Lululemon’s global sustainability leader departs

Esther Speck, who has been instrumental in driving Lululemon’s adoption of new materials and secondhand sales for almost ten years, is stepping down. Speck, who started at the Vancouver athleisure wear company in 2015 as vice president of global sustainability, has been serving as senior vice president of global sustainable business and impact for the past two years.

In a LinkedIn post on May 8, Speck expressed pride in the progress made during her time at Lululemon. She highlighted the transformation of a small team into a global network of over 80 leaders worldwide.

Approaching sustainability as a challenge for innovation, Speck emphasized the importance of being a brand focused on well-being. Lululemon made a commitment in 2020 to have all its products featuring preferred content and end-of-life solutions by 2030, as the company’s revenue and greenhouse gas emissions increased.

Speck played a key role in various initiatives to enhance product life and develop new materials. Partnerships with startups like Geno and Bolt Threads have been part of Lululemon’s efforts to innovate materials. The company also collaborated with ZymoChem and Samsara Eco to work on biobased nylon and sustainable recycling solutions, leading to new product offerings.

Under Speck’s leadership, Lululemon’s sourcing of preferred materials increased significantly by 2023. Additionally, the company’s resale program, Lululemon Like New, has been successful since its launch four years ago.

While Speck’s future plans remain unspecified, she intends to explore new avenues for impact beyond her current role. Lululemon’s next steps in achieving its 2030 materials innovation targets and net-zero climate goal for 2050 are yet to be determined as Speck transitions out of her position.