With the debut of the new Lululemon products made from renewably sourced, plant-based nylon, the first tangible result of the partnership between the activewear manufacturer and sustainable materials company Genomatica - or Geno for short - entered into in 2021. The new nylon material takes Lululemon a step closer to achieving its Be Planet sustainability goal of making 100% of its products with sustainable materials and end-of use solutions by 2030.
Lululemon Athletica Inc. made an equity investment in Geno in 2021 as part of the companies’ collaboration, a move that represented its first equity investment in a sustainable materials company and Geno’s largest partnership in the retail industry.
Geno’s proprietary technology converts renewable carbon - sugar made from plants - into the precursor to nylon, resulting in a 100% renewable carbon-based nylon-6. More specifically, Geno’s technology is used to produce the precursor to plant-based nylon-6 (caprolactam) and plant-based nylon-6,6 (HMD).
For almost two years, Lululemon and Geno worked to develop a renewable-sourced, plant-based nylon that offers a lower-impact alternative to an important material in the performance apparel industry, said Esther Speck, senior vice president, Global Sustainable Business and Impact, at Lululemon.
“The launch of our first plant-based nylon products is an example of Lululemon’s environmental commitments in action, and what’s to come on our journey toward net zero,” said Speck.
The new material brings the same feel and quality customers associate with the Lululemon brand, while increasing the use of renewable resources.
The fact that biotechnology has successfully fermented plant sugars into the chemical building blocks used to make nylon is a major achievement, ‘bringing to life a renewable, plant-based nylon’, said Christophe Schilling, CEO and founder, Geno.
“ For us, sustainability is about a lot more than just cutting carbon….Together with Lululemon, Geno is opening a new chapter for plant-based nylon and accelerating the sustainable materials transition. We’re proud that this partnership is disrupting the $22 billion dollar nylon market, and with Lululemon, we will be accelerating the sustainable materials transition at scale – and this is only the beginning,” he added.
In 2020, Lululemon announced its Impact Agenda - a multi-year strategy addressing social and environmental issues via 12 goals. The strategy is organised into three pillars - 'Be Human', 'Be Well' and 'Be Planet' - each with its own vision, set of goals, and plan. ‘All are interconnected and making strides in one area has intrinsic and tangible benefits for the others,’ the company wrote in its inaugural Impact Summary. The commitments relate to a range of global issues, including diversity and inclusion, mental wellbeing, climate change, and circularity. In that context, for example, Lululemon is reinvesting profits into additional sustainability initiatives as it works towards its goal of a circular ecosystem by 2030.