The Olympics have just concluded, and the impressive performance of the Canadian team is still fresh in memory. This year, the uniforms were provided by Lululemon, a Canadian brand known for having "the most beautiful yoga clothes," which many teams envied. However, before the opening ceremony, environmental groups filed a complaint against Lululemon in France, accusing the brand of greenwashing and demanding the removal of the "earth-friendly" claim. They also argued that "Canadian athletes deserve better (sportswear)."

Carbon Emissions Rise and Materials Hard to Recycle: "Earth-Friendly" Accused of Being a Marketing Ploy

Fashionable sportswear combines functionality, comfort, and aesthetics, which has made it popular in recent years, allowing Lululemon to rise in prominence. In 2023, the company's net revenue increased by 19% to $9.6 billion, making it the fourth most popular sports brand in the world, after Nike, Adidas, and Puma.

In 2020, Lululemon announced its three core pillars of "Be human. Be well. Be planet." and continued to promote environmental principles, which helped build its popularity.

On July 24, the Canadian environmental organization Stand.earth took legal action by filing a complaint against Lululemon with the French Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs, and Fraud Control (DGCCRF), accusing the company of greenwashing and demanding the removal of one of its pillars, "Be planet."

Todd Paglia, Executive Director of Stand.earth, said, “We hope the French authorities will investigate how Lululemon can claim to be 'earth-friendly' while emitting a significant amount of greenhouse gases that harm the planet.”

According to Climate Home, Lululemon's latest impact report shows that its supply chain (Scope 3) carbon emissions nearly doubled by 2022, reaching 1.2 million metric tons, equivalent to the annual emissions of 300,000 gasoline-powered cars.

“Canadian athletes deserve better (sportswear),” Stand.earth said. This year’s Olympics were touted as "the greenest Olympics ever," but Lululemon’s products, from fabrics to factories, rely heavily on fossil fuels like oil, natural gas, and coal. The clothes use synthetic and non-biodegradable materials that are hard to recycle and release microplastics into the water. If this isn’t greenwashing, what is?

According to Lululemon’s official website, the company has begun introducing plant-based nylon materials in recent years and aims to have 75% of its products made from sustainable materials by 2025. The men’s collection has already achieved this goal ahead of schedule in 2021.

Vague Future Promises

In February of this year, Stand.earth also complained to Canadian consumer protection agencies about Lululemon’s greenwashing and false advertising. Consumers in Florida, USA, made similar allegations in July by filing a lawsuit in local court.

A Lululemon spokesperson responded that "earth-friendly" is a "core pillar" of the company, not a marketing strategy, and accurately reflects Lululemon’s impact goals and commitments. The company has taken direct action and is working with corporate partners to address the climate impacts of its supply chain.

“We are pleased that our directly owned and operated factories have achieved the goal of 100% renewable energy and have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 60%,” the spokesperson told the financial website TheStreet.

Wren Montgomery, an associate professor at Ivey Business School, Western University, suggested that Lululemon might be engaging in "future washing," a term referring to promises of future improvements without specifying how they will be achieved or what current actions are being taken. This is akin to saying, "We are committed to making our products better for people and the planet."

References:

♦ Climate Home News（2024/7/25），Canada's Olympics kit provider hit with greenwashing complaint in France

♦ TheStreet（2024/7/18），Lululemon is 'greenwashing,' says major ESG group

♦ Stand.earth（2024/7/24），Multinational athletic clothing giant Lululemon hit with French complaint over greenwashing

♦ Stand.earth（2024/5/6），Be Planet? We’ll See. An official greenwashing investigation into lululemon is now underway by Canada’s Competition Bureau

♦ Stand.earth（2024/8/7），Lululemon going for GOLD at Paris Olympics!

♦ Canada’s Olympics kit provider hit with greenwashing complaint in Franc

♦ marie claire（2023/7/4），不只有瑜珈褲！四大重點帶你了解 lululemon 品牌精神與創意理念

Source: Environmental Information Center