lululemon’s 'Like New' Program

What’s black and white and green all over? lululemon's recently launched sustainability initiative allows customers to return gently used clothing for store credit. The newly-minted “Like New” Program will repair retired lululemon clothing and resell it on the brand’s e-commerce site, promoting a circular product lifecycle. Recent consumer trends research suggests that shoppers favor brands that promote their sustainability initiatives and make the information about their environmental impacts easily accessible.

As consumer demands and environmental regulations increase, businesses must acknowledge that sustainability innovation is going to play an increasingly significant role in business operations. Shout out to lululemon for leading the way in the RFA space.

Prices for Like New pieces reflect a discount of up to 50% off the original new retail price in lululemon stores, inviting a new market of customers into the fold and increasing the brand’s profitability while reducing its environmental impact.

The Like New program is particularly effective in meeting lululemon’s sustainability goals, since the technical fabrics used in activewear are usually fossil fuel derived synthetics like polyester, elastane, spandex and nylon. Additionally, the production of these fabrics can create significant gas emissions. By repairing and reselling these clothing articles, lululemon’s initiative has the potential to reduce waste and emissions to meet SDG goals, build up the company’s environmentally friendly brand and expand its customer base.

This initiative is one of several sustainability practices that lululemon has put into place in the past few years. Other focuses include:

• Using sustainable textiles in 100% of their garments by 2030
• Reducing single-use plastics in packaging
• Cutting their greenhouse gas emissions from factories by using renewable energy.

To support these sustainability goals, lululemon is reinvesting 100% of profits from the sales of their Like New second-hand clothing into their environmental initiatives, a commitment which shows consumers that eco-friendliness is a value that’s deeply ingrained in the brand’s ethos.

Get in touch with our sustainability practice leaders to learn how your business can begin its sustainability journey.