Clean energy transitions
A key priority of our environmental sustainability strategy, The Plan for Possible, is to accelerate the transition to clean energy.
To power the world with renewables, the grid requires updated digital infrastructure to connect diverse, decentralized sources of clean energy. However, as the world electrifies, it must simultaneously reduce the amount of energy used by a connected economy.
One important piece of Cisco’s clean energy strategy is our goal to reach net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across our value chain by 2040 by prioritizing reductions across all scopes of emissions. We are proud that Cisco’s 2040 net-zero goal was approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) in 2022 under its Corporate Net-Zero Standard. Cisco was one of the first technology hardware and equipment companies to have its net-zero goal validated under the SBTi Net-Zero Standard.
Net-zero strategy
For Cisco, our biggest source of emissions comes from the electricity used to power the products we sell (Scope 3 Category 11). To make progress toward our net-zero goal, Cisco is continually innovating to increase the energy efficiency of our products; applying our products and solutions to connect clean energy and digitalize the grid; and collaborating with our customers, partners, and suppliers to accelerate the transition to renewable sources of energy. Some of the cross-functional initiatives we undertook in fiscal 2024 to reduce all scopes of emissions include:
- Investing in renewable energy within our own operations with a focus on long-term projects that add new capacity to electric grids in the areas in which we operate (see more details below).
- Engaging with governments to advocate for policy changes that can lead to the advancement of the decarbonization of the global grid.
- Supporting our suppliers in adopting clean and lower-carbon energy sources by providing education, understanding their procurement challenges, reducing barriers to fulfillment, and increasingly monitoring how they are implementing these lower-carbon energy sources. Read more about how we are doing this on the Supply chain environmental stewardship page.
- Continuing to invest in increasing the energy efficiency of our products. Read some examples of how we are doing this on the Circular transformation page.
- Reducing the impact of our operations, with a focus on electrification, energy optimization, hybrid work, and waste reduction. (See more details below).
Collaborating with customers
Working closely with our customers to facilitate emissions reductions across the value chain is an important component of our strategy. One example is the multifaceted Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) we signed with Orange Business in February 2024. Among other things, we aim to build a GHG emissions trajectory for the Cisco products used by Orange Business between 2020 and 2030. Both organizations plan to use shared data to help estimate the GHG emissions related to Orange Business solutions integrating Cisco technology, with the objective to reduce GHG emissions. The MOU also promotes circularity through efforts such as supporting Orange’s purchase of Cisco remanufactured products through Cisco Refresh and designing Orange services powered by Cisco with sustainability in mind. Both companies have ambitious net-zero goals and other near-term targets related to reducing emissions and evolving their businesses to a circular model.
Supporting suppliers
Approximately one quarter of Cisco’s total GHG emissions is generated in our supply chain, so we prioritize working with our global suppliers to help reduce their energy and fuel consumption and procure clean energy for their operations. For example, in fiscal 2024, we became a sponsor of the Catalyze program, which aims to accelerate access to renewable energy across the global ICT supply chain.
Read more about our work with suppliers on the Supply chain environmental stewardship page.
Beyond the value chain
The Cisco Foundation also supports the transition to clean energy through its climate initiative, which has six areas of focus, including to “promote inclusive clean energy solutions.” For example, in fiscal 2024, the Foundation made several impact investments to advance inclusive clean energy solutions in Africa where the energy landscape is confronting a critical shortfall. Roughly 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa still lack electricity. Microgrids can reach remote and rural communities with consistent and cost-effective energy, so we invested in SHYFT Power to pioneer the use of the Internet of Things (IoT) to efficiently manage energy resources and in Jaza Energy to integrate solar-powered hubs with telecommunications towers in Africa. These initiatives illustrate the powerful synergy between connectivity and energy, which play a pivotal role in empowering underserved communities and contribute to a more connected and sustainable future in Africa.
Read more about the Cisco Foundation climate initiative on the Resilient ecosystems page.
Energy and GHG emissions in our direct operations
We are working to reduce our energy use and emissions, while advancing clean energy, in our direct operations.
This section covers the environmental footprint at our facilities, buildings, and labs. For information on how we address GHG emissions, waste, and water within our supply chain, see Supply chain environmental stewardship.
Real estate sustainability strategy
We are embedding sustainability into our operations by creating and maintaining workplaces that support our employees’ wellbeing and productivity. See the graphic below to learn more about our workplace sustainability strategy.
Workplace sustainability strategy
Optimize our portfolio for hybrid work.
Increase the sustainability and efficiency of our real estate operations.
Source renewable energy for our global operations.
Engage our stakeholders, including customers and employees, on our sustainability strategy.
Cisco´s Global Energy Management and Sustainability (GEMS) team leads energy and sustainability initiatives across Cisco’s 18 million square feet of global real estate. The team has the following primary responsibilities:
- Managing Cisco’s global annual utility budget and contracts
- Identifying and implementing demand- and supply-side energy solutions, such as energy efficiency upgrades and onsite renewable energy projects
- Sourcing renewable energy for our global operations
- Embedding sustainability and efficiency criteria into our building, lab, and data center design standards
- Engaging our stakeholders, including customers and employees, on our sustainability strategy
Hybrid work
Cisco embraces hybrid work by creating an inclusive, flexible work environment where people are empowered and enabled by our technology to contribute from anywhere while also being attentive to their personal needs.
To support this evolved future of work, we’ve reevaluated our global real estate strategy, shifting our focus away from the quantity of sites and seats and toward the quality and location of our facilities. Driven by purpose, we are optimizing our real estate portfolio to free up resources that we can reinvest to modernize our facilities in key locations. This allows us to thoughtfully create spaces that are designed to bring people together for a reason, while accommodating the different ways people want to work when they are in the office. By being prudent about where we are located and why, we can be more intentional about how we design the workplace and what technology we integrate to generate meaningful experiences while also being efficient and responsible with our footprint.
Two such examples are Cisco’s new talent center in Atlanta and our recently renovated product showcase site in New York City. Each site’s experience was designed to match the purpose of the space, elevated with supporting technology and collaboration spaces for people to more seamlessly innovate, collaborate, and connect with one another. These spaces are also outfitted with smart building technology from Cisco and our partners. The technologies, which include automated blinds, Power over Ethernet lights, and integrated environmental sensors, advance both energy efficiency and indoor environmental air quality awareness.
Green building certifications
Sustainable building practices and standards for how we select, design, operate, and maintain our facilities are embedded into our hybrid work strategy. We have integrated green building standards into our real estate since our first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) certified building was built in 2009. By the end of fiscal 2024, 36 Cisco facilities were certified by LEED, WELL Building Standard, Comprehensive Assessment System for Built Environment Efficiency (CASBEE), Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), or another comparable green building certification, and six were in progress. The certified facilities represent 3.5 million square feet of certified space, which is about 19% of Cisco’s global real estate portfolio.
These standards make our spaces healthier and more comfortable for our occupants while reducing the environmental impact of our buildings.
Scope 1 and 2 emissions
In FY24, our Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions were 73% lower than our FY19 baseline on an absolute basis.
We’ve been working to increase the efficiency of our facilities and reduce their associated energy use and emissions for nearly 20 years. In September 2021, we set a goal to reduce global Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 90% absolute by fiscal 2025 (compared to fiscal 2019 base year) and to neutralize any remaining Scope 1 and 2 emissions by permanently removing an equal amount from the atmosphere through credible GHG emissions removal projects. As of the end of fiscal 2024, we have reduced our Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 73% absolute compared to our fiscal 2019 baseline.
This near-term target supports our ambitious net-zero goal. The majority of our Scope 1 and 2 emissions comes from electricity use in our buildings. As a result, we focus on implementing projects that reduce our electricity use and increasing our use of renewable electricity.
To help achieve our Scope 1 and 2 goals, we plan to invest approximately US$39 million from fiscal 2023 through the end of fiscal 2025 to reduce our emissions through a combination of energy efficiency, renewable energy, and electrification projects. Read more about our efforts in these areas below.
| KPI | FY19 (base year) | FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KPI: Total GHG emissions: Scope 1, metric tonnes CO2e | FY19 (base year):45,604 | FY21: 26,694 | FY22: 34,931 | FY23: 39,514 | FY24: 33,683 | |
| KPI: Total GHG emissions: Scope 2 (location-based), metric tonnes CO2e | FY19 (base year):651,331 | FY21: 579,445 | FY22: 564,012 | FY23: 567,637 | FY24: 563,518 | Comments: "Location-based" is used consistent with GHG Protocol and does not include renewable energy purchases. |
| KPI: Total GHG emissions: Scope 2 (market-based), metric tonnes CO2e | FY19 (base year):187,428 | FY21: 147,801 | FY22: 108,373 | FY23: 81,806 | FY24: 28,418 | Comments: "Market-based" is used consistent with GHG Protocol and includes renewable energy purchases. |
| KPI: Total GHG emissions: Scope 1 and 2 (market-based), metric tonnes CO2e | FY19 (base year):233,032 | FY21: 174,494 | FY22: 143,303 | FY23: 121,321 | FY24: 62,100 | Comments: Totals may not match Scope 1 and 2 figures reported above due to rounding. |
| KPI: Percent progress against FY25 goal to reduce Cisco Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 90% absolute (FY19 base year)2 | FY19: Base Year | FY21: 25.5% | FY22: 38.9% | FY23: 48.3% | FY24: 73.4% | Comments: Cisco's FY25 GHG reduction goal was announced in September 2021 as part of our net-zero goal. |
| KPI: Scope 1 and 2 emissions (market-based) intensity, metric tonnes CO2e per million dollars of revenue | FY19 (base year):4.5 | FY21: 3.5 | FY22: 2.8 | FY23: 2.1 | FY24: 1.2 | Comments: Market-based intensity is a measure of operational efficiency commonly used by many Cisco stakeholders. |
| KPI: Scope 2 emissions from primary data, percent | FY19 (base year):97.5% | FY21: 98.4% | FY22: 98.6% | FY23: 98.5% | FY24: 98.9% | Comments: |
See historical data.
1 Historical Scope 1 and 2 emissions data may vary from previous publicly reported values, either in the most recent 2024 CDP (formerly Carbon Disclosure Project) response or our previous Purpose Report. This is due to updated reporting guidance, emissions factors, adjustments for acquisitions or divestitures, or correction of inconsistencies found during review.
2 We continue to make strides towards this fiscal 2025 goal. However, like other companies with ambitious targets, we are facing headwinds. Regardless, we will continue to drive meaningful action and innovate toward our goals.
| KPI | FY19 (base year) | FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KPI: Energy generated, GWh | FY19 (base year):2.2 | FY21: 2.4 | FY22: 1.4 | FY23: 1.3 | FY24: 1.1 | Comments: Cisco has onsite solar photovoltaic systems at our campuses in Texas, North Carolina, and India. |
| KPI: Energy usage, GWh | FY19 (base year):1813 | FY21: 1624 | FY22: 1629 | FY23: 1616 | FY24: 1575 | Comments: |
| KPI: Indirect energy usage, GWh | FY19 (base year):1612 | FY21: 1515 | FY22: 1489 | FY23: 1457 | FY24: 1448 | Comments: Electricity is the primary indirect energy source used by Cisco, but we also use district cooling. |
| KPI: Direct energy usage, GWh | FY19 (base year):201 | FY21: 109 | FY22: 140 | FY23: 157 | FY24: 127 | Comments: Direct energy consumption is the sum of Cisco's natural gas, propane, and diesel usage for heating and backup power generation and regular gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel used in Cisco's fleet. |
| KPI: Electricity usage, GWh | FY19 (base year):1612 | FY21: 1515 | FY22: 1489 | FY23: 1457 | FY24: 1446 | Comments: |
| KPI: District cooling, GWh | FY19 (base year): | FY21: | FY22: | FY23: 1 | FY24: 1 | Comments: Data from FY19-FY22 is not available. |
| KPI: District heating, GWh | FY19 (base year): | FY21: | FY22: | FY23: | FY24: 0.5 | Comments: Data from FY19-FY23 is not available. |
| KPI: Natural gas usage, GWh | FY19 (base year):93 | FY21: 53 | FY22: 46 | FY23: 43 | FY24: 35 | Comments: |
| KPI: Stationary diesel usage, GWh | FY19 (base year):20 | FY21: 10 | FY22: 18 | FY23: 21 | FY24: 22 | Comments: Stationary diesel is typically used for backup power generation. |
| KPI: Propane usage, GWh | FY19 (base year):2 | FY21: 0.8 | FY22: 0.2 | FY23: 1 | FY24: 1 | Comments: |
| KPI: Transportation fuel usage (combined gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel), GWh | FY19 (base year):86 | FY21: 47 | FY22: 75 | FY23: 92 | FY24: 69 | Comments: Transportation fuel includes regular gasoline and diesel fuel used in Cisco's car fleet, and jet fuel used in leased jets. |
| KPI: Energy use per unit of revenue, GWh of energy consumed per billion dollars in revenue | FY19 (base year):34.9 | FY21: 32.6 | FY22: 31.6 | FY23: 28.3 | FY24: 29.3 | Comments: |
See historical data.
Cisco uses the GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard as the basis for our Scope 1 and 2 calculations. We report market- and location-based Scope 2 emissions. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Center for Corporate Climate Leadership provides additional program guidance. Of the seven GHGs covered by the GHG Protocol (CO2, CH4, N2O, HFCs, PFCs, SF6, and NF3), four (CO2, CH4, N2O, and HFCs) are applicable to our operations. We do not have biogenic carbon emissions. We report Scope 1 and 2 emissions based on operations over which we have operational control. Calculations are based on site-specific data for fuel consumed and utilities purchased, applying published emissions factors and global warming potentials.
Cisco used emission factors from the following databases for its fiscal 2024 GHG inventory: 2024 International Energy Agency (IEA) Electricity Information Database 2022 IEA factors, 2023 European Union Residual Mix Factors from RE-DISS, and Center for Corporate Climate Leadership GHG Emission Factors Hub (updated September 2024). Country-specific emission factors for Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, and United Kingdom in 2024 were provided from those countries’ governments.
Renewable energy
A key priority of Cisco’s environmental sustainability strategy is to accelerate clean energy adoption. This includes increasing our use of renewable energy in our own global operations. For information on how we address the clean energy transition in our supply chain, see Supply chain environmental stewardship, where we share more about how we are providing education and working to better track implementation, understand suppliers’ procurement challenges, and reduce barriers to fulfillment.
In fiscal 2024, we consumed approximately 1.4 million MWh of renewable electricity, making up 96% of our total global electricity demand. This includes sourcing 100% of the electricity used at Cisco facilities in the United States, Canada, and various other countries from renewable sources—see table below. Our renewable energy procurement takes four forms:
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Onsite solar installations at our larger key facilities around the world
Solar installations at our campuses in Texas, North Carolina, and India produce about 1.1 million kWh of electricity and avoid approximately 1000 metric tonnes of CO2e per year. We also funded a new 100 kW rooftop solar system at our leased site in Krakow, Poland, in fiscal 2024.
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Longer-term offsite power purchase agreements (PPAs) that support development of new renewable energy systems in locations where we operate
Over the past few years, Cisco has made significant strides to execute numerous long-term renewable energy contracts like PPAs. We are doing so because these add new renewable energy sources to electric grids and can generate local jobs and economic growth.
In March 2024, Cisco began sourcing power from a new 37 MW solar plant in the “España Vaciada” or “empty Spain” region of Teruel (Aragón), a key area of investment and focus for the Spanish government. The plant is expected to produce approximately 60,000 MWh per year of solar energy—equivalent to 100% of the annual electricity needs for Cisco’s European operations for the next 15 years.1 Read more here.
In fiscal 2024, we also signed two new renewable energy PPAs. In India, we signed a long-term PPA that will drive the development of a new 92 MW solar and wind generation facility in fiscal 2025 and deliver renewable electricity to one of our largest campus sites located in Bangalore. We also served as the anchor buyer for an aggregated virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA), partnering with six other companies to drive a new 180 MW solar development in Texas, which is expected to achieve commercial operation in fiscal 2026.
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Utility green power contracts, through which we source renewable energy from local utilities
In the United States and in Europe, we source locally generated renewable energy by participating in utility green power programs like Austin Energy's Green Choice program in Texas and Duke Energy's Green Rider program in North Carolina.
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Energy Attribute Certificates (EACs), such as renewable energy certificates (RECs)
These certificates are a flexible way to source the environmental attributes of renewable energy when other options are not as readily available. In fiscal 2024, 85% of the unbundled EACs that Cisco purchased came from renewable energy systems built in 2020 or later, and 98% came from projects built in 2017 or later.
While unbundled RECs still represent the largest portion of Cisco's global renewable energy purchases (see table below), we are working to significantly reduce this percentage as we execute more long-term contracts and the projects associated with those contracts come online. Long-term contract options like PPAs need to be carefully selected and vetted, and it typically takes 12 to 24 months for a new renewable energy system to be built after a contract is signed.
The RECs that Cisco purchases in the United States are generated from wind and solar sources in the United States and adhere to the GHG Protocol Scope 2 Guidance regarding renewable energy purchases. For further information see Cisco's response to the latest annual CDP Climate Change questionnaire (7.30.17 and 7.55.2). Information is updated annually.
Cisco is also a member of the RE100 initiative, which brings together businesses committed to 100% renewable electricity. Beyond helping us advance our own goals, participating in RE100 also supports Cisco’s ambition to increase clean energy access globally and contributes to the private sector demand signal for renewables. We also continue to engage with green power providers and buyers through the Clean Energy Buyers Association and the EPA's Green Power Partnership.
1 Excluding the United Kingdom, Poland, and Romania, which are not Association of Issuing Bodies (AIB) countries and are therefore not covered by the scope of the VPPA.
| KPI | FY19 | FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KPI: Electricity from renewable sources, GWh | FY19: 1344 | FY21: 1292 | FY22: 1320 | FY23: 1333 | FY24: 1394 |
| KPI: Electricity from renewable sources, % | FY19: 83% | FY21: 85% | FY22: 89% | FY23: 91% | FY24: 96% |
See historical data.
| Onsite solar | 1115 MWh | 0.1% |
|---|---|---|
| Direct procurement from an offsite system, e.g., PPA | 378,140 MWh | 27% |
| Green power contracts with energy suppliers or utilities | 46,895 MWh | 3% |
| Unbundled energy attributes1 | 967,634 MWh | 69% |
1 RECs, Guarantees of Origin (GOs), Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGOs), International RECs (I-RECs).
| Solar/Wind | 94% |
|---|---|
| Wind/Hydro | 3% |
| Other/Unknown | 3% |
| Region | FY19 | FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region: EMEA (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa) | FY19: 65% | FY21: 61% | FY22: 80% | FY23: 92% | FY24: 94% |
| Region: AIB countries1 | FY22: 100%2 | FY23: 100% | FY24: 100% | ||
| Region: Israel | FY19: | FY21: | FY22: 0% | FY23: 100% | FY24: 100% |
| Region: Poland | FY19: | FY21: | FY22: 84% | FY23: 100% | FY24: 100% |
| Region: South Africa | FY19: | FY21: | FY22: 100% | FY23: 100% | FY24: 100% |
| Region: United Kingdom | FY19: | FY21: | FY22: 100% | FY23: 100% | FY24: 100% |
| Region: APJC (Asia Pacific, Japan, and China, includes India) | FY19: 40% | FY21: 52% | FY22: 61% | FY23: 68% | FY24: 88% |
| Region: Australia | FY19: | FY21: | FY22: 0% | FY23: 100% | FY24: 100% |
| Region: India | FY19: 52% | FY21: 66% | FY22: 77% | FY23: 81% | FY24: 100% |
| Region: Japan | FY19: | FY21: | FY22: 0% | FY23: 0% | FY24: 81% |
| Region: Singapore | FY19: | FY21: | FY22: 0% | FY23: 100% | FY24: 100% |
| Region: Americas | FY19: 99% | FY21: 99% | FY22: 99% | FY23: 99.8% | FY24: 100% |
| Region: Canada | FY19: 100% | FY21: 100% | FY22: 100% | FY23: 100% | FY24: 100% |
| Region: Mexico | FY19: | FY21: | FY22: 0% | FY23: 100% | FY24: 100% |
| Region: United States | FY19: 100% | FY21: 100% | FY22: 100% | FY23: 100% | FY24: 100% |
See historical data.
1 Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland.
2 Sourced renewable energy from green power contracts and GOs/REGOs.
Energy efficiency
The global EnergyOps program, managed by the GEMS team, is dedicated to implementing energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in Cisco buildings. We also engage within our real estate organization to maximize efficiency within our projects and operations.
In fiscal 2024, the GEMS team enabled Cisco to avoid approximately 1.3 GWh of energy consumption and 850 metric tonnes of CO2e by investing US$7.8 million to implement 27 energy efficiency projects, including:
- Installing LED lights to increase lighting efficiency
- Balancing airflow and improving hot and cold aisle containment within our labs
- Retrofitting and optimizing major mechanical equipment and control systems to improve energy efficiency of our heating and cooling systems
- Electrifying our building heating systems, moving from natural gas systems to heat-recovery chillers and electric systems
- Installing meters as well as using artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced analytics to better monitor and optimize energy usage in our buildings
- Implementing low cost/no cost projects, such as optimizing set points and order of operations within our building management system, and training staff on how to operate our buildings more efficiently
- Participating in emergency energy demand response programs in both Texas and California to shed load and stabilize the grid during grid emergencies
- Continuing an employee engagement campaign to promote, educate, and incentivize employees to conserve energy
We estimate that the 156 energy efficiency and onsite renewable energy projects implemented since fiscal 2020 have avoided approximately 46.6 GWh of energy and 22,200 metric tonnes of CO2e.
| KPI | FY20 | FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KPI: Number of projects implemented | FY20: 44 | FY21: 24 | FY22: 34 | FY23: 27 | FY24: 27 | Total: 156 |
| KPI: Annual energy avoided, GWh/yr | FY20: 19.3 | FY21: 6.6 | FY22: 14.5 | FY23: 4.9 | FY24: 1.3 | Total: 46.6 |
| KPI: Total estimated annual CO2e savings, metric tonnes CO2e/yr | FY20: 8550 | FY21: 2700 | FY22: 8000 | FY23: 2100 | FY24: 850 | Total: 22,200 |
1 Does not include renewable energy purchases.
Lab and data center efficiency
Data centers are significant drivers of growth in electricity demand in many regions. Electricity consumption from data centers, AI, and the cryptocurrency sector could double by 2026, according to the IEA. As part of Cisco’s overall environmental sustainability efforts, we are working across our real estate, procurement, logistics, and other teams to advance sustainability in our data centers globally. Our strategy focuses on sustainable design, optimized operations, energy management, asset recovery and reuse, and responsible procurement.
Through our Lab and Data Center Modernization program, we are consolidating our lab footprint and designing for longer-term efficiency and functionality. We are prioritizing updates to aging equipment through our Building Infrastructure Lifecycle Replacement program. Finally, we are evaluating innovative technology and control strategies such as including AI and new sensor technologies to manage energy use and airflow in our labs and data centers. Cisco Customer Experience Labs are also striving to reduce emissions, optimize energy use, and promote circular economy principles by reducing physical lab space, automating lab solutions, and optimizing service delivery. In fiscal 2024, the team decommissioned 853 devices and redeployed 117 devices for other use cases, and ultimately reduced lab space by more than 11% through lab consolidation in several countries.
Read our Cisco IT Data Center Sustainability white paper to learn more about our efforts.
Electrification
We are electrifying our building heating systems. We are installing heat recovery chillers, adding heat recovery onto existing chillers, and installing heat pumps for water heating. Transitioning to electricity reduces our Scope 1 emissions and gives us an opportunity to source more renewable electricity to reduce our Scope 2 emissions. Electrification projects are underway at our headquarters campus in San Jose, California, and sites in EMEA with natural gas usage.
Electric vehicles (EVs)
Cisco maintains a fleet of company cars for our employees in Europe and has been working to transition to EVs, which now represent 58% of our employee fleet vehicles in use today. We have set a limit on the allowable CO2 emissions of newly purchased vehicles and promote EVs when possible. The current limit we set is 151 g/km for diesel cars and 160 g/km for gasoline cars. We expect to further reduce these limits over time, as the automobile industry continues to release more fuel-efficient and less polluting vehicles, as well as an increased number of fully electric models.
| FY20 | FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total fleet size | FY20: 4620 | FY21: 3562 | FY22: 3722 | FY23: 4281 | FY24: 4631 |
| Number of EVs | FY20: 773 | FY21: 984 | FY22: 1535 | FY23: 2184 | FY24: 2669 |
| Percentage of EVs | FY20: 16% | FY21: 28% | FY22: 41% | FY23: 51% | FY24: 58% |
Cisco maintains over 550 EV charging ports for employees and guests at campus locations, and many of our leased sites include access to EV charging stations as well. Over 500 of these ports are located at our headquarters in San Jose, California.
Non-GHG emissions
Because our production is outsourced to supply chain partners, our global operations primarily consist of standard office activities and research labs. This limits our non-GHG emissions to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from cleaning products, nitrous oxides (NOX), and sulfur oxides (SOX) from onsite fuel combustion (from vehicle engines, boilers, or emergency generators), and the subsequent formation of ozone from the photochemical reaction of NOX.
We comply with applicable California Air Resources Board requests and do not use mechanical equipment, such as gasoline-powered lawn mowers, after 11 a.m. on designated Spare the Air days, when air quality is poor in the San Francisco Bay Area. We also have policies and procedures in place and work with our supply chain partners regarding substances restricted by regulations from use in manufacturing, as applicable.
| KPI | FY20 | FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KPI: VOC emissions1 | FY20: Negligible | FY21: Negligible | FY22: Negligible | FY23: Negligible | FY24: Negligible |
| KPI: NOX, metric tonnes | FY20: 223 | FY21: 81 | FY22: 121 | FY23: 132 | FY24: 131 |
| KPI: SOX, metric tonnes | FY20: 0.58 | FY21: 0.28 | FY22: 0.36 | FY23: 0.39 | FY24: 0.37 |
| KPI: Particulate matter | FY20: Negligible | FY21: Negligible | FY22: Negligible | FY23: Negligible | FY24: Negligible |
1 Quantities of VOC-based chemicals deployed are minimal, and monitoring is not required.