Why Cisco’s FY25 Purpose Report Matters More Than Ever

At a time when many companies are quietly stepping back from purpose and sustainability reporting, Cisco has done the opposite. Its FY25 Purpose Report is not only comprehensive, but confidently published in a moment when transparency around climate action, responsible technology, and social impact is increasingly contested. That choice alone is meaningful. It signals that for Cisco, purpose is not a response to external pressure, but a core operating principle that continues to guide the business through periods of political, economic, and technological change. 

The report marks five years since Cisco formally articulated its Purpose: to Power an Inclusive Future for All. What stands out in this milestone edition is not a change in ambition, but a sharpening of focus. Cisco introduces a refreshed framework called CORE: Community Resilience, Our People, Responsible Innovation, and Energy & Sustainability to show how its work connects across these pillars in the age of AI. The structure itself reflects maturity: rather than over-claiming, the report emphasizes progress, trade-offs, and systems thinking. Doing this, gives credibility to the report and work while building trust both inside and outside the company.

Sustainability as Infrastructure, Not Optics

Cisco’s sustainability narrative is grounded in operational reality and engineering discipline. In FY25, the company achieved a 90% reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions compared to its FY19 baseline, while also sourcing renewable electricity to match 100% of global annual electricity needs across owned and leased facilities, a first in company history. These achievements are presented not as endpoints, but as foundations for the next phase of growth in an AI-intensive world. 

Crucially, Cisco explicitly links rising AI and data center demand with the urgency of energy efficiency. The report outlines three priorities going forward: improving product-level energy efficiency generation over generation, using Cisco technology to help modernize the electric grid, and expanding access to clean energy. Sustainability here is framed as a constraint that fuels innovation, not a cost to be managed around. 

The same practical mindset shows up in Cisco’s circular economy efforts. In FY25, 100% of new Cisco products and packaging incorporated Circular Design Principles, supported by measurable reductions in packaging foam (78%) and significant gains in packaging efficiency (73%). The report goes further, explaining how circularity is embedded into product design, supplier engagement, and take-back programs, reinforcing that sustainability is built into how products are designed, not added after the fact. 

Responsible AI as a Design Discipline

Responsible AI is positioned as a central pillar of Cisco’s innovation strategy, not a side policy. The report is explicit: Cisco aligns all AI development and deployment with its Principles for Responsible AI, transparency, fairness, accountability, privacy, security, and reliability,  operationalized through a formal Responsible AI Framework and mandatory AI Impact Assessments before AI systems are deployed. 

This governance-first approach extends beyond Cisco’s own products. The company highlights its role as a founding member of the Coalition for Secure AI, as well as its leadership in the AI Workforce Consortium, signaling that responsibility in AI also means shaping industry norms and workforce preparedness. Cisco’s responsible AI posture is global by design, with examples ranging from U.S. collaboration with CISA on an AI Cybersecurity Collaboration Playbook to partnerships supporting national AI strategies in Saudi Arabia and Indonesia. 

Importantly, the report avoids abstract language. Responsible AI is tied directly to concrete offerings such as Cisco AI Defense, launched in FY25 to protect AI models, data pipelines, and AI-enabled applications from emerging threats. This reinforces a consistent message: trust is an enabler of innovation, not a brake on it. 

Using AI Internally and Preparing Employees for What’s Next

One of the most compelling sections of the FY25 report focuses inward, on how Cisco is preparing its own workforce for the AI era. Rather than treating AI adoption as inevitable, Cisco studies it. In FY25, the company conducted a multimodal analysis of employee AI usage, examining adoption patterns, learning behaviors, and workflow impact. The findings are telling: leaders are the strongest predictor of AI adoption, and employees are twice as likely to use AI when their manager does. 

Cisco positions itself as “customer zero,” actively deploying its own AI technologies internally. The launch of CIRCUIT, Cisco’s internal AI assistant, exemplifies this approach. In FY25, 66% of employees used CIRCUIT, generating 17 million interactions, with the tool supporting everything from routine tasks to deep research, all built with Cisco-grade security and trust at its core. 

Upskilling underpins this adoption. In FY25, more than 37,000 Cisco employees completed AI-focused learning, a 76% year-over-year increase, and 89% of employees participated in learning or development offerings overall. Programs like AI for Everyone provide role-based, non-technical pathways into AI literacy, complemented by targeted training on data privacy, inclusive design, and human-in-the-loop decision-making. 

The message is clear: readiness for AI is not just about tools, but about culture, leadership, and continuous learning.

A Measured, Confident Approach to Purpose

What ultimately distinguishes Cisco’s FY25 Purpose Report is its tone. It neither retreats from ambition nor overstates impact. Instead, it connects metrics to meaning, technology to trust, and innovation to responsibility. In a period when some organizations are choosing silence, Cisco is choosing clarity, and doing so in a way that reflects operational depth rather than rhetorical positioning.

By continuing to publish a detailed Purpose Report, and by grounding it in sustainability progress, responsible AI governance, and real workforce readiness, Cisco reinforces a simple but powerful idea: purpose is not cyclical. It is built over time, tested in moments of uncertainty, and strengthened when companies choose to lead rather than step back.