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I’ve a handful of very nice athletic jackets and shirts tucked away in my closet.
They’re in nice form, some barely worn — however for no matter cause, I by no means attain for them. And but, I can’t deliver myself to throw them out. It simply feels…unsuitable.
Possibly it’s the guilt of figuring out the place they’ll find yourself.
As a result of as soon as efficiency gear is “performed,” there’s nowhere for it to go. Artificial materials like nylon and polyester don’t break down. They’re constructed from fossil fuels, are powerful to recycle, and often wind up in a landfill — or worse.
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And I’m not alone in that.
In accordance with the UN, the style business contributes as much as 10% of world carbon emissions — a stat that feels particularly heavy when it’s tied to manufacturers constructed on self-improvement and wellness.
So what will we do when even our feel-good garments don’t truly really feel good anymore?
Nicely, this activewear firm could have simply discovered a solution — not in a pattern or a brand new product drop, however in a daring wager on the material of the longer term.
Picture supply: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg by way of Getty Photographs
Lululemon is altering the sport in sustainable vogue
In March 2025, Lululemon (LULU) announced a multi-year collaboration with a California biotech startup referred to as ZymoChem.
Collectively, they’re engaged on a method to make one in every of Lululemon’s go-to supplies — nylon — extra sustainable.
Thats an enormous deal, since nylon is often constructed from petroleum (suppose: fossil fuels) and is notoriously laborious to recycle.
The corporate says the brand new bio-based nylon they’re growing will nonetheless have the identical really feel, efficiency, and high quality followers anticipate. Suppose your favourite Align or Wunder Prepare leggings — simply made in a cleaner, smarter manner.
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This isn’t Lululemon’s first time investing in next-gen supplies. In 2024, the model teamed up with Australian startup Samsara Eco to launch the world’s first enzymatically recycled nylon product.
That breakthrough confirmed it’s doable to recycle even probably the most complicated efficiency materials.
Now, Lululemon is doubling down.
From new methods to make supplies, to new methods to reuse them, the model is betting that the way forward for vogue begins with the material.
Why Lululemon’s sustainability wager makes monetary sense
This isn’t only a greenwashing PR play. Lululemon is backing these improvements with actual funding and long-term technique.
Its partnerships with ZymoChem and Samsara Eco level to a broader push to develop merchandise with most well-liked supplies. That features each bio-based inputs and round design methods that would cut back the corporate’s publicity to fossil fuels and unstable international provide chains.
And whereas these efforts sign progress for the planet, in addition they make severe enterprise sense.
The price of uncooked supplies stays a significant strain level throughout the style business, particularly as tariffs, inflation, and political tensions proceed to disrupt sourcing.
By investing in bio-based and recycled options, Lululemon could acquire a pricing and sourcing edge — one which’s each environmentally accountable and economically strategic.
There’s additionally the model repute increase. In a market the place buyers — and traders — are more and more motivated by values, partnerships like these may improve buyer loyalty and open new doorways with institutional stakeholders.
For Lululemon, this isn’t nearly higher leggings. It’s about main the subsequent period of premium efficiency put on.
Lululemon isn’t simply chasing tendencies — it’s chasing the way forward for vogue, one fiber at a time.
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