TJX has long been committed to pursuing initiatives that are smart for our business and good for the environment. We operate a large, complex international business and in 2017, were pleased to increase our global store count by over 250 stores. Our growth has resulted in annual increases in our environmental footprint, including our absolute greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. That’s why we continually work to increase the energy efficiency of our operations by maximizing technologies that lower store and distribution center energy use from lighting, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. We also proactively address the way we handle the waste generated by our business operations and are working to send less and less waste to landfills across our global business footprint.
One of the key ways we measure our progress is by tracking our results against our GHG reduction goal, which is to reduce our global GHG emissions per dollar of revenue by 30% by fiscal 2020, against a fiscal 2010 baseline.
We are pleased to report that we are on track to exceed our goal. We are also in the process of considering options for setting our next quantitative emissions reduction goal. As part of that process, we are undertaking a feasibility assessment for creating a science-based target and are considering options that range from a two-degree scenario to a carbon neutral scenario.
Our efforts to reduce our carbon footprint are focused around these key initiatives:
On track to exceed our 2020 goal to reduce global GHG emissions per dollar of revenue by 30% against a 2010 baseline
Purchased over 195 million kilowatt hours of renewable energy in North America, avoiding nearly 58,500 metric tons of CO2e associated with our 2017 electricity use
Implemented emissions reduction initiatives that, on a global basis, reduced our carbon footprint by more than 19,500 metric tons of CO2e
Undertaking a feasibility study for creating a science-based emissions reduction target and considering options that range from a two-degree to a carbon-neutral scenario
As we construct new buildings, we incorporate environmentally sustainable features whenever feasible.