Associate Engagement

TJX Associates engaging, collaborating, and planning with a goal of minimizing environmental impact

We know that corporate responsibility, including environmental sustainability, is increasingly important to both current and prospective Associates, and we believe that the more we collaborate across the organization, the better our program can be. At TJX, our Associates are encouraged to consider how to make operational decisions that minimize environmental impact, and we communicate this in our Global Code of Conduct.

We have global Energy teams, global Waste Management teams, and other teams that share best practices and collaborate on opportunities for efficiency gains and operational cost savings. We plan to continue to foster these global, cross-functional initiatives to better address environmental sustainability risks and create efficiency opportunities for our business. Additionally, in fiscal 2021, members of our Information Technology department formed a global Green IT committee in an effort to manage and leverage technology to support TJX’s environmental strategy. Learn more about this initiative below.

ENCOURAGING OUR ASSOCIATES TO BE ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS

We use various internal communications platforms across all our regions to share information with Associates about our environmental sustainability initiatives, whether they are global corporate efforts or regional success stories.

Due to COVID-19, on-site events to engage Associates on the Company’s environmental sustainability initiatives were held virtually in fiscal 2021. We celebrated Earth Week and raised awareness around TJX’s environmental sustainability programs by developing engagement strategies for the home office, stores, and distribution center Associates. Our cross-functional planning team collaborated on a variety of activities designed to educate, excite, and engage TJX Associates on environmental sustainability issues. For example, in our home offices we:

Hosted a virtual speaker series where a line-up of industry and internal sustainability experts explored different topics. For each person who attended one of these sessions, TJX planted a tree through American Forests, a national forest restoration and conservation organization.
Children of Associates in the U.S. home office had the opportunity to participate in an art contest.
In addition to virtual sessions about climate change, plastics, and waste, Associates across Europe could attend virtual events, such as a beekeeping workshop and upcycling classes helping to find ways to turn household waste into something new.
Associates in Europe were also invited to make an environmental pledge to do something different to protect the environment, such as sourcing food locally, reducing household plastic, and walking more to avoid driving.

In Canada, our regional Go Green Committee has a strong commitment and robust strategy around Associate engagement on environmental sustainability topics. Each year, the team produces events and educational materials that help demonstrate how Associates can incorporate sustainable values into their lives.

TJX Canada also runs an annual sustainability celebration, EcoFest, that features special guests, eco-friendly vendors, and food offerings. In fiscal 2021, the event was held virtually and included 60 vendors with purchase incentives for Associates, do-it-yourself activities, and guest speakers. Other key successes included:

Virtual Earth Day celebration
Virtual garden and speaker series
Virtual holiday eco-market

GREEN IT

As our environmental sustainability strategy and program continue to evolve, teams throughout our business are coming together to collaborate and align with our corporate sustainability priorities to further drive this progress. To that end, in fiscal 2021, we launched Green IT, an initiative focused on managing and leveraging technology to reduce the TJX Global IT team’s environmental footprint.

The Green IT Committee is sponsored by senior members of TJX’s Global IT leadership team and works to:

Identify, track, and monitor current IT initiatives that support TJX’s environmental sustainability strategy.
Compile research and measurements to help inform Green IT strategies and communications.
Leverage partnerships with internal stakeholders and third-party vendors to identify and understand what opportunities exist.

GREEN IT FOCUS AREAS:

CLIMATE: Reduce our technology-related greenhouse gas emissions footprint by optimizing the usage of our data centers and cloud services.
ENERGY: Reduce our energy usage by sourcing energy efficient devices and related software solutions.
WASTE: Responsibly manage our broken or obsolete hardware and accessories by identifying new ways and/or partnerships that lead to increases in recycling of or reductions in technology-related waste.