By
Jen Thilman

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Active people like you are taking a serious look at their athletic wear since the apparel industry contributes 10% of global emissions and is the second biggest polluter of our environment. lululemon has become not only a trendy brand for casual and athletic apparel alike, but is one of the biggest names in athletic wear. So, we had to ask: How sustainable is lululemon?

lululemon is generally not sustainable. Most of their materials are fossil-fuel-based and not recyclable, and their goal of 100% circularity by 2030 seems unrealistic. They’ve reduced some impacts, but not enough, and they’re also being investigated for greenwashing. 

Okay, we’ve already given you the overall summary of lululemon’s sustainability. But there’s more to it than that. Let’s have a look at the whole life-cycle of their products, from production to usage to end-of-life. We’ll also cover lululemon’s involvement in sustainability-promoting organizations. But let’s get started with the big picture first.

Here’s How Sustainable lululemon Is

Considered the number-one athleisure brand, lululemon started when founder Chip Wilson was doing yoga and had an idea for form-fitting yoga clothes that would appeal to women who wanted to look more shapely.

• In 1998, lululemon was founded in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
• Their first stand-alone store opened in 2000.
• Their first European store opened in London in 2014.
• Their initial public offering came in July 2007; they were a Nasdaq-100 company by 2018.

As of 2024, there were 711 lululemon retail stores.

“Sustainable: The ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level | Avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance”

Oxford Dictionary

And to understand the sustainability of lululemon, we must assess their products’ life-cycle and each stage’s sustainability. This life-cycle assessment (LCA) is a method to evaluate the environmental impacts of products and materials. Over the years, companies have strategically used LCA to research and create more sustainable products. So, let’s have a look at the LCA of lululemon!

The product life-cycle stages	Each stage’s sustainability
Production	Materials: Heavy use of fossil-fuels for polyester and nylon, but starting to use recycled polyester in some gear. Manufacturing: Reduced impacts in company owned facilities, but suppliers don’t appear required to do this. Supply chain is very reliant on coal and gas. Packaging: Made efforts to reduce packaging waste and plastics use in distribution. Paper packaging is sourced responsibly.
Usage	Lifespan: Known for making long lasting workout apparel. Has become trendy and, in some ways, considered part of fast fashion. Quality reviews: Customers say they like the way lululemon apparel is strong and lasts, but recent reviews aren’t as positive about the quality. Rapid growth of the brand may have affected that.
End-of-life	Circularity: They’ve started researching plant-based materials, and they use some recycled fibers, but those need to be recyclable for their products to be circular. It’s not clear if lululemon is focused on what happens to their apparel at end-of-life. Recycling: They’ve been successful with packaging and single-use plastics recycling in their company owned facilities (distribution). It’s hard to tell if their suppliers recycle. Waste: There’s not a lot that says lululemon suppliers work to reduce energy, water, or materials waste – all problems in the apparel industry. lululemon mostly reports on reductions in company-owned facilities, which doesn’t address manufacturing waste or product end-of-life.

To know if lululemon really is sustainable we need to look at their manufacturing practices and determine if they are effectively reducing their impact on the planet. To do that we need to look at:

• the information they share,
• data they report to third parties for external review, 
• their ratings and reviews, and 
• what sustainable organizations they belong to. 

How Sustainable Is the Production of lululemon Products

To determine if lululemon’s products are sustainable we have to look at how they are made. Are factory emissions monitored and actions taken to reduce them? Does lululemon keep material waste at a minimum? Do they use non-toxic chemicals that don’t damage the environment? These are all things we need to know to determine if lululemon is sustainable.

lululemon shares data, but transparency doesn’t make them sustainable. Their suppliers should be required to be eco-friendly, but aren’t. From what we can tell, they only monitor and report on emissions, waste, chemical, and water usage. Environmental actions seem mostly at company-owned facilities, and growth in lululemon’s popularity has increased manufacturing impacts by suppliers.

As it turns out, lululemon is one of the top-scoring brands in the 2024 Fashion Revolution Transparency Report:

• They are ranked at the top for sustainability governance (policies).
• They are among 4% of participants who share emissions by country, volume, and type, caused by companies whose products or services they buy.

And, in 2021 and 2022, lululemon came in first out of 65 companies rated by Know the Chain, a resource for transparency, handling forced labor, and labor practices in the supply chain. But, in 2024, the impact research site Actions Speak Louder said lululemon needs to “publicly disclose more information about its supply chain, including energy consumption and environmental impacts.”

That said, being transparent doesn’t make a company more sustainable. We need to know if they’re acting responsibly. So, let’s look at their manufacturing and the materials they use to figure out how eco-friendly they really are.

How Sustainable Are the Materials That lululemon Uses for Their Products

Most athletic and outdoor wear contain cotton, polyester, vinyl, rubber, and plastic. Cotton is the only one of these that doesn’t come from fossil fuels. Because they make stretchy form-fitting yoga and athleisure apparel, lululemon also uses elastane (spandex) and nylon, both made from fossil-fuels.

Most lululemon apparel is made with materials that come from fossil fuels, like polyester and nylon. They’ve started using recycled polyester in some gear, and they’re researching plant-based fibers. They responsibly source cotton, but most of their apparel is still made with fossil fuels.

What types of materials does lululemon use for their products?

lululemon’s material list tells us how much polyester and nylon they buy, but they don’t give us a breakdown of what’s in their apparel. Their materials list doesn’t explicitly mention elastane (spandex), though we found it in nearly every lululemon product we looked at.

• Almost all products on lululemon.com contain fossil-fuel-based synthetics like polyester, nylon, or elastane (spandex). 
• Some of their casual wear has natural content like cotton, which they responsibly source, but most of this is mixed with synthetics making it non-recyclable. 
• Their coats and jackets that contain down filling are 100% certified as Responsible Down Standard (RDS).
• They use Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified natural rubber for their yoga mats.

Are the materials used by lululemon virgin (new) or non-virgin (recycled)?

lululemon use recycled polyester in some garments and are developing alternatives to virgin fossil fuel-based materials. 

• 40% of the polyester they bought in 2020 was from recycled water bottles.
• In 2023, they partnered with Samsara Eco to make the world’s first enzymatically recycled polyester, which they say can be recycled indefinitely.
  • Their Packable Anorak Earth Day jacket is made with this but is listed as currently out-of-stock. 

lululemon doesn’t offer a breakdown of materials in their product descriptions, so we can’t tell how much is virgin versus recycled. They tell us how much recycled polyester they buy, but they don’t say what apparel contains it and we didn’t find it in the majority of their gear.

Is lululemon part of any organizations to “prove” their sustainability?

• They don’t show up as OEKO-TEX^® certified, which would mean their products are guaranteed not to contain toxic chemicals and have an Oeko-Tex label to prove it.
  • We did find a few lululemon suppliers that are certified.
• They aren’t part of the 1% for the Planet movement where apparel companies donate one percent of sales to environmental causes.

In fact, we couldn’t find any environmental causes currently supported by lululemon. So it makes us wonder about their campaign to Be Planet, which they say is all about doing better for the environment.

While lululemon seems to be investing in alternatives to fossil-fuel-based materials, they don’t currently have any available products made with these. And while they talk about working to be sustainable, they don’t seem to support any environmental causes.

How Sustainable Are the Manufacturing Processes of lululemon

In the apparel industry, manufacturing is the biggest cause of climate change inducing waste and emissions. From wasted fabric on the cutting floor to the chemicals used on materials and the carbon output from operations, making clothing has a huge impact on our environment.

While lululemon has made changes to company-owned operations to make them less impactful, they have work to do in their supply chain which has grown with the popularity of lululemon apparel. They appear to do some monitoring of supplier impacts but don’t contractually require reductions. Also, suppliers have been criticized for labor issues.

Where does lululemon produce their products?

lululemon scores well on transparency because they’re one of the few apparel makers that provides us with a list of their suppliers. On their People Who Make Our Products page, they say:

• Raw materials come from six locations
• Product assembly is done at 18 locations
• Their direct suppliers are located in: Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam

In 2024, lululemon received a Fair Labor Association Accreditation for their work with suppliers on labor relations and for participation in a living wage pilot program. However, the review site Shop Ethical gave them a C Rating with criticism for labor and supply chain issues in China and Bangladesh. And the site Fashion Checker, which gathers and evaluates the wages of apparel workers, gave lululemon an E rating, saying their public commitment and transparency are okay but their action plan and labor cost information are not good.

What does lululemon do to reduce their CO₂ emissions?

In 2021, lululemon said they sourced 100% renewable energy at company-owned facilities and operations, but in 2022 their growth increased overall emissions by 60%, according to Stand Earth. This was due to their supply chain still using fossil fuels and not being required to decarbonize.

• An August 2023 article by Actions Speak Louder said: “When it comes to renewable energy in their supply chain, lululemon has not yet made a time-bound, public-facing commitment.” 
• A January 2024 report from the NewClimate Institute’s (NCI) graded lululemon’s strategy for renewable energy in its supply chain as “shallow.”

On the United Nations Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action, lululemon stated that they intend to reduce emissions 60% by 2030, using a 2018 base year. But with the huge growth in the company since 2020, we wonder whether that base year will accurately reflect reductions.

What does lululemon do to reduce their water consumption?

lululemon says that, in 2020, the suppliers of 96% of their materials and products completed the HIGG FEM, a tool for assessing environmental impacts, on their water usage and efficiency. But we don’t know the results since lululemon hasn’t share them. They also didn’t report whether supplier actions to correct problems were required.

According to lululemon’s Impact Agenda, they plan to reduce 20% of freshwater use by 2025, but they don’t talk about plans to improve water efficiency in their supply chain.

What does lululemon do to reduce their chemical usage?

lululemon says they met their 2022 goal of Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) which was to eliminate 100% of ZDHC-restricted substances at priority suppliers. They don’t tell us if they have plans to implement these actions throughout their supply chain.

Which organizations has lululemon joined to showcase their social sustainability?

lululemon may have signed the United Nations Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action, but we haven’t observed them making any other commitments to becoming sustainable. They aren’t B-Corp Certified, which measures companies for social and environmental performance, and they aren’t a member of Business for Social Responsibility (BSR).

While lululemon says they reduce impacts, the steps they’re taking seem to be only at company-owned facilities and maybe their top-level suppliers. They need to require all suppliers to take action if they plan to become a sustainable brand. And, they need to join organizations that monitor and help manufacturers to reach impact reduction goals so we can verify they are acting responsibly.

How Sustainable Is the Packaging Used for lululemon Products

Nearly half of the plastics lululemons makes are for product packaging. While some packaging is necessary or is required by law, some of it isn’t needed. Since plastics are made with fossil fuels, can’t be easily recycled, and take hundreds of years to break down, they are a huge contributor to the carbon footprint and waste caused by product manufacturing.

We applaud lululemon for waste reduction efforts in their distribution centers and use of sustainable materials for packaging. It’s a start. But they need to get real about how much plastic they use and how they’re going to reduce it. Their goal to reduce plastic packaging by 50% appears to have backfired since they have reported an increase since 2021.

How much packaging do they use?

lululemon’s Impact Agenda says they plan to “Reduce single-use plastic packaging by at least 50% per unit by 2025”. However, their 2023 Impact Report shows an increased use of plastic packaging by 16%. 

Also, while their 2023 Impact Report tells us their distribution centers operate at near-zero waste, meaning they recycle said waste, they don’t say how much packaging is actually used in those centers or if they have a strategy for reducing that usage.

How sustainable is their packaging?

lululemon’s Impact Agenda says:

• Their packaging contains certified sustainable content, or is at least 30 percent recycled.
• They switched all paper packaging to FSC-Certified materials that are 100% recycled.
  • This is used for items like hang tags, boxes, gift cards, and sleeves. 

lululemon shares lofty packaging reduction goals but they don’t talk about how they intend to achieve them. It doesn’t appear they’ve had much success reducing packaging in the past, so they need to work on this, especially with single-use plastics.

How Sustainable Is the Usage of lululemon Products

Having sustainable products also means making them durable so they can last. It is estimated that 64% of garments made end up being disposed of in landfills within a year after purchase. So, it’s important to know whether lululemon makes their products last, enabling customers to use them for a long time.

While lululemon seems to make quality gear that lasts, that gear is also considered trendy, and thus contributes to the fast fashion problem. They launched a repair and reuse program that delays product discard, but most lululemon gear is still made with fossil fuels and not recyclable, so, in the end, it goes into landfills. 

While lululemon seems to make quality gear that lasts, it’s also considered trendy, apparel that contributes to the fast fashion problem. They launched a repair and reuse program that delays product discard, but most lululemon gear is still made with fossil fuels and not recyclable so, in the end, it goes into landfills. 

What Is the Lifespan of lululemon’s Products

The lifespan of a product is the period of time from when a product leaves the manufacturer to the moment it becomes obsolete or cannot be used anymore and is thrown out.

While lululemon makes apparel that is known to last, they regularly push new designs and encourage frequent purchases. This means their products might get discarded sooner than necessary. Furthermore, it adds to the fast fashion problem.

Are lululemon’s products designed to last?

It’s clear that lululemon doesn’t make cheap quality gear. Their athleisure wear is known for being long lasting, which is good because they’re also known for their high prices.

• In The Yoga Nomads reviewof lululemon, they say “On average, lululemon leggings last for 2-5 years if cared for properly,”
• Hipster Fashion says “lululemon products are widely recognized for their exceptional quality,” and
• What to Wear Men says lululemon “…is made of high quality and long lasting materials.” 

Can lululemon’s products be considered fast fashion?

Fast fashion usually refers cheap clothes that mimic brands like lululemon. But if those mimicked brands practice excess production in order to increase sales, they’re considered part of the fast fashion problem. This is the case with lululemon since they frequently cranks out new designs. 

• Your Sustainable Guide says, “Lululemon is partially fast fashion because it overproduces garments more than needed,” and
• Eco-Stylist, which reviews fashion for environmental and ethical issues, listed lululemon as number 25 of their top 50 “Worst Fast Fashion Brands to Avoid at All Costs.” 

lululemon may make apparel that lasts but it’s overproduced. By frequently pushing new designs they contribute to the fast fashion problem. So, even though their apparel may last longer than other athleisure brands, it will likely end up discarded sooner than necessary.

How Is the Quality of lululemon’s Products Rated

When a product is rated as being high-quality it reflects on its durability and lifespan potential. If it is made poorly or from inferior materials, it is not likely to last or be rated very well by consumers.

While lululemon has grown in popularity, in part due to having well made gear, it appears the quality has been going downhill the past few years. Recent customer ratings about quality are mostly not good.

How do users rate the quality of lululemon’s products?

Customers seem to love the look and feel of lululemon gear, but it sounds like the quality has been going down.

Responses in this Reddit post entitled, “lululemon worth it or overly priced?…” say the quality is good and worth the high price tag. In fact, those customers raved about how much they love lululemon gear. But, that post is from three years ago.

Significantly, more recent customer reviews show that the quality seems to have gone down. The consumer rating site, Trustpilot, has over 1,100 reviews that indicate a “Poor” rating of 1.5 out of 5 stars. The top complaints we saw were about quality and bad customer service. Quite a few reviews mentioned a decline in quality from previous customer purchases.

Overall, while a number of comments and reviews say lululemon makes quality gear, it sounds like there’s been a noticeable decline over the past few years.

How Sustainable Is the End-of-life of lululemon Products

While a big environmental impact from the apparel industry is manufacturing, the mounting piles of clothes that end up in landfills are just as impactful. So, apparel companies need to make products that can be reused or recycled and not end up in the trash. On that note, let’s look at what happens to lululemon apparel when it hits end-of-life.

The majority of lululemon apparel is made with fossil-fuel-based content that can’t be recycled, so when it wears out, it contributes to the landfill problem. The company is researching plant-based materials, but that doesn’t mean they have them available or that these can be recycled. So, most lululemon items will end up being thrown out when they are no longer of use.

How Circular Are lululemon’s Products

If you can’t take apart a product and recycle the materials, it’s not circular. When existing apparel is 100% recyclable, we will have reached full circularity of our clothing. While we’re a long way from that, it’s important for brands like lululemon to pave the way with apparel that lasts and fibers that can be recycled over and over again.

lululemon is working to develop plant-based materials to replace fossil fuels as the source for nylon and polyester, but they don’t say if these alternatives will be recyclable. They would have to be, of course, if lululemon is going to meet their lofty goal to have only circular apparel by 2030.

“Circular economy: A circular economy within the textiles industry refers to the practice of clothes and fibers continually being recycled, to re-enter the economy as much as possible rather than ending up as waste. | A circular textiles economy is in response to the current linear model of the fashion industry, in which raw materials are extracted, manufactured into commercial goods and then bought, used, and eventually discarded by consumers.”

Wikipedia

• In 2023, lululemon started working with Samsara Eco, an enviro-tech startup developing infinitely recycled materials for the apparel industry. This led to the first enzymatically recycled nylon 6,6 thread. 
• In 2024, lululemon released a first-of-its-kind product made with recycled polyester.
  • This Packable Anorak jacket appears to be no longer available on their site.

So, lululemon looks to be working toward using more recycled and natural content, and may one day have materials that can be infinitely recycled. That said, they may have a long way to go before this type of gear is available in their stores.

Are lululemon’s Products Made for Recycling

Natural fibers, like cotton, are usually the easiest to recycle as they can be taken apart and reused as thread or yarn to make more material. Synthetics, on the other hand, aren’t easy to take apart for reuse. So, the types of materials lululemon’s products are made with makes a difference as to how easily they can be recycled.

lululemon has a trade-in and resale program, but they have a ways to go before they can claim circularity. Their excessive use of fossil-fuel-based materials, like polyester and nylon, means it could be a while before we’ll be able to recycle lululemon apparel.

In 2021, they launched “Like New lululemon,” a trade-in and resale program to encourage extending the life of their apparel. However, resale is not the same as recycling and does not make a garment circular.

While lululemon says their resale program contributes to end-of-use solutions and reaching 100% circularity, this is deceptive. Resale programs do not address what happens when apparel can no longer be worn and is heading to a landfill.

Will lululemon’s Products Go to Waste at Their End-of-life

No matter how durable a product is, it will one day no longer be useful. When it comes down to apparel it is becoming critical to avoid having it end up in landfills, which reports say is where nearly 80% of our clothing eventually goes, meaning that only about 20% ever gets recycled.

lululemon talks about zero-waste in distribution, but not much about material waste in manufacturing or how to keep their apparel out of landfills. They’re experimenting with plant-based, rather than fossil-fuel-based materials, but using this content doesn’t make a garment recyclable at the end-of-life, so they have work to do.

lululemon has made efforts to reduce waste in distribution.

• Sustainable Review says, “They’ve made all their global distribution centers Zero Waste by reusing and recycling more than 90% of their materials.”

But most material waste lies in product manufacturing and disposal, not distribution. What lululemon’s doing to reduce waste in company operations doesn’t address how to make their products circular or reduce waste in manufacturing. 

Currently, lululemon apparel will go to landfills when it reaches end-of-life. While they may be looking at using material alternatives to fossil-fuels, lululemon has a long way to go before their apparel can be called circular. Using different materials doesn’t mean a garment is recyclable. 

Is lululemon Involved in Any Charities Promoting Sustainability

We ran across this statement in the About section of the Like New lululemon store: 

• “Since 2022, …all profits have gone to support the Apparel Impact Institute’s Fashion Climate Fund…”
  • The Fund says they support climate programs, solutions, and financing.

We couldn’t find a report showing how much the program has donated to the Fund.

Here’s How Sustainable lululemon Says They Are

lululemon talks about caring for the planet and people, and how they drive positive change. Their Impact Agenda says they have “A holistic approach to equity, wellbeing, and sustainability,” and claims they will “become a net-zero company by 2050.” They provide a 2023 Global Wellbeing Report to show their progress.

What Is the Sustainability Strategy of lululemon

lululemon’s Impact Agenda says they plan to “Make 100% of our products with preferred materials and end-of-use solutions to advance a circular ecosystem by 2030.” 

Their Sustainability Page says they’re working on: 

1. Using lower impact materials
   • 100% renewable or recycled nylon by 2030
   • 75% recycled polyester by 2025
   • 100% cotton from more sustainable sources by 2025
   • 100% responsibly sourced animal-derived materials by 2025
2. Reducing waste and emissions
   • 60% reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in all owned and operated facilities by 2030
   • 60% reduction of GHG emissions across their global supply chain by 2030
   • Become a net-zero company by 2050
   • Supporting equity and inclusion 

lululemon says they’re exploring more responsibly sourced materials, like plant-based and alternatives for nylon, but don’t offer apparel made with these yet.

• In 2021, they partnered with LanzaTech to create fabrics made from recycled carbon emissions.
• They’re working with Samsara Eco to make a nylon that can be infinitely recycled.

But, while lululemon has a number of aggressive goals related to sustainability, they’re not currently talking about these in their marketing. And there’s a reason for that.

What Sustainability Marketing Messages Does lululemon Share

lululemon’s homepage doesn’t promote eco-friendly or circular products. They don’t make it clear if they offer apparel made with recycled content, nor do they promote their Like New resale program. They also don’t talk about having sustainable practices. 

It’s possible that lululemon overpromoted their sustainability efforts back in 2020, which they’re now being investigated for, and are trying to steer clear of any further backlash.

“Greenwashing: behavior or activities that make people believe that a company is doing more to protect the environment than it really is”

Cambridge Dictionary

• In April 2024, Action Speaks Louder (ASL), an organization that holds companies to their environmental promises, said lululemon’s actions don’t match their words.
  • After a six-month investigation, the report, “Be Planet’? Toxic pollution and fossil fuel reliance in lululemon’s supply chain,” found that lululemon suppliers…
    • have multiple penalties for breaking environmental regulations; including air and water pollution, and waste treatment violations.
    • have a significant dependence on fossil fuels, including coal.

• Consequently, In 2024 the Canadian government started an investigation into lululemon’s Be Planet campaign for allegations of deceptive marketing.
  • The 2020 campaign said they were working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), but contradictory progress was shared in their 2022 Impact Report.

• Green Matters said, “lululemon’s company behavior is a major indicator of greenwashing.”
  • They say the company’s launch of one t-shirt made with circular nylon, felt like a distraction to keep customers from seeing how bad lululemon is for the planet.

• Energy Advice Hub said, “lululemon’s marketing of its green efforts ‘goes too far’ by conveying the impression that the brand is having a net positive effect on the planet.”

With all this said, it seems pretty clear that lululemon has exaggerated their sustainability efforts, which leaves us wondering if they’re genuinely serious about making eco-friendly apparel.

How Does lululemon Compare to Their Competitors

Environmental efforts by lululemon seem shallow compared to other brands available. There are many sportswear and athleisure companies that, when we dig into their sustainability efforts and supply chain, are much more effective in reducing the impact of their apparel on the planet.

How Can You Buy More Sustainable Sports Products

Watch out for the companies that use marketing buzzwords to sound good but don’t stand behind those claims. You’ll want to verify what a company says about its sustainable practices. 

Here are some organizations that certify and rate companies on social and sustainability practices and provide a way to search by brand name:

• B-Corp – search for companies certified to have the highest level of social and environmental standards
• bluesign® FINDER – where you can search companies using textiles that are verified as low-impact
• BSR (Business for Social Responsibility) – search their member list to find companies taking sustainability seriously
• Ecocert – lists certified companies that say they use organic materials
• Fair Trade – globally monitors companies for social, economic, and fair practices
• Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) – find retailers in your area with this certification
• OEKO-TEX Buying Guide – search for companies with sustainable practices
• Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP) – certifies companies based on their social compliance and provides a search map to find these retailers

With these resources and a few minutes of your time, you can find out if a brand is as sustainable as they say.

Final Thoughts

In 2022, Stand.Earth said “lululemon’s new sustainability report reveals it took a wrong turn on climate commitments.” What we’ve found is that lululemon has a very slim chance of making their goal to be circular by 2030, and we’re not sure they know what that means since they don’t have a very good start.

The company also says that their Like New resale program supports circularity, but it doesn’t address end-of-life for the materials. All in all, circularity means endless use of materials, not resale of pre-owned clothes, and this is a lesson lululemon has yet to demonstrate they understand.

In the end, we have to agree with these evaluations: 

• The Rock, says lululemon has an “Over-Reliance on Offsetting & Self-Reported Data” 
• LiveKindly says “lululemon: It’s High Time You Actually Went Sustainable”
• Eco-Stylist says, “this company needs to focus on meaningful action rather than meaningless statements.”

From what we can tell, lululemon’s focus seems to be on looking good more than being good for the planet.

Stay impactful,

Sources

• World Economic Forum: These facts show how unsustainable the fashion industry is
• Lululemon: Home
• Wikipedia: Lululemon
• Science Direct: Life-cycle assessment (LCA)
• MIT SMR: Strategic Sustainability Uses of Life-Cycle Analysis
• Fashion Revolution: 2024 Fashion Revolution Transparency Report
• Know the Chain: Lululemon
• Actions Speak Louder: ‘Be Planet’? Toxic pollution and fossil fuel reliance in lululemon’s supply chain
• Impactful Ninja: How Sustainable Are Cotton Fabrics? A Life-Cycle Analysis
• Impactful Ninja: How Sustainable Are Polyester Fabrics? A Life-Cycle Analysis
• Impactful Ninja: How Sustainable Are Spandex Fabrics? A Life-Cycle Analysis
• Impactful Ninja: How Sustainable Are Nylon Fabrics? A Life-Cycle Analysis
• Lululemon: Material Innovation
• Textile Exchange: Responsible Down Standard (RDS)
• Forest Stewardship Council (FSC): Home
• Impactful Ninja: How Sustainable Is Recycled Polyester?
• Samsara Eco: Home
• Lululemon: Packable Anorak Earth Day Jacket
• OEKO-TEX: Buying Guide
• Lululemon: Supplier List
• One Percent for the Planet: Home
• Lululemon: Be Planet
• Lululemon: People Who Make Our Products
• Fair Labor Association: lululemon Assessment for Accreditation
• Shop Ethical: Lululemon Athletica
• Fashion Checker: Lululemon Athletica
• Stand.Earth: lululemon’s new sustainability report reveals it took a wrong turn on climate commitments
• Actions Speak Louder: ​​THE PATH TO SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAINS FOR LULULEMON
• NewClimate Institute (NCI): Navigating the nuances of corporate renewable electricity procurement: SPOTLIGHT ON FASHION AND TECH
• United Nations Climate Change: Fashion Charter – Participants 
• Cascale: Higg Facility Tools
• Lululemon: Impact Agenda
• ZDHC: ZDHC Manufacturing Restricted Substance List
• B-Corporation: Find a B Corp
• Business for Social Responsibility (BSR): Material, but Not Always Strategic: Why the Difference Matters
• Supply Chain Dive: Packaging makes up nearly half of plastic waste
• Lululemon: 2023 Impact Report
• FSC: What’s in a Label?
• EDGE Fashion Intelligence: Fashion Industry Environmental, Waste, and Recycle Statistics
• The Yoga Nomads: Everything you Need to Know About lululemon Products (Sizing, Returns, Exchanges, Alterations + Customer Service)
• Hipster Fashion: Does Lululemon Last?
• What to Wear Men: Is Lululemon Worth It? Everything You Need to Know
• Your Sustainable Guide: Is LuluLemon Fast Fashion
• Eco-Stylist: Worst Fast Fashion Brands to Avoid at All Costs
• Reddit:  Lululemon worth it or overly priced? I’ve heard great reviews, but still feeling nervous about spending the money
• Trustpilot: Lululemon Athletica
• New York Post: Mountains of trashed, trendy clothes overflow landfills, hurt environment: report
• The Street: Lululemon releases a first-of-its-kind product
• Lululemon: Like New
• ABC News: Almost 80 percent of unwanted textiles end up in landfill, a report finds
• Sustainable Review: Better brands: Is Lululemon sustainable?
• Lululemon: Waste & Packaging
• Apparel Impact: The Fashion Climate Fund
• Lululemon: 2023 Global Wellbeing Report
• Lululemon: Sustainability
• Sustainable Brands: LanzaTech, lululemon Partner to Create First Fabric Made from Recycled Carbon Emissions
• CBC Radio Canada: Competition Bureau investigating Lululemon over greenwashing allegations
• Green Matters: Calling Lululemon “Sustainable” Is a Stretch — Especially When Its Factories Still Use Coal
• Energy Advice Hub: Lessons from Lululemon: it’s all about Scope 3
• B-Corp: Find a B-Corp
• bluesign® FINDER: Home
• BSR (Business for Social Responsibility): Member List
• Ecocert: Our certifications: assurance for your commitments
• Fair Trade: Home
• Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS): Home
• Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP): Facilities and monitors
• This Rock: Lululemon Sustainability Report: Key Insights from 2023 Data
• LiveKindly: Lululemon: It’s High Time You Actually Went Sustainable
• Eco-Stylist: Is Lululemon Fast Fashion? How Sustainable is Lululemon? Let’s Discuss.