Better Health for All

Target experienced a severe food safety failure in late 2025 when recalled ByHeart Whole Nutrition Infant Formula, adulterated with Clostridium botulinum, remained on shelves in stores across 20 states for days after notification, leading to 51 suspected or confirmed infant botulism cases.

This incident, along with numerous workplace safety and health violations recorded from 2004 to 2025, indicates significant safety record issues. Despite having systems for recall communication, the failure to effectively remove the harmful infant formula resulted in an FDA warning letter, highlighting a critical breakdown in risk transparency. The company also incurred substantial penalties for privacy violations in 2016 ($39,357,939) and 2017 ($18,500,000 and $13,000,000). Furthermore, Target has faced multiple violations related to hazardous waste, air pollution, and pesticides, including a lead violation in 2006. However, Target is working to eliminate PP for owned brand products by 2025, with over 90% of new 2024 products being PP-free, and has improved product formulations by removing chemicals since 2017. For its team members, Target provides enhanced mental health services, including free and confidential 24/7 access to mental health experts for all team members and their families.

Fair Money & Economic Opportunity

Target has given 5% of its profit to communities since 1946.

As a general merchandise retailer, the company does not offer consumer credit products, nor does it manage customer financial data. Consequently, it is not regulated as a lender and does not provide debt products to consumers, rendering many financial service-specific KPIs not applicable.

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

Target achieved 100% adjusted gender pay equity for women and 100% adjusted race/ethnicity pay equity for Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) U.S. team members.

Globally, women were paid 98% of the median pay for men (unadjusted). In March 2023, Target was recognized as the first company to achieve a perfect score (A+) on the Racial and Gender Pay Scorecard by Arjuna Capital and Proxy Impact , which evaluates companies based on their pay equity disclosures, including unadjusted median pay gaps and statistically adjusted gaps.

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing

The provided articles describe Target's initiatives and policies related to ethical sourcing, including a Responsible Sourcing & Sustainability Audit Program for owned brand products

, partnerships for Fair Trade certification in decorative home hard goods , and a pledge for 100% certified sustainable owned brand coffee by 2022 . The company also has policies prohibiting forced or underage labor , including specific sourcing restrictions for regions like Turkmenistan and Xinjiang , and has partnered for traceability in certain cotton products . However, the articles do not provide specific quantitative data points such as the percentage of tier-1 spend covered by fair-trade certifications, average audit frequency, number of substantiated forced or child labor incidents, percentage of suppliers with traceable provenance data, median remediation speed, percentage of contracts with ethical clauses, share of spend on high-risk materials, or percentage of procurement budget directed to diverse suppliers. Therefore, no KPIs can be scored against the rubric's quantitative thresholds.

Honest & Fair Business

Target is facing multiple federal securities law class-action lawsuits, including State Board of Administration of Florida (SBA) v. Target Corp., alleging violations of the Securities Exchange Act.

These lawsuits claim Target failed to provide "direct and honest disclosure" of risks related to its DEI/ESG initiatives following its 2023 Pride campaign. The alleged market capitalization decline exceeded $20 billion by early October 2023. and a federal court denied Target's motion to dismiss one of these lawsuits in December 2024. Despite these legal challenges, no public records indicate Target incurred significant ethics-related regulatory fines in the past three years. Similarly, no financial restatements due to misconduct have been indicated in the past three years. Target has a whistleblower policy that prohibits retaliation for good faith reporting, offering multiple channels including an anonymous, third-party-managed 24/7 Integrity Hotline. Team members receive annual ethics training, but the program's effectiveness is not publicly measured. The company maintains a comprehensive anti-corruption policy requiring business partners to comply with applicable anti-corruption laws, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, prohibiting bribes and improper influence. Business partners must complete a due diligence process before interacting with government officials on Target's behalf. and team members receive annual ethics training covering anti-bribery.

No War, No Weapons

Target Corporation has no direct involvement in arms manufacturing or military contracts.

The company does not engage in peacebuilding initiatives. Target aligns its approach to human rights with international standards, including the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Its procurement practices are guided by a Vendor Code of Conduct and Standards of Vendor Engagement (SOVE), with 3,317 factory audits in 2021 showing no Zero Tolerance Environmental SOVE principle violations, and 100% of new suppliers screened using environmental criteria. In 2021, 95.1% of identified smelters and refiners in its supply chain met conflict-free status for 3TG minerals.

Planet-Friendly Business

Target's total Scope 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse gas emissions were 60,275,537 tCO₂e in FY2023.

The company has a net-zero target for 2040, with interim goals for 2030, and its updated SBTi targets are currently undergoing validation. In FY2024, 76% of electricity for operations was procured from renewable sources. Target diverted 87% of operational waste from landfills in FY2024, and its Hawaii Flow Center achieved zero waste certification. More than 80% of Target's U.S. buildings have earned ENERGY STAR certification. For its owned brand packaging, 13% post-consumer recycled content was used in FY2024. 66% of suppliers reported via the CDP Climate Questionnaire, and 75% of suppliers by spend have set science-based Scope 1 and 2 targets. 78% of eligible owned brand items conformed to the forest product policy in 2024. Target reported zero environmental spills from FY2021-FY2023. 47% of Target's water withdrawal in FY2023 was from high or extremely high baseline water stress basins. The company evaluates climate-related risks and opportunities in line with TCFD recommendations, including climate scenario analysis.

Respect for Cultures & Communities

Target has faced two cultural appropriation incidents. In 2017, the company was criticized for selling jewelry resembling the Navajo Squash Blossom Necklace without proper acknowledgment

. In 2018, a Target store in Manhattan's East Village drew backlash for its design, which was perceived as commodifying the neighborhood's cultural heritage . On a positive note, Target Australia provides mandatory cultural awareness training for all its team members . The company also has a philanthropic pledge to give 5% of its profits to communities and in 2022, provided 16,000 hours of pro bono consulting services to Black-Indigenous-and people-of-color-owned small businesses . In 2023, Target donated to the NDN Collective, an Indigenous-led nonprofit . Target Australia has also collaborated with First Nations artists on the 'Family Tides of Unity' design, displayed on Acknowledgment to Country plaques .

Safe & Smart Tech

Target adheres to Payment Card Industry (PCI) standards for collecting and transmitting sensitive information.

The company provides customers with information on how to access and update their personal data. Regular training and compliance activities are conducted for team members to protect company and guest information. Target does not knowingly collect personal information online from children under 13. The company utilizes AI for operational efficiency, including demand forecasting, inventory management, marketing strategies, and workforce management. Target maintains administrative, technical, and physical safeguards, including a 24x7 Cyber Fusion Center and a proactive threat intelligence program. Oversight for data protection is shared among the Board of Directors, Audit & Risk Committee, and management.

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

Target diverted 87% of operational waste from landfill in FY2024.

The company has implemented over 10 waste reduction initiatives, including adding 172 organics recycling programs, launching a Certified Refurbished program, and creating Zero Waste Zones in all stores. Target has multiple ambitious waste reduction targets, such as a 20% virgin plastic reduction by 2025 from a 2020 baseline, zero waste to landfill in U.S. operations by 2030, and a 50% operational food waste reduction by 2025 (which was achieved in FY2024). Target manages potentially hazardous items through its Environmentally Sensitive Item Management (ESIM) program and has had no waste disposal violations in the past three years. For suppliers, Target has a Zero Manufacturing Waste to Landfill Program, with 70% of owned brand footwear suppliers participating in 2023. Customer waste education includes front-of-store recycling kiosks, the Target Zero program, and How2Recycle labels. Circular design principles are applied to several product categories, with Universal Thread and Everspring being the first two owned brands designed for circularity. However, only 34% of owned brand packaging was recyclable, compostable, or reusable in FY2024. Target also reported a 10% decrease in annual total virgin plastic in owned brand packaging from its 2020 baseline in FY2024, falling short of its 20% reduction target. Waste audits are conducted annually for a sampling of stores.