ESG Priorities & Stakeholder Engagement

We seek to center our strategy, investments, internal and external engagement, and reporting on the priority environmental, social and governance (ESG) topics that we believe are the most relevant to our business and our stakeholders across our value chain.

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Our approach

We engage with a diverse group of stakeholders around the world, including the people who manufacture the products we sell, the team members who welcome our guests, the communities we work in, the nonprofits that we work with and the investors who make our work possible. We use their valued perspectives to inform our approach to systemic change.

Through these collaborations, we are working toward co-creating an equitable and regenerative future. We continued these collaborations despite COVID-19 making in person engagement off limits, quickly adapting events and appointments to be virtual.

ESG priorities

A globe shape with a leaf at the bottom.

Environmental

Circularity 

  • Product & packaging design 
  • Guest & supplier engagement 
  • Waste elimination & reduction 

Climate  

  • Greenhouse gas emissions 
  • Efficiency & energy management 
  • Climate-related risks & opportunities 
  • Net zero emissions target & reduction strategy 
  • Climate adaptation 

Regenerative Resources 

  • Environmental impacts of products 
  • Responsibly sourced commodities 
  • Materials and resource use  
  • Water use & management  
  • Chemicals 
  • Biodiversity 

Two hands holding the shapes of three people.

Social

Human Capital Management 

  • Labor practices  
  • Compensation & benefits  
  • Employee well-being 
  • Workplace health & safety  
  • Talent & development  
  • Non-discrimination 

Serving Communities  

  • Community impact 
  • Product quality & safety 
  • Responsible marketing 
  • Economic opportunity  
  • Employment 
  • Access to products & services 

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion  

  • Board and workplace diversity 
  • Elevating equity in communities and supply chains 

A gear surrounded by icons of people, a shield with checkmark, a truck and a storefront.

Governance

Ethical Business  

  • Transparency & reporting  
  • Government advocacy 
  • Privacy & cybersecurity  

Responsible Supply Chains  

  • Purchasing practices  
  • Traceability & sustainability  
  • Human rights  
  • Forced labor 

The ESG priorities identified and categorized in this assessment are increasingly interconnected and can often impact each other. As such, they should not be viewed in isolation.

Stakeholder engagement

Following is an overview of our stakeholder engagement during fiscal year 2020. This is an illustrative list of topics discussed.

Civil society organizations

How we engage

  • Interactions through community partnerships and volunteerism.
  • Participation in conferences and forums.
  • Collaborations to advance shared priorities.
  • Select topical engagement.
  • Strategic relationships and consultation on material issues.
  • Philanthropic investments.
  • Community dialogues.

Topics raised

  • Climate and energy.
  • Community engagement.
  • Diversity, equity and inclusion.
  • Economic opportunity.
  • Environmental impacts.
  • Human rights and labor practices.
  • Materials and packaging.
  • Philanthropy.
  • Safety, preparedness and response.
  • Supply chain management.

Our response

  • Continue our iterative learning process through engagement and collaborations to guide our strategy — including goal-setting—on our most material environmental and social topics.
  • Focused financial, human and in-kind support in communities where Target operates to work to improve the livelihoods of people across the U.S. and India, and in our sourcing communities.

Guests

How we engage

  • A Bullseye View website and newsletter.
  • Face-to-face interactions in our stores.
  • Focus groups.
  • Guest Services direct interactions.
  • In-store marketing.
  • Online polling.
  • Receipt-to-online guest satisfaction surveys.
  • Social media monitoring and engagement.
  • Target Circle loyalty program.

Topics raised

  • Community engagement.
  • Diverse and inclusive products and marketing.
  • Materials and packaging.
  • Supply chain management.
  • Sustainable and inclusive products.

Our response

  • Elevating and expanding how we share our inclusivity and sustainability work in stores and through our digital channels 
  • Increasing visibility of and access to inclusive and sustainable products.
  • Offering our guests the opportunity to direct our giving funds locally.

Government officials & influencers of public policy

How we engage

  • In meetings with local team members and company leaders.
  • Through letters and written or verbal testimony.
  • Trade associations and policy-based organizations.
  • Meetings with elected officials and other policy influencers.

Topics raised

  • Climate and energy.
  • Community engagement.
  • Data security and privacy. 
  • Employment and labor.
  • Trademarks.
  • Product safety.
  • Sustainability.
  • Taxes.
  • Trade.
  • Payments.

Our response

  • Enterprise-wide intake and assessment of salient policy issues.
  • Advocate at all levels of government to help shape constructive policy solutions that impact our team members, business, guests, industry and communities.

Investors

How we engage

  • Annual meeting of shareholders.
  • Financial community meeting.
  • Quarterly earnings conference calls.
  • Regular meetings.
  • Topical calls as requested.
  • Participation in conferences and forums.

Topics raised

  • Diversity and inclusion.
  • Our continuing response to COVID-19.
  • Corporate governance.
  • Environmental impacts.
  • Executive compensation.
  • Financial performance.
  • Human capital management.
  • Human rights and labor practices.
  • Supply chain management.
  • Community engagement.
  • Data security and privacy.
  • Philanthropy.
  • Civic activity.
  • ESG reporting standards.

Our response

  • Increase traceability and transparency of social and environmental strategy and associated investments, including expanding key data disclosures.
  • This report responds to: Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), UN Guiding Principles (UNGP) and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

Team members

How we engage

  • Daily e-newsletter, team and all-company meetings, social media, speaker series.
  • Employee resource groups, Diversity Action Councils and Affinity Networks.
  • Executive leadership emails and videos.
  • Focus groups and listening sessions.
  • Inclusion acumen training and toolkit resources.
  • Integrity Hotline.
  • Personal and professional development and trainings.
  • Volunteerism during the work day.

Topics raised

  • Competitive wages and benefits.
  • Diverse and inclusive workforce.
  • Environmental and social impacts.
  • Learning and development.
  • Philanthropy.
  • Safety, disaster and preparedness.
  • Team-member-to-team-member support including Team Member Giving Fund.
  • Worker well-being.

Our response

  • Give our team members equitable opportunities to grow professionally in their careers; take care of themselves, each other and their families; and make a positive impact on our guests and our local communities.
  • Expand the metrics and information we share externally, including wages, benefits and diversity, to enhance our transparency and accountability.

Vendors

How we engage

All vendors

  • Annual meetings.
  • External partner website.
  • Trainings and workshops.
  • Business Partner Code of Conduct.
  • Standards of Vendor Engagement (SOVE).

Owned brand vendors

  • Annual assessment.
  • Annual owned brand vendor meeting.
  • Capability building.

Topics raised

  • Environmental impacts.
  • Human rights and labor practices.
  • Materials and packaging.
  • Net-positive manufacturing.
  • Supplier diversity.
  • Supply chain management.
  • Transparency and disclosure.

Our response

  • Enterprise-wide intake and assessment of salient policy issues.
  • Advocate at all levels of government to help shape constructive policy solutions that impact our team members, business, guests, industry and communities.

In our Corporate Responsibility Report (CR Report) and the corporate responsibility disclosures on our website, we report against topics that are very important to our business and our stakeholders. For purposes of our CR Report and those website disclosures, we use the Global Reporting Initiative’s definition of materiality, which is different than the definition used for filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Issues deemed material for purposes of our CR Report and those website disclosures may not be considered material for SEC reporting purposes.

Issue advocacy

We engage with policymakers about many legislative issues, and advocate at all levels of government.

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Team members & guests

Target is committed to equitable experiences for team members and guests, and promotes diversity and inclusion as part of our purpose to bring joy to all.

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Investor relations

Target embraces innovation to drive strong financial performance and create new opportunities for profitable growth.

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Suppliers

Target works closely with suppliers around the world, together delivering value to our guests while strengthening communities where we do business.

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