In its latest 2025 Sustainability and Governance Report, US retailer Target sets out how the company is driving forward its climate targets and packaging strategy. The focus is on the switch to recyclable packaging, the expansion of PCR materials and significant progress in reducing greenhouse gases.
Target reports significant progress in the area of sustainable packaging. The US retailer is pursuing the goal of designing all own-brand products for a circular future by 2040. Today, 34 % of its own-brand products already fulfil the criteria for reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging. The company plans to further increase this proportion while reducing the use of Virgin Plastic in own-brand packaging by 20 % compared to the base year 2020.
The most important measures include design adjustments to reduce and eliminate problematic plastics, the expansion of refill and reuse systems and the integration of post-consumer recyclates. For example, Target already uses fully recycled bottles, caps and cleaning tools made from PCR plastics in brands such as Everspring and Blake Brown. In addition, around 90 % of the packaging for the Gigglescape toy brand has been converted to plastic-free.
According to Target, it is also setting new standards in climate protection: the company has committed to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 - ten years earlier than envisaged in the Paris Climate Agreement. A reduction in emissions of 41.3 % has already been achieved for Scopes 1 and 2 since 2017, while Scope 3 emissions along the supply chain are to be reduced by 32.5 % by 2030. The share of renewable energies in electricity consumption is currently 76 %.
Target emphasises that further progress in circularity can only be achieved through improved recycling infrastructure and industry-wide cooperation. Investments in material innovation and joint projects with partners should help to accelerate the transition to fully circular packaging solutions.
Source: Target
