Lululemon

Rated: Not good enough

price: $$$$

location: Canada

Lululemon is not taking adequate steps to ensure payment of a living wage for its workers.

Lululemon sustainability rating

Planet

2 out of 5

People

2 out of 5

Animals

2 out of 5

Overall rating: Not good enough

Our ratings are based on a scale from 1 (We avoid) to 5 (Great) How we rate


Our “Planet” rating evaluates brands based on the environmental policies in their supply chains, from carbon emissions and wastewater to business models and product circularity. Here we rate Lululemon “Not Good Enough”. These are a few factors influencing its score:

  • It uses some lower-impact materials including recycled materials.
  • There’s no evidence it’s taking actions to protect biodiversity in its supply chain.
  • There’s no evidence it’s taking actions to minimise microplastic impacts.
  • It’s set a science based target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in both its direct operations and supply chain but there’s no evidence it is on track.

Workers’ rights are central to our “People” rating, which assess brands’ policies and practices on everything from child labour to living wages and gender equality. Here we rate Lululemon “Not Good Enough”. These are a few factors influencing its score:

  • Some of its final production stage is certified by Fair Labor Association (FLA).
  • It received a score of 51-60% in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index.
  • There’s no evidence it supports diversity and inclusion in its supply chain.
  • It claims to have a program to improve wages but there’s no evidence it ensures its workers are paid living wages in most of its supply chain.
  • It’s taken insufficient steps to remediate its links to cotton sourced from Xinjiang, a region in China at risk of Uyghur forced labour.

Brands’ animal welfare policies and, where applicable, how well they trace their animal-derived products are the focus of our “Animals” rating. Here we rate Lululemon “Not Good Enough”. These are a few factors influencing its score:

  • There’s no evidence it has an animal welfare policy.
  • It appears to use wool, exotic animal hair, and silk.
  • Responsible Down Standard certifies the down it uses.
  • It doesn’t appear to use leather, fur, angora, or exotic animal skin.
  • It traces some animal-derived materials to the first production stage.

Based on all publicly available information we’ve reviewed, we rate Lululemon “Not Good Enough” overall.

Last updated January 2024