Responsible Resource Use

Raw materials

We drive efforts internally and through our supply chain to source materials and commodities in increasingly responsible ways. 

Goals and commitments

• 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. 

• Target is committed to sourcing all owned brand paper-based retail packaging from sustainably managed forests¹ by 2022, and rolling out implementation of our Forest Products Policy to Threshold and Smith & Hawken brands by end of 2022. 

• Our seafood sustainability commitment to include best practice requirements for the use of transshipment in tuna supply chains. 

• Target aims to use Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) physically certified palm oil, palm kernels and derivatives in relevant owned brand product categories and aiming to trace palm oil to mill level by the end of 2022. 

• By 2025, Target plans to comply with the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals’ (ZDHC) progressive level wastewater standard², in regards to all owned brand apparel textile factories.  

  Updates on our goal progress can be found in our reporting on sustainability and governance.

Standards and certifications

Third-party standards help provide confidence in the practices used in our supply chain and help encourage positive change. To guide sourcing decisions for our owned brands, our suppliers utilize certifications including:

• Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) 
• Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) 
• Aquaculture Stewardship Council 
• Best Aquaculture Practices 
• Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) 
• Fair Trade USA 
• Better Cotton Initiative 

• OEKO-TEX® 

We communicate sustainability-related information of interest to our guests using clear icons on product labels to highlight such certifications.

Biodiversity commitments, partnerships and collaborations

We have set commitments for responsibly sourcing raw materials to help preserve forests and the species that rely on them, and improve local communities and their livelihoods. Both our forest products policy and palm oil commitments explicitly exclude conversion of High Conservation Value or High Carbon Stock forest areas. We are committed to relevant biodiversity partnerships, initiatives and disclosures.

Biodiversity impacts don’t stop at the raw materials and factory-level. The products that we design, produce and later purchase also have a role to play in protecting biodiversity. That is why we are working with a variety of initiatives and partners to help co-create a circular economy. 

As we continue to build out further partnerships, we want to recognize our current collaborations that are closely related to biodiversity: 

Waste reduction efforts in the supply chain

We believe that while it is critical for the materials that go into a product to be sustainable, what happens to the waste material created in a product’s manufacturing process is equally important. We recognize that Target has the responsibility to ensure the manufacturing waste is treated with environmentally responsible methods. We make every effort and collaborate with our owned brand suppliers to eliminate and minimize waste by reusing materials, source reduction and recycling.

Our approach to waste elimination and reduction  

Audits and verifications

Our Responsible Sourcing and Sustainability audit program monitors the locations that produce our owned and exclusive brands, as well as those that produce national brand products for which Target is the importer of record. Environmental management indicators are part of our Standards of Vendor Engagement and are inclusive of, but not limited to: possession of the appropriate permits, proper waste management methods, safe chemical usage and responsible wastewater stewardship practices. Read more about audits and continuous improvement.