lululemon pushes back against greenwashing claims

Yoga and activewear brand lululemon is seeing skepticism from netizens following a recent lawsuit alleging that the retailer had mislead consumers in its sustainability campaign.

According to analysis from media intelligence firm Truescope, issues surrounding the brand's sustainability campaign first gained attention when grassroots environmental organization STAND.earth filed a complaint with the Canadian Competition Bureau in May. 

The issue resurfaced again in July when the brand was met with a class action lawsuit in Florida, alleging that lululemon's greenhouse gas emissions had doubled since the launch of the 'Be Planet' campaign in 2020, said Truescope. 

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While most online discussions were neutral and driven by articles, a small portion of netizens expressed skepticism about brands claiming environmental sustainability, said Truescope.

They believed these brands use sustainability as a marketing tool rather than implementing real environmental changes, it added. 

Following which, Truescope revealed that the brand's word cloud included terms such as 'deceptive marketing practices', 'greenwashing marketing', 'climate change' and 'impact report'. 

The initial 53-paged complaint seen by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE revealed that the plaintiff, Amandeep Gyani sought to end a marketing campaign that "goes too far by creating the general, express and implied impression in consumers' minds that lululemon's business practices, actions and products positively contribute to the environment and a healthier planet." 

Gyani added that Lululemon has "taken advantage" of millennial and Gen Z consumers through a "massive greenwashing campaign". 

According to the complaint, lululemon had launched the "Be Planet" campaign in 2020, highlighting five goals to reduce its environmental impact over the next five to 10 years. 

However, the firm’s greenhouse gas emissions have more than doubled since then, the lawsuit alleges, adding that the company relies significantly more on air freight than its competitors.

The complaint also mentions the brand’s use of polyester and nylon in more than 60 per cent of its material mix, which can release large amounts of microplastics. 

“Lululemon’s marketing campaign messages are unfair, false, deceptive, and misleading to reasonable consumers as they portray Lululemon as something it is not,” said the lawsuit. 

When MARKETING-INTERACTIVE reached out, a lululemon spokesperson said that it is "aware of the recent lawsuit and are confident the statements it makes to the public accurately reflect its impact goals and commitments."

It added that "Be Planet" is not a marketing campaign but is an impact strategy. 

"Be Planet is not a marketing campaign. It is a pillar of our impact strategy, outlining the vision, goals and targets which guide our actions and investments. This includes 2030 climate targets and a 2050 Net Zero goal, both of which are externally validated (SBTi)," said the lululemon spokesperson. 

 "We have achieved a 60% absolute reduction of greenhouse emissions in our owned and operated facilities but recognise most of our climate impact comes from emissions of our broader supply chain," it added. 

Moving forward, lululemon will be taking direct action and will collaborate with industry partners to address the impacts of climate change. 

"We are taking direct action and are committed to collaborating with industry partners to help address supply chain impacts on climate change. We welcome dialogue and remain focused on driving progress. This work is far from complete," said lululemon. 

Sustainability is a growing concern for consumers. In fact, amongst luxury customers in the Asia Pacific, 92% said that they would stop buying, buy less or reconsider buying from brands that do not care about sustainability.

Meanwhile, 27% said they would stop buying from these brands altogether. This is according to a 2023 study by luxury and sustainable packaging specialist Delta Global on luxury consumers across Hong Kong, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore and mainland China. 

Picture courtesy of lululemon/LinkedIn 

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