Stand.earth hosts yoga protest to address lululemon’s fossil fuel consumption
by CM Staff
For more than a year, Stand.earth has called on lululemon to address the impacts of its supply chain on climate change and the public health of local communities.
VANCOUVER — Roughly 100 yoga practitioners and concerned citizens gathered outside of lululemon’s headquarters on Sept. 17 to participate in “Yoga for Coal-Free Fashion,” a 90-minute event where participants urged the athletic-wear maker to transition out of fossil fuels and commit to 100 per cent renewable energy.
“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 in a statement.
“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.”
According to Stand.earth, lululemon released a report showing that the manufacture of its products increased climate pollution by 60 per cent over the course of 12 months.
Climate advocates with Stand.earth expressed their concern that lululemon’s emissions will continue to rise in the future “without a commitment to transition its supply chain to 100 per cent renewable energy” by 2030.
“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 per cent renewable electricity,” said Gary Cook, global climate campaign director at Stand.earth. in a statement.
For more than a year, Stand.earth has called on lululemon to address the impacts of its supply chain on climate change and the public health of local communities.
Stand.earth’s Fossil-Free Fashion Scorecard, released in August 2021, benchmarked 47 top fashion companies on their efforts to tackle climate change. The climate advocacy group says it failed many members of the fashion industry on its efforts to address climate change, and it also gave lululemon a D– because Stand.earth felt the company did not do enough 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.
