Canada's Lululemon to get renewable electricity from Enel Green Power

Through the VPPA, which was facilitated by LevelTen Energy, Lululemon will purchase the electricity delivered to the grid by a 15 MW portion of Enel Green Power’s North America Azure Sky Wind project in Texas, equivalent to the electricity used by all of Lululemon’s company-operated stores, offices and warehouse facilities in North America. The agreement is Lululemon’s first renewable energy VPPA and underscores the company's investment to fuel its Impact Agenda, Enel Green said in a press release.

Through the VPPA lululemon will meet its renewable energy goals by aggregating the electricity load across 100 percent of their company-operated stores, offices, and distribution centres in North America and purchasing wind energy equivalent to the electricity needs of their operational footprint. For its operations globally, lululemon will achieve 100 percent renewable electricity through renewable energy credits while continuing to look for opportunities to support net new renewable energy development in the regions they operate in. lululemon was advised on the VPPA by LevelTen Energy, which leveraged its Energy Marketplace and PPA analytics to assist the company in its project selection and negotiations.

The announcement helps Lululemon achieve its RE100 commitment by 2021 and make progress against its Impact Agenda goals which include Science-based Targets by 2030. Lululemon’s Impact Agenda, launched in October 2020, details the company’s strategy to become a more sustainable and equitable business, and outlines its vision to minimise environmental impact and contribute to a healthier world, according to Enel Green.

"As increasingly more retailers work to address the circularity of their operations, from product design and manufacturing to packaging and end-of-life, industry leaders like lululemon are also prioritizing renewable energy as a centre-piece of their climate and sustainability efforts. The agreement with lululemon also demonstrates how companies with a distributed operational footprint can leverage solutions like VPPAs to achieve their emissions reduction goals, while also supporting the addition of new renewable energy to the electric grid,” Georgios Papadimitriou, head of Enel Green Power in the US and Canada said in a statement.

“Lululemon is committed to helping create an apparel industry that is both sustainable and inclusive, and addresses the serious implications of climate change, including working toward a net-zero future and cutting carbon emissions across our value chain. Science clearly shows the urgent need to act now. That’s why, among others, we’ve partnered with Enel Green Power North America to accelerate the transition to renewable energy and reduce our emissions footprint. This agreement is an important milestone on our journey toward cleaner energy and a healthier planet,” Esther Speck, VP sustainable business and impact at Lululemon said.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (GK)