Lululemon’s ‘Be Planet’ Sustainability Campaign

Lululemon claims in a sustainability section of its website, above, that it is committed to making products and taking actions that “avoid environmental harm and contribute to restoring a healthy planet” – steps the apparel company sums up with the slogan “Be planet.”

But since debuting the tagline in 2020, Lululemon has continued to contribute substantially to climate change, according to Stand.earth, a nonprofit environmental advocacy organization.

In February, Stand.earth filed a greenwashing complaint against Lululemon with Canada’s Competition Bureau (both Stand.earth and Lululemon have offices in British Columbia).

On Monday, Stand.earth said it was recently notified by the Competition Bureau that it had opened an inquiry into Lululemon to determine whether the company violated Canada’s Competition Act “by making false, misleading and/or unsubstantiated representations.”

Go deeper

Since 2020, Lululemon’s Scope 3 greenhouse gases emissions – or supply chain emissions – have more than doubled, according to Stand.earth’s complaint, which cites the company’s own 2022 impact report released last year.

Citing the same report, Stand.earth said this week:

The company also relies heavily on climate-damaging fossil fuels to make its products – more than 60% of the materials it uses are fossil fuel-derived, (pg. 55), materials which contribute to climate pollution, cannot be effectively recycled, do not biodegrade, and release microplastics in the oceans and waterways.

Lululemon notes in its report that progress toward reducing its supply chain emissions and achieving “preferred materials” for its products requires “acceleration” if the company is going to meet those climate goals.

Company responds

In response to a request for comment, a spokesperson for Lululemon said the company is aware of the “review” by the Competition Bureau and is confident it “will confirm that the representations we make to the public are accurate and well-supported.”

“Be Planet is a pillar of our impact agenda that outlines our vision, goals and targets which guide our actions and resource investments in helping to create a garment industry that is more sustainable and addresses the serious impacts of climate change,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “This work is far from complete.”

Find more of our coverage on companies accused of greenwashing here.