Champions of Sustainability
Who are the Champions of Sustainability?
The Champions of Sustainability are Cisco employees who advance sustainable and ethical practices as part of their daily responsibilities. Our Champions protect workers' human rights and well-being, communicate responsible business practices, help ensure ethical mineral sourcing, and advance circular economy and environmental stewardship. They all demonstrate that how our products are made matters.
Our latest cohort of champions
Daniela Ruiz Delgado
Manager, Country Strategy Mexico
"My collaboration with the Sustainability team was on the Human Rights Assessment for Supply Chain suppliers and partners in Mexico. I used my manufacturing operations experience to help our team and partners understand what the assessment was and why it was important for Cisco. I encourage all of us, regardless of our responsibilities, to keep human rights in mind and ask relevant questions to unearth risk and protect the people that support our operations."
Plastic bag removal team
(Kayo Hatton, mechanical engineeer; Michael Mandry, mechanical engineering technical leader; and Austin Li, component engineering technical leader)
"We worked together to find the most effective solutions for removing plastic bags from packaging, which included assessing the risks of removing plastic from packaging, creating alternative paper solutions, and working out potential manufacturing issues. Eliminating plastic bags that harm the environment drives sustainability from the beginning of the supply chain all the way through to the customer."
Praveen Paladugu
Mechanical engineer
"As product engineers, we have the chance to influence product design from the raw material phase through the finished goods phase. I helped move the core routing business unit toward circular design by incorporating more post-consumer recycled material, influencing foamless packaging designs, and using lightweight material for some boxes. I truly believe Cisco's products and technologies have the potential to transform the future."
Jim Bakkelund
Sourcing commodity manager
Plastic waste is a pervasive and pressing problem, with billions of tons of plastic being produced each year. Recognizing the urgent need for action, Global Supplier Management (GSM) set out on a mission to develop a solution to not only reduce plastic waste but also create economic and social benefits. After years of hard work, we are confident we can reach 50% post-consumer recycled material—or approximately 1200 metric tons—of reused plastics in Cisco products by the end of FY25.
Maggie Little
Sustainability specialist
I hosted the Technology Advisory Group (TAG) for Cisco's best and brightest to collaborate and share sustainability-focused projects and solutions. Through hosting forums, coordinating guest speakers, and encouraging conversation, I helped advance sustainability initiatives and overall technology knowledge.
