Athleisure and activewear giant, lululemon, has hired a PR firm to face the greenwashing allegations made earlier this month by a nonprofit organization. The firm, Edelman, is known for its connections to the fossil fuel industry. Head below to learn more.
How did we get here?
We reported earlier this month on the greenwashing allegations made against lululemon by the British Columbia-based environmental organization, Stand.earth; additionally, in early February, thousands of yoga instructors signed a petition urging lululemon to quit its reliance on the coal industry.
In a complaint against lululemon, Stand.earth noted that in lululemon’s three-pillar corporate slogan – “Be human. Be well. Be planet.” – the words “Be Planet” mislead customers into thinking that the company is more environmentally friendly than it actually is.
Tzeoprah Berman, Stand.earth’s international program director:
Lululemon is one of Canada‘s most influential companies and one of the world’s biggest fashion brands through its ‘Be Planet’ campaign. Although Lululemon has taken some actions and set some targets to reduce the harmful impact of its business operations and products, Stand.earth’s position in its complaint is that Lululemon’s business is inconsistent with its public claims to be an environmentally responsive company.
Stand.earth requested Canada’s Competition Bureau to fully investigate lululemon and its greenwashing practices, arguing that the company misleads its customers regarding its environmental impacts. Specifically, Stand.earth notes that lululemon’s own impact report from 2022 reveals double the amount of greenhouse gas emissions since the 2022 report was published.
A dirty PR firm
To fight back against the complaint made to Canada’s Competition Bureau, lululemon has hired Edelman, a PR firm with known ties to the fossil fuel industry. According to The Narwhal, lululemon has worked with Edelman since at least 2020, when the two companies partnered to survey people about their wellbeing.
With more than 60 offices around the globe, Edelman is often described as the world’s biggest public relations firm. They have faced backlash for working with companies such as ExxonMobil, Shell, and the Charles Koch Foundation – some of the most influential and known entities in the fossil fuel industry.
A decade ago, leaked documents revealed that Edelman advised TC Energy to target its opposition in a negative public relations campaign when a cross-country oil pipeline, Energy East, had been proposed. It was at that time that hundreds of scientists called upon Edelman and other PR firms to stop working with fossil fuel clients (via The Narwhal).
Edelman has faced additional criticism because its own climate commitments don’t align with the company’s stated climate action goals.
According to The Narwhal, Melissa Aronczyk, a professor of media studies at Rutgers University in New Jersey and research associate at Carleton University, said of the partnership that it highlights a “pattern of behaviour that shows Edelman’s disregard for global environmental crises.”
Connect the Watts’ Take
This is an important story not just in the athleisure space but in the clothing space overall, and we will be following it closely. For a brand as global and influential as lululemon to be facing greenwashing complaints filed with a federal regulator, a trickle-down effect could take place, implicating other clothing brands that stand in lululemon’s shadow.
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