our climate policy
Since we opened our first store back in 1962, we’ve aimed to make our products and operations more sustainable for our guests. In 2017, we took the next step forward, introducing a new climate policy and goals to guide our progress. Through our continued efforts, we aim to reduce our greenhouse gas footprint and work with our industry partners, policymakers and other stakeholders to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy.
view our full climate policy
our goals
Our goals have been approved by the Science-Based Targets initiative, the organization that provides guidelines to help U.S. companies align their corporate goals with climate science so the economy can progress together.
Target will reduce its absolute Scope 1, 2 and 3* greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent below 2017 levels by 2030.
We’re also committing that 80 percent of our suppliers will set science-based reduction targets on their Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2023.
We’ll get there by continuing to ramp up our use of renewable solar and wind power to offset energy used at our facilities, increasing the energy-efficiency of heating and lighting sources in stores, actively managing our refrigerant inventory, and exploring new programs.
We’re already well on our way through efforts like our participation in the Clean by Design textile industry program and the Vietnam Improvement program, both of which work to improve energy and water efficiency—which we’ll expand in coming years.
*from retail purchased goods and services
read more about our goals and reporting
what are scopes?
Our greenhouse gas emissions are broken down into three categories, called scopes.
- Scope 1: Emissions generated from Target facilities
- Scope 2: Emissions from energy we purchase to power Target facilities
- Scope 3: Emissions generated from the entire supply chain, such as the creation of the products and services we sell
how we'll do it
To make it all happen, we’ll focus our efforts in five areas:
- Increasing adoption of renewable energy in our own operations, our supply chain, and on the electricity grid
- Driving energy and water efficiency in our own operations and in our supply chain
- Investing in innovations supporting the transition to a lower-carbon transportation system, including vehicle electrification
- Considering climate impacts in raw materials sourcing, particularly the impacts of land use change, and designing plans to mitigate those impacts
- Supporting communities most heavily impacted by climate change and building their resilience to climate change impacts like extreme weather events
lowering emissions in our beef supply chain through collaboration
We’ve teamed up alongside The Nature Conservancy, Cargill and McDonald’s to help Nebraska farmers adopt and implement proven soil health practices to lower our emissions in our beef supply chain and help mitigate climate change. It’s a five-year, $8.5 million project focused on 100,000 acres of row crop production in Nebraska dedicated to feeding cattle. Farmers will receive the technical and financial assistance to scale the implementation of regenerative soil health practices, including cover cropping, reduced tillage and diversified crop rotation.