lululemon accused of "greenwashing" in complaint filed to federal agency
A BC-based grassroots environmental organization has filed a complaint against lululemon with Canada’s Competition Bureau, accusing the athleisure company of “greenwashing” and misleading shoppers about its environmental impact.
In a statement, Stand.earth said that it submitted its complaint regarding the “false and misleading” way the Vancouver-founded business presents itself in ad campaigns as an apparel company committed to the environment and sustainability.
“Stand.earth’s position in its complaint is that Lululemon’s business is inconsistent with its public claims to be an environmentally positive company,” stated the organization.
Organization takes issue with particular lululemon campaign
In its 39-page application, Stand.earth took particular issue with lululemon’s 2020 “Be Planet” marketing campaign.
“lululemon subsequently pursued a marketing campaign that makes public statements and presents images on its website and elsewhere that build upon and perpetuate the message that the company’s actions and products contribute to improving the environment and the restoration of a healthy planet,” said Stand.earth.
“In the opinion of the Applicants, this message is false and misleading.”
Stand.earth noted that, as one of the world’s largest apparel companies, lululemon has a “significant and growing environmental footprint” that’s had a direct impact on harming the planet.
It also pointed to lululemon’s Impact Report released last fall, which indicated the company’s increasing growth in emissions and its reliance on fossil fuel products to make its pieces.
Over 60% of the materials the company uses are derived from fossil fuels, noted Stand.earth.
It added that the apparel giant’s misleading environmental claims are further amplified by being one of Canada’s largest companies.
“The breadth and influence of lululemon’s public messaging is significant, not only putting a great number of Canadian consumers at risk of being influenced but also causing much unintended environmental damage from their purchases.”
lululemon responds
Stand.earth acknowledged that its application was not intended to criticize some of Lululemon’s efforts to reduce the harm its business practices have on the environment.
“…Rather it is directed at a marketing campaign that goes too far by creating the general impression that the company’s actions and products are positively contributing to the environment and a healthier planet,” it stated.
In response to Stand.earth, a lululemon company spokesperson provided the following statement to Daily Hive:
lululemon is focused on helping to create a garment industry that is more sustainable and addresses the serious impacts of climate change. We are committed to our decarbonization plan, making tangible investments to meet our 2030 climate goals on the path to being a net-zero company by 2050, and these goals have been validated by the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi).
Our plan focuses on the four areas of our carbon footprint: products and packaging, manufacturing, transportation, and owned and operated facilities. We invest in these areas through our annual business planning, as well as through industry collaborations, including the Apparel Impact Institute Fashion Climate Fund. We have made annual disclosures on climate progress to the CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) since 2011, and report against our goals in our annual Impact Report.
We are proud to have reached our goals of 100% renewable electricity and a 60% absolute reduction of greenhouse emissions in our owned and operated facilities. We obtained independent verification of our progress against these metrics.
We recognize that the majority of impact comes from emissions within the broader supply chain. In 2022, we measured and reported a limited intensity reduction in our scope 3 greenhouse emissions and are working to accelerate this progress. Like others in the industry, we are working to advance calculation methodologies to support and obtain independent verification of scope 3 emissions.
Tackling the climate crisis and scaling solutions in a meaningful way requires supply chain collaboration, investment, and transparency. We remain committed to working directly with our suppliers, industry partners, civil society, and policy makers, including the UN Fashion Charter for Climate Action and contributing $10M to the Fashion Climate Fund led by the Apparel Impact Institute, to accelerate collective climate action.
Should the Competition Bureau find that lululemon has made false and misleading representations, Stand.earth believes the independent federal law enforcement agency should require the company to remove all its Be Planet marketing from its website and public platforms, issue a public apology, and pay a fine of up to 3% of its annual worldwide revenues to an organization for the “purposes of climate mitigation and adaption in Canada.”
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