Circular Design
As we develop and manufacture Target owned brand products, we are taking steps to eliminate waste, keep products and materials in use longer and reduce our reliance on natural resources, all while finding new ways to engage with our guests.
Our packaging and product choices help drive supply chain efficiencies — reducing costs and environmental impact — while serving as a critical touchpoint that shapes how guests experience our brands. We select more sustainable and durable materials, simplify recycling and support reuse — reducing raw material use, costs and environmental impacts across our value chain.
Product and packaging innovation
We prioritize the design of reusable, recyclable1 and compostable products, and regularly evaluate and update our assortments to identify opportunities for innovation. We achieved our goal to offer two circular brands a year early, defined as designing products to make the most of existing resources and, in turn, cut down on waste. Everspring and Universal Thread, our first two owned brands designed with circularity2 in mind, have enabled us to test and scale product design approaches that reduce waste, use more sustainable raw materials and inspire innovation across essentials, beauty, apparel and accessories. We’re applying these insights and learnings across our broader portfolio.
We focus our packaging efforts on reducing waste, optimizing material use and advancing more sustainable packaging solutions across our assortment while maintaining the quality, performance and value our guests expect.
We’ve driven meaningful progress within our operations and owned brands, where we have more direct influence. Our work has reinforced a critical insight: packaging outcomes depend not only on product design and materials, but also on the systems that collect, sort and recycle those materials. This reality means that progress requires both our direct action and broader ecosystem collaboration as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) frameworks continue to evolve across markets and collection and recycling systems scale.
These learnings sharpened our understanding of where we can have the greatest impact, such as through our focus on making 100% of owned brand packaging recyclable by 2035. Recyclability creates a clear standard that aligns with the continued expansion of recycling infrastructure and guest expectations — enabling measurable progress toward more circular2 systems. At the same time, we will continue advancing materials innovation across owned brand packaging by embedding circular design principles in product development and strengthening packaging data systems to support long-term progress.
Increasing recycled content
Recycled polyester
Our team has been working to transition all our owned brand textile products made from polyester to recycled polyester3 (rPET). In 2025, 56% of owned brand products contained rPET (by product weight), with a significant majority of all polyester used in owned brand apparel products made from rPET.4
Recycled cotton
We accelerated use of textile-to-textile recycled cotton in our owned brand product assortment, engineering fabrics and materials for recycled fiber content while also exploring how we can design products for recyclability, focusing on mono-material development.
Closing the loop on products and materials
For more than three decades, Target has hosted collection programs in our stores — from ongoing ones like our electronics, clothing hanger and front-of-store plastic film collections to seasonal moments like our semi-annual Car Seat Trade-in events. These programs make it easier for guests to participate in our sustainability efforts while creating meaningful touchpoints that strengthen the guest experience. As we continue exploring alternative materials to reduce our reliance on natural resources and build a more resilient supply chain, we are expanding how collection programs can engage guests, support material recovery and generate a supply of materials for our owned brand products.
Cross-industry collaboration
Advancing circular materials at scale requires collaboration across industries. We work with brands, manufacturers, innovators and industry organizations to help accelerate material innovation, strengthen recycling infrastructure and expand access to more circular solutions.
These partnerships help address challenges that extend beyond any one company while supporting our efforts to bring more sustainable materials into the products our guests already know and trust.
Owned brand examples of sustainable choices
We’re building on what we’ve learned from these brands and applying those insights across our broader owned brand portfolio.
Our Universal Thread denim team is working to enable a future where these jeans can be recaptured in a closed loop by supporting the Better Cotton Initiative and using materials such as recycled cotton and recycled polyester. By considering wash finishes that reduce water, Universal Thread has also contributed to over 30% of Target’s total apparel wash water reductions. Our designers also utilize 3D technologies for garment fittings to reduce the number of samples needed. Finally, to ensure inclusivity was at the core of the brand, the team designed an adaptive jean that features elements like no back pockets, a stretch waistband and side zippers at the hem for any adaptive needs.
Target has expanded our partnership with EON unique Digital IDs for Universal Thread denim and sportswear products — and as of February 2025, all Universal Thread apparel items are enabled with EON’s Digital Product Passports. Through this partnership, guests can scan a QR code embedded into the product label to learn more about the manufacturing and sustainability elements associated with that product. These Digital IDs also connect guests to seamless resale services that can continue the circularity of the product.
To drive guest adoption of circular5 behaviors, our Everspring brand has launched new product formats including laundry sheets, concentrated laundry detergents, and concentrated cleaners and soaps with durable bottles. These formats reduce packaging, shipped water and volume, and cut back on emissions and shipping costs. We continue to focus on using better chemicals, less water and designing products for longevity and recyclability. Everspring also offers modular cleaning tools with replaceable brush heads, has formulations with 90%+ biobased content and has incorporated PCR into select products and packaging.
Spritz paper products are already Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified. The team has now designed and is offering compostable tableware and 95% recycled FSC-certified paper gift bags that are also designed for recyclability, and has also redesigned packaging to be recyclable. Further, it has designed and engineered its décor products, plastic serveware and gift bags to ensure multiple uses. The team is ultimately seeking to create products that are reusable, that are made from regenerative materials (or non-oil-based materials) and that can be recycled so they stay within a closed loop.
Kindfull’s brand statement, “Creating a World of Good for Your Pet,” reinforces our commitment to support all aspects of a pet's life, including mealtime, playtime, nap time and all the time in between. More than 40% of Kindfull items are in recyclable packaging, which supports our Target Forward ambition to innovate to eliminate waste, and the team is exploring how to use post-consumer recycled content in the packaging in the future, which will further support our packaging commitments. The team also took an industry-leading approach to expand our palm oil, animal welfare and seafood commitments into these products for pets — meeting human-food level standards for our favorite furry friends.
1 Defined by state and federal definitions.
2 Taking steps to eliminate waste, keep products and materials in use longer, and decrease our dependency on natural resources as we partner with suppliers to develop and manufacture Target owned brand products.
3 Certified by the Global Recycled Standard (GRS), Recycled Claim Standard (RCS) or SCS Global Services.
4 Includes products across apparel and accessories.
5 Developing and manufacturing Target owned brand products, including taking steps to eliminate waste, keeping products and materials in use longer, and decreasing our dependency on natural resources.