TJX continues to work on initiatives, primarily focused where we have more control, related to sourcing and/or developing certain products with sustainable attributes and reducing the environmental impact of certain product packaging. These efforts involve certain merchandise and product packaging of items we sell as well as supplies we source for use in our own operations.

In addition to various sustainable sourcing initiatives, we also have set goals around sustainable sourcing that help to drive our initiatives, including our global goal to shift 100% of the packaging for products developed in-house by our product design team to be reusable, recyclable, or contain sustainable materials by 2030.

Sustainable Products & Packaging

We have been taking initial steps to look for ways that we may reduce the environmental impact of certain products and product packaging. In recent years, we have increased our capability to identify opportunities to source materials with sustainable attributes for select merchandise products and packaging that have been developed in-house by our product design team. With regard to product packaging in particular, we have set the following global goals:

• We aim to shift 100% of the packaging for products developed in-house by our product design team to be reusable, recyclable, or contain sustainable materials by 2030.
• Along the way, we plan to phase out the use of PVC in packaging of certain soft home products developed in-house by our product design team by 2025; this includes packaging for certain top-of-bed styles, easy-care table linens, outdoor seating cushions, and outdoor pillows.

Our teams are making progress against these goals by initially prioritizing key packaging categories developed in-house by our product design team where there are sustainable materials alternatives that are both readily available in the marketplace and feasible for our business. For example, our Packaging team has begun to convert certain paper and paper board hangtags to more sustainable, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified materials. Additionally, we have been examining the packaging of certain product categories to find ways to address them individually: for instance, the packaging of certain holiday decor styles may now be designed without the use of clear plastic window boxes; certain candle styles may now be packaged in FSC-certified paperboard; and certain gift wrap styles may now be packaged with recycled materials. We have also begun to develop guidance and resources to assist our sourcing teams, vendors, and suppliers with determining sustainable options for various packaging components.

We continue to work toward our 2030 packaging goal as well as our near-term goal to phase out the use of PVC in the packaging of certain top-of-bed styles, easy-care table linens, outdoor seating cushions, and outdoor pillows for products developed in-house by our product design team by the end of 2025.

Additionally, to help us more readily identify opportunities to source materials with sustainable attributes for the merchandise we help to design or develop, we have created a framework to define what we view as sustainable product attributes, which include attributes that can be verified by third-party processes or certifications. Within the bounds of this framework, our subject matter experts have compiled a list of preferred sustainable product or material certifications for certain product categories that can be used across our divisions, globally. Examples of some of the preferred third-party certifications we have used to help verify sustainable product attributes include the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), OEKO-TEX^® Standard 100 and MADE IN GREEN, LENZING^™-branded fibers, and Textile Exchange standards such as the Global Recycled Standard, Organic Content Standard, and Recycled Claim Standard.

Examples of how we are integrating sustainable materials in certain products our style and fashion experts have helped design include:

• Many of our stationery, gift wrap, and gift bag styles are printed on FSC-certified stock.
• Some of our children’s clothing is produced with certified organic cotton fibers.
• Certain styles across several different apparel and home categories are made at least in part with recycled polyester.
• We have utilized wool from certified responsible sources for certain knitwear apparel sold at select TK Maxx stores in Europe.

• Certain of our soft home and children’s textile products have been certified by OEKO-TEX^® MADE IN GREEN and OEKO-TEX^® Standard 100, respectively.

• Most of the reusable merchandise carry-out bags sold in our stores globally contain recycled materials. TJX Europe also sells reusable, charity-supporting “bags for life” that are made of recycled and/or organic cotton.

Chemicals Management

At TJX, our chemicals management efforts have been focused in areas where we believe we can have a meaningful impact and that are most feasible for our off-price business model.

The TJX Chemicals Management Program outlines our expectations for certain vendors and suppliers to reduce or eliminate certain chemicals of concern. Our internal teams work to identify and execute initiatives and policies aimed at limiting chemicals of concern within our business operations and in the products and packaging of certain merchandise we sell. We may utilize outside expertise as well as industry frameworks to aid in the development of these initiatives, and at times we have trained or educated certain suppliers on our chemicals management policies or initiatives.

Going forward, we expect to continue to assess the potential to expand our chemicals management initiatives to additional areas. To help us do so, from time to time we leverage memberships such as the Green Chemistry and Commerce Council (GC3), whose mission is to promote safer chemicals, materials, and products across retail supply and value chains, as well as the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC) and the Textile Exchange. We plan to continue collaborating with outside experts and internal stakeholders.