Campaigners are calling on the popular leggings maker to drop its "misleading" ‘Be Planet’ ad campaign.
ADVERTISEMENTOn the cusp of the Olympics, popular athleisure brand and official Team Canada outfitter Lulumon has been accused of greenwashing in France.
Canadian environmental campaign group Stand.earth filed a legal complaint yesterday based on the retailer’s ‘Be Planet’ campaign, which it says contradicts the company’s climate record.
This follows a similar legal complaint in Canada, and recent protests at Lululemon shops including at the company’s flagship Vancouver store.
“We are asking French officials to investigate how Lululemon can claim to ‘Be Planet’ while creating more planet-harming emissions every year than half a million cars,” says Stand executive director Todd Paglia.
Why has Lulumon been accused of greenwashing?
At the Summer Olympics opening ceremony tomorrow (26 July), Canada’s Olympic athletes will be donning new red and white designs from Lululemon - the national team’s official outfitter since 2022.
While the retailer looks to impress, Stand is hoping its complaint lands well with the French Directorate General for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF).
The ‘Be Planet’ marketing campaign launched in 2020 featuring images of rivers, healthy forests and nature to sell a “vague” message that Lululemon contributes to a “healthy” planet, according to Stand.
The environmental advocacy group says that is in “glaring” contradiction to Lululemon’s actual operations. Since deploying the slogan, Stand says the fashion firm’s scope 3 emissions (its indirect pollution) more than doubled by 2022, to 1.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide.
Lululemon’s 2023 Impact Report also reveals that more than 60 per cent of the materials it uses are fossil-fuel derived and non-biodegradable - mostly polyester and nylon - contributing to environmental pollution.
“Our athletes deserve to be at their absolute best in a brand that aligns with their values as Canadians, and not misled by deceptive and greenwashing marketing,” says Stand senior corporate climate campaigner Rachel Kitchin.
She drew a comparison to other Olympic kit sponsors which are delivering renewable energy and emissions cuts. In Stand’s latest scorecard for the world’s top fashion companies, for example, Puma and Nike scored relatively well for their use of renewable electricity.
A ‘first test’ for the French regulator against greenwashing
Stand says the complaint marks “the first test” of the French regulator’s readiness for a wave of new European legislation.
In January this year, the EU passed a new greenwashing directive which seeks to ban misleading environmental claims. It requires sustainability claims to be checked by an independent and accredited verifier.
The complaint notes that Lululemon France’s greenhouse gas emissions are relatively low - but says they do not reflect the extent of Lululemon Athletica’s scope 3 emissions in its global supply chain to which the French subsidiary has access.
In February, Stand filed a similar complaint in Canada which resulted in the Competition Bureau Canada officially opening an inquiry in April to investigate concerns that the company misleads customers about its environmental impact.
ADVERTISEMENTProtest actions have also been ramping up in recent weeks. On Monday, activists staged a street performance outside the athleisure giant’s Vancouver flagship store. Last week the group dropped a banner at the Toronto Home of Team Canada building, suggesting the athletes will be “dressed in oil”.
Why is fashion such a polluting industry?
While campaigners have Lululemon in their sights, they’re also calling for industry-wide change.
Clothing and footwear production is responsible for 8 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, the UN estimates, with manufacturing processes still relying heavily on coal and other fossil fuels.
These planet-wrecking fuels also enter the supply chain through synthetic fibres made from oil and fracked gas, says Stand, and the heavy fuels required to transport products.
ADVERTISEMENTFashion companies transitioning their manufacturing to renewable energy is the most important change brands can make to their supply chains to cut emissions, according to the campaign.
Lululemon did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Euronews Green.
A spokesperson for the company told Climate Home News that its Be Planet “is not a marketing campaign” but “a pillar” of the company’s impact strategy, and that the firm is confident the statements it makes to the public accurately reflect its impact goals and commitments.
“We are taking direct action and are committed to collaborating with industry partners to help address supply chain impacts on climate change,” the spokesperson added. “We welcome dialogue and remain focused on driving progress.”
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