{"id":10274,"date":"2016-11-04T00:09:04","date_gmt":"2016-11-04T04:09:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digital.hbs.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/a-yogis-approach-to-sustainability\/"},"modified":"2016-11-04T00:30:56","modified_gmt":"2016-11-04T04:30:56","slug":"a-yogis-approach-to-sustainability","status":"publish","type":"hck-submission","link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/a-yogis-approach-to-sustainability\/","title":{"rendered":"A Yogis Approach to Sustainability"},"content":{"rendered":"

Energy and oil companies are not the only parties that must accommodate the implications of climate change. Athletes and yogis also understand that environmental health is the foundation of personal health, leading companies such as Lululemon to begin taking steps to measure and reduce its carbon footprint for the well-being of the global communities in which it operates. Founded by Chip Wilson in Vancouver, Canada in 1998, Lululemon is a yoga-inspired, highly technical athletic apparel company.<\/p>\n

One way in which Lululemon\u2019s business model is vulnerable to climate change includes increased water stress or scarcity from suppliers that could: cause a disruption to supply, slow production, reduce product quality or significantly increase costs to the company [1]. To mitigate this risk, Lululemon is measuring water use in its supply chain to identify suppliers that use water inefficiently, while preparing to shift supply away from water scarcity issues and helping suppliers identify and solve any potential issues [1]. For example, in China, the company is researching and testing low water and no water dyes for its fabrics which would significantly decrease the amount of water used in their supply chain [1].<\/p>\n

In addition, water quality also poses a threat to Lululemon as poor quality has the potential to increase production costs from increased water filtration and purification processes [1]. To accommodate this risk, Lululemon must understand the water and carbon footprints of its organization, value chain, products and materials, allowing it to implement comprehensive water policies that mitigate negative environmental impacts [1].<\/p>\n

Further, Lululemon\u2019s reputation is also at stake, as consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the effects of climate change on the ecosystems in which they thrive. Lululemon must show that they are a global, responsible leader who is taking steps to address climate change, especially since the company\u2019s original vision for its store was to \u201ccreate a community hub where people could learn and discuss the physical aspects of healthy living, mindfulness and living a life of possibility [2].\u201d<\/p>\n

Key initiatives that Lululemon is taking to better manage its carbon footprint include the following:<\/p>\n