Industry Partnerships
Cisco multiplies responsible practices across the ICT industry by participating in global consortiums to address some of the most pressing supply chain management challenges. These forums enable Cisco to exchange ideas and pool resources with industry peers, share best practices, and influence the development of industry standards. From working conditions to conflict minerals to human trafficking, Cisco is leading the industry's response to issues that affect millions of people around the world.
Demonstrating Leadership
Cisco complies with the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act, which requires large retailers and manufacturers that do business in California to provide information about their efforts to eradicate slavery and human trafficking from their supply chains. As a member of the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC) task force on Freely Chosen Employment, we have published a position statement and added details to the supplier Code of Conduct in this area.
We are involved in an industry-wide effort to eliminate “conflict minerals” from the ICT industry supply chain. These minerals are mined and transported in areas controlled by armed militias that are often accused of major human rights abuses. Read our policy on conflict minerals.
Cisco is also founding member of the Stanford Initiative for the Study of Supply Chain Responsibility, which explores the relationship between global supply chain responsibility and business performance.
Training, Tools, and Standards
Through EICC, we contribute to the development of common industry training, tools, and standards to support suppliers in improving sustainability performance. Our participation in the International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (iNEMI) focuses on reducing the environmental impacts of materials in our products. For example, Cisco leads a work group to simplify lifecycle analyses for the ICT industry and to identify alternatives to environmentally hazardous materials in printed circuit boards.
We are also helping to develop standardized approaches for collecting key environmental performance indicators from suppliers through the EICC Environmental Sustainability Working Group.
