This weblog is a part of our give attention to Cisco staff who’re “Striving for Sustainability” by discovering alternatives to combine sustainability of their day-to-day work.
At Cisco, packaging sustainability is a key facet of our technique to transition to a round enterprise mannequin. We do that by designing packaging that protects our merchandise whereas additionally minimizing environmental influence. This implies utilizing much less supplies when attainable and selecting extra sustainable supplies — similar to supplies that comprise recycled content material and are recyclable or reusable.
I not too long ago sat down with Nicole Kenney, Program Supervisor on the Packaging Engineering group, who focuses her work on packaging and materials circularity. Nicole has been capable of analysis and handle initiatives to assist a variety of sustainability points associated to packaging.
What impressed you to pursue a profession in packaging sustainability, and the way did you find yourself at Cisco?
Nicole: Rising up, I used to be all the time in nature and consistently juggling a number of artwork initiatives. I knew I needed to do one thing inventive — that led me to the textile and attire trade. After incomes my diploma in supplies and polymer science, I developed materials and packaging for outside efficiency attire and kit. The outside trade was one of many first to take part within the sustainability motion, and thru my work on sustainability initiatives, I spotted preserving nature was my objective.
You may marvel in regards to the transition from attire merchandise to know-how {hardware}, however whatever the trade, packaging challenges are common: the primary precedence is to guard the product. In a round economic system, the subsequent precedence is to think about the packaging’s end-of-life. These are the challenges I’ve loved tackling with our packaging engineering group at Cisco.
The factor I actually love about packaging is that everybody can relate to it. Whether or not we’re making a purchase order at a retailer or receiving a cargo at house, packaging is part of our on a regular basis lives. It serves as an necessary handshake between our model and our clients, however to me, it additionally embodies the intersection of science, design, and psychology. Once I got here throughout the open Program Supervisor position and noticed Cisco’s environmental technique, I used to be drawn to the problem.
How is Cisco integrating sustainability in its packaging?
Nicole: For our Packaging Engineering group, sustainability has advanced from a nice-to-have to an important requirement for each new product introduction. This shift in our course of is essentially attributable to Cisco’s implementation of its Round Design Ideas, which information us in integrating sustainability into all our outputs.
Relating to materials selections, our packaging engineers are centered on decreasing foam use and discovering alternate options to plastic (or eliminating plastic altogether). Packaging optimization is one other space of focus; as an illustration, multi-packing may also help save supplies, which reduces value and environmental influence.
Nevertheless, packaging sustainability varies significantly from one product to the subsequent. Our packaging engineers face a difficult process: there is no such thing as a set recipe for a extra round pack; fairly, it’s a balancing of a number of distinctive elements. They need to prioritize product safety, as a result of reshipping to exchange a broken product undermines sustainability. Additionally they contemplate product quantity; if a product is high-volume, optimizing dice dimension for palletization effectivity is essential. The extra models that match on a pallet, the less pallets wanted for transport, which streamlines logistics and helps our company internet zero technique.
General, we try to combine recycled content material, scale back plastic utilization, and allow packaging to take part in a round system.
What position does know-how play in advancing Cisco’s packaging sustainability efforts?
Nicole: Relating to know-how and packaging, supplies innovation is important to advancing packaging sustainability. Our Packaging Engineering group collaborates carefully with our suppliers to rethink supplies from starting to finish, with a specific give attention to fiber-based options.
Two examples of supplies innovation embody fiber flute and paper modular cushions. These are each fiber-based cushioning techniques that we use as a substitute of standard foam. They’re produced from post-consumer recycled content material and, like corrugated cushions, are broadly accepted in present recycling infrastructure on the finish of their life cycle.
These new supplies assist contribute to our foam discount efforts. Nevertheless, we’re not merely swapping them out; intensive collaboration happens in the course of the design and validation course of. Prototypes are created, match checks are carried out, and packaging exams are carried out to make sure the brand new supplies added to our packaging toolkit meet each manufacturing and sustainability necessities.
What are some challenges you may encounter and the way do you overcome them?
Nicole: One problem of decreasing packaging impacts is knowing how finest to measure them. Relating to sustainability, greenhouse gasoline emissions (GHG) are usually the first measure of environmental influence. Nevertheless, analyzing the carbon footprint of Cisco’s merchandise, packaging accounts for 3% or much less of the manufacturing carbon footprint on common. Given this, Cisco’s Packaging Engineers hold the carbon footprint in thoughts, however design for recyclability to divert waste from landfill and assist the round economic system.
One other problem is discovering protecting supplies that may meet our international provide chain calls for and are regionally obtainable. Thrilling materials improvements similar to mushroom foam or bio-based plastics usually spark curiosity, however continuity in sourcing and provide may be troublesome. It’s additionally difficult to make sure that correct restoration infrastructure for these new supplies is accessible within the markets the place we promote our merchandise. These sorts of fabric improvements are sometimes higher fitted to different product varieties, similar to meals or shopper packaged items.
At Cisco, we design our packaging to be separable and recyclable. Most of our packaging is fiber-based corrugated board which meets these necessities. Nevertheless, we can not management which bin our clients will use for packaging waste disposal. Recycling infrastructure varies significantly from city to city, each within the US and globally. This fragmentation poses the subsequent problem: easy methods to educate our clients on the easiest way to handle packaging waste. We would like clients to make knowledgeable choices about disposal after receiving our merchandise. To deal with this, we’ve begun to launch merchandise with easy however informative messaging to assist them perceive what to do with their packaging waste.
What future developments do you see in packaging sustainability?
Nicole: A efficiently scaled round economic system requires collaboration between the enterprise sector, customers, and authorities. Amongst them, every entity has an important position to play in driving sustainability. We’ve noticed corporations striving to supply extra sustainable options. Shoppers are more and more in search of extra sustainable choices, evidenced by their buying selections. Now, we’re seeing a surge of collaboration among the many three entities.
As an organization, we’re conscious that governments and the personal sector are prioritizing circularity, and we acknowledge that this has an influence on our clients. That is an thrilling time as a result of we’re partaking with our clients on packaging sustainability greater than ever earlier than. They’re keen to know our packaging roadmap, and we’re equally enthusiastic about theirs. There’s a robust willingness to share, perceive, and collaborate, making it an exhilarating time.
This pattern provides me hope that as we work collectively, the round economic system is achievable throughout our enterprise ecosystem.
You may be taught extra about our packaging targets in Cisco’s Objective Reporting Hub.
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