Target to Bring Green Commitment to Its Proposed New Bay Area Stores

Environmental impact was among the concerns raised when Target began the permitting process for three stores in two Bay Area cities—San Francisco and San Rafael.

The Minneapolis-based chain’s plan to resuscitate downtown San Francisco’s consistently underperforming Metreon shopping arcade were met with little resistance. The store is slated to open early next year.

It would be an understatement, however, to say that some local residents and business owners in the City’s historically less chain-friendly Richmond District, and Marin’s county seat, San Rafael, were less than thrilled when they learned of Target’s intention to move into their neighborhoods.

Despite the opposition, Target’s proposed second San Francisco location enjoys the support of San Francisco Supervisor Eric Mar, whose district includes the Richmond District. Mar believes the project will breathe new life into a cursed corner abandoned some time ago by both Sears and Mervyn’s.

As for the East San Rafael location, Target has spent considerable effort attempting to prove to local residents that it will be a good neighbor. Last month, the store, which has already been approved by City Council, came a big step closer to fruition when its opponents failed to gather the signatures needed to overturn the Council’s decision.

While statistics demonstrating Target’s ability to revitalize local economies may fail to persuade some, and others continue questioning the company’s commitment to diversity—donations to some non-gay-friendly groups and politicians prompted LGBT activists to call for a boycott—the company’s commitment to the environment is solid, not to mention longstanding. Though its official green stance wasn’t made public until 2010, Target had by then beat many of its competitors to the green punch, with since-proven sustainable business practices being implemented in the early 1970s.

In addition to keeping a close eye on in-store lighting levels and temperatures to increase energy efficiency, Target had its own back-of-house recycling program in place well before waste diversion was a standard business practice. That program has since been stepped up to include front-of-house recycling stations. Last year, bins were added where customers can deposit smaller electronic items. Some of those items, such as cell phones, smart phones, data pads and video game devices, can even be traded in for credit to be applied to new purchases.

Target reuses or recycles roughly 70 percent of the materials that would have been sent to a landfill, said company spokesperson Sarah Bakken, like corrugated cardboard, plastic shrink wrap, cell phones, garment hangers, electronics and company-owned equipment, shopping carts, glass, plastic and used inkjet printer cartridges.

Target has also seriously turned up its efforts to be more energy efficient. In 1989, a centralized energy management system went into use to regulate energy consumption in all Target stores, distribution centers and offices. In 2003, a Target store in San Diego went solar. Solar panels, which generate roughly 20 percent of a store’s energy needs, have since been installed in several dozen other stores across the country.

Most recently, the fluorescent bulbs in reach-in freezers and coolers were replaced with efficient LED lights, which use significantly less electricity. LED lights also emit less heat, cutting down on the amount of electricity needed to keep the items in those freezers and coolers at the appropriate temperature. Some stores even have motion-activated lighting that turns on freezer and cooler lights only when a customer enters that aisle.

But not all of the company’s green measures were dreamt up by the folks at its corporate headquarters. Bakken said store managers are encouraged to go beyond the corporate-mandated green call of duty and shape additional policies and procedures for their respective stores based on feedback from employees and customers.

When stores in Montana installed front-of-house recycling bins, they found they couldn’t empty the bins for glass products fast enough. It turned out there are few glass recycling facilities in the state, so customers were bringing all of their glass recyclables to Target stores. So the leadership developed processes for guests to drop off large quantities of glass through the loading dock of the store, said Bakken.

At a distribution center in New York, employees petitioned managers to set aside parking spaces for those staff committed to greening their commutes. Management listened, and now carpools and hybrids enjoy the choicest spots in the lot.

And the commitment of employees and management to be sustainable extends beyond handbooks and manuals to the aisles of its stores, where right next to big-name brands, customers will find sustainable choices with local roots. Bay Area offerings currently found on the shelves of local stores include San-Rafael-based Annie Chun All-Natural Foods, San-Francisco-based Method products, and dairy products from Hayward-based Berkeley Farms. In 2009, Target was certified a USDA Organic Grocer.

Bakken called the process being undertaken when choosing locations for new stores, including the San Francisco and San Rafael stores, responsible growth.

In the case of the San Francisco stores, Target plans to renovate existing buildings rather than building from scratch, which minimizes the use of virgin building materials. Bakken added that the downtown San Francisco location was also chosen because its urban situation minimized the need of customers and employees to drive to the store.

It’s designed around the expectation that many of our guests and team members will use alternative means of travelling to the store, including public transit, she explained. It was critical that we located our store near the major transit hubs in downtown San Francisco.

The proposed East San Rafael store will be built atop a former landfill, property with limited development options. Bakken said Target has considerable experience turning a lemon of a piece of real estate into community-benefitting lemonade.

Bakken said, Target will be investing $50 million in the revitalization and ongoing maintenance of the site, a clear long-term commitment aimed at mitigating environmental factors and contributing to smart growth.

Assuming the San Rafael store gets the final green light, it will also be the state’s first building over 10,000 square feet to get a gold LEED rating by the U.S. Green Building Council. Green inside and out, the store’s blueprint calls for a 300 kW rooftop solar system and electric vehicle charging stations.

While Target’s efforts to green its operation could hardly be considered baby steps, when it comes to imparting upon its employees, customers and vendors the importance of sustainability, Bakken believes it’s best to encourage smaller lifestyle changes.

Target joins guests, team members and partners in making environmental commitments we all can keep, she said. The small changes add up to make a big difference.

For more information on Target’s green philosophy, visit http://hereforgood.target.com/environment/.