15 years of pioneering circularity in apparel and counting
OUR STORY
Since 2011, lululemon has partnered with Debrand as part of its broader circularity initiatives, advancing solutions that demonstrate what circularity can look like at scale for a global high-performance apparel brand. What began as a solution for managing damaged or unsellable inventory has evolved into more holistic circularity initiatives engaging cross-functional teams across the company. Through investments and early adoption, lululemon has consistently demonstrated leadership in textile waste diversion and circular innovation. In doing so, the brand is setting a new standard for what brand-led circularity can achieve.
lululemon's Ecosystem of Solutions
Enabling 12+ solution partners across 8 next-life channels
*If products cannot be recycled, downcycled, or reused, they are processed in a Waste-to-Energy or Alternative Fuel facility
Resale
DONATION
TEXTILE-TO-TEXTILE RECYCLING
YOGA MAT RECYCLING
METAL RECYCLING
Down Recycling
Fiber Reclamation
Responsible Disposal
DEBRAND Service Levels
Value-Added Services
Consulting
DEBRAND Service Types
Advanced Recycling Trials
Quality Assessment
Sortation for Reuse and Recycling
Resale Enablement
Product Types
Outerwear
Apparel
Footwear
Yoga Mats & Accessories
How It Started
As two Vancouver-based companies, the lululemon and Debrand partnership began as a local collaboration to address the challenge of managing pre- and post-consumer unsellable products.
Unsellable inventory such as damaged items or customer returns is a reality for any fashion and apparel brand, and finding responsible solutions is essential. lululemon’s commitment to pioneering sustainable and circular innovations, combined with Debrand’s focus on delivering viable, credible, and scalable solutions for global brands, created a partnership grounded in shared values and a drive for broader industry impact.
What began as a focused initiative has evolved into one of the foundational elements of lululemon’s circularity leadership. As the landscape of circularity and sustainability continues to shift, so too has the partnership: growing through pilot programs, scaling new initiatives, and advancing cutting-edge textile-to-textile recycling trials that support systemic transformation across the apparel industry.
Our collaboration through the years
How It's Going
Our partnership has been grounded in continuous testing, iteration, and learning—evolving alongside the rapidly changing textile sustainability landscape. As circularity capabilities advance and the industry faces increasing pressure to address environmental impact at scale, lululemon’s commitment to textile waste diversion and end-of-life product management provides a strong foundation for navigating upcoming legislation and driving supply chain innovation.
Innovation Through Adaptation
As the circularity landscape evolves, so has our partnership: embracing pilots, scaling new programs, and advancing textile-to-textile recycling through innovation. Together, we’re leveraging Debrand’s software R&D and activating advanced technologies like the Valvan Fibersort® to unlock industry-leading scalable transformation.
Unlocking an Ecosystem of Solutions
We leverage our vetted network to build a comprehensive ecosystem of 12+ solution partners spanning resale, donation, textile-to-textile recycling, advanced recycling, downcycling, and responsible disposal, ensuring end-of-life product materials are kept in use and out of landfill.
Guest Experience & Brand Integrity
These circularity efforts over the past 14 years have directly supported innovative initiatives such as lululemon's Like New resale program in the United States.
Featured projectS
Textile-to-Textile Recycling Trial with Samsara Eco
Samsara Eco is a textile recycler based in Australia that focuses on enzymatic recycling, a low-carbon closed-loop recycling process producing virgin-identical materials. Debrand worked closely with Samsara Eco on a pilot project starting in 2024 to recycle pre- and post-consumer lululemon product using their enzymatic recycling technology, EosEco.
With access to past product data captured in other lululemon projects over the years, our team was equipped with the insights to make quick decisions which products could achieve the highest yields for recyclable feedstock. Through iterative testing and analysis, collaborative feedback loops, and pre-processing fulfillment, we were able to meet Samsara Eco’s recycling specifications and feedstock volume needs to execute on their enzymatic recycling process. The outcome: lululemon’s Packable Anorak jacket, the world’s first recycled PET capsule collection available for retail sale.
As lululemon and Samsara Eco continue driving innovative projects through their 10-year offtake plan, we’re working in lockstep with them to keep enabling this partnership through our ongoing trials and collaborations.
Yoga Mat Recycling with ReitenRight
In 2013, damaged yoga mats were identified as a key opportunity to find a better next-life pathway and make the most of the product’s materiality. Instead of letting valuable materials go to waste, our team looked beyond the apparel industry to uncover a new purpose. By reimagining yoga mat grind as equestrian footing, we created a solution that provides essential cushioning to reduce horse injuries and fatigue, while also lowering the water required to maintain arenas.
This discovery led to the creation of Debrand’s sister company, ReitenRight, and a pioneering downcycling process that turns unsellable yoga mats into lasting value. More than a decade later, ReitenRight remains one of lululemon’s trusted next-life partners—proof that circular innovation can thrive when we push beyond industry boundaries and unlock unexpected pathways for materials.
Design for Circularity Internal Workshops
Debrand supported lululemon in their circular design workshops, providing insight into processing of post-consumer waste. This insight helps product designers and developers think about end-of-use pathways during a product’s design. This unique vantage point allows us to support the education and enablement of lululemon’s cross-functional teams—from Product Design and Raw Materials to Legal and Brand—helping them build tangible expertise in designing for circularity and operating within this model.
Our proximity to lululemon’s head office has further enabled regular workshops, presentations, and hands-on activations that bring circularity to life across the organization. These touchpoints have helped communicate the brand’s vision to hundreds of employees, embedding sustainability into everyday decision-making and strengthening the culture of innovation.
WHERE WE'RE HEADED
Through continued piloting and intentional refinement, our partnership has resulted in meaningful shifts away from lower-value pathways such as downcycling through fiber reclamation and responsible disposal, and toward more higher-impact solutions like donation and textile-to-textile recycling. Moving forward, we will continue to advance circularity in strategic and practical ways. On the operational side, we’re advancing Debrand-led R&D to unlock sortation at scale through cutting-edge technology, expanding textile-to-textile recycling trials across multiple fiber categories, and work towards shifting more products from lower-value channels into higher-value uses. At the same time, we’re elevating the guest experience through continuously optimized Like New operations.
Beyond the operations, this work represents something bigger: a blueprint for how circularity can be embedded across industries. By pairing innovation with scalable infrastructure, lululemon and Debrand are proving that sustainability can drive both business resilience and cultural leadership—laying the foundation to support lululemon’s 2030 impact goals and inspire broader industry transformation.
