Target Corp. announced on Tuesday that it will be selling more organic and sustainable products.
The company will be working with 17 brands to create the "Made to Matter: Hand-picked by Target" collection, which will feature almost 120 products from brands such as Burt's Bees, Method, Horizon Organic, Seventh Generation, Evol and Kashi, according to Knox News.
"Natural, organic and sustainable resonates with Target's guests," said Kathee Tesija, executive vice president of merchandising and supply chain. "We're taking our 17 best natural and organic manufacturers, which are normally competitors with each other, and coming together as a team to take the guesswork out of buying better-for-you products."
The products will range in price from $1.99 to $24.99, Associated Press reported. They will be included in beauty, baby, health care, grocery and household categories. Half of the products will be new, while the other half will extend from an existing product line, such as a new scent or flavor.
Method's non-aerosol, air freshener, Seventh Generation's bleach-free cotton baby diapers, Evol Foods' breakfast sandwiches and Plum Organics' smoothies will in the collection. They will be exclusive to Target for at least six months, and the whole collection will be on sale by September.
Tesija said almost half of Target's guests say they prefer natural and organic products. She added that 97 percent of households in the U.S. buy some products that are labeled natural or organic, Knox News reported.
"Natural and organic is past the fad stage," said Jim Hertel, managing partner at Willard Bishop grocery consulting firm. "What used to be a lifestyle for the best-educated and highest incomes is now skewing younger, although it's still an educated, above-average-income consumer."
Hertel added that people also buy organic products for the safety of their families.
"They want fewer additives and ingredients they can't pronounce, not only for themselves, but especially if they have kids," Hertel said.
Eric Ryan, co-founder of Method, said the company is building, what he says, is the most environmentally sustainable manufacturing facility in North America, Associated Press reported. The facility is being built in the South Side of Chicago, and includes solar panel installations and green houses on the roof.
