Last week, sportswear company Lululemon Athletica announced a multi-year collaboration with Genomica, a sustainable materials company. The goal is to bring renewably-sourced, bio-based materials into lululemon’s products.
This marks lululemon’s first-ever equity investment in a sustainable materials company and is also Genomatica’s largest partnership within the retail industry. Through the collaboration, the two companies will create a lower-impact, plant-based nylon in order to replace conventional nylon, which is the largest volume of synthetic material currently used to make lululemon products.
Genomatica uses fermentation and biotechnology to transform plant-based ingredients into widely used chemical building blocks, similar to those used to make nylon. These building blocks are converted to pellets and yarns, and the companies will be working closely with lululemon’s fabric supply chain to incorporate this material into future products. Through this collaboration, the companies aim to create positive change within the $22 billion global nylon market by building more sustainable supply chains.
According to Genomatica, the combination of biotechnology, fermentation and renewable feedstocks is capable of providing a powerful means to shake up the apparel industry through sustainable sourcing. The companies are aiming to replace the petrochemicals that make up many popular materials with more sustainable alternatives.
In October of last year, lululemon released its first-ever Impact Agenda, listing the social and environmental goals and multi-year strategies that will be implemented toward a more equitable, sustainable, and healthy future.
Calvin McDonald, CEO, lululemon said, “Our partnership with and investment in Genomatica demonstrates our commitment to be a leader in creating products that help build a healthier future for ourselves, for our communities and for our planet. Genomatica’s bio-based innovations, along with their distinctive track record of successful commercial applications, will help us deliver on our Impact Agenda goals to make 100% of our products with sustainable materials and end-of-use solutions by 2030, as we move toward a circular ecosystem.”
“We are proud to partner with lululemon, a company that is taking meaningful action to help address our climate crisis,” said Christophe Schilling, CEO, Genomatica. “The combination of biotechnology, fermentation and renewable feedstocks can provide a powerful means to disrupt the apparel industry through sustainable sourcing. This unique collaboration will help meet increasing consumer demand for more environmentally friendly products and set an example for consumer brand owners worldwide.”
