Cisco pushes for more recycling of its used gear

Cisco is introducing a new payment scheme to encourage customers to recycling its hardware, alongside a new partner incentive to repurpose or recycle its end-of-use products.

The two schemes aim to help Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins build on the vendor’s 2018 sustainability pledge and a commitment to have 100% of hardware returned at the end-of-use.

Building the circular economy

The Cisco Green Pay payment scheme will see customers offered a 5% incentive on Cisco hardware at the outset of their purchase and a predictable payment strategy over five years. Once the term is up, the product is recovered by Cisco free of charge and the customer receives a certificate confirming that it has entered the circular economy.

The scheme applies to Cisco’s sustainable technologies, including Green Meraki, the Cisco IoT portfolio, smart buildings, and Service Provider (SP) infrastructure. Customers can also bundle in Cisco software and services.

While the ownership term is set to run for five years, at the end of the period, customers who are not yet ready to return the equipment have the option to extend for one additional year.

Cisco Green Pay will be available in select countries across Europe and the Middle East including Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, Turkey and the UK. 

Research from the Ellen McArthur Foundation found that 45% of emissions come from industry, agriculture and land use and therefore cannot be resolved just by transitioning to renewable energy. As a result, circularity has become one of the main building blocks of the European Green Deal, Europe’s new agenda for sustainable growth.

“Environmental, social and corporate responsibility are not only embedded in our business practices and products, but they are also a priority for our customers,” said Wendy Mars, EMEAR president at Cisco. “This new payment solution for Cisco sustainable technology offers our customers reliable IT solutions that consume less resources and ensures they are benefiting from the latest innovation.”

The Environmental Sustainability Specialization

The second initiative, called the Environmental Sustainability Specialization, provides partners with information to educate customers on the benefits of migrating to cloud-enabled solutions while updating older technologies, alongside the positive impact participating in the circular economy can have on the environment. Earning the specialization takes around 15 hours of training and requires the completion of two exams.

Once accredited, Cisco partners are eligible to participate in Cisco’s Takeback Incentive, which includes incremental discounts of up to 7% on certain products, alongside deals on refresh or migration opportunities.