Last Updated:
3/13/21 5:27 PM
overall rating:
keep going
Lululemon Athletica Inc
Internal Representation & Support
43%
Public Commitment
58%
External Communication
81%
To evaluate this pillar, we take into consideration a range of factors, including but not limited to:
- Employee representation
- Diversity, equity, & inclusion (DEI)
We weigh a company’s degree of public commitment primarily on their monetary contributions to DEI matters or organizations fighting racial injustice.
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Forms of monetary support we look for:
One-off donations
Recurring donations
Grant initiatives
Employee donation matching
Highlights
The majority of leadership positions at Lululemon are held by women. They created a Global Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, & Action group (IDEA) and implementing more racial diversity/inclusion initiatives in their workplaces (ie pacer groups, anti-discrimination training). In September 2020, Lululemon recently adopted a more inclusive size range (0-20) for their products. Their IG page features Black brand ambassadors and partnerships with Black activists.
Lowlights
Despite their claims to diversify their company, Lululemon barely has any racial diversity in their executive team and BOD. There's no accessible online information about their exact workforce demographics despite their promise to release an annual Impact Report on their Diversity & Inclusion page as of March 2021. The majority of Lululemon's monetary donations towards racial justice ($7m) are only for internal reforms and programs that are self-serving (ie. IDEA group, Here to Be program). Their IG page only occasionally shows plus size models, and rarely any models with disabilities.
We scour the company’s website and official social media channels to determine what message they are sending around racial injustice, how they are communicating it, and whether their communications are perceived as genuine or performative.
Public statement: We verify that companies have made a formal statement regarding racial injustice.
Social media: We consider how a company uses their platform(s) beyond performative allyship.
Representation: For companies that have the opportunity to showcase diversity in their feed, we consider whether they have adequate Black representation and BIPOC representation across their models.
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Deep Dive
I. Internal Representation & Support:
Board of Directors:
8% - 9% Black, 6% - 10% BIPOC, > 50% Women
Executive Leadership:
0% (none) Black, 6% - 10% BIPOC, > 50% Women
Information not publicly available
Workforce:
An appointed DEI senior leader and/or a dedicated DEI organization
DEI Support:
II. Public Commitment
Lululemon Athletica Inc has pledged a donation of 0.001% - 0.009% of annual revenue towards racial injustice, specifically for Black lives. Additionally, Lululemon Athletica Inc has engaged in actions that advance racial justice and/or uplift BIPOC communities, such as partnerships with nonprofits or mission-based organizations, sponsorship of individuals who use their platform to speak out on racial injustice, and sponsorship of events. Lululemon Athletica Inc is also an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and people living with disabilities.
III. External Communications
Lululemon Athletica Inc has issued a public statement, both on social media and in a public memo, addressing racial injustice The public statement acknowledged that they can be doing better to combat racial inequality within their company, included specific calls to action, and explicitly stated "Black Lives Matter." Since June 2020, 21% - 30% of the brand's social media content has been centered around racial injustice with posts seeking to continue the momentum of BLM. While the brand has made an effort to include ethnic diversity, specifically increasing Black representation, and has shown inclusion through featuring a range of models, there is little to no evidence of their support of the LGBTQ+ community on social media beyond a post for Pride.
