This weblog is a part of our concentrate on Cisco workers 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 impression. This implies utilizing much less supplies when doable and selecting extra sustainable supplies — resembling supplies that include recycled content material and are recyclable or reusable.
I lately sat down with Nicole Kenney, Program Supervisor on the Packaging Engineering group, who focuses her work on packaging and materials circularity. Nicole has been in a position to analysis and handle tasks to help a spread 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 tasks. I knew I wished to do one thing artistic — 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 equipment. The outside trade was one of many first to take part within the sustainability motion, and thru my work on sustainability initiatives, I noticed preserving nature was my goal.
You would possibly surprise concerning the transition from attire merchandise to expertise {hardware}, however whatever the trade, packaging challenges are common: the primary precedence is to guard the product. In a round financial system, the subsequent precedence is to contemplate 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 dwelling, 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. After 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 as a consequence of 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 targeted on lowering foam use and discovering alternate options to plastic (or eliminating plastic altogether). Packaging optimization is one other space of focus; for example, multi-packing may also help save supplies, which reduces price and environmental impression.
Nonetheless, packaging sustainability varies significantly from one product to the subsequent. Our packaging engineers face a difficult job: there is no such thing as a set recipe for a extra round pack; moderately, it’s a balancing of a number of distinctive components. They have to prioritize product safety, as a result of reshipping to interchange a broken product undermines sustainability. In addition they think about product quantity; if a product is high-volume, optimizing dice dimension for palletization effectivity is essential. The extra items that match on a pallet, the less pallets wanted for transport, which streamlines logistics and helps our company web zero technique.
Total, we try to combine recycled content material, cut back plastic utilization, and allow packaging to take part in a round system.
What position does expertise play in advancing Cisco’s packaging sustainability efforts?
Nicole: Relating to expertise and packaging, supplies innovation is crucial to advancing packaging sustainability. Our Packaging Engineering group collaborates carefully with our suppliers to rethink supplies from starting to finish, with a specific concentrate on 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. Nonetheless, we’re not merely swapping them out; in depth collaboration happens through the design and validation course of. Prototypes are created, match checks are performed, 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 would possibly encounter and the way do you overcome them?
Nicole: One problem of lowering packaging impacts is knowing how greatest to measure them. Relating to sustainability, greenhouse gasoline emissions (GHG) are typically the first measure of environmental impression. Nonetheless, 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 maintain the carbon footprint in thoughts, however design for recyclability to divert waste from landfill and help the round financial system.
One other problem is discovering protecting supplies that may meet our international provide chain calls for and are regionally obtainable. Thrilling materials improvements resembling mushroom foam or bio-based plastics usually spark curiosity, however continuity in sourcing and provide could be tough. 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, resembling meals or client 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. Nonetheless, we can’t 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: how you can educate our clients on one of the best ways to handle packaging waste. We would like clients to make knowledgeable choices about disposal after receiving our merchandise. To deal with this, we’ve got begun to launch merchandise with easy however informative messaging to assist them perceive what to do with their packaging waste.
What future tendencies do you see in packaging sustainability?
Nicole: A efficiently scaled round financial system requires collaboration between the enterprise sector, customers, and authorities. Amongst them, every entity has a significant position to play in driving sustainability. We’ve noticed corporations striving to supply extra sustainable options. Shoppers are more and more looking for extra sustainable choices, evidenced by their buying selections. Now, we’re seeing a surge of collaboration among the many three entities.
As a company, we’re conscious that governments and the non-public sector are prioritizing circularity, and we acknowledge that this has an impression on our clients. That is an thrilling time as a result of we’re participating with our clients on packaging sustainability greater than ever earlier than. They’re keen to grasp our packaging roadmap, and we’re equally occupied with theirs. There’s a robust willingness to share, perceive, and collaborate, making it an exhilarating time.
This development offers me hope that as we work collectively, the round financial system is achievable throughout our enterprise ecosystem.
You possibly can be taught extra about our packaging targets in Cisco’s Function Reporting Hub.
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