Press Release

Future at Heart:
Redefining Target’s Corporate Responsibility Strategy

Over the past year, Target’s been building our new corporate responsibility strategy and rethinking the role those efforts play throughout our business. Our focus is on putting the needs of people, communities and the planet at the heart of how we work today, to help create a better tomorrow.

“This work is a journey—and while we have a long way to go, I’m proud of our progress,” said Brian Cornell, chairman and CEO, Target. “Every action we take that strengthens the health and vitality of the communities where we live and work is a step forward in building a better, brighter future for Target, the people we serve and the planet we all share.”

Published 6 years ago | About a 3 minute read

“This work is a journey—and while we have a long way to go, I’m proud of our progress,” said Brian Cornell, chairman and CEO, Target. “Every action we take that strengthens the health and vitality of the communities where we live and work is a step forward in building a better, brighter future for Target, the people we serve and the planet we all share.”

Today, we’re proud to reach another important milestone with the release of our 2018 Corporate Responsibility report. Inside, you’ll find an overview of Target’s efforts within the four pillars of our new strategy—Empower Teams, Serve Guests, Foster Communities and Design Tomorrow. You’ll also get an in-depth look at where we landed with our goals, and a look ahead at new commitments that will shape our impact in the future.

“Target has embedded corporate responsibility into the DNA of the business so it can drive meaningful, lasting value,” said Jennifer Silberman, vice president, corporate responsibility, Target. “And, with that in mind, we created our new Future at Heart strategy to ensure we’re truly delivering on Target’s purpose—bringing joy to all families—and keeping our business and communities thriving now and into the future.”

We’ve set some pretty ambitious goals and increased our commitments, and we’re already seeing strong progress. Among the year’s most notable achievements and highlights:

Empower Teams

Announced a major investment in our team, raising our minimum hourly wage to $11 last fall and to $12 for our existing team members in 2018 as part of our commitment to pay our team members at least $15 by the end of 2020. We also proudly pay our team members equitably regardless of gender, race or ethnicity, and are committed to maintaining that equity in the future
Exceeded our goal to volunteer 1 million hours annually Serve Guests
Introduced our wellness icons as a common framework to simplify our guests’ ability to make informed purchasing decisions in-store
Working toward implementing the first Restricted Substance List (RSL) and Manufacturing Restricted Substance List (MRSL) for our textile categories in order to remove all unwanted chemicals from Target owned-brand products and manufacturing Foster Communities
Donated more than $104 million in cash to community programs and more than $112 million in in-kind donations, including more than $108 million to organizations that support underrepresented communities of color Design Tomorrow
Achieved our 2020 goal of ENERGY STAR certification in 80 percent of our buildings ahead of schedule
Exceeded our 2020 goal to divert 70 percent of our retail waste from landfills through reuse or recycling ahead of deadline (we set a new goal to accomplish 75 percent diversion by the end of 2018!)
Committed to source 100 percent renewable energy across our U.S. operations
Announced a new, holistic enterprise approach to freshwater stewardship Ready to start exploring how we’re keeping our Future at Heart? Click here to read Target’s full 2018 Corporate Responsibility Report.