Lululemon has signed a 15-year virtual power purchase agreement to achieve 100% renewable electricity for its North American operations.
The 15-megawatt agreement with Enel Green Power North America will provide the athletic apparel company with renewable energy from the Azure Sky Wind and Storage project in Texas.
The energy purchased is equivalent to the electricity needed to power 100% of Lululemon's 380 stores, six offices, and five distribution centers in North America.
"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 centerpiece of their climate and sustainability efforts," said Georgios Papadimitriou, head of Enel Green Power in the US and Canada. "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."
With the VPPA, lululemon's first, the company will achieve its RE100 goal by 2021 through renewable energy credits.
"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," said Esther Speck, VP Sustainable Business and Impact, lululemon. "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."
The 79-turbine Azure Sky Wind and Storage project, located in North Texas, features a 350 MW wind project paired with 137 MW of battery storage, one of the largest battery storage systems in the world. The project is expected to be operational in the first half of 2022.
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