Andrew Corkill of Targus: Five Strategies Our Company Is Using To Tackle Climate Change & Become More Sustainable
An Interview With Martita Mestey
…Lead by example: Adults, parents and role models need to instill sustainability values, ethos and expectations by making sustainable choices and priorities part of their daily lives, both at home and at work. This includes taking simple and consistent steps to recycle and reuse, reduce energy consumption at home and in the office, and other sustainable lifestyle choices…
As part of our series about how companies are becoming more sustainable, we had the pleasure of interviewing Andrew Corkill, Vice President, Global Marketing & Ecommerce, Targus. Andrew Corkill collaborates with global stakeholders to create and implement a unified, consultative experience for the company’s partners, resellers and end-users. He champions the Targus brand globally, leading the Targus global team in establishing higher standards, renewing its commitment to innovation, creating value for its partners, and driving the evolution of the Targus brand. Prior to joining Targus in 2012, he served as the Director of Marketing at Human Touch, a leading manufacturer of massage chairs and wellness products, and Director of Product Management at telescope and camera company, Meade Instruments Corporation. Andrew holds an MBA from the University of California, Irvine.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! What is the mission of your company? What problems are you aiming to solve?
Targus aims to help people do more with their technology by providing purposeful solutions that complement and upgrade their mobile, connected lives. As a leading global innovator of laptop cases and technology accessories, Targus continually strives to be a force for positive change. We have a clear focus on putting people and our planet first, we’re on a mission to make sustainability part of our DNA.
Can you tell our readers about the initiatives that you or your company are taking to address climate change or sustainability? Can you give an example for each?
We believe that our commitment to change and circularity needs to be tangible. Therefore, we’re continually improving how we quantify and report on the progress and results of our sustainability actions. This includes providing greater transparency in our supply chain and establishing a clear CO2 footprint reduction strategy that aligns with the UN SDGs through Scope 1 and Scope 2 reporting across our global network, as well as publishing PCF CO2 calculations. Throughout the past year, Targus made notable strides in Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions reporting through Project Gigaton™, a program created by Walmart to engage suppliers in climate action along with non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and other stakeholders. Project Gigaton aims to reduce or avoid one billion metric tons (Mts), equivalent to a gigaton (Gt), of greenhouse gases from the global value chain by 2030. In 2024, our company achieved Giga-Guru status, signifying our superior environmental leadership among Walmart suppliers.
We are also working toward incorporating more recycled materials into our products and packaging. For example, in 2024, we introduced the use of certified ocean-bound plastic to our new Coastline Collection of laptop bags.* Since 2008, Targus has been using recycled plastic bottles to turn into the fabric that is used to create our EcoSmart® laptop bags. So far, through this process, our company has recycled 32.2M plastic bottles to create to create EcoSmart products — saving the equivalent of 2,008,477 lbs. of CO2 compared to virgin plastic.2 By 2025, Targus aims to design 95% of our packaging to be fully recyclable.
In 2023, Targus introduced a new lineup of EcoSmart™ tech accessories, including mice and keyboards, designed for sustainability. These premium tech accessories are made from 85% post-consumer recycled plastic, equipped with ultra-low power Bluetooth® technology which is four times more energy efficient than standard Bluetooth, and come in recycled packaging. One standout example of innovation in this category is our Targus CES® 2023 Innovation Award winner, the Sustainable Energy Harvesting EcoSmart Keyboard. This full-size keyboard features energy harvesting solar capabilities from solar cells (amorphous silicon photovoltaic cells) that are optimized to harvest light from indoor lighting.
How would you articulate how a business can become more profitable by being more sustainable and more environmentally conscious? Can you share a story or example?
Global market and consumer research underscores the importance of sustainability in businesses. Consumers trust brands that are more sustainable and are willing to spend more money on long-lasting products that are better for the environment. According to a study1 that Targus conducted among senior business decision makers and workers throughout North America and Europe, more than 53% of respondents state that sustainable attributes influence their purchasing considerations for tech accessories. Meanwhile, 67% of people say they buy less fast-fashion products and invest in long-lasting products, and two in five people would pay more for tech accessories that are environmentally friendly. An overwhelming number of top-level decision makers state that sustainability initiatives also have a positive impact on employee recruitment (95%) and retention (94%).
Customers are asking for sustainability along with large retailers and large Enterprise customers as well. Many of these businesses are required to be more sustainable by new laws in many countries. With this enhanced focus on environmental improvement, most of our customers are asking for eco-products from us. Targus is focused on the environment and creating products to satisfy this need, and that is how a business can become more profitable. Give customers what they really want and need.
The youth led climate strikes of September 2019 showed an impressive degree of activism and initiative by young people on behalf of climate change. This was great, and there is still plenty that needs to be done. In your opinion what are a few things parents should do to inspire the next generation to become engaged in sustainability and the environmental movement? Please give a story or an example for each.
1. Lead by example: Adults, parents and role models need to instill sustainability values, ethos and expectations by making sustainable choices and priorities part of their daily lives, both at home and at work. This includes taking simple and consistent steps to recycle and reuse, reduce energy consumption at home and in the office, and other sustainable lifestyle choices that demonstrate to the next generation that their small steps do make a positive and meaningful difference in the future of people and our planet.
2. Celebrate and reward sustainable habits and achievements: Parents can make sustainability fun by challenging their kids to recycle more or turn off lights and electricity when not in use. For instance, if the monthly energy bill goes down in the house, reward kids with a small prize or incentive to keep up the good work, such as creating enjoyable sustainable activities or adventures like a special nature hike on the weekend or rewarding them with a new pair of sneakers or a Targus EcoSmart backpack made from recycled materials!
For example, my niece just moved into a new house with her four kids, and their electricity bill is high. She is teaching the kids to turn off the TV and turn off lights when they leave a room to save electricity and money. She also uses this as a tool to teach about the environment and how reducing electricity helps the whole planet and will make the earth a better place to live.
3 . Champion a sustainable cause or charity: Get families and communities behind a sustainable cause or mission that enables fun and rewarding experiences, and a sense of accomplishment. For instance, in 2021, our global Targus team started participating in an annual Treekly challenge whereby we took collective steps to help fund reforestation efforts in Africa. Since then, our team has walked 24 million steps to fund the planting of 17,036 mangrove trees in Madagascar and Kenya. In turn, this has provided 170 days of work to local impoverished communities. By 2030, the trees will capture an estimated 852 Mt of CO2, the equivalent of taking over 3,360 economy flights from London to New York.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are?
I’ve had fantastic mentors in marketing and product management to help me learn and develop processes to launch products. The process itself is simple because it’s repeatable. If the process works, it should be successful if you follow the steps. However, beyond process, these mentors have challenged me to think outside the box by not limiting myself to the process. You need to be able to remove yourself from the process and think of things in new ways to create ideas and innovations that will be successful. It’s always good to ask the question: What is the true need of our customer? If you can identify that need, this is what we’re here to do, to improve the lives of our customers and give them what they need. In turn, that’s what will help our company grow. It’s easy to get stuck in an old process that prohibits you from truly understanding and identifying what customers need. People buy what they need, not what they like. If you find the process or what’s happening to become too vague or subjective, find a way to get back to objectivity and focus on needs, not wants or likes.
You are a person of great influence and doing some great things for the world! If you could inspire a movement that would bring the greatest amount of good to the greatest amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 😊
Along the idea of sustainability, the biggest movement I envision would be to create much more education and awareness about how to be more sustainable, which would become a movement. We need to unify globally in this ambition to bring it to fruition, though. Right now, sustainability is being driven in fragmented ways. Take politics. Certain political parties attach to different aspects of sustainability. Sometimes it becomes not about reaching a collective goal of reducing the temperature of the planet. Instead, it becomes a goal around an individual party’s platform and doing something within my party or country. We’re lacking a global movement that helps companies or individuals implement sustainable progress. There’s a lack of commitment to these goals in a unified or consistent way. Right now, sustainability is being driven in silos, such as by individual companies, companies, or nations even.
I’ll also add, movements are sometimes created by accident or driven by an urgent problem. We still haven’t experienced a big enough problem to take global action. Last time that happened was the COVID pandemic which taught us an important lesson about how people and countries should react to a global problem. While laws were passed at federal, state and local levels, not globally, together these actions created a global movement. I think it’s almost going to take that magnitude of a problem for us to really realize what’s happening to our planet’s environment. Until the ocean level rises to cover Los Angeles, for instance, we won’t treat it as an urgent problem. It can take 20 to 30 years to witness this change.
Do you have a favorite life lesson quote? Can you tell us how that was relevant to you in your own life?
One of my favorite quotes is: “This too shall pass.” It’s one of my favorite life mottos because regardless of what’s going on or how things are going today, you need to always remember it’s not permanent and will get better. Try not to get too caught up in the issue happening in your life now that is going to negatively impact your mental and physical health or outlook and realize “this too shall pass.”
What is the best way for our readers to continue to follow your work online?
Learn about our company is continuing to move sustainability to the forefront of our business on our website where you can also read and download our 2024 Global Sustainability Report.
Discover Targus at Targus.com and on our blog, and connect with us on social media: Podcast, LinkedIn, Twitter/X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. You can also connect with me individually on LinkedIn.
This was so inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
Andrew Corkill of Targus: Five Strategies Our Company Is Using To Tackle Climate Change & Become… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.