Communication on Progress

2011 Communication on Progress

Participant
Published
  • 04-May-2011
Time period
  • August 2009  –  July 2010
Format
  • Stand alone document – Basic COP Template
Differentiation Level
  • This COP qualifies for the Global Compact Active level
Self-assessment
  • Includes a CEO statement of continued support for the UN Global Compact and its ten principles
  • Description of actions or relevant policies related to Human Rights
  • Description of actions or relevant policies related to Labour
  • Description of actions or relevant policies related to Environment
  • Description of actions or relevant policies related to Anti-Corruption
  • Includes a measurement of outcomes
 
  • Statement of continued support by the Chief Executive Officer

  • Statement of the company's chief executive (CEO or equivalent) expressing continued support for the Global Compact and renewing the company's ongoing commitment to the initiative and its principles.

  • Cisco is engaging the power of the human network to transform societies, create a thriving employee experience, govern our business, develop products responsibly, and protect the environment.

    Please see our executive videos, including the introductory video from Tae Yoo, senior vice president of corporate affairs, and John Chambers, Cisco chairman and CEO, explain why CSR is good for business and society.

    We encourage you to read more about our CSR efforts and tell us what you think.

    Corporate Social Responsibility Report FY10
    http://www.cisco.com/web/about/ac227/csr2010/index.html

Human Rights
  • Assessment, policy and goals

  • Description of the relevance of human rights for the company (i.e. human rights risk-assessment). Description of policies, public commitments and company goals on Human Rights.

  • Cisco evaluates and responds to human rights issues within its business operations on a regular basis. Please read more about our activities in this area in our FY10 CSR Report:

    http://www.cisco.com/web/about/ac227/csr2010/governance-and-ethics/human-rights/index.html

  • Implementation

  • Description of concrete actions to implement Human Rights policies, address Human Rights risks and respond to Human Rights violations.

  • In our FY10 CSR Report we have included a website devoted to Freedom of Access to Information. Cisco wants everyone around the world to be able to experience the benefits of an open Internet.

    Please read more here:
    http://www.cisco.com/web/about/ac227/csr2010/governance-and-ethics/human-rights/freedom-of-access-to-information.html

  • Measurement of outcomes

  • Description of how the company monitors and evaluates performance.

  • New technologies such as Internet-based (cloud) computing are changing communication and data sharing between organizations and individuals. The rapidly increasing amounts of data held online also bring new security challenges, particularly as cloud-based deployments and services expand into areas such as healthcare.

    People are understandably concerned about how their personal information is used and shared, and they want to feel confident that data communicated or stored online is secure. Protecting privacy and data is paramount to maintaining trust, and Cisco works on an ongoing basis to develop robust processes and systems to protect customer and employee data and raise awareness about the importance of data protection and privacy.

    Please read more here about our privacy policies and how we evaluate our performance in this area:
    http://www.cisco.com/web/about/ac227/csr2010/governance-and-ethics/human-rights/privacy.html

Labour
  • Assessment, policy and goals

  • Description of the relevance of labour rights for the company (i.e. labour rights-related risks and opportunities). Description of written policies, public commitments and company goals on labour rights.

  • Our People

    We employed more than 70,700 people at the end of FY10. Over 17,000 are based at our headquarters in San Jose, California, and the rest work in over 420 locations in 93 countries. Employees come from diverse backgrounds and bring with them a rich variety of skills and experiences encompassing engineering, sales, and business support. We support their safety, health, and wellbeing, and provide programs to help them balance work and personal commitments.

    To read more about the company's FY10 performance highlights:
    http://www.cisco.com/web/about/ac227/csr2010/our-people/index.html
    http://www.cisco.com/web/about/ac227/csr2010/our-people/index.html

  • Implementation

  • Description of concrete actions taken by the company to implement labour policies, address labour risks and respond to labour violations.

  • Our Customer Value Chain Management programs is aligned with four pillars:

    - Labor and worker rights
    - Security and integrity, including ethics and intellectual property protection
    - Health and safety
    - Effective use and preservation of natural resources

    We want to embed these pillars in routine business practices at Cisco and our suppliers. This will further improve the management of our supply chain and ensure business continuity by reducing risk.
    Full collaboration with our partners is essential. In FY10, we worked with more than 750 suppliers to manage production of over 46.7 million Cisco network hardware products.

    Please read our CSR report section on Our Value Chain:
    http://www.cisco.com/web/about/ac227/csr2010/our-value-chain/index.html

  • Measurement of outcomes

  • Description of how the company monitors and evaluates performance.

  • FY10 Performance Highlights
    http://www.cisco.com/web/about/ac227/csr2010/our-value-chain/index.html

    Please see our Report Card - the Value Chain section - for more details:
    http://www.cisco.com/web/about/ac227/csr2010/report-card/index.html#value-chain

    Please see our Report Card - the Our People section - for more details:
    http://www.cisco.com/web/about/ac227/csr2010/report-card/index.html#people

Environment
  • Assessment, policy and goals

  • Description of the relevance of environmental protection for the company (i.e. environmental risks and opportunities). Description of policies, public commitments and company goals on environmental protection.

  • Please listen to Laura Ipsen, senior vice president and general manager of Cisco Smart Grid and co-chair of the Eco Board, explain how Cisco is supporting a global transformation to a low-carbon society.

    http://www.cisco.com/web/about/ac227/csr2010/environment/index.html

    You may also read the transcript:
    http://www.cisco.com/web/about/ac227/csr2010/assets/flvs/transcripts/Laura_Ipsen_Sustainability_Strategy.pdf

  • Implementation

  • Description of concrete actions to implement environmental policies, address environmental risks and respond to environmental incidents.

  • Environment: Our strategy

    Our environmental strategy takes a holistic approach, looking at both direct and indirect impacts. We focus on three key areas:
    Low-carbon solutions: developing innovative solutions to help Cisco and our customers use less energy and reduce carbon footprints

    Products: making our products more energy and resource-efficient in their design, manufacture, use, and end-of-life

    Operations: improving resource efficiency and changing the way we work

    Please read the details here:
    http://www.cisco.com/web/about/ac227/csr2010/environment/index.html

  • Measurement of outcomes

  • Description of how the company monitors and evaluates environmental performance.

  • Please see our report card for specific Environmental performance results:
    http://www.cisco.com/web/about/ac227/csr2010/report-card/index.html#environment

    Cisco is proud of the awards and recognition received in the area of our environmental performance:
    http://www.cisco.com/web/about/citizenship/awards/index.html

Anti-Corruption
  • Assessment, policy and goals

  • Description of the relevance of anti-corruption for the company (i.e. anti-corruption risk-assessment). Description of policies, public commitments and company goals on anti-corruption.

  • Cisco is committed to conducting business ethically and honestly everywhere we operate. That commitment helps us attract and retain customers, business partners, and talented employees, and helps maintain our good reputation among regulators, government bodies, investors, and communities.

    http://www.cisco.com/web/about/ac227/csr2010/governance-and-ethics/business-ethics/index.html

  • Implementation

  • Description of concrete actions to implement anti-corruption policies, address anti-corruption risks and respond to incidents.

  • Cisco's Code of Business Conduct is available online:
    http://investor.cisco.com/documentdisplay.cfm?DocumentID=3263

    For specific information on anti-corruption policies and training please see information beginning on page 42.

  • Measurement of outcomes

  • Description of how the company monitors and evaluates anti-corruption performance.

  • Cisco Systems, Inc. received Ethics Inside™ 2008, 2009 and 2010 certification
    from the Ethisphere Institute, a leading think-tank dedicated to the research, creation, and promotion of
    best practices in ethics, compliance, corporate governance and citizenship. The Ethics Inside™
    certification is the only independent verification of a company‟s ethics. The annual certification is
    exclusively granted to organizations that can demonstrably prove the existence of a superior employee
    and leadership culture that promotes ethical business practices. Furthermore, such organ izations must
    have adequate systems and programs in place to reasonably prevent compliance failures and ethics
    breakdowns.

    If interested, please read more:
    http://wwwin.cisco.com/FinAdm/grc/ethics/docs/ciscoeicpressrelease_2010.pdf