lululemon athletica Inc. Releases Impact Agenda, Unveiling its Social and Environmental Goals and Strategies to Create a Healthier Future

Rhea-AI Summary

lululemon athletica inc. (NASDAQ:LULU) has unveiled its first Impact Agenda, outlining a comprehensive strategy to enhance sustainability and equity across its operations. Key commitments include investing $75 million in global wellbeing initiatives by 2025, achieving full gender and race pay equity by 2022, and ensuring all products are made from sustainable materials by 2030. The agenda targets three focus areas: Be Human, Be Well, and Be Planet, reflecting the company's commitment to address social and environmental challenges amid the ongoing global crises.

Positive

• Commitment to invest $75 million in equitable wellbeing programs by 2025.
• Targeting 100% sustainable materials in products by 2030.
• Achieved 100% gender pay equity and aims for full pay equity across gender and race by 2022.

Negative

• None.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--lululemon athletica inc. (NASDAQ:LULU) today released its first-ever Impact Agenda detailing the Company’s long-term strategy to become a more sustainable and equitable business, minimize its environmental impact, and accelerate positive change both internally and externally.

The Company’s Impact Agenda outlines its multi-year strategies to address critical social and environmental issues with 12 goals to drive progress. These include targeting areas ranging from diversity and inclusion to mental wellbeing to climate change, with specific commitments to invest $75 million USD into equitable wellbeing programs globally by 2025, expand gender pay equity to full pay equity for its employees, and make 100% of its products with sustainable materials and end-of-use solutions by 2030.

“lululemon has a unique opportunity, responsibility and platform to drive meaningful change. We share our Impact strategy against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, a global climate crisis, and systemic inequities in our society,” said Calvin McDonald, Chief Executive Officer. “As a global brand, industry, and as individuals, we must play a part to change the world for the better.”

McDonald continued, “Our Impact Agenda is more than a set of commitments. It’s a holistic approach that reflects who we are, guided by our purpose to elevate the world by realizing the full potential within every one of us. I am grateful to everyone who has dedicated their knowledge and experience to help us define our approach.”

Building on the Company’s progress and learnings over the past two decades, lululemon’s Impact Agenda brings a new level of ambition that will guide the way the Company approaches and measures its work across all aspects of its business, organized into three interconnected areas of focus:

Be Human

• Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Action: Reflect the diversity of the communities the Company serves and operates in around the world by 2025.
• Employee Leadership Offerings: Be the place where people come to develop and grow as leaders by 2023 including actions such as providing leading mental wellbeing training to all employees globally by 2021.
• Employee Pay Equity: Achieved 100% gender pay equity, and will expand to full pay equity for gender and race by 2022.
• Supporting People Who Make Our Products: Provide empowerment programs covering a range of issues, including human rights education, resilience and wellbeing practices to more than 100,000 workers across its supply chain by 2025.


Be Well

• Wellbeing for All: Provide access to tools that embrace mindfulness and movement practices for more than 10 million people globally by 2025.
• Scale Here to Be and new programs: Invest $75 million USD in its global and local communities by 2025 to drive impact through direct funding, partnerships, and advocacy.
• Create a Centre of Excellence: Establish a Centre of Excellence for social impact by 2021.

Be Planet

• Sustainable Product Innovation: 100% of the Company’s products will include sustainable materials and end-of use solutions by 2030.
• Sustainable Materials: Ensure at least 75% of its products contain sustainable materials by 2025.
• Circularity: Offer guests new options to extend the life of its products by providing resell, repair, and/or recycle options by 2025.
• Climate Change: Source 100% renewable electricity to power the Company’s operations by 2021 and reduce carbon emissions across its global supply chain by 60% per unit of value added, meeting its Science-based Targets by 2030.
• Water and Waste Reduction: Reduce its freshwater use intensity by 50% to manufacture its products and reduce single-use plastic packaging by 50% by 2025.

For more information and to view the 2020 Impact Agenda, visit https://shop.lululemon.com/story/sustainability

About lululemon athletica inc.

lululemon athletica inc. (NASDAQ:LULU) is a healthy lifestyle inspired athletic apparel company for yoga, running, training, and most other sweaty pursuits, creating transformational products and experiences which enable people to live a life they love. Setting the bar in technical fabrics and functional designs, lululemon works with yogis and athletes in local communities for continuous research and product feedback. For more information, visit WWW.LULULEMON.COM.

Forward-Looking Statements:

This press release includes estimates, projections, statements relating to the Company's business plans, objectives, and expected operating results that are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. In many cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as "may," "will," "should," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "outlook," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "predicts," "potential" or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements also include the Company's guidance and outlook statements. These statements are based on management's current expectations but they involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements as a result of risks and uncertainties, which include, without limitation: its ability to maintain the value and reputation of its brand; the current COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic and related government, private sector, and individual consumer responsive actions; the acceptability of its products to its guests; its highly competitive market and increasing competition; its reliance on and limited control over third-party suppliers to provide fabrics for and to produce its products; suppliers or manufacturers not complying with its Vendor Code of Ethics or applicable laws; the operations of many of its suppliers are subject to international and other risks; an economic recession, depression, or downturn or economic uncertainty in its key markets; increasing product costs and decreasing selling prices; its ability to anticipate consumer preferences and successfully develop and introduce new, innovative and updated products; its ability to accurately forecast guest demand for its products; its ability to safeguard against security breaches with respect to its information technology systems; any material disruption of its information systems; its ability to have technology-based systems function effectively and grow its e-commerce business globally; changes in consumer shopping preferences and shifts in distribution channels; the fluctuating costs of raw materials; its ability to expand internationally in light of its limited operating experience and limited brand recognition in new international markets; global economic and political conditions and global events such as health pandemics; its ability to deliver its products to the market and to meet guest expectations if it has problems with its distribution system; imitation by its competitors; its ability to protect its intellectual property rights; its ability to source and sell its merchandise profitably or at all if new trade restrictions are imposed or existing trade restrictions become more burdensome; its ability to realize the potential benefits and synergies sought with the acquisition of MIRROR, its operating flexibility given the significant costs incurred in connection with the acquisition of MIRROR, its ability to grow the MIRROR business and have it achieve profitability; changes in tax laws or unanticipated tax liabilities; its ability to manage its growth and the increased complexity of its business effectively; its ability to cancel store leases if an existing or new store is not profitable; increasing labor costs and other factors associated with the production of its products in South and South East Asia; its ability to successfully open new store locations in a timely manner; its ability to comply with trade and other regulations; the service of its senior management; seasonality; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; conflicting trademarks and the prevention of sale of certain products; its exposure to various types of litigation; actions of activist stockholders; anti-takeover provisions in its certificate of incorporation and bylaws; and other risks and uncertainties set out in filings made from time to time with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and available at www.sec.gov, including, without limitation, its most recent reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q. You are urged to consider these factors carefully in evaluating the forward-looking statements contained herein and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which are qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. The forward-looking statements made herein speak only as of the date of this press release and the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances, except as may be required by law.