Target’s Sustainable Product Index
Target is committed to expanding its selection of wellness and sustainable product choices that effectively balance
price, performance and convenience. To build on this commitment, Target uses its Sustainable Product Index to
assess products on ingredients, transparency, minimal environmental impact, certification and key issues within
product categories. Target uses the UL PurView Platform to collect information from its vendors and evaluate
products against the criteria. Products receive a score from 0 to 115 (135 being the top score for household
cleaning which is piloting category-specific criteria).
In response to stakeholder comments on the initial criteria, we have expanded the set of regulatory lists used to
identify chemicals of concern, refined the information used to evaluate packaging, incorporated third-party
certifications and are piloting key issues that are specific to product categories. The criteria are currently applied
to the personal care, beauty, household cleaning, baby care product and feminine care categories. Other product
categories will have an index in the future.
Better Ingredients:
A product has been developed with human health in mind (70 points)
Issue
Points
Scoring Procedure
Ingredients -‐ A product contains no ingredients
with high level health concerns.* Ingredients with
high level of health concern are recognized as
carcinogenic, developmental or reproductive
toxicants, endocrine disruptors, or have other
serious adverse health effects.
50
A product will receive zero points if it has one or more
ingredients on one of Target's designated high level health
concerns authoritative lists. A product gets 25 points if it has
no ingredients on the high level health concern lists, but does
have potentially high level health concerns in generic
ingredients (e.g., unspecified “fragrance” or “solvent”). A
product gets 40 points if it has no ingredients on the high level
health concerns lists, but does have potentially low hazard
generic ingredients (e.g., “enzymes”). A product receives all 50
points if it has no ingredients on the high level health concerns
lists and no generic ingredients.
Transparency -‐ A product's complete ingredient
list must be publicly available and disclosed in a
way that allows each chemical's health and
environmental impacts to be assessed.
20
A product will receive a maximum of 20 points if its ingredients are
listed on packaging and website, ingredient purposes are listed on
website and there are no generic ingredients on its publicly
available ingredient list.
Minimal Environmental Impact:
A product has been developed with the environment and community in mind
(30 points)
Issue
Packaging -‐ A product's packaging sends minimal, if not
zero, waste to landfill. The product’s labeling empowers
guests on how to recycle packaging and close the loop.
The company responsible for a product has public-facing
sustainable packaging goals.
Points
20
Scoring Procedure
A product will receive a maximum of 20 points if How2Recycle
labeling is present on its packaging, and the packaging exhibits at
least one sustainable attribute and reduces at least one
environmental impact as defined by the Global Protocol on
Packaging Sustainability 2.0.
Water Quality -‐ A product contains no ingredients
that are labeled as hazardous to the aquatic
environment.**
5
A product will receive 5 points if the ingredient list can be
fully assessed and no ingredients are on the aquatic hazard
lists.
Animal Testing -‐ A product was not tested on animals
during its development or production.
5
A product will receive a maximum score of 5 points if the
company responsible for it prohibits animal testing in
the development or production of its products and this
has been certified by a third party.
Certifications:
A product has been certified by a third-party as meeting health or environmental
standards (15 points)
Product -‐ A product has been certified as safe for
human health and/or the environment.
10
A product will receive 10 points if it has been certified by
either EPA Design for the Environment or Cradle2Cradle
(Bronze, Silver or Gold).
Feedstock Materials -‐ Material inputs to a product
have been certified as having environmental or social
benefits by a third-party.
3
A product will receive 3 points if one or more feedstock
materials have been certified as USDA organic or
biopreferred, non-GMO, fair trade or sustainably
produced.
Packaging -‐ Material inputs to the packaging of a
product have been certified as having environmental
benefits by a third-party.
2
A product will receive 2 points if feedstock materials for
its packaging have been certified by the Forest
Stewardship Council or the Sustainable Forestry Initiative.
* Chemicals with high level health concerns are found in the following authoritative regulatory lists:
• Proposition 65. California Environmental Protection Agency, Proposition 65 List of Chemicals Known to the State of California to
Cause Cancer,
Developmental or Reproductive Toxicity
•
•
•
•
•
•
Substance of Very High Concern. European Chemicals Agency, Candidate List of Substances of Very High Concern for Authorization
Endocrine Disruptor. European Commission, Community Strategy for Endocrine Disrupters: Priority List.
Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxic Chemical. US Environmental Protection Agency, TRI Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxic Chemicals
Chemical of High Concern to Children. Washington Department of Ecology, Reporting List of Chemicals of High Concern to
Children
Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist. Health Canada, Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist – Prohibited for Use in Cosmetics
Triclosan Prohibition. Minnesota State Legislature, SF 2192 – Section 8: Certain Sales of Cleaning Products Prohibited
** Chemicals labeled as hazardous to the aquatic environments are found in the following authoritative regulatory list: European Chemicals Agency, List of chemicals
classified under the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of
chronic (long term) aquatic toxicity (Categories 1 & 2)
Chemicals as exhibiting acute (short term) aquatic toxicity (Categories 1 & 2) and/or
Category-Specific: Household Cleaning Pilot
A product has been improved to reduce significant impacts associated with its
category (20 points)
Issue
Points
Scoring Procedure
Safer Formulation -‐ A product contains a significant
percentage of ingredients that are on the Safer
Chemical Ingredients List (SCIL), developed by US
EPA’s Design for the Environment Program. All
chemicals on the SCIL are among the safest for their
functional use.
10
A product will receive 3 points if up to 25% of its ingredients
are on the Safer Chemical Ingredients List (SCIL), 5 points if 25%
- 50% of its ingredients are on the SCIL, and 10 points if 100% of
its ingredients are on the SCIL.
Laundry Detergents -‐ A product has been improved
to reduce energy consumption during product use
or use more sustainable materials.
10
A product will receive up to 10 points if it exhibits multiple
improvements, such as being reformulated to work in cold water,
or if it incorporates sustainably derived palm oil.
Surface Cleaners-‐ A product has been improved to
reduce indoor and outdoor air pollution impacts, or
use more sustainable materials or suppliers.
10
A product will receive up to 10 points if it exhibits multiple
improvements, such as reducing the use of volatile organic
chemicals, or using raw materials that readily biodegrade.