Target delays key emissions goals

Target has pushed back its climate goals. The retailer, which runs almost 2,000 U.S. stores, now aims for net zero by 2050, a decade later than originally planned. It also delayed its target of cutting "Scope 3" emissions (the indirect emissions from making, shipping and using its products) by 32.5 percent, moving that deadline from 2030 to 2035. Target made fast progress on this goal in 2022 and 2023 but slowed in 2024 and 2025, and the company said further cuts will require broader changes to energy systems and infrastructure. Other large companies, including PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, McDonald's and Starbucks, have made similar delays recently.

There was better news on a different measure: Target hit 100 percent renewable electricity use in 2025, five years ahead of schedule, up from 76 percent in 2024, largely by buying more renewable energy certificates.

On packaging and waste, results were mixed. Target diverted 88 percent of its waste from landfill, just short of its 90 percent goal for 2030. But it missed its 2025 deadline to cut virgin plastic in its store-brand packaging by a fifth — plastic use actually rose 3 percent, which the company blamed on supply issues and higher sales. It also fell well short of a pledge to make all store-brand plastic packaging recyclable, compostable or reusable, hitting just 41 percent instead of 100 percent. Walmart recently missed similar packaging targets as well. None of this changes anything for shoppers directly, but it reflects a broader pattern of big retailers scaling back or delaying climate and waste commitments.