Responsible chemicals management is an important part of our environmental sustainability strategy. Since we operate a large, complex, international business, we focus our efforts in areas where we believe we can have a meaningful impact and that are most feasible for our business model. As we continue to learn and build our programs in this area, we are exploring ways to manage “chemicals of concern” that go beyond legal and regulatory requirements in our operations as well as certain products we sell.
Our Global Environmental Sustainability Committee (GESC), a team of subject matter experts from each of our major geographies who lead the strategic direction of our environmental sustainability program, has established “chemicals management” as a strategic priority and assigned a sub-committee to lead the assessment of potential areas across our global business where we can limit chemicals of concern. Teams across the business support these efforts by developing tactics that support the Company’s initiatives and demonstrate the Company’s ongoing progress around chemicals management. As with the oversight of our overall environmental sustainability program, chemicals management oversight is led by our Chief Risk and Compliance Officer and our Vice President of Sustainability.
Our current approach includes:
- Program development including addressing opportunities in:
- Business operations
- Merchandise and packaging
- Industry, expert, and internal collaboration
PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT
To aid in the development of policies limiting chemicals of concern in our operations and in certain products we sell, we are utilizing the Chemical Footprint Project (CFP) framework, specifically leveraging the Management Strategy section to review relevant industry focus areas.
Late in calendar year 2021, we published TJX’s Chemicals Management Program. The program outlines our expectations for vendors and suppliers to reduce or eliminate certain chemicals of concern and also identifies the initial prioritization of categories where we intend to focus our efforts. We encourage all of TJX’s suppliers and vendors to become familiar with this Program as well as the best practices for safer chemicals management applicable to their industry and product type. We will continue to evolve our strategy and work to identify new and expanded policies and commitments where we may further limit the use of chemicals of concern within our complex off-price business model. We will continue to update TJX’s Chemicals Management Program as new commitments in this area and additional policies are finalized.
INITIATIVES WITHIN OUR BUSINESS OPERATIONS
Phase 1:
- Phase-out of phenol-based coatings on customer paper sales receipts from U.S. stores and a later expansion to our stores in other geographies
- Elimination of PFAS from the formulation of TJX-supplied take-away containers from U.S. home office cafeterias
- Development of a TJX U.S. Operational Supplies Policy for Hand Soaps and Sanitizers
MERCHANDISE AND PACKAGING INITIATIVES
Phase 1:
- Development of a buyer tool for Winners beauty buyers to identify products free of certain chemicals of concern
- Phase-out of PVC in product packaging of certain products sold in our stores
- Identification of industry-accepted third-party certifications that demonstrate safer chemicals management practices for certain product categories
INDUSTRY, EXPERT, AND INTERNAL COLLABORATION
We are collaborating with others in the industry as well as outside experts and internal stakeholders:
- We are members of the Green Chemistry and Commerce Council (GC3) for external industry collaboration in the area of chemical management. The mission of GC3 is to promote safer chemicals, materials, and products across retail supply
and value chains.
- In fiscal 2021 we joined Closed Loop Partners’ Consortium to Reinvent the Retail Bag, as the Apparel Sector Lead Partner. The Consortium’s Beyond the Bag Initiative convenes leading retailers, aiming to identify, test,
and implement viable design solutions and models that more sustainably serve the purpose of the current retail bag.
- We believe that the innovative solutions resulting from this effort could benefit the environment in many ways and could ultimately limit the amount of plastic waste generated from retail point-of-sale bags, and associated harmful
chemicals, from entering the environment. Learn more about our efforts to reduce single-use plastics in Waste Management.
- We continue to partner with an outside expert to conduct a landscape review of chemicals management for certain beauty and personal care formulated products. This includes peer benchmarking, a review of third-party certifications,
and an overview of chemicals of concern in these products. This outside expert is also helping TJX chart a path for improved chemicals management by leveraging the common framework designed by the Chemical Footprint Project
(CFP).
- Leaders within our global Environmental Sustainability team have engaged with some of our larger merchandise vendors and other large retailers to discuss their chemicals management plans and actions. These discussions have helped
to increase our knowledge of strategies and implementation tools related to management of chemicals of concern.
- Our Sustainable Packaging Committee in the U.S., which is a cross-functional team comprised of Associates from different areas of our business, is identifying potential opportunities for shifting to more sustainable packaging solutions,
free of certain chemicals of concern, for certain of our products that are designed by our own fashion and style experts and specifically manufactured for TJX.
- Our Global Environmental Sustainability Committee (GESC), a team of subject matter experts from each of our major geographies, has collaborated to identify a list of third-party certifications for wood/paper and textile products
that represent safer chemical management.
Going forward, we will assess the potential to expand our strategy and coverage around chemicals management. Learn more about our Chemicals Management Program.