At Ciena, we recognize our responsibility to make a positive impact on those around us. Discover how we lived our commitment to uplifting each other and those in need in 2024.

I think that reflecting on our achievements is an important part of any project, especially when goals are long term and the work takes time. It is important to celebrate the milestones reached and the progress made. As we celebrate the end of 2024 and look ahead to 2025, I want to take that time once again to point out some work our teams have done to help our communities, people, and planet. Let’s dive in.

Helping the environment

We started 2024 on a positive note in our environmental sustainability journey. We achieved our goal to be carbon neutral across Scope 1, 2, and certain Scope 3 emissions and we continued to mobilize our teams towards our two science-based targets. Our facilities and lab teams undertook several energy reduction projects that have saved more than 600 MTCO₂e in 2024. In addition to this, we met our goal of using 100% renewable energy in all of our facilities—significantly reducing our emissions from electricity use (Scope 2).

We know that our environmental journey doesn’t end at the facilities level; we are also making strides within our supply chain. For instance, this past year we made significant progress towards our goal of using 70% recycled content in our packaging by the end of 2025, already reaching up to 80% recycled content in packaging for our optical portfolio. We're also making our packaging smaller and lighter, which reduces raw material usage and emissions throughout the production, shipping, and recycling processes.

Learn more about our Sustainability journey in our latest Sustainability Report

As we move closer to our environmental goals, we used our annual Earth Month campaign to show that everyone at Ciena can make a difference. Throughout the month, we shared stories of the various teams that were integrating sustainability into their work—whether it was in research and development, supply chain, marketing, or IT. It’s incredible how our teams are taking the initiative to do things differently with the benefit of reducing waste, energy use, and associated emissions. We also engaged our people in volunteering to help the planet, planting trees, and cleaning up local parks, among other activities. We organized 30 in-person and virtual volunteering events, resulting in a total of 2,845 hours dedicated to environmental causes.

Volunteering for Earth Month

Giving back through the Ciena Cares program

And speaking of volunteerism, one of the most humbling things to see every year is how our global team members show their continued dedication to helping their communities. In 2024, for the first time ever, 1 in every 2 employees participated in our Ciena Cares program, reaching our goal of 50% participation. The combined impact of their generosity totaled 37,000 volunteered hours and $3.9 million donated through personal donations, company matching, and volunteer rewards.

I’m always impressed by the way our employees step up their commitment each year. Some of this was enabled through our annual Go Do Good Month, where our Ciena Cares Champions hosted more than 40 volunteering events around the world for our employees to participate in, resulting in over 4,000 volunteer hours dedicated to important causes such as food insecurity, healthcare, and the planet. But it’s not just that. Enabling people to use volunteer time to coach a local sports team, help out at their child’s school, contribute to a local cause, or even perform acts of kindness in their community, has helped grow the program through the years so our employees can fit volunteerism seamlessly into their work and personal lives and make it an integral part of our culture.

And thanks to the generosity and dedication of our team members, we received some recognition for our program. In 2024, we were awarded the People Power Goodie Award from Benevity. This award recognizes that our people are at the heart of our Ciena Cares program. We were also proud to be nominated for Volunteer Ottawa’s Leadership in Corporate Volunteerism Award which recognizes the impact Ciena has on volunteering in the local community.

Volunteering during Go Do Good Month

Improving digital access for students with our Digital Inclusion program

As an organization that enables connectivity for so many around the globe, we understand the power of digital access. Over the last year we continued our commitment to fund technology, connectivity, and digital skills for underserved students. In 2024, we awarded grants to four new organizations to help them on their mission to bridge the digital divide. These organizations join several others that we have been supporting on an on-going basis since 2021, allowing us to expand our support for diverse groups in North America and in Asia.

This was also the biggest year yet in the Ciena Solutions Challenge, which challenges middle and high school students to find innovative solutions to sustainability challenges affecting their local communities. This year we distributed  $2,500 prizes to 20 winning schools, and gave out an additional 18 prizes of $500 each due to the record-breaking number of incredible project submissions. These awards enable students and educators at the winning schools to sustain and expand their projects, furthering the positive impact on their communities.

A student participating in the Ciena Solutions Challenge

Supporting our people in their career development and beyond

And just as we made efforts to support our communities, we also continued to support and invest our people. Our team members had an exciting year filled with celebrations and opportunities to grow professionally. Our Employee Resource Groups hosted enriching gatherings all over the world, from our educational global gathering for International Women’s Day, to Pride parades in multiple cities, and beyond. Regionally, our offices hosted observations of local holidays, including the show-stopping, week-long Diwali celebrations in our Gurgaon office.

We also welcomed 137 interns to learn and grow with us, and ran three manager development programs in Gurgaon, Atlanta, and Ottawa. Our Leadership Development Program supported even more Ciena team members in growing their skills and demonstrating leadership across the organization.

To everyone who showed up alongside their colleagues to give back, support the planet, and celebrate our global team of incredible people, thank you for a wonderful 2024! We look forward to another bright year of bringing humanity to innovation in 2025.

Celebrating Diwali in Gurgaon

Enjoying the Pride Parade in Belfast

Observing International Women's Day in Ottawa