Every Day in Every Way

Target has long been an industry leader when it comes to sustainability. But the company’s socially responsible initiatives go well beyond preserving and protecting the physical resources of the planet. Target invests in human resources, as well, striving to give back to the communities it services in myriad ways.

“We take a holistic approach to sustainability,” says spokesman Steve Linders. “For us, sustainability touches everything: marketing, merchandising, property development, distribution and the social initiatives and programs we have in place, which is why we give to the arts, to education and to social programs.”

Target has found “a number of ways to increase operational efficiencies by being environmentally responsible,” he says. It recently switched exterior neon lights to LEDs, which are more efficient and last longer. “We expect that will increase energy efficiency by 78 percent,” Linders says.
The company currently is retrofitting sales floor lighting, moving from a four-lamp to a two-lamp overhead fixture in general merchandise stores and to a three-lamp fixture in Super Targets. “We don’t lose any lighting there, but we save significantly on energy costs,” Linders says, and the new fixtures “last longer so we don’t have to replace them as often.” Target has projected a 22 percent reduction in energy consumption just from this change.

Target also uses motion-sensor lighting in its stockrooms, keeping areas lit only when needed. All together, “we have reduced our after-hour store lighting by 50 percent,” Linders says. “That has saved us more than 110 million kilowatt hours of energy.”

Responding to the desires of customers has resulted in Target’s carrying a wide variety of environmentally friendly merchandise, as well as its own reusable shopping bags. In October, Target began displaying reusable shopping bags at every checkout lane in every store. “Our guests like them because they can be used over and over again, reducing the use of plastic bags,” Linders says.

Green product mix
Target’s green product mix includes non-toxic cleaners, compact fluorescent light bulbs, organic foods and ENERGY STAR-rated electronics. Items made from recycled-content materials include greeting cards, office paper, doormats and gardening products.

Target was one of the first big-box retailers to incorporate many of the LEED Green Building Rating System’s features into the design of its stores. The company’s guidelines for developers include site criteria for low-impact assessments, and management consistently explores innovative new site-design techniques, many of which have focused on conserving energy and controlling urban storm-water runoff.

Since 2006, more than one-third of Target’s new-store construction projects have involved redevelopments known as “brownfields.” In all new stores, Target uses low-VOC (volatile organic compound) carpets, adhesives, sealants and paint, and it has begun installing insulated concrete panels that help keep stores in warm-weather locations cool and stores in cooler climes warm.

Target has been able to recycle 80 percent or more of its construction waste. Five percent of Target’s incorporated building materials include recycled content, and 20 percent of its building materials are manufactured regionally.

Whenever economically feasible, Target purchases energy from renewable sources. Eighteen Target stores in California draw 20 percent of their annual electricity needs from their own rooftop solar-panel systems; since the early 1990s, Target has used white membranes on its store roofs to reflect the sun’s heat, helping to reduce the stores’ “heat-island” effect.

Vendor guidelines
To reduce the negative impact of packaging materials on the planet, Target developed vendor guidelines to assist its partners, both in the U.S. and overseas, in “identifying packaging options with less environmental impact and greater recycling potential.”

All of these initiatives evolve from a recognition that Target has “to minimize our environmental footprint,” Linders says, “so we’ve sought ways to reduce waste, use energy more efficiently and operate more sustainably.” And, by encouraging systematic solutions, making eco-conscious choices becomes second nature.

“We want our guests to feel good about shopping with us,” Linders says. “We know they consider a business’s reputation when they consider where to buy. So we want to do things that are right for the environment. These are also the things that are right for us as a business.”