Cotton Commitment

Background

Cotton, in both its virgin and recycled forms, is a staple fiber in Target products and is vital to our business. It is used in a diverse array of fabrics and materials, which in turn are incorporated into a diverse range of products. Cotton farming is critical to the economic wellbeing of communities around the world and several methods are used to grow it. For these reasons, Target is committed to leveraging our scale to drive positive change in working conditions and environmental impact within the cotton industry. One of the challenges for Target in achieving this commitment is the lack of transparency throughout the growth and production process of cotton.   

Target’s sourcing commitment for cotton products 

Target is committed to sourcing cotton more sustainably for our owned brand and exclusive national brand products by participating in programs designed to improve cotton growing practices and working conditions. This includes meeting the following objectives:

• Ensure the cotton used in our supply chain is not cultivated or harvested using underage or forced labor.  
• Ensure working conditions in our supply chain are both ethical and compliant with applicable laws.  
• Optimize production practices to minimize environmental impact, such as water use and pollution, chemical use and improve soil health.  

We believe the first step in meeting our goals is achieving full visibility to where the cotton our vendors use to produce our products is grown. Full visibility allows us to assess the environmental and employment practices of that region and implement improvements with our vendors that address the unique needs, issues or challenges of that region. We aspire to continuous improvement within the interconnected supply chain through collaboration with farmers and brands, as well as other retailers and organizations who share our commitment. As we implement work toward this commitment, we will monitor our progress and share in our annual reporting on sustainability and governance.   

Continuous improvement

To create the positive change we believe the industry and broader market requires, we will collaborate with supply chain partners and industry stakeholders to leverage our collective scale, influence and expertise throughout the supply chain.   

Target participates in several notable programs that promote, measure and provide education around the responsible production of cotton: 

• U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol
  • Target is a member of the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol. The Trust Protocol is built on a foundation of robust data capture, aggregation and reporting that drives continuous improvement across six key sustainability metrics – water use, energy efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions, soil conservation, soil carbon and land use. 

  • Target is a member of the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol's Climate Smart Commodities Projects, working to build markets for climate-smart cotton and provide technical and financial assistance to over 1,000 U.S. cotton farmers, including underserved cotton producers and advance adoption of climate-smart practices. 

  • Learn more about U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol
• Better Cotton Initiative  
  • Target is a member of the Better Cotton Initiative. Its mission is to help cotton communities survive and thrive, while protecting and restoring the environment. Better Cotton uses a mass balance chain of custody approach.  
  • Learn more about Better Cotton 
• Organic   
  • When practical, Target uses cotton that is grown using organic production methods.

Target will rely on these programs to help fulfil our commitment. We will use a combination of these that best suit the varied geographies, supply chains and practices that Target relies upon. As we are making a long-standing commitment, this may include standards that have not yet been developed or our own programs.