This weblog is a part of our concentrate on Cisco staff who’re “Striving for Sustainability” by discovering alternatives to combine sustainability of their day-to-day work.
At Cisco, packaging sustainability is a key side of our technique to transition to a round enterprise mannequin. We do that by designing packaging that protects our merchandise whereas additionally minimizing environmental influence. This implies utilizing much less supplies when attainable and selecting extra sustainable supplies — equivalent to supplies that include recycled content material and are recyclable or reusable.
I just 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 initiatives 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 at all times in nature and continuously juggling a number of artwork initiatives. I knew I needed to do one thing artistic — that led me to the textile and attire business. After incomes my diploma in supplies and polymer science, I developed materials and packaging for out of doors efficiency attire and kit. The out of doors business 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 function.
You would possibly marvel concerning the transition from attire merchandise to expertise {hardware}, however whatever the business, 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 residence, packaging is part of our on a regular basis lives. It serves as an essential 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 developed from a nice-to-have to an important requirement for each new product introduction. This shift in our course of is basically as a consequence of Cisco’s implementation of its Round Design Ideas, which information us in integrating sustainability into all our outputs.
In the case of materials selections, our packaging engineers are centered on decreasing foam use and discovering options to plastic (or eliminating plastic altogether). Packaging optimization is one other space of focus; as an illustration, multi-packing may help save supplies, which reduces value and environmental influence.
Nevertheless, packaging sustainability varies tremendously 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; somewhat, it’s a balancing of a number of distinctive components. They have to prioritize product safety, as a result of reshipping to switch a broken product undermines sustainability. Additionally they contemplate product quantity; if a product is high-volume, optimizing dice measurement for palletization effectivity is essential. The extra models that match on a pallet, the less pallets wanted for delivery, which streamlines logistics and helps our company internet zero technique.
General, we try to combine recycled content material, scale 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: In the case of expertise and packaging, supplies innovation is important to advancing packaging sustainability. Our Packaging Engineering group collaborates intently with our suppliers to rethink supplies from starting to finish, with a selected concentrate on fiber-based options.
Two examples of supplies innovation embrace fiber flute and paper modular cushions. These are each fiber-based cushioning techniques that we use as an alternative of standard foam. They’re made out of 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. Nevertheless, we’re not merely swapping them out; in depth collaboration happens in the course of 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 decreasing packaging impacts is knowing how finest to measure them. In the case of sustainability, greenhouse gasoline emissions (GHG) are typically the first measure of environmental influence. Nevertheless, 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 preserve 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 world provide chain calls for and are regionally accessible. Thrilling materials improvements equivalent to mushroom foam or bio-based plastics usually spark curiosity, however continuity in sourcing and provide may 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 sorts, equivalent to 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. Nevertheless, we can’t management which bin our clients will use for packaging waste disposal. Recycling infrastructure varies tremendously from city to city, each within the US and globally. This fragmentation poses the subsequent problem: easy methods to 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 handle this, we have now 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 an important position to play in driving sustainability. We’ve noticed corporations striving to supply extra sustainable options. Shoppers are more and more searching for extra sustainable choices, evidenced by their buying selections. Now, we’re seeing a surge of collaboration among the many three entities.
As an organization, we’re conscious that governments and the non-public sector are prioritizing circularity, and we acknowledge that this has an influence on our clients. That is an thrilling time as a result of we’re partaking with our clients on packaging sustainability greater than ever earlier than. They’re keen to know our packaging roadmap, and we’re equally all for theirs. There’s a powerful willingness to share, perceive, and collaborate, making it an exhilarating time.
This development provides 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 objectives in Cisco’s Function Reporting Hub.
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