Climate & Energy

We are committed to making our operations and our supply chain sustainable through reducing our greenhouse gas footprint, supporting a more resilient and healthier environment for our guests, team members, and communities. Through our Target Forward strategy, we commit to net zero greenhouse gas emissions across our enterprise by 2040 to reduce climate impacts across our operations and supply chain.

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Our achievements to date

Through our bold strategy, we’re adopting renewable energy, driving energy efficiency and implementing other sustainable practices. We’re also looking to catalyze change across our value chain, inspiring our suppliers to rapidly decarbonize and help us all realize a brighter future.

In 2021, we reduced GHG emissions from our own operations (scope 1 and 2) by 32% from 2017. The historic challenges and unique retail needs driven by the dynamics of 2020 had an undeniable impact on the growth of our business as we met increased consumer demand. Total sales increased by $12.2 billion, from $92.4 billion in 2020 to $104.61 billion in 2021, which contributed to a 4.5% rise year over year in scope 3 emissions.

Our supply chain partners are joining us on that journey to expedite the work already in place to lower our collective impact, including maintaining responsible sourcing, efficiency, increasing renewable energy use and monitoring raw materials programs. 52% of our top 80% of suppliers by spend have set emission reduction targets on their scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2023. As of 2021, our suppliers have reported net reductions in their scope 1 and 2 emissions equivalent to 5.2% of the baseline established in 2017.

Our net zero goal is ambitious, and we recognize the challenge ahead in reducing emissions while still growing our business. 

Our climate policy & goals

Target acknowledges the scientific consensus that the climate is changing, that our business is contributing to that change, and that our supply chain, operations and guests will continue to be impacted by the effects of climate change.

Target’s climate policy and goals are designed to set a leadership example within the retail industry and are accompanied by internal execution strategies and management plans.

Explore our climate policy

Our goals

Since we opened our first store back in 1962, we’ve aimed to make our products and operations more sustainable for our guests. By 2040, we commit to net zero greenhouse gas emissions across our enterprise, 10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement. 

In the near term, our goal is to reduce absolute scope 1, 2 and 3* greenhouse gas emissions by 30% below 2017 levels by 2030. (*From retail purchased goods and services.) We’ve also joined the Business Ambition for 1.5 and Race to Zero to help drive meaningful change across our sector and value chain and ensure that our emissions will contribute to no more than 1.5 degree warming.

In 2019, we set and validated science-based targets for emissions reductions across our operations and our supply chain — becoming a leader in U.S. retail.

Reporting and progress

We’ve also made a series of interim goals to measure and report our progress over time.

By 2023:

  • 80% of our suppliers — by spend, covering all purchased goods and services — will set science-based reduction targets on their scope 1 and 2 emissions.

By 2025:

  • Engage suppliers to prioritize renewable energy and collaborate on solutions that protect, sustain and restore nature.
    • Aim to have at least 50% of the energy used in strategic and joint business partner owned operations come from renewables.
    • Intend to leverage soil health practices to improve at least 1 million acres of land.
  • Source 60% of our electricity from renewable sources for our operations.

By 2030:

  • Source 100% of our electricity from renewable sources for our global operations.
  • Achieve 50% absolute reduction in operations emissions (scopes 1 & 2) from a 2017 base year.
  • Achieve 30% absolute reduction in supply chain emissions (scope 3) covering retail purchased goods and services from a 2017 base year.

By 2040:

  • Achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions across our enterprise (scopes 1, 2 & 3).

Sustainable operations and supply chain

 

Icon of a gear with a plant in the center.

We’re actively working to achieve our net zero targets in our owned operations 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. In 2021, we achieved a 32% absolute reduction in operational emissions, as we work toward a 50% reduction by 2030. Our established projects and partnerships are anticipated to result in purchasing more than 50% of our electricity from renewable sources, well on our way toward 100% by 2030.

Explore Target’s sustainable operations efforts 

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With our supplier engagement program on climate, we are committed to supporting our supply chain partners through the journey of setting their science-based emission reduction targets and in driving action together, toward a low-carbon future. We take a multi-faceted approach to our emissions reduction approach focused on the highest carbon impacts, including engaging supply chain partners in our efforts and having aim to have at least 50% of the energy used in strategic and joint business partner owned operations come from renewables by 2025.

Learn more about our work to reduce our supply chain footprint

Supply chain sustainability: performance improvement projects

We participate in several industry programs that focus on energy efficiency to reduce emissions from our suppliers’ factories.

Two stakeholders have been particularly successful in driving sustainable energy use — as well as water efficiency — in our home and apparel supply chain: the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Apparel Impact Institute (Aii). These facility improvements programs adopted by our suppliers’ participating mills have identified cost-saving opportunities and have increased operational efficiencies, yielding strong results to date.

Our performance improvement programs foster improved carbon and energy management, and this includes:  

  • Apparel Impact Institute’s Clean by Design (CbD) program and Carbon Leadership Program (CLP). 
  • International Finance Corporation’s Vietnam Improvement Program (VIP) and Cambodia Improvement Program (CIP).

In 2021, 32 apparel and home facilities completed IFC and Aii programs across Cambodia, China, India and Pakistan. Collectively, these facilities achieved an average annual energy reduction of 14% and 17% average water savings. We will continue to engage with current factories participating in programming. We also completed the first cohort of Aii’s Carbon Leadership Program in Pakistan, aiming to partner with facilities in the long-term journey of decarbonization. In 2021, seven facilities performed carbon tech assessments, established long-term carbon targets and began implementing their action plans.

Strategic partnerships focused on reducing Scope 3 emissions

In September 2022, Target joined a coalition of 18 cargo owners and customers by signing the Aspen Institute’s Cargo Owners for Zero Emission Vessels (coZEV) 2040 Ambition Statement to accelerate the transition to zero carbon maritime shipping by 2040. Joining coZEV is an important part of accelerating our work to create a more sustainable, circular supply chain that furthers the health of our business and the global community.

In November 2022, Target became a lead funder for Aii’s Fashion Climate Fund spurring the Fund’s mission to unite industry stakeholders, mobilize climate action, and meet the fashion industry’s ambition to halve carbon emissions by 2030. Target, an original founding partner of Aii, joins PVH Corporation, Lululemon, H&M Group, H&M Foundation and The Schmidt Family Foundation.

Target is also engaged, alongside other major companies, in the Nebraska Soil Carbon Project, a five-year, $8.5 million project to support Nebraska farmers in advancing soil health techniques. Target also provided an additional $1.7 million in collaboration with MBOLD, The Nature Conservancy and Hormel Foods, to encourage Minnesota farmers to adopt regenerative farming practices.

Climate-related risks and opportunities

As we build out our net zero goal roadmap, we will continue to evaluate our climate-related risks and opportunities in line with the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). Having identified climate risks using our initial 2019 TCFD findings, a third-party consultant is currently assisting us with an updated evaluation of our physical and transition risks and opportunities:

  • Transition risks encompass what may occur as a result of a transition to a low-carbon economy.   
  • Physical risks include both acute and chronic risks, such as natural disasters (acute) and longer-term impacts of a shift towards a warming climate (chronic). 
  • Opportunities considered relate to Target’s efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change.   

The evaluation will include physical risk models using the Intergovermental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) emissions scenarios, and we expect its findings to support the ongoing integration of climate risks into our business planning and processes.

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.

Tracking our climate and energy goals

Each year, Target discloses our efforts to CDP, a global disclosure system for investors, companies, cities, states and regions to manage their environmental impacts:

2022 CDP Response: Climate

2021 CDP Response: Climate

2020 CDP Response: Climate

2019 CDP Response: Climate

2018 CDP Response: Climate

2017 CDP Response: Climate

2016 CDP Response: Climate

2015 CDP Response: Climate

2014 CDP Response: Climate

Looking for Target’s disclosures related to leading frameworks and standards? Our Reporting & Progress page has our latest ESG Report and metrics.

Dig into our ESG metrics