Lululemon Athletica Inc. is accused of using deceptive greenwashing tactics to trick consumers into thinking it is more sustainable and environmentally friendly than it actually is. According to a class action lawsuit filed last Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, the Canadian athleisure brand has taken advantage of its consumers by promoting its products, operations and business practices as sustainable and environmentally positive through its “Be Planet” marketing campaign.
The 53-page lawsuit against Lululemon alleges that despite the brand’s claims made through its “Be Planet” campaign and commitment to sustainability and equality, these claims misrepresent the company’s true actions and impact. The class-action complaint alleges that Lululemon, a leading global retailer of athleisure apparel, has a substantial and increasing negative impact on the climate and environment, contrary to the image it promotes.
Lululemon faces class action lawsuit over misleading sustainability claims
“Lululemon’s marketing campaign messages are dishonest, false, and misleading to consumers because they portray Lululemon as something it is not,” the complaint reads. “The apparel industry is a significant contributor to the environmental crisis, and as one of the largest apparel companies in the world, Lululemon has a significant and growing climate and environmental footprint. Its actions and products directly harm the environment and degrade the health of the planet — the opposite of its Be Planet promises and representations.”
The complaint alleges that Lululemon’s business operations and products cause direct harm to the environment and the continued degradation of the environment, which is the complete opposite of what it promises and represents in its Be Planet campaign. “Instead of preserving and positively improving the planet, Lululemon is causing increasing negative impacts and harm,” the class action lawsuit continues.
More specifically, the lawsuit against Lululemon alleges that the brand is guilty of “significant greenhouse gas emissions, landfill waste, and the release of microplastics into the environment,” among other alleged harms. The complaint also alleges that Lululemon’s allegedly misleading claims of sustainability and eco-friendliness are designed to persuade consumers and justify the high prices charged for its products.
Lululemon first launched its “Be Planet” campaign and Impact Agenda in October 2020, which mapped out its long-term plan to reduce its overall impact on the environment. Part of the strategy includes a pledge by the brand to significantly reduce its carbon emissions by 2030. Lululemon’s sustainability strategy includes commitments to ensure its products include end-of-use solutions by 2030; ensure at least 75 percent of its products contain sustainable materials by 2025; offer consumers options to extend the life of products by resell, repair or recycle them by 2025; use 100 percent renewable electricity for its operations by 2021; reduce freshwater use intensity in product manufacturing by 50 percent; and reduce single-use plastic packaging by 50 percent by 2025.
But according to Lululemon’s 2022 report, the company’s Scope 3 emissions, which include indirect emissions along its supply chain, reached 1.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide — nearly double the company’s Scope 3 emissions in 2020.
“Lululemon’s emissions in 2022 are equivalent to burning more than 20 million gallons of gasoline, more than 3.8 million barrels of oil, or fueling more than 518,000 passenger vehicles in one year,” the complaint says, adding that these emissions are expected to increase as the company aims to double its revenue by 2026.
The class action lawsuit also alleges that Lululemon’s representations of its goals regarding its Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions are misleading, as the brand fails to disclose that these emissions account for only approximately 0.3 percent of its total greenhouse gas emissions.
As Lululemon continues to grow, with revenue more than doubling to $8.1 billion (7.4 billion euros) between 2018 and 2022, the suit alleges that the “Be Planet” marketing campaign is “objectively false, misleading and deceptive” and violates nearly every Federal Trade Commission guideline for environmental marketing claims. The lawsuit adds that the Canadian Competition Bureau has opened a formal investigation into Lululemon over the allegedly misleading marketing claims.
This article was previously published on FashionUnited UK. Translation by Susan Zijp.
Source: fashionunited.nl
