In Conversation with John Siemon: Sustainability, Standards and the future of ESG in Connectivity

Q1: Siemon has a long-standing legacy of sustainability. How does that legacy shape our current approach to ESG in today’s IT infrastructure landscape?

John Siemon:
At Siemon, sustainability isn’t something we’ve bolted on in recent years—it’s part of our DNA. We’re a fifth-generation, family-owned and operated manufacturer, and we’ve maintained a clean environmental record for over 122 years. That kind of longevity is only possible with a stewardship mindset—one that values long-term outcomes over short-term gains.

When I speak to customers or industry partners, I often describe it in terms of a family farm. The goal isn’t to maximise short-term yield, but to make sure the land is healthy for the next generation. That’s exactly how we run our business. We’re not focused on quarterly returns to shareholders—we are the shareholders. And that means we hold ourselves accountable, every day, to the decisions we make and the legacy we leave behind. Financial health is an often-overlooked factor that enables sustainability by providing freedom to operate and manage beyond short-term outcomes. Our company has a history of self-funding strategic investments and has no long-term debt.

That perspective drives our ESG priorities. We think about the long-term implications of everything we do—on our people, our supply chain, our communities, and the planet. Whether it’s designing new products or choosing suppliers, we prioritise transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement.

And importantly, we stay focused. That allows us to truly lead in our field and support customers not just technically, but in meeting their own sustainability and compliance goals.

Q2: You’ve said that “ignoring ESG is not an option.” Why is that more urgent today—and how is Siemon responding?

John Siemon:
We’re in a moment of significant transition, and it’s being driven by three major forces:

1. Climate change driving innovation and investment in energy and transportation
2. Digital transformation, including AI and IoT that reshape how we model and build systems
3. A compliance revolution that is rewriting the rules for how businesses must report and manage the health and environmental impacts of their products and operations

In Europe in particular, regulations like the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) are creating a new baseline for transparency. Even when these frameworks aren’t yet mandatory for a company, they’re already shaping the expectations of customers and procurement teams.

At Siemon, we’re not waiting to be told what to do. We have already taken steps to align our latest Annual ESG Report (2025) with the CSRD framework. Those updates include a full gap assessment, a double materiality analysis that layers in both financial and social/environmental impacts, and a risk-based heat map to guide our initiatives. We’re integrating CSRD requirements into our certified ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001 systems to make sure we’re ahead of the curve.

Beyond reporting, we’re committed to uncompromising transparency. On our website and eCatalog, we provide direct access to:

• Declarations of Compliance for RoHS, REACH and Conflict Minerals available through our eCatalog  on-demand
• Health Product Declarations (HPDs), which list chemical inventories down to 100 PPM and include Greenscreen hazard scores
• Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), third party certified

Our HPDs and EPDs are used to drive continuous improvement in our materials, processes and supply chain to reduce health and environmental impacts. They are created with the goal to enable LEED, WELL, LBC, BREEAM and other green building certifications. Demonstrating a commitment to reducing impacts beyond minimum compliance raises the bar for the whole industry. We’re not just here to meet ESG expectations—we want to help others do the same. That’s why we’re happy to share our progress, frameworks, and lessons learned — because sustainability is a team effort across all industries and regions.

Q3: What are some of the concrete actions or strategies that help maintain a clean environmental record?

John Siemon:
It starts with the systems. An effective Environmental Management System certified to ISO 14001—not just internally, but across your supply chain—is essential. This ensures that environmental impacts are being identified, measured, managed, and continuously improved.

Strong governance is equally important. We embed environmental and social impact assessment into every major operational decision. From product development and change control to capital investment, team member and supplier onboarding. It’s not something we review once a year—it’s deeply embedded in our policies, procedures and culture.

The challenge with environmental compliance is that regulatory oversight varies dramatically around the world. What’s legal in one jurisdiction might not align with the values or expectations of our customers in another. That’s why we treat compliance as a floor, not a ceiling. We aim higher, because the standards are always evolving—and our responsibility is to stay ahead of them.

Q4: Scope 3 emissions are often underreported or ignored. How is Siemon tackling all three scopes holistically—and what’s the role of people in that process?

John Siemon:
Reducing emissions isn’t just about what’s easy—it’s about what actually makes a difference. That’s why we’re focused on Scope 3 emissions, even though they’re the hardest to tackle.

While Scope 1 and 2 emissions (those we directly control) are the logical place to begin, they only represent a fraction of our total footprint. At Siemon, Scope 3 emissions account for more than 95% of our carbon impact. If we ignore them, we’re ignoring the real challenge.

The problem is, Scope 3 isn’t simple. Renewable energy certificates and carbon offsets are not accepted by internationally accepted reporting frameworks like SBTi for Scope 3 because their purpose is to reduce absolute emissions of heat trapping pollutants without offsets. Our approach is to work directly with our suppliers to help them reduce their own Scope 1 and 2 emissions. Then we ask them to do the same with their suppliers, creating a ripple effect of transparency and action across the supply chain.

The most critical factor for advancing strong environmental and social responsibility programs is engagement. None of this works unless our people are fully committed. At Siemon, ESG isn’t owned by one department; it’s embedded in our culture. From the boardroom to the factory floor, everyone plays a role and has a voice with respect to occupational health & safety, reducing waste, improving energy efficiency, and holding each other accountable

Q5: Looking ahead, what role can IT infrastructure play in building smarter, greener systems?

John Siemon:
Infrastructure has a bigger role to play than people often realise. It’s not just the backbone of digital systems—it’s a critical enabler of sustainability.

For example, extended reach cabling allows you to design spaces with fewer switches and power sources. That reduces material usage, cuts energy consumption, and simplifies network layouts. Power over Ethernet (PoE) opens the door to intelligent, energy-efficient building systems that combine lighting, access control, and environmental management in a single, low-power network.

We’re designing infrastructure today to support LEED, WELL, LBC and BREEAM green building certifications. But we’re also thinking ahead—about how systems can evolve as regulations tighten, as digital demand increases, and as sustainability becomes non-negotiable.