Lululemon is a high-end activewear chain that offers yoga-inspired athletic apparel for most sweaty pursuits. While the brand claims to be dedicated to sustainable practice, does Lululemon really put its best foot forward for people, planet and animals? Or is it a s-t-r-e-t-c-h to call it ethical? Read on to find out what its impact is really like.

Environmental Impact

While Lululemon is a member of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition and claims sustainability as one of its core principles, its environmental impact is simply ‘not good enough’.

Lululemon only uses a low proportion of eco-friendly materials. While it has set an absolute target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions generated from its owned operations by 100% by 2021, it is unclear whether it has set a supply chain target. There is no evidence it has taken meaningful action to reduce or eliminate hazardous chemicals, nor does it have adequate policies or initiatives on water reduction.

On the sustainability section of its website, Lululemon talks about ways to improve environmental impact. Although this is positive, in reality, it doesn’t reflect any meaningful action. For a global brand such as Lululemon, there really is no excuse not to do its part for the environment.

Labour Conditions

When it comes to workers, Lululemon falls short again, with a ‘not good enough’ rating. It has a Code of Conduct that covers all of the ILO Four Fundamental Freedoms principles and traces some of its supply chain, but the good news ends there.

There is no evidence the brand has any worker empowerment initiatives such as collective bargaining or rights to make a complaint, and it has made little to no progress toward payment of a living wage. To top it all off, it sources its final stage of production from countries with extreme risk of labour abuse!

Animal Welfare

Lululemon once again gets a ‘not good enough’ rating for our animal friends. While it does not use fur, angora, or exotic animal skin, there is no evidence it has an animal welfare policy. It uses down feathers accredited by the Responsible Down Standard, which is a plus, but it also uses leather, wool, and exotic animal hair without stating sources, so we can’t be sure how the animals are treated.

Overall Rating: Not Good Enough

Based on information from our own research, we’ve given Lululemon an overall rating of ‘not good enough’. When it comes to labour, we’re glad to see some level of transparency in the supply chain, but it still falls short. If the brand’s employees aren’t being paid a living wage, it’s simply not good enough to be considered truly ethical conduct. On the environment and animal front, we’d like to see less talk and more action!

Luckily there are numerous ethical activewear brands that have our full support which you can see below!

Good Swaps

Ethical alternatives to Lululemon