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Lululemon Athletica Inc. faces accusations of greenwashing in a recent class-action lawsuit filed in Florida. The lawsuit alleges the Canadian athleticwear brand misleads customers by portraying itself as more environmentally friendly than it is. Specifically, it claims the “Be Planet” marketing campaign paints a deceptive picture of the sustainability of its products, operations, and overall environmental impact.
A hefty lawsuit aimed at Lululemon claims the famous athleisure brand’s “Be Planet” campaign and sustainability promises are a sham. Filed in Florida, the 53-page complaint argues that the brand’s true environmental impact contradicts the eco-friendly image it cultivates. Despite portraying itself as a champion for sustainability and equity, the lawsuit alleges these claims misrepresent the company’s actions.
Lululemon Class Action Lawsuit Questions Sustainability Efforts
“Lululemon’s marketing campaign messages are unfair, false, deceptive, and misleading to reasonable consumers, portraying the company as something it is not,” states the complaint. “The apparel industry is a significant contributor to the environmental crisis, and as one of the largest apparel companies globally, Lululemon has a substantial and increasing climate and environmental footprint. Its actions and products directly harm the environment and deteriorate the planet’s health, contradicting its Be Planet promises and representations.”
The lawsuit alleges a major disconnect between the brand’s “Be Planet” campaign and its environmental impact. While the campaign portrays the company as a champion for sustainability, the lawsuit argues that Lululemon’s business practices and products directly harm the environment. The complaint goes so far as to say their actions are the opposite of what they promote, actively contributing to environmental degradation.
The lawsuit gets specific, accusing Lululemon of leaving a hefty environmental footprint. It alleges the brand is responsible for pumping out significant greenhouse gases, overflowing landfills with waste, and polluting the environment with microplastics.
These accusations paint a far bleaker picture than Lululemon’s “Be Planet” campaign portrays. On top of that, the lawsuit argues these sustainability claims are a marketing ploy to justify the premium prices Lululemon charges for its products.
Lululemon introduced its “Be Planet” campaign and Impact Agenda in October 2020, outlining a long-term plan to reduce its environmental impact. The strategy includes a pledge to significantly cut carbon emissions by 2030.
The brand’s sustainability commitments also include ensuring its products have end-of-use solutions by 2030, incorporating sustainable materials in at least 75 percent of its products by 2025, offering consumers options to extend product lifespan through reselling, repairing, or recycling by 2025, utilising 100% renewable electricity for its operations by 2021, decreasing freshwater use intensity in product manufacturing by 50%, and reducing single-use plastic packaging by 50% by 2025.
Despite launching its “Be Planet” campaign, Lululemon faces accusations of greenwashing. A class-action lawsuit points to the company’s 2022 impact report, which shows a concerning rise in its indirect emissions (Scope 3). These emissions, linked to the supply chain, reportedly reached 1.2 million tons of carbon dioxide in 2022 – nearly double the amount in 2020. The lawsuit calculates this increase as equivalent to burning fossil fuels.
Furthermore, the lawsuit criticises Lululemon for potentially misleading consumers by focusing on reductions in its smaller footprint (Scope 1 and 2 emissions) while neglecting to emphasise its supply chain’s much more significant impact.
As Lululemon’s revenue surged to $8.1 billion between 2018 and 2022, more than doubling in that period, the lawsuit alleges that the “Be Planet” marketing campaign is “objectively false, deceptive, and misleading.” It breaches nearly all Federal Trade Commission guidelines for environmental marketing claims. The filing also notes that Canada’s Competition Bureau has formally investigated Lululemon’s purportedly deceptive marketing practices.
As legal scrutiny intensifies, the outcome of this lawsuit could significantly impact the brand’s reputation and its commitment to sustainability. The case underscores growing concerns about transparency in environmental claims and highlights the broader challenge for companies to align their marketing with genuine eco-friendly practices.
