Fitness apparel maker Lululemon has added a 2030 renewable energy goal for top suppliers while downgrading procurement plans that called for including at least 25 percent of “preferred” materials by weight in 100 percent of its products by 2030.
Under the revision, the company will now seek to hit 90 percent over the same timeframe. “Integrating sustainability into the rhythm of production creation is a hard thing to do,” said Noel Kinder, Lululemon’s senior vice president of sustainability.
The new energy target calls for 50 percent of the electricity consumption of tier 1 and tier 2 business partners to be from renewable sources by 2030. These suppliers are mainly based in Vietnam, Taiwan, Cambodia, mainland China, Indonesia, Bangladesh and South Korea.
Previously, Lululemon had called for 25 percent of its supply chain electricity from major suppliers to come from renewables; it hit 15 percent in 2024. It is also pushing for key partners to phase out coal-fired boilers by 2030; so far, 35 percent have done so, according to a progress report in the Lululemon 2024 impact report published Nov. 13.
Lululemon’s supply chain transition to renewable energy and refining its strategy to buy more recycled and renewable materials are the most important levers for meeting another 2030 goal: cutting the emissions intensity for products and services by gross profits by 60 percent by 2030, said Kinder.
“This stuff takes longer than anyone wants it to take,” he said.
Materials world
Kinder, formerly the chief sustainability officer at Nike, joined Lululeumon in May; he reports to the company’s chief supply chain officer. Like his predecessor, Esther Speck, Kinder believes the route to reduced emissions lies in an industry-wide transformation in the way fabrics and textiles are sourced.
“One of the things that was really cool to see when I first got to Lululemon was how committed they were to investing their own balance sheet in new materials innovation,” Kinder said.
Lululemon backs or has contracts with several entrepreneurs working to scale the availability of recycled or bio-based polyester, nylon and other synthetics. In June, it signed a decade-long deal with Australian startup Samsara Eco, which is using artificial intelligence to advance the development of recycling enzymes.
Lululemon made considerable progress in buying recycled polyester in FY24, sourcing 77 percent and beating its 75 percent goal for 2025 by a year. Polyester represented 33 percent of the materials bought by Lululemon last year, by volume.
The company has had less success with recycled nylon —its second-most important material, at 30 percent by volume — which it uses in leggings and stretchy tops. At present, just 11 percent comes from renewable or recycled sources. The company, which was aiming for 100 percent by the end of 2030, is now pledging to reach 75 percent.