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Tuesday, 09 December 2025
Committed to Better Choices: How Target Is Bringing FSC Certified Products to Millions of Shoppers

For more than a decade, Target has been steadily expanding its commitment to responsible forestry, sustainable sourcing, and consumer friendly transparency. Today, the retailer stands as one of the most visible and influential FSC Promotional License Holders (PLHs) in the United States, bringing thousands of FSC certified products directly into the hands, homes, and everyday lives of their guests.

Target’s journey to this point began with a clear intention: to increase the sustainability of the materials used across the company’s owned brands, while also helping shoppers recognize responsible products with ease. What started as a sourcing goal became a full-scale collaboration with FSC, rooted in shared values around forest conservation, accountability, and climate-conscious retail

“In 2017, when we launched our forest policy, our aim was to source all our owned brand products made of wood, paper, and wood-based fiber from responsibly managed forests,” says Ben Hansen, Target’s Owned Brand Responsible Materials Director. “FSC certification has allowed us to take tangible steps toward this ambition.”

From Sourcing Goal to Holistic Guest Experience

Early on, Target realized that responsible sourcing was only the first step. Guests also needed a simple, clear way to identify products that aligned with their values.

“To help our guests quickly identify FSC certified materials when shopping online, we knew the next step was adding the FSC logo to certified products on Target.com,” Hansen explains. In 2020, Target became an FSC Promotional License Holder so they could highlight the breadth of FSC certified products available both online and in stores.

This move strengthened the connection between responsible materials and Target’s broader sustainability roadmap, Target Forward aims to be a market leader in creating and curating sustainable brands and experiences, and intends for 100 percent of the leading raw materials that go into our owned brands to be recycled, regenerative, or sustainably sourced by 2030.

The alignment with FSC is natural, as Hansen puts it, “Like FSC we recognize that forests and the ecosystem services they provide are irreplaceable. We share a vision to protect them as a vital part of a healthy planet.”

Thousands of FSC Certified Choices Across Categories

Today, Target guests can find FSC certified materials in an ever-expanding range of categories, making responsible purchasing easier than ever.

“We offer FSC certification in everything from stationery to furniture, décor, textiles, bedding, and paper-based packaging,” Hansen says. “Many everyday essentials like paper towels, tissues, and notebooks are sourced as FSC certified.”

The assortment continues to grow. Guests will now find FSC certification in new product categories such as Threshold rattan baskets and Casaluna sheet sets, extending responsible sourcing into even more corners of the home.

This year’s holiday collection features one of Target’s most festive showcases of FSC certified materials yet.

A More Sustainable Holiday Season

Target’s seasonal assortment is known for its joyful design and increasingly for its commitment to responsible materials. This holiday season, guests will find FSC certified:

  • Gift wrap
  • Tags
  • Tissue
  • Greeting cards
  • Holiday décor

A few standout items include:

At a time when gifting and gatherings are top of mind, Target reinforces that sustainability does not have to take a back seat.

“We believe sustainability and joy can go hand in hand,” Hansen says. “By building FSC certified materials and sustainable packaging directly into our product design and sourcing, our guests do not have to choose between what is festive and what is responsible.”

Connecting to What Matters: Changing Guest Expectations

Target has witnessed a steady rise in consumer enthusiasm for environmentally and socially conscious products.

“Across categories, shoppers tell us they appreciate being able to make everyday purchases that support their values,” says Hansen. “It is exciting to see awareness of FSC and other certifications grow alongside broader demand for transparency in how products are made.”

This increased visibility is reshaping expectations. Customers want to know not only what they are buying, but also how it was sourced and why it matters.

Sourcing Responsibly: A Long-Term Partnership Approach

FSC certification has also strengthened the way Target engages with suppliers.

“FSC has helped us ensure we have strong environmental and social safeguards in our sourcing practices for forest products,” Hansen says. “Through direct engagement with suppliers, we continuously work to improve and increase our use of FSC in owned brand products.”

It is a collaborative process, one that Target embraces through ongoing work with suppliers.

“Supplier certification takes effort. Our advice is to approach the work through the lens of relationship building and continuous improvement over time. FSC certification is not a switch you turn on overnight. It requires time and commitment to a collective vision of progress.”

Looking Ahead

Target’s work with FSC reflects a steady, growing, and deeply integrated approach to responsible forestry. It is a partnership built not only on material goals but on the belief that sustainability should be accessible, intuitive, and embedded into everyday shopping experiences.

From household essentials to holiday celebrations, Target is demonstrating how large-scale retail can support forest stewardship at a meaningful scale and help millions of shoppers make choices that align with their values.

“We are proud of the progress we have made, and we are committed to going further together with FSC and our guests,” Hansen says.