash and in-kind contributions of $309 million to organizations.

Our nonprofit partners report that our cash grant investments positively impacted 78 million people across our key focus areas of critical human needs, economic empowerment, and education. We also sponsored a Cisco Innovation Challenge within the Rice Business Plan Competition (RBPC).  The winner of the challenge,

We also sponsored a Cisco Innovation Challenge within the Rice Business Plan Competition (RBPC). The winner of the challenge, Neopenda, is developing a wearable device that continuously monitors the vital signs of critically ill newborns in hospitals with limited resources. With more than 2.7 million babies dying every year within their first month of life, this technology has the potential to have tremendous impact.

Planet

Our goal to achieve sustainable growth in a connected world extends to the environment as well. We invest in transformative solutions and share energy-efficiency best practices with our customers and partners. Our products improve productivity, reduce the need for traveling, increase utilization of company assets, and enable energy-efficient cloud computing for organizations around the world.

In fiscal year 2016, we implemented more than a hundred energy efficiency and onsite renewable energy projects.  Our use of low-carbon, renewable energy is up to 77 percent of our global electricity demand. And we are on target to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent worldwide by the end of fiscal year 2017 compared to our fiscal year 2007 baseline.

We believe that innovative solutions can arise and their impact multiplied when passionate people and transformative technology connect. By working together, we can move toward eradicating poverty, unemployment, climate change, and hunger everywhere.

Everyone has the potential to become a global problem solver. Won’t you join us?

Read Cisco’s 2016 CSR Report today and learn more about our Corporate Social Responsibility.