Lululemon
Harm on record. Has recent confirmed harm to workers that it hasn't put right.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 6 sources
Vancouver athletic apparel company known for yoga pants.
In 2024, migrant workers at Taiwanese fabric mills supplying Lululemon paid recruitment fees of up to US$6,000, a sign of forced labour.
Also worth knowing
Lululemon has only partly put this right.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Lululemon? Send a right of reply.
Compare Lululemon with another brand
Why it's graded Harm on record
- Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 3 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, unaudited production in high-risk countries and forced or child labour. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- Holds the grade back: It's Harm on record because of a serious confirmed problem from the last 5 years that it has only partly put right: forced labour, last recorded in 2024.
Good requirements 1 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rights47% of its products are made in countries such as Cambodia and Indonesia, where unions are heavily restricted, and it has no full supply chain audit.
- Not met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
- Not met: No child or forced labour findings or links
- Met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that listPublishes its supplier list
- Not met: High-risk raw materials (cotton) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNot traced or certified: cotton
Red flags 3
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Made partly in countries with poor worker rights, without a full independent audit of its supply chain
- Red flag: Forced, slave or child labour found in or linked to its supply chain
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
From Lululemon's own disclosure: it publishes its supplier list. Its list covers only part of its range. The rest is shown as where clothes and shoes are usually made.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vietnam | 42% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Cambodia | 19% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Indonesia | 12% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Sri Lanka | 11% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Bangladesh | 9% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| ChinaUsual for the industry | 4% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndiaUsual for the industry | 1% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| TürkiyeUsual for the industry | 1% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Very high |
| PakistanUsual for the industry | 1% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | High |
Evidence
What we found
- Publishes supplier list
- Modern slavery statement
- Doesn't show where its cotton comes from. Cotton is linked to forced labour in Xinjiang and Turkmenistan, and child labour in several growing regions, so it can't be graded Good until it traces or certifies it.
Research notes Lululemon's clothing is made by about 51 independent vendors, mainly in Vietnam (40% by cost in fiscal 2025), Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Bangladesh, with fabric mostly from Taiwan, mainland China, South Korea and Vietnam. It publishes its supplier list, runs social assessments and requires suppliers to pay migrant workers' recruitment costs. It scored 63/100 in KnowTheChain's 2023 benchmark and 64.6/100 in the 2026 Corporate Human Rights Benchmark, but has no public living wage commitment or target.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Not listed | Not in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report; scored 58 out of 100 in the 2024 edition. View |
| Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution) | Listed | Scored 52% in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index, above the 26% average. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | FY2025 modern slavery statement: about 51 tier 1 and 65 tier 2 suppliers; forced labour indicators found at two Taiwanese fabric mills in 2024. View |
| Corporate Human Rights Benchmark (World Benchmarking Alliance) | Listed | Scored 64.6 out of 100 in the 2026 Corporate Human Rights Benchmark (average 53.7). View |
Confirmed issues 1
Only confirmed problems are listed, and old ones drop off after 10 to 15 years. A problem the company has fully put right no longer counts against it, and nor does one it finds and is fixing itself. How problems are counted
| Last recorded | What happened | Made amends? |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | A Transparentem investigation found forced labour indicators, including recruitment fees of up to US$6,000, among migrant workers at Taiwanese fabric mills supplying lululemon; lululemon confirmed indicators at two of its mills (Transparentem, 2025). Source · archived copy | PartlyLed remediation at a supplier; asked two mills to repay recruitment fees under time-bound plans and is checking repayment with a worker survey. |
Unconfirmed reports
Credible reports that haven't been confirmed by a regulator, completed investigation or the company. They're shown for your information and don't affect the grade.
- A Guardian investigation in 2019 reported that workers at a Bangladesh factory making lululemon clothing were slapped, verbally abused and pushed into long unpaid hours; lululemon said it was investigating (Quartz, 2019). Source
- About 500 workers at Charter Link Clark, a lululemon supplier in the Philippines, were dismissed at a Christmas party in December 2025; their union says severance was half what was agreed and the closure may be union busting (IndustriALL, 2026). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- Following the Thread: Labor Abuses in Taiwan's Textile Industry (Transparentem) · archived copy · Forced labour indicators and fees up to US$6,000 at nine mills; lululemon a remediation lead buyer
- Lululemon Australia - Good Shopping Guide (ethical.org.au) · search the archive · Ethical Fashion Report 2024 58/100 (no 2026 score); FTI 2023 52%; KnowTheChain 2023 63/100; CHRB 2026 64.6/100
- Lululemon supplier terminates 500 Philippine workers during Christmas (IndustriALL, Jan 2026) · search the archive · Charter Link Clark dismissed about 500 union members in Dec 2025; union disputes severance and alleges union busting
- lululemon athletica inc. Form 10-K, fiscal 2025 · search the archive · Products made in Vietnam 40%, Cambodia 18%, Sri Lanka 11%, Indonesia 11%, Bangladesh 7%; about 51 vendors; 39,000 staff
- Lululemon is under fire for factory worker abuse in Bangladesh (Quartz) · search the archive · Guardian 2019 report of abuse at a Bangladesh supplier; lululemon investigating
Published by Lululemon or its owner
- lululemon Modern Slavery Statement FY2025 · search the archive · Forced labour indicators at two Taiwan tier 2 mills; fee repayment plans; no living wage commitment
Company details
- Headquarters
- Canada
- Employees
- About 39,000
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Lululemon ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/lululemon, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Harm on record means
Better-graded activewear
No activewear brand selling new goods is Good yet. These are the strongest so far.
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Lululemon.