Lululemon athletica, an athletic apparel company, has recently introduced two new high-performance shirts that use plant-based nylon instead of nylon made from fossil fuels. This marks the first time the company has used renewably sourced biobased materials in its products.
The launch results from a collaboration with sustainable materials-focused biotechnology company Genomatica, which started almost two years ago and included an equity investment by Lululemon in Genomatica.
The San Diego-based company develops sustainable materials from plant or waste-based feedstocks using biotechnology and fermentation to convert plant-based ingredients into chemical building blocks similar to those used to make nylon.
Lululemon has set ambitious sustainability goals for 2030, including making all of its products with sustainable materials and reducing emissions intensity across its global supply chain by 60%. As nylon is the company’s largest procured material by weight, representing 37% of materials used in its products in 2021, it has set targets to launch alternative nylon solutions by 2025 and to source 100% renewable or recycled content nylon for its products by 2030.
The company is also collaborating with Genomatica to optimize the overall environmental benefits of plant-based nylon through plant source and traceability. The apparel and footwear industry’s upstream activities, including materials production and processing, contribute approximately 70% of its greenhouse gas emissions.