This weblog is a part of our deal with Cisco workers 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 affect 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 drawback, and in his view, there isn’t any greater situation to sort out. Be taught extra about his strategy:
How did your engineering background form the best way 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 techniques drawback. Understanding how Cisco designs, builds, and ships merchandise provides me a stable grasp of the entire course of, which is very worthwhile after we’re attempting to quantify our sustainability impacts. I really feel assured in understanding what the method appears 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 at all times maintain the massive image in thoughts. The engineering design course of is inherently iterative. For instance, I educate an engineering class at Arizona State College, and we undergo cycles of arising with an thought, constructing it, testing it, seeing what labored and what didn’t, after which refining it. I deliver that very same strategy to our sustainability initiatives, reminiscent of our Product Carbon Footprint course of. It doesn’t should be good on the primary attempt; it’s about constructing, discovering points, and bettering every iteration.
Why is high-quality knowledge so vital to creating sustainability efforts credible and actionable?
Mike: Knowledge is what grounds sustainability in actuality. When you may 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 allows everybody to make extra knowledgeable and assured choices. For instance, an engineer can join environmental affect to product price, whereas a buyer can search for methods to decrease the electrical energy prices of working our merchandise.
With our Sustainability Knowledge Basis (SDF), Cisco goals to supply a single supply of high-quality knowledge for each inside groups and prospects. Given the rising complexity and demand for environmental sustainability knowledge, it’s vital that we consolidate datasets and make the information straightforward 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 components, so that everybody has the information they should help credible and actionable sustainability efforts.
How can giant corporations steadiness 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 deliver growing vitality calls for. The bottom line is to be intentional about how we design and deploy know-how. Some corporations, like Cisco, are prioritizing vitality effectivity proper from the beginning, making it a core a part of how new options and instruments are developed. It is usually essential to think about 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 by utilizing predictive analytics to handle vitality use extra effectively. These sorts of functions have been round for many years and are confirmed to assist corporations 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 complete life cycle of a product, which frequently results in higher design conversations. For instance, if you’re designing a product, LCAs can present whether or not switching to recycled supplies or decreasing the vitality depth of a provider’s location will make a much 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 could be onerous to know the place to focus. They offer engineers the insights wanted to optimize parts and provides prospects the information 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 adjustments with out unintentionally growing different impacts.
Wanting forward, the place do you see sustainability creating the best enterprise worth for big organizations?
Mike: The best worth comes when sustainability is embedded into on a regular basis enterprise and know-how choices. Corporations that use sustainability knowledge to information design, sourcing, and innovation are typically extra resilient, extra environment friendly, and higher ready for the long run.
On the upstream facet, this implies discovering methods to cut back prices by means of smarter materials selections, growing product longevity, or boosting reusability. These methods might help an organization get monetary savings whereas decreasing environmental affect. Downstream, it’s about delivering worth to prospects and companions. Which may imply serving to prospects obtain vitality financial savings or deal with emissions discount targets.
At Cisco, I see my staff sitting proper in the midst of that equation, serving to to drive advantages for each the enterprise and our prospects by making sustainability a core a part of our decision-making course of.
What do you want 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, quite than ready for good options.
