Stand.earth Hosts World's Biggest Yoga Protest Confronting lululemon's Unethical Fossil Fuel Consumption, Calls for 100% Renewable by 2030

News provided by

Sep 17, 2022, 14:49 ET

"The world's biggest yoga protest" brought together hundreds of climate-justice practitioners to demand better business practices from the athleisure-wear giant.

VANCOUVER, BC, Sept. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On Saturday, September 17, roughly 100 yoga practitioners and concerned citizens gathered outside lululemon headquarters at 11:00 AM PST to participate in "Yoga for Coal-Free Fashion," billed as "the world's biggest yoga protest." The intention behind this 90-minute event was to urge lululemon to publicly commit to quit coal and transition to 100 percent renewable energy across its supply chain by 2030. Participants flowed through yoga poses, did breathing exercises, and blasted the brand for environmentally destructive actions that sharply contradict its yogic values.

Folder of Public Visuals–updated throughout the day

"We held this yoga protest today to remind lululemon that doing yoga is more than selling leggings. It's about aligning our values with what we practice – something that lululemon has failed to do with its sustainability plans," Eredene Batz, Digital Campaigner at Stand.earth said. "As a brand focused on health and wellness, lululemon's failure to stop using coal in its factories and cutting its toxic pollution is a letdown for its customers and the yoga community."

This week lululemon released a report showing it increased the climate pollution from manufacturing its products by a shocking 60% in just 12 months. lululemon's target of reducing its emissions intensity by 60% already falls short of the needs of the moment, but the report showed that in the last year lululemon's emissions intensity actually increased by as much as 9%. With 2030 rapidly approaching, lululemon now faces the enormous challenge of cutting its emissions intensity by more than half in just eight years if it plans to reach its target. Without a commitment to transition its supply chain to 100% renewable energy that is local and additional to the grid by 2030, lululemon's emissions will continue to rise.

"Just this week, lululemon reported the climate pollution from manufacturing its products jumped by over 60% in a single year. The reason is simple: lululemon's rapid growth is being fueled by an increased reliance on coal and other fossil fuels" said Gary Cook, Global Climate Campaign Director at Stand.earth. "CEO Calvin McDonald must follow the lead of companies like H&M, Puma and Apple who have committed to shift their factories off fossil fuel to 100% renewable electricity."

"lululemon's supply chain is polluting our air and climate," said Tina Pashumati James, a Senior Ashtanga yoga teacher and owner of Loka Yoga, who led the yoga class. "We're here to hold lululemon accountable for failing to commit to quit coal and switch to renewable energy by 2030 - and for betraying their staff, customers, the climate, impacted communities and violating their own values."

For more than a year, Stand.earth has called on lululemon — one of the biggest, most profitable, and fastest-growing sportswear brands in the world — to
address the impacts of its supply chain on climate change and the public health of local communities..its contributions to climate change. In February 2022, Stand.earth criticized the company's Team Canada Olympics gear for contributing to climate change and threatening the very future of winter sports (See photos). In November 2021, Stand.earth released an analysis revealing that despite lululemon's participation in fashion industry climate initiatives, and despite its commitment to reduce emissions in the coming decade, the company's supply chain emissions actually increased in 2020.

Stand.earth's Fossil-Free Fashion Scorecard, released in August 2021, benchmarked 47 top fashion companies on their efforts to tackle climate change. The report broadly failed the fashion industry on its efforts to address climate change, and gave lululemon a D– for failing to take meaningful action to work with suppliers to increase renewable energy use in its supply chain, phase out coal usage, or advocate for or sourcing renewable energy for its factories.

Learn more about Stand.earth's Fossil Free Fashion Campaign at lulucoal.com.

SOURCE Stand.earth