Cisco Systems Inc – Lobbying Governance & Transparency

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Lobbying Governance

Overall Assessment	Analysis	Score
Moderate	Cisco has structured its climate-related policy engagement under a centralized CSR governance model, describing that “All Cisco sustainability activities are managed from a single corporate function, Corporate Affairs,” which is “chartered specifically to interface with all business functions worldwide to manage external reporting, stakeholder engagement (including public policy/law, regulations and standards) to maintain consistency and to be sure the CSR-related views of all business functions are fully represented.” The company also designates clear leadership through its “Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer” and oversight by its “Environmental, Social, and Public Policy Committee [of] the Board,” which “oversees the Company’s initiatives, policies, programs, and strategies concerning environmental sustainability and other key corporate social responsibility (CSR) and public policy matters,” indicating named individuals and bodies in charge. Nonetheless, Cisco does not disclose any specific process for monitoring, auditing, or enforcing the alignment of its actual lobbying activities—direct or through trade associations—against its climate goals, and we found no evidence of a dedicated climate lobbying review, alignment audit, or criteria for participation in associations whose positions may conflict with its climate strategy. While Cisco confirms a public commitment to conduct engagement activities in line with the Paris Agreement goals by answering “Yes,” it does not explain how this commitment is operationalized or measured within its lobbying governance framework. View Sources	C

Overall Assessment

Analysis

Score

Moderate

Cisco has structured its climate-related policy engagement under a centralized CSR governance model, describing that “All Cisco sustainability activities are managed from a single corporate function, Corporate Affairs,” which is “chartered specifically to interface with all business functions worldwide to manage external reporting, stakeholder engagement (including public policy/law, regulations and standards) to maintain consistency and to be sure the CSR-related views of all business functions are fully represented.” The company also designates clear leadership through its “Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer” and oversight by its “Environmental, Social, and Public Policy Committee [of] the Board,” which “oversees the Company’s initiatives, policies, programs, and strategies concerning environmental sustainability and other key corporate social responsibility (CSR) and public policy matters,” indicating named individuals and bodies in charge. Nonetheless, Cisco does not disclose any specific process for monitoring, auditing, or enforcing the alignment of its actual lobbying activities—direct or through trade associations—against its climate goals, and we found no evidence of a dedicated climate lobbying review, alignment audit, or criteria for participation in associations whose positions may conflict with its climate strategy. While Cisco confirms a public commitment to conduct engagement activities in line with the Paris Agreement goals by answering “Yes,” it does not explain how this commitment is operationalized or measured within its lobbying governance framework.

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Lobbying Transparency

Overall Assessment	Analysis	Score
Limited	Cisco provides a limited but identifiable picture of its climate-policy engagement. The company does name two concrete measures it has worked on—the “European Green Deal package” and the forthcoming “EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)”—indicating that these initiatives are among the focus areas of its advocacy. Beyond noting that its Government Affairs team “builds relationships with government leaders worldwide” and that it lobbies both directly and through trade bodies such as DIGITALEUROPE and the Information Technology Industry Council, Cisco offers little detail on the precise mechanisms it deploys or which government institutions it targets. The transparency gap is widest on objectives: while Cisco signals broad backing for decarbonisation, energy efficiency and the Paris Agreement, and describes internal goals like reaching net-zero by 2040, it does not spell out the specific legislative changes, thresholds or amendments it seeks from policymakers. Taken together, the disclosures reveal some insight into which climate policies Cisco addresses but provide only high-level information on how it lobbies and what concrete policy outcomes it is pursuing.	D