This weblog is a part of our deal with Cisco staff who’re “Striving for Sustainability” by discovering alternatives to combine sustainability of their day-to-day work.
We’re seeing sustainability evolve into an area the place science, sensible enterprise choices, and environmental influence intersect. That’s the place Mike King, who leads Carbon Accounting and Analytics from Cisco’s Chief Sustainability Workplace, is available in.
Mike believes sustainability is an extremely fascinating engineering downside, and in his view, there is no such thing as a larger situation to deal with. Study extra about his strategy:
How did your engineering background form the way in which you strategy your work in sustainability?
Mike: Having that technical basis, together with time spent within the provide chain as a mechanical engineer at Cisco, taught me to see sustainability as a programs downside. Understanding how Cisco designs, builds, and ships merchandise provides me a strong grasp of the entire course of, which is particularly worthwhile after we’re making an attempt to quantify our sustainability impacts. I really feel assured in realizing what the method appears to be like like and what we’re coping with at every stage.
From an engineering perspective, I have a tendency to interrupt issues down into steps. I naturally transfer by means of the method step-by-step however all the time hold the massive image in thoughts. The engineering design course of is inherently iterative. For instance, I train an engineering class at Arizona State College, and we undergo cycles of arising with an concept, constructing it, testing it, seeing what labored and what didn’t, after which refining it. I convey that very same strategy to our sustainability initiatives, reminiscent of our Product Carbon Footprint course of. It doesn’t must be good on the primary attempt; it’s about constructing, discovering points, and enhancing every iteration.
Why is high-quality knowledge so vital to creating sustainability efforts credible and actionable?
Mike: Information is what grounds sustainability in actuality. When you possibly can clearly see the place impacts are concentrated, whether or not in parts, manufacturing, or vitality use, it helps groups deal with actions that may drive significant change.
Excessive-quality knowledge permits everybody to make extra knowledgeable and assured choices. For instance, an engineer can join environmental influence to product price, whereas a buyer can search for methods to decrease the electrical energy prices of working our merchandise.
With our Sustainability Information Basis (SDF), Cisco goals to supply a single supply of high-quality knowledge for each inside groups and clients. Given the rising complexity and demand for environmental sustainability knowledge, it’s vital that we consolidate datasets and make the info simple to entry and perceive. The SDF brings collectively a variety of knowledge, from product info and provide chain particulars to buyer utilization and third-party emission elements, so that everybody has the info they should assist credible and actionable sustainability efforts.
How can massive firms stability the rising demand for synthetic intelligence (AI) and digitalization with the necessity to enhance vitality effectivity?
Mike: AI and digitalization provide alternatives for effectivity, however additionally they convey growing vitality calls for. The secret is to be intentional about how we design and deploy know-how. Some firms, like Cisco, are prioritizing vitality effectivity proper from the beginning, making it a core a part of how new options and instruments are developed. Additionally it is essential to contemplate the broader system’s impacts in order that innovation and sustainability can transfer ahead collectively.
Machine studying (ML), a core subset of AI, is only one space the place we’ve already seen actual, optimistic impacts. For instance, ML algorithms can optimize buildings and amenities through the use of predictive analytics to handle vitality use extra effectively. These sorts of functions have been round for many years and are confirmed to assist firms scale back their environmental footprint.
Based mostly in your expertise constructing Cisco’s Life Cycle Evaluation (LCA) program, how can LCAs drive innovation and assist companies make higher sustainability choices?
Mike: LCAs assist make environmental impacts seen throughout the total life cycle of a product, which frequently results in higher design conversations. For instance, in case you are designing a product, LCAs can present whether or not switching to recycled supplies or lowering the vitality depth of a provider’s location will make an even bigger distinction.
At Cisco, LCAs have helped us pinpoint environmental “hotspots” in numerous life cycle phases, like manufacturing, transportation, or use. With out LCAs, it might be exhausting to know the place to focus. They provide engineers the insights wanted to optimize parts and provides clients the info to decide on extra sustainable merchandise. LCAs additionally transcend simply carbon, highlighting different impacts like water use and materials selections. This helps groups perceive trade-offs and make knowledgeable design modifications with out unintentionally growing different impacts.
Trying forward, the place do you see sustainability creating the best enterprise worth for giant organizations?
Mike: The best worth comes when sustainability is embedded into on a regular basis enterprise and know-how choices. Firms that use sustainability knowledge to information design, sourcing, and innovation are usually extra resilient, extra environment friendly, and higher ready for the long run.
On the upstream aspect, this implies discovering methods to scale back prices by means of smarter materials selections, growing product longevity, or boosting reusability. These methods might help an organization get monetary savings whereas lowering environmental influence. Downstream, it’s about delivering worth to clients and companions. That may imply serving to clients obtain vitality financial savings or deal with emissions discount targets.
At Cisco, I see my staff sitting proper in the course of that equation, serving to to drive advantages for each the enterprise and our clients by making sustainability a core a part of our decision-making course of.
What do you would like extra individuals understood about sustainability?
Mike: It’s not about discovering an ideal reply. Actual progress comes from making higher choices over time, studying from trade-offs, and specializing in what issues most. It’s about utilizing knowledge to information enhancements, fairly than ready for good options.
